Wombat Day Cake
Since a wombat-shaped cake is often used in Wombat Day celebrations, and a wombat cake pan is not available in many parts of the world, we'll provide instructions on how to turn any standard cake into a highly-prized and sought after Wombat Cake. If you're looking for Wombat Day Fudge, it's on its own page.
How to Make a Wombat Cake
To make a Wombat Cake, you will need one large cake mix (18.25 ounce or 510 grams), or a recipe to make a cake from scratch that can be baked in a standard 9 by 13 inch cake pan or in two 9 inch square pans. You will also need the cake pan or pans, and an oven or rocket-powered cake baker. An Easy-Bake oven generally will not suffice, unless you have the patience to bake the cake one little piece at a time. You will also need about 2 cups of frosting, and a few Wine Gums or jujubes for decoration. And you'll need to download and print out the Wombat Cake Pattern Page One and Page Two which are PDF files.
Instructions
The Wombat Day Cake is a one-layer cake designed for a standard 9 by 13 inch cake pan. This will require a large cake mix, 18.25 ounce or 510 gram box (Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker, etc.). If you're starting from scratch, choose a recipe that uses a 9 by 13 inch pan. You can of course make the Wombat cake as two 9 by 13 inch layers if you use two cake mixes or double the recipe. If using a 9 inch square pan, you'll have to make two cakes and join them together to form a 9 by 18 inch cake. Any flavor is fine, though real Wombies prefer chocolate. The following instructions can be downloaded as a 2 page PDF file here.
- Download the two pages of the Wombat Day Cake Pattern and save the files to your computer. They are in PDF format and you must have an Adobe reader to view and print them. Wombat Cake Pattern Page One and Page Two
- Print out the pages on your printer. Make sure you have "Page Scaling" set to "None" or "Full Size" so that the page will print out at 100% (1/1). You do not want the page "Shrunk to Fit."
- With a ruler, measure the scale on the printed page to ensure it did print out at the proper size.
- Cut both pages along the red vertical line marked Z-Z. Tape both pages together.
- Compare the red rectangle (the outline of a 9 by 13 inch cake pan) to your pan or pans to make sure they're comparable. It doesn't have to be an exact fit, but if it's too far off, you may have to scale the image and print it out again.
- Prepare the cake mix as directed on the package or by the recipe. Bake it in a 9 by 13 inch pan or two 9 inch square pans according to the directions. Cool the cake as directed, usually removing it from its pan to a wire rack after about 10 minutes. Let the cake cool thoroughly, for four hours or overnight. A cold cake is easier to work with.
- Place the cold cake on a flat cake sheet or tray so that you can work with it. If using two 9 inch cakes, you may have to square up the joining edges so that they'll fit together without a gap.
- The main body of the wombat (part A) fits inside the cake pan, but part of the head must be added later and is cut from two sections of the cake that are trimmed to make the wombat body.
- Part B of the head (the nose part) is cut from the lower left of the cake, while Part C of the head (the eye and forehead part) is cut from the upper right section of the cake. Note that part C must be rotated about 120 degrees to be properly oriented.
- Cut out the three main body sections (part A, B, and C) from the paper Wombat pattern.
- Lay the pattern A on top of the cake and use a couple of toothpicks to keep it in place. Cut out the cake following the pattern.
- Using the sections of cake cut off from the last step, use patterns B and C and cut out the head parts. You may have to stick a couple of pieces of cake together if there's not a large enough section left over after cutting out the main body.
- With frosting, glue the two head sections in place. If they don't line up properly, trim them to fit so that the head profile is smooth.
- Optionally, an ear (part D) may also be cut out. After cutting the ear, slice it horizontally so that it's about a half inch or one centimeter thick. Glue it over top of the existing ear with icing. This gives the ear a 3-D raised effect.
- For even more 3-D effect, you can carve out the sections between the head and legs marked by the dotted line. Carve from the dotted line towards the outer edge of the cake. The dotted line would be left at the full thickness of the cake, while the outer outline of the cake would be cut down by about an inch or two centimeters. This makes the head and legs stand out a bit, while also giving the body a rounded effect.
- Carefully brush off as much of the crumbs on the cut edges of the cake as you can. For a neater frosting job, place four narrow pieces of wax paper under the edges of the perimeter of the cake.
- Coat the cut edges of the cake with a thin layer of frosting to seal in the crumbs. Press hard while applying this layer. The Wombies recommend chocolate frosting, though you can use any kind your prefer.
- Frost the sides of the cake with a generous amount of frosting, then frost the top. Carefully remove the wax paper from under the edges of the cake.
- Use a round Wine Gum (or Jujube for those unfortunate souls who are unable to obtain Wine Gums) for the Wombat's eye, and another for his/her nose. More Wine Gums can be used around the top or sides of the cake to decorate it. The inner part of the ear can be frosted in a different color. The lines around the legs and head can also be highlighted with a contrasting color. Chocolate chips, chocolate shavings, nuts, sprinkles, or anything else can also be added if you wish.
- Let the frosting set for an hour or so, then serve the cake and enjoy! Birthday candles or sparklers can also be added for a festive effect.
- You may also want to try making some Wombat Fudge or Wombat Brownies to go with your Wombat Cake.
We'd love to see pictures of your wombat cake. Email them to us at
And don't forget to have a happy Wombat Day!
