This three-tier Very Hungry Caterpillar Cake combines deep devil’s food chocolate cake with fresh strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream and chunks of fresh strawberries throughout—an ideal centerpiece for a birthday celebration.
My son Asher inspired this cake. He turned one recently and we celebrated with a themed party based on Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I coordinated invitations, decorations, food, favors and of course the cake. This post focuses on the cake and how it came together.
Meet Asher:
Did somebody call for a baby model?
Asher is a big part of my life and the reason many of my posts are written late at night. He’s a voracious eater—truly the very hungry caterpillar personified—so the theme fit perfectly.
Photograph by Adrea Scheidler
I wanted a showpiece cake for about 44 guests (26 adults and 18 children), so I made a three-tier cake: a 10″ base, a 6″ middle tier, and a 4″ top tier that doubled as Asher’s smash cake. The cake was a rich devil’s food chocolate with fresh strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream and chopped strawberries layered in between. The exterior was covered with homemade marshmallow fondant and decorated with fondant versions of the foods from the book.
Side view
The cake tells a little story: the caterpillar begins its journey along the side of the bottom tier and continues upward to the top, where a small caterpillar sits on the smash cake—symbolic of the milestone from baby to walking, talking toddler.
I decorated the sides of the tiers with fondant replicas of many of the foods the caterpillar ate. I worked from the book for color and shape inspiration, cutting freehand shapes from marbled fondant and painting on the characteristic brushstrokes that echo Eric Carle’s illustrations. Marbling several fondant colors together gave extra depth and helped the painted accents look more natural.
The decorations took roughly four to five hours to make, including mixing multiple small batches of colored fondant. I used a simple planning method: decide approximate sizes, cut a paper template, count how many pieces fit per tier, then roll and cut the fondant pieces. While some steps were improvised the night before the party, the result matched the vision I had.
After painting and finishing the fondant pieces, I attached them to the cake using edible glue. I planned to use multicolored fondant dots along the base, but the ribbon I added at the end provided a cleaner, more polished look.
Displayed at the party in the park
There were additional desserts at the party—mini lemon curd cupcakes and a candy buffet—but the tiered cake was the centerpiece. The chocolate cake is tender and deeply flavored, while the strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream adds bright, fresh fruit flavor and a silky texture. Chopped strawberries tucked into the layers created pops of freshness in every bite.
Here you can see the cake, along with the mini lemon cupcakes topped by fruit candies
Assembly was completed shortly before the party: stack the tiers using dowels for support, smear buttercream between layers to secure them, and add ribbon at each base for a finished look. The finished cake served our group with plenty left over to send home with friends.
I found tie-dye candles that matched the colorful butterfly on the cake.
Asher’s reaction said it all—he dove into his smash cake and enjoyed his first real taste of sugar with gusto. After initial face-planting, he switched to picking up pieces and eating them with both hands, which was delightfully messy and memorable.
So this is how fancy folks eat…
The cake added a lot to the party and was fun to make. I’m sharing the full recipes used for the cake, the strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream, and the marshmallow fondant so you can recreate this Very Hungry Caterpillar Cake yourself.
Oh hey, caterpillar head…
More Fun Birthday Cake Recipes
Where the Wild Things Are Birthday Cake
Unicorn Cakes
Curious George Birthday Cake with Hazelnut Frosting
How to Make A Piñata Cake (with video!)
Very Hungry Caterpillar Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake: (Make both batches, one right after the other)
Batch One:
- 6 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4.75 oz granulated sugar (about 2/3 cup)
- 5 oz packed brown sugar (about 2/3 cup)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, full-fat, at room temperature
- 4 oz sour cream (1/2 cup), full-fat, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp water or brewed coffee
- 7.8 oz all-purpose flour (1 3/4 cup)
- 3 oz unsweetened cocoa powder (1 cup)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Batch Two:
- 9 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 7.13 oz granulated sugar (about 1 cup)
- 7.5 oz packed brown sugar (1 cup)
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, full-fat, at room temperature
- 6 oz sour cream (3/4 cup), full-fat, at room temperature
- 3 tbsp water or brewed coffee
- 11.75 oz all-purpose flour (2 2/3 cups)
- 4.5 oz unsweetened cocoa powder (1 1/2 cups)
- 2 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 each 10″ cake pans, 2 each 6″ cake pans, 2 each 4″ cake pans
Instructions
To Make the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Line pans with parchment and spray with nonstick spray.
- Cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla.
- Whisk buttermilk, sour cream and water together. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add drys and wets to the mixer in alternating additions, starting and ending with dry.
- Finish mixing by hand, then divide batter between pans so each is about 2/3 full. Weights used: 10″ round ~2 lb 3 oz, 6″ round ~14 oz, 4″ round ~5 oz.
- Bake until tops spring back and a toothpick comes out clean: 10″ ~28–30 min, 6″ ~25 min, 4″ ~22–24 min. Cool on racks 10 minutes, then unmold and cool completely. Chill before stacking if possible.
Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients
- 9 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 14 oz granulated sugar (about 2 cups)
- 1 lb unsalted butter, slightly softened but cool
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup fresh strawberry puree, at room temperature (from about 12 oz berries)
- 2 drops pink gel food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Combine egg whites and sugar in a mixing bowl. Heat over a simmering saucepan, whisking frequently, until the mixture is hot and sugar is dissolved (no gritty feel).
- Whip the warmed whites on high until the bowl is no longer warm (10–20 minutes). Reduce speed and add softened cool butter a tablespoon at a time. The mixture may separate; continue whipping until smooth and airy. If it doesn’t come together, chill briefly and re-whip.
- Add strawberry puree and optional coloring, mixing until evenly blended. Store at room temperature if using the same day or refrigerate and re-whip before using.
Marshmallow Fondant
Ingredients
- 8 oz mini marshmallows (about 4 cups)
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 lb powdered sugar (about 4 cups), plus extra for dusting
Instructions
- Microwave marshmallows and water in a large microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute. Stir until smooth, heating a little longer if needed.
- Add powdered sugar and stir. The mixture will be very sticky—turn it onto a powdered-sugar-dusted surface and knead, dusting hands with sugar, until smooth and no longer sticky.
- Wrap fondant tightly and store at cool room temperature. It firms up overnight and can be made in advance for convenience.
To Assemble the Cake:
- Supplies: cardboard cake rounds for each tier, dowels (or boba straws), pastry bag and tips, bench scraper, offset spatula, turntable (optional), and 2 lb strawberries, washed and chopped.
- For each tier, slice cake layers horizontally, pipe a buttercream dam around the edge, fill with buttercream and chopped strawberries, and stack. Crumb-coat lightly, chill, then add a smooth outer layer of buttercream. Chill until firm.
- Roll fondant to about 1/4″ thickness and cover each chilled tier, trimming excess. Use leftover fondant to craft decorations and attach with edible glue. Insert dowels into the 10″ tier to support the 6″ tier, then support the 4″ tier with two dowels in the 6″ tier. Finish with buttercream or ribbon at each base.
- Approximate fondant amounts: 10″ ~2 1/4 lb, 6″ ~1 lb, 4″ ~12 oz.
We had more than enough cake and were able to send slices home with guests. The cake was a joy to create and made the party extra-special. If you plan to make a tiered cake, consider watching assembly tutorials if you’re new to stacking and supporting layers—visual guidance makes the process easier.