Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Cake Decorating Tutorial

This ninja turtle cake is the PERFECT fun-themed cake! Just in time to celebrate the brand new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, this fun cake works for any party, celebration, or just because. This ninja turtle cake decorating tutorial is easy enough that ANYONE can do it (in only 30 minutes)!

I loved watching the ninja turtles as a kid, and then when I had kids, they enjoyed watching them. What’s not to love? Humor. Action. Life lessons. It’s a great show for kids.

This handy tutorial guides you through the process of making a fun and impressive Ninja Turtle cake. By following these easy steps, you’ll be able to design and decorate a cake that showcases your favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle characters.

From creating the perfect green buttercream frosting to adding the right details, your cake will be the star of the party – and it’s easier than you may think!

With the new Ninja Turtle moving coming out, this was the perfect excuse to have a little baking (and decorating) fun! And my boys LOVED the end results!

Use this cake to celebrate the new movie, host a birthday party, or any other Ninja Turtles-themed party!

I know I usually make cupcakes instead of a full cake, but what can I say? The mood struck! If you love movie or character-themed treats, be sure to check out my:

• How To Make Elmo Cupcakes: Easy Sesame Street Sweets
• Easy Minion Cupcakes: How To Make Despicable Cupcakes
• Jurassic Dinosaur Cupcakes (Easy Decorating Tutorial)
• Encanto Cupcakes (Movie-Themed Cupcakes)

Choosing Your Ninja Turtle

When decorating a Ninja Turtle cake, it’s important to decide which character from the iconic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles you’d like to feature (I had to go with Michelangelo – he’s my favorite!).

Meeting the Heroes

There are four main heroes in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe, each with their distinct personalities and colors. Here’s a brief introduction to help you better make your choice:

• Leonardo: As the leader of the team, Leonardo dons a blue mask and wields two katanas. He’s known for being responsible, disciplined, and courageous.

Now that you’re familiar with Leonardo let’s look at his brothers:

• Michelangelo: The fun-loving and free-spirited “Mikey” sports an orange mask and fights with nunchucks. He’s the epitome of a laid-back, pizza-loving dude.
• Raphael: The rebellious and tough “Raph” wears a red mask and carries a pair of sais. He’s fiercely loyal and often butts heads with Leonardo.
• Donatello: The genius and inventor of the group, “Donnie” is easy to spot in his purple mask and bo staff. He’s the go-to turtle for all things tech and gadgets.

Whichever character you choose, it’s time to get creative and bring your friendly Ninja Turtle to life on your cake!

Basic Cake Preparation

Batter and Baking

To make a delightful Ninja Turtle cake for a special birthday celebration, start by preparing your favorite cake batter. You can use a boxed mix or make it from scratch, depending on your preference. Just make sure the batter quantity is enough for the size of the TMNT birthday cake you want to create.

Preheat your oven according to the recipe or box instructions. Grease and flour your cake pans to ensure the cakes release easily after baking. Take care to distribute the batter evenly between the pans, as this will make leveling and stacking the cakes easier later on.

Bake the cakes according to the specific recipe or mix instructions. Keep an eye on them as they bake, checking for doneness with a toothpick or a skewer.

Leveling and Stacking

Once your cakes have cooled completely, it’s time to level and stack them. Here are the essential steps:

1. Remove the cakes from their pans, and place them on a flat surface.
2. Use a long serrated knife or a cake leveler to trim off any domed tops from the cakes. Be patient and go slowly, making sure to keep the knife level to create a flat, even surface.
3. Apply a thin layer of frosting or buttercream to the top of the bottom cake layer. This will act as the “glue” to hold the layers together.
4. Carefully place the second cake layer on top, lining up the edges for a even, attractive finish.

Now that your Ninja Turtle cake is level and stacked, you’re ready to assemble and decorate it. With a friendly and supportive approach, you’ll soon have a fantastic TMNT birthday cake that everyone will enjoy.

What you’ll need to make your ninja turtle cake

There are a few things you’ll need to gather in order to make this job super easy and ensure success. Make sure you have:

• Prebaked Cake
• Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
• Gel Colors (Green, Brown, Black, Orange, Red)
• Turn Table
• 4 piping bags
• Coupler with (3) Tip 10 or 12
• Coupler with (1) Tip 3 or 4
• Cake Drum or Cake Plate
• Face Outline

Instructions for using the teenage mutant turtle template

1. Search Google photos for the character you want.
2. Copy the photo.
3. Open up Powerpoint and paste the photo into a blank document.
4. Insert – Shape – Circle
5. Make the circle the size of the top of the cake (6-inch, 8-inch, etc).
6. Remove the “fill.”
7. Expand or decrease the photo of the character to fit inside the circle.
8. Send the character “backward” or “to the back.”
9. Print the character in greyscale or color.
10. Cut out the template.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Cake Instructions

Now to the fun part! Here’s how to put this special decorated 6-inch cake together.

Step 1

Crumb coat the cake and set it in the freezer for at least 30 mins.

Step 2

Remove the cake from the fridge and using a toothpick trace the outline of the template.

Step 3

Trace the inside of the template with the toothpick as well (this will outline the face on the cake).

Step 4

Remove the template and place the cake back in the freezer while making the colored frosting.

Step 5

Dye buttercream in your chosen colors:

• Green = ½ cup buttercream
• Black = 1-2 heaping tablespoons
• Mask Color = 1-2 heaping tablespoons
• Red = 1 tbsp spoon

Step 6

Fit 3 piping bags with couplers and a small star tip (tip 10 or 12).

Step 7

Add frosting to bags.

Step 8

Pipe the mask first, making short squeezes of buttercream. Stop squeezing before lifting to move on if your frosting has a “tail,” meaning it’s too long.

Step 9

Then pipe the face and add the tongue.

Step 10

Outline in black then pipe the eyes.

Step 11

Add green buttercream to the side of the cake and design the side however you’d like. 

Using a cake comb is a quick and simple way to make the side look incredible!

Ninja Turtle Cake Tips and Tricks

• It’s much easier to decorate a frozen cake.

• Use a soft buttercream – I like American Buttercream and let it whip for 10-15 mins to make it super creamy and easy to pipe.

Isn’t this cake SO MUCH FUN?!!

Ninja Turtle Cake Alternative Decorating Ideas – Using Fondant

Coloring the Fondant

First, decide on the colors you need for your Ninja Turtle cake. You’ll require green for their skin, and four different shades for the eye masks—red, blue, purple, and orange. To achieve the desired colors, add food coloring to the white fondant and knead it until you get an even shade.

It’s always best to start with a small amount of food coloring and gradually increase the intensity to avoid over-coloring. For the green fondant, consider blending yellow and blue to create the perfect turtle green shade.

Eye Masks and Facial Features

Now, let’s focus on the eye masks and facial features of your Ninja Turtle fondant cake. Make sure you prepare all the necessary tools and cutters before you begin. If you’re new to fondant, you might want to practice on a small piece before moving on to the actual cake.

1. Eye Masks: For the eye masks, roll out the colored fondant you prepared earlier (red, blue, purple, and orange) to a medium thickness. Cut out long strips for each eye mask and gently place them on the green fondant turtle heads, ensuring they are well-adhered and smooth. Make sure to leave enough space for the eyes.
2. Eyes: To make the eyes, roll out some white fondant and use a small round cutter to create circles. Apply a tiny amount of water to the back of each eye and place it on the green fondant head, just above the eye mask. You can use black or dark-brown fondant to make small pupils and complete the Ninja Turtles’ expressions.
3. Facial Features: For the mouth and other details, roll out some green fondant and use a small sharp tool to etch the features onto each turtle’s face. Consider looking at reference pictures to ensure accuracy. You can also use the same tool to add texture and details to their skin.

By following these instructions, you’ll have an impressive Ninja Turtle fondant cake that is sure to impress your guests. Remember to take your time, be patient, and most importantly, have fun while decorating!

Ninja Turtle Cake Assembly

Shaping Ninja Turtle Features

When you begin creating your Ninja Turtle cake, start by shaping the turtle’s features. To do this, you’ll need:

• A round cake: this will be the base and the body of the Turtle.
• Green buttercream frosting: for the Turtle’s skin.
• Colored fondant (red, orange, blue, and purple): for the Turtle masks and other details.

First, cover the round cake with green buttercream frosting, which will act as the turtle’s skin. Remember to use a smooth layer of frosting to make sure the surface is even.

Once you’ve got the frosting in place, you can begin sculpting the colored fondant to create the masks for each Ninja Turtle. Shape their eyes and mouths, keeping their unique expressions in mind.

Attach these fondant pieces to the cake using a bit of water or edible glue.

Brick and Cake Board Background

To incorporate more elements of the Ninja Turtle theme, consider creating a brick and cake board background for your design. To do this, you’ll need:

• A cake board: this will serve as your base where the cake will rest.
• A brick wall pattern: either printed/painted on a background or shaped from fondant.
• Various shades of brown and gray fondant: for brick details.
• Green fondant: for sewer lid details (optional).

Cover your cake board with fondant, replicating the street or sewer setting of the Ninja Turtles’ environment. You can use shades of gray and brown fondant to create a brick pattern on the surface. If you want to include sewer details, use green fondant to shape a circular sewer lid.

For the brick wall background, you can either create a standing base with rows of bricks made from different shades of brown and gray fondant, or you can print/paint a brick wall pattern on a piece of cardboard. Position it to your liking. Once your background is all set up, place the cake on the decorated cake board, and you’re ready to show off your cake decorating skills and impress everyone with your amazing Ninja Turtle cake tutorial-inspired creation!

Ninja Turtle Party Accessories

It’s time to think like a ninja when planning a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle birthday party that your child and their friends will love. Besides the cake and its accessories, there are other aspects of the party to consider:

• Invitations: Design invitations featuring the party theme to set the tone right from the start. Make sure to include all the specific details of the party, such as date, time, and location.
• Decorations: Consider using balloons, streamers, and banners to create the perfect ambiance for the party, embracing the colors of the turtles – Leonardo (blue), Donatello (purple), Raphael (red), and Michelangelo (orange).
• Activities: Plan activities related to the turtles’ adventures. You could have a turtle mask-making station, a pizza-making corner, or even obstacle courses that inspire ninja-style moves.
• Party favors: Send the little ninjas home with themed party favors, like action figures, stickers, and temporary tattoos.

By paying attention to these key aspects of the party, you will create a Turtle Power experience your child and their friends will never forget!

Ninja Turtle Cake Frequently Asked Questions

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