Los Angeles Dodgers baseball hat cake made with chocolate cake and peanut butter frosting. Assembled cake is decorated with edible fondant.
Happy birthday to my sweet Alex!
Alex has worn his Dodgers hat for as long as I’ve known him. He wears it to work instead of a chef’s toque, on our afternoon walks with Charlie, and often inside the house when he’s having a bad hair day.
He’s a devoted Dodgers fan and we try to catch as many games as we can. For his birthday I decided to make a Dodgers baseball cap cake.
Baseball Cap Cake
This cake is fairly simple to shape if you take it slowly. I recommend using a small serrated or paring knife rather than a large bread knife—it’s easier to control for the detailed carving the cap requires.
The cake begins as a standard stacked layer cake. The recipe provided yields enough batter for four 8-inch layers; you can use three or four layers depending on how tall you want the cap. Build and crumb-coat the stacked layers, then chill the assembled cake in the refrigerator for at least an hour. A firm, chilled cake is much easier to carve cleanly.
Use a small serrated or paring knife to carve the chilled cake into the rounded shape of a baseball cap. Work gradually—shave off small amounts at a time until you achieve the shape you want. When the carving is complete, apply another thin crumb coat to seal the carved surfaces and return the cake to the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm.
Cover cake with fondant and decorate
Covering and decorating the cap is straightforward; getting the fondant color right can take patience. It took me nearly an hour to mix a blue I was happy with.
Once the cake is firm, roll the colored fondant into a thin, even layer and gently drape it over the cake. Smooth with your palms or a fondant smoother to remove air pockets and creases. The bill of the cap is made separately: place the cake on a board or plate, cut and shape the bill to the correct size, then attach it to the cake.
For details like stitching and seams I used a serrated quilting wheel and a small cutting tool. A toothpick makes quick work of the air vents on top of the cap. The LA logo was sketched by hand and cut from fondant with a sharp knife for a clean edge.
Alex loves Reese’s peanut butter cups, so the flavor of the cake felt obvious: chocolate paired with a simple peanut butter buttercream. We always keep a stash of mini Reese’s at home; to us the combination of chocolate and peanut butter is unbeatable.
The cake recipe below makes a rich chocolate layer cake paired with a smooth peanut butter frosting—perfect for shaping into a baseball cap or for a traditional stacked cake.
Also—happy early birthday to our adorable pup Charlie! He turns two in a week.
Chocolate Layer Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting (baseball cap cake)
Yield: four layer 8-inch cake
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Ingredients
Chocolate Layer Cake (four 8-inch rounds)
- 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp instant espresso powder
- 1½ cup unsalted butter, room temp
- 2 ½ cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temp
- 2 ¼ cup whole milk, room temp
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
- ⅔ cup smooth peanut butter
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 3 cup confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar), sifted
- ¼- ½ cup heavy cream, adjust to desired consistency
Instructions
Chocolate Layer Cake:
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and lightly flour four 8-inch cake pans, line with parchment, and set aside.
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Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and espresso powder. Sift if desired to remove lumps and ensure even mixing.
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In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed.
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Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping the bowl so everything is evenly incorporated.
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Mix vanilla into the milk. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until no streaks remain.
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Divide batter evenly among the pans. Smooth the tops with a small offset spatula and bake 25–30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Cool cakes in pans for 5–10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Peanut Butter Frosting
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In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and peanut butter until smooth. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar on low speed until incorporated. Add heavy cream and beat until you reach the desired consistency.
Notes
For fondant I prefer professional-grade Massa Fondant and gel food coloring to achieve vibrant, even color.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
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