A Kit Kat Cake is a cake made with store-bought cake mix and gets topped with M & M's and Kit Kat bars around the edge of the cake. If you really want to impress someone for their birthday make this cake with their favorite colors! You’d never guess this kit kat cake was made from a box of cake mix. Don’t like using cake mixes in a box? Then make your own cake recipe from scratch cake. This recipe is not Weight Watcher friendly.
Kids or any adult will go crazy over this Kit Kat cake. You don’t need to be some fancy cake decorator to make this kit kat cake. All you do is place candy all around the frosted cake. If you don’t like Kit Kat’s, no problem, just use your favorite candy. Making a chocolate cake? I’d suggest using any type of chocolate candy. If you are making a white cake, gummy bears, peach rings, or licorice would look really cool with this cake. I don't think there's any way you could mess up this cake up. Customize it to however YOU prefer.
It is a great way to decorate any bakery cake into something special and you can completely make this cake your own. Are you ready to make your very own Kit Kat Cake? Let’s do this!
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Ingredients for Kit Kat Cake
- Chocolate cake mix - is a pre-mixed combination of ingredients that simplifies the process of baking a cake. It usually contains flour, sugar, baking powder, and flavorings such as vanilla or chocolate.
- Vegetable oil or Canola Oil - is a type of oil that is derived from the seeds of the canola plant.
- Eggs - The best type of eggs you can buy at the store are organic or free-range eggs, while others may prefer eggs from specific breeds of chickens
- Container of chocolate frosting (an extra for in case you run out)
- Kit Kat Bars (you'll need 36 Kit Kat sticks total)
- M&M's
- See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make a Kit Kat Cake?
Heat oven to 350 F
Grease 9in round cake pans with cooking spray.
2. Beat cake mix, water, oil and eggs in large bowl on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes completely cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely before frosting.
4. When the cake is cool, you're ready to assemble. Place one layer on a serving plate, and tuck strips of waxed paper underneath the sides of the cake.
6. Frost the 1st cake layer. Set the 2nd layer on top of the first. Frost the 2nd layer and along the sides of the cake too.
7. Stick Kit Kat's to the sides of the cake, leaving a very small space in between each Kit Kat (¼-inch). Fill the top of the cake with M&M's. Pull out the strips of waxed paper and discard. Use any extra frosting to frost your 6 extra cupcakes.
8. If you refrigerate the cake for a couple of hours or so, it will be much easier to cut and serve.
When I made this cake I ran out of frosting and had to go to the store really quick. I picked up the wrong color of chocolate frosting so that is why this cake looks like it was multi-colored. 🙂
Align Kit Kat bars around the cake evenly.
Top with M&M's
Kit Kat Cake Variations
Are you looking for other ways you can decorate your Kit Kat Cake with using themes or candy for Holidays? Check out these ideas below.
Instead of topping your kit kat cake with M&M's make a theme out of it. Beach, Pool party, graveyard scene for Halloween, the sky is the limit.
Halloween: Use up any leftover candy that didn’t get used up for trick-or-treating. Top with black and orange M&M’s. Candy corns will also work.
Christmas: Use red and green M&M’s.
Easter: Color some flaked coconut with green food coloring, and place candy chocolate eggs on top. Top with pastel M&Ms, jellybeans, Cadbury mini eggs
Valentine's Day: Pink, Red, and White M&M's.
Top the cake with multiple different sections of candy or chocolate covered strawberries.
Tools needed for Cake
2 9 in round pans - If you want a square cake, use square pans
Cooking Spray - for greasing the pans
1 16 oz container of chocolate frosting such as Betty Crocker
1 15.25 oz box of chocolate cake mix
Kit Kats & M&M's
Tips for Kit Kat Cake
- After the cakes have cooled freeze them for 1 to 2 hours. This makes it easier to frost them. I have always wondered what the trick was to frosting super moist cakes from a box and this is it! It definitely helps.
- You can tie a fancy ribbon around the cake if you’d like. This step is optional. I personally like this kit kat cake better without the bow.
- Line cake pans with parchment paper to make the cake easier to get out.
- Any type of candy can be placed on the outside of the cake. It is a great way to get rid of leftover Halloween candy.
- You will need about 34 to 40 Kit Kat bars to surround the cake.
If you tried this Kit Kat Cake any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries
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Kit Kat Cake
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 10 to 14 1x
- Category: Desset
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
A Kit Kat Cake is a cake made with store-bought cake mix and gets topped with M & M's and Kit Kat's around the edge of the cake.
Ingredients
- 1 15.5 oz box of chocolate cake mix
- 1 ¼ cups water.
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 2 16 oz container of chocolate frosting (a extra for incase you run out)
- Three 4.5-ounce Giant Kit Kat Bars (you'll need 36 Kit Kat sticks total)
- One 12.6-ounce bag M&M's
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 F
- Grease 9in round cake pans with cooking spray.
- 2. Beat cake mix, water, oil and eggs in large bowl on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
- 3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes completely cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely before frosting.
- 4. When the cake is cool, you're ready to assemble. Place one layer on a serving plate, and tuck strips of waxed paper underneath the sides of the cake.
- 6. Frost the 1st cake layer. Set the 2nd layer on top of the first. Frost the 2nd layer and along the sides of the cake too.
- 7. Stick Kit Kat's to the sides of the cake, leaving a very small space in between each Kit Kat (¼-inch). Fill the top of the cake with M&M's. Pull out the strips of waxed paper and discard. Use any extra frosting to frost your 6 extra cupcakes.
- 8. If you refrigerate the cake for a couple of hours or so, it will be much easier to cut and serve.
Notes
This is not a WW recipe
Heidi says
I made this cake for my hubby on Friday and it was awesome. I brought the rest of it to work for people to eat it and they said it was awesome and I got a lot of compliments from it. That made me feel good 🙂
I see though that I should have looked at Jenna's blog better though because I put my kit kat bars sideways and I see hers are the long way..oops..I will try that next time! Very good cake!!
jgisvold says
Ha ha! When my Mom first looked at it she said Oh My God!
It's so good. Make sure to have some ice cream a long the side. It's such a fun cake.
Angela says
This cake just looks illegal. I must make it! ha ha 🙂
Natalie says
Looks fabulous!