Take a look at these cool homemade Alligator and Crocodile cakes shared with us by cake decorators from around the world. Along with the cake decoration ideas here, you’ll also find loads DIY birthday cake-making ideas and how-to tips to inspire your next birthday cake project. Enjoy!
And don’t forget… if you end up with a cool cake, have great tips to share or pictures of awesome birthday cakes you’ve made in the past, share them here and be a part of our coolest birthday cake community.
Latest Alligator Cake Decoration Ideas
- 12 Cool Homemade Alligator Cake Ideas
For this alligator cake I began by mixing and baking one sheet cake and two 8″ rounds. I refrigerated them … Read more - 12 Cool DIY Crocodile Cake Ideas
My nephew really wanted a crocodile cake for his birthday and we couldn’t find a cake tin. I searched the … Read more - Cool DIY Alligator Cakes
My husband and I made this for our four year old daughter for her birthday. We got lots of ideas … Read more - Coolest Homemade Alligator Cake
I made this alligator cake for my daughter’s 4th birthday. She loves alligators. It consisted of a 9×13 for the … Read more - Coolest Crocodile Cupcakes
My son turned 1 in July and we decided to have a crocodile theme. I made a crocodile cake but … Read more - Awesome 3D Alligator Birthday Cake
My 5 year old Jake wanted an alligator cake, so… he got one. This is the first carved and airbrushed … Read more - Cool Alligator Cupcake Cake
My son was obsessed with crocodiles and alligators and so like most little kids wanted a cake to match, so crocodile … Read more - Cute Homemade Alligator Cake
My daughter, who is now about to turn 9, has always been in love with alligators and crocodiles. For her … Read more - Coolest Crocodile Cake for 2-Year Old
My son Lukas has an obsession with crocodiles (which he calls ‘Row row’ – from the song “row row row … Read more - Cool Homemade Crocodile Birthday Cake
For his birthday my partner as a joke asked for a crocodile cake. I searched the internet for idea’s/inspiration and … Read more - Who Wouldn’t Want a Purple Escalator Cake?
My daughter initially wanted something different but I convinced her to try a crocodile after being inspired by a cake … Read more - Cool Alligator Cake to the Rescue
I’ve been doing cakes for my family and friends for a while now and never ask for a dime for … Read more
Featured Alligator Cake Collections
12 Cool Alligator Cake Ideas
A love of the Crocodile Hunter – Steve Irwin led to my three year old demanding a crocodile cake! Not sure what to do I searched the internet for a crocodile or alligator cake, hoping to make it more feminine. We threw in Captain Hooks hook, some pirate money and Tinkerbell. Read more »
Collection of DIY Crocodile Cake Ideas
The crocodile cake idea came after being on holiday in Australia and seeing a croc for real in a wildlife park. Our son was crocodile mad for quite some time. I used a plain sponge cake and found pictures on the net of crocodiles. I then cut out a page template of the shape I wanted and cut around it to cut out the sponge shape. I used butter icing and mixed yellow and blue food coloring to get the leaf green colour. Read more »
Cool Alligator Cake Made with a Cake Pan
This alligator cake was created for my son’s second birthday. He loves to pretend an alligator is chasing us! The cake was made using a bundt pan for the body (sliced in half and arranged so it looked slithery) and a square pan which I then cut into triangles and placed on top of each other to create the head. I froze the alligator cakes so they were easier to “sculpt” into detail. Read more »
More Alligator Cake Decoration Ideas
Alligator cake decoration idea by Geri B., Versailles, KY
I started with a bundt pan. From scratch I made white cake. Then I made cupcakes also from the white cake mix. I made a 13×9 chocolate cake also. After all cakes and cupcakes cooled, I cut the bundt cake into three sections. I shaped the sections opposite directions like a snake.
Then I used a design of what I thought the shape of the face should look like; I used paper and pencil until I got the shape I was happy with. It was a triangle and the size matched the snake like the shape I made. I attached it to the body and then cut a tail out of paper and used it as a pattern to cut the remaining cake of the 13×9 into the tail shape. I did have to stack the tail pieces on top of each other to get the right height.
Then, I used homemade buttercream icing, just white to attach all body parts. It is the Wilton buttercream-icing recipe. The face and tail were chocolate and the middle was white so either way you could have the kind you wanted!
The eyes are the miniature marshmallows stacked on top of each other covered in the green icing. For this cake decoration idea, leave middle uncovered so that you can see the white of the eyes. Use the marshmallows for teeth also. I used the miniature M&M’s (brown) for the inside of the eyes and the red for the tongue. I used green gumdrops for the spikes of the alligator.
Take two cupcakes and cut in half to make the feet. The color green is dyed with Wilton cake coloring (willow green). I used different tips to make the different scale look of the alligator skin. This was a big hit! It was for my little boys 5th b-day. All the little ones could not wait to take a bite of an alligator. We thought it was a great tribute to Steve Irwin also! All the parents wanted to know how I made it!
Have fun with your own cake decoration idea!
Alligator cake decoration idea by Natelle M., Western Australia
I made this cake decoration idea for my friends daughter who is a huge fan of Steve Irwin’s hence the crocodile. Then, I did a rough template on paper then cut out the cake. I waited until the butter icing was almost set, and then tapped over the icing with a spatula to give it the rough type texture. I used marshmallows as the wyes and licorice as the claws. It was easier then I thought and turned out better than expected.
Alligator cake decoration idea by Dandy B., Hutto, TX
Alligator cake decoration idea by Kristen S., Janesville, CA
For this cake decoration idea I found a party hat cake pan and used one cake mix. Using both my mom and her homemade frosting we chose different colored greens for the body, white for eyes and teeth, black for mouth, pupils and warts and blue for the water., For the eyeballs I used two cupcakes, placed a toothpick under each one and stuck into the alligator face. My four year old, was thrilled with the result and so were we.
Alligator cake decoration idea by Julie K., Naples, Idaho
For my son’s 7th birthday we had a jungle theme. I found a cute crocodile cake pattern in the Family Fun magazine we used. Since we had so many coming we also decorated some cupcakes to look like a crocodile bobbing in the water. We decorated with vines made from paper sacks and cut big green leaves to hang on the walls.
You will need: 10 inch baked ring or bundt cake pan, 16 ounce can of white frosting, green food coloring, malted milk balls (eyes & nostrils), 1 large marshmallow, gummy spearmint leaves, M&M’s, and white yogurt covered pretzels (teeth).
For the light green cake, take the ring or Bundt cake and then you want to cut it into three equal pieces. Then take one of these pieces and cut it in half at slight angle (lengthwise). Then arrange the two other pieces to create an S shape. Take the two pieces (that were cut on an angle), use one as the tail and the other cut into four equal-sized pieces (they will be used as feet, two on each side of the body)., To go with our theme we also put out snacks like: dried ants – raisins beetle wings – potato chips croc teeth – apples slice into wedge live worms – hot dogs sliced thin & boiled. The birthday party was a success.
Alligator cake decoration idea by Monika S., Holloman Air Force Base, NM
When I asked my oldest son (just turned 4) what type of birthday he wanted, he told me an Alligator birthday. I was not at all surprised as he loves animals of any kind. So after many months of trying to convince him to go with something else with out any chance of him changing his mind, I gave in.
Our family has a tradition that I am passing on. We always search for a special and unique birthday cake decoration idea. So I figured I would give it a whirl. Well it turned out to be so cute and everyone loved it. I just made a rectangle cake and a round cake and cut them to shape, frosted it white and sprayed it with the frosting spray, made mini cupcakes and cut them in half for the eyes. My son was so excited he didn’t want anyone to eat it.
Alligator cake decoration idea by Charity L., Prescott, AR
I made this alligator/crocodile cake for my son’s 7th birthday party. He had originally wanted a “Crocodile Hunter” cake, and I wanted to make it for him. However, I was short on time and could not find any Steve Irwin type figurines to use on the cake. I remembered my mother making us an alligator cake once when we were little, and she used candy corn for the teeth and claws. I asked her about it, and she did not remember how she cut it out. It was a profile, I remember.
So, I turned to the internet to look for a crocodile cake decoration idea, browsed through birthday cake pictures and saw that someone had used a Christmas tree cake pan and made the head only. I had a snowman pan, that, when turned upside down, did resemble a crocodile’s head.
So I baked a yellow cake in the snowman pan for the head, and made just a 13X9 rectangle cake also in yellow, as well as 2 mini cupcakes (for the eyeballs). I had no idea what I was going to do with the rectangle cake, and as I experimented, I was only able to get a tail and 4 feet from it and discarded the rest. Then I baked another 13X9 rectangle in chocolate for the body. I then pieced it together, and covered the entire cake with green stars (homemade Wilton recipe). Then I added the cupcake eyeballs, and put green stars around the back of them.
At this point, as luck would have it, my decorator broke, and I was unable to use it anymore. So, I turned to a trusty Ziploc baggie, and filled it with store bought vanilla frosting, cut a hole in the corner, and filled in the whites of the eyeballs, and used brown M & M’s for the pupils and the nostrils. I added candy corn for the teeth and claws, and tinted the rest of the store-bought frosting orange and used the Ziploc bag technique for writing on the cake.
All in all, this took about 4 hours or so, mainly because I had to figure out this specific cake decoration idea. But, of course, it was very well worth it! My sons loved it (both birthday boy and brother, age 3), and every kid and mother that walked in the door gasped! I was very happy I was able to help make my son’s birthday more special than just a bought cake would have. By the way, when I told my co-workers that I was going home to look for a crocodile cake decoration idea for my son’s B-day, they looked at me like I was crazy, and said “Have you ever done this before?” and the answer was “No!”
Alligator cake decoration idea by Jennifer P., Wellesley, MA
I came up with this cake decoration idea for my son Luke’s 6th birthday because he LOVES Steve Erwin, the crocodile hunter.
So, for his birthday I shaped this creature out of two sheet cakes. Then, added food coloring to my home-made butter cream frosting and simply used two different sized star tips to decorate. The final touch, black “warts” made from black gel.
This was a huge hit…and really so easy and I have never seen my son happier!
I make cakes for friends in my area, and ask that instead of payment, they make a donation to Horizons for Homeless Children in Boston. Makes it all worth while for me! Check out my Ninja cake as well!
Alligator cake decoration idea by Alison C., Normal, IL
I made this cake for a charity auction held for a work colleague of my husband’s who was suffering from terminal cancer & whose medical benefits had expired. It was finally purchased by the high bidder for the grand sum of $140 as a birthday cake for his 8 year old son. My great satisfaction from baking this cake was that two people benefited for very differing reasons from my artistry & talent.
The 10″ chocolate cake had a center filling of butter cream. The next step was to spread a thin layer of the butter cream over the sides and top making sure that the cake had a square even edge. The cake was then refrigerated while I colored the fondant icing to form the lake. The lines that represented the water were made by folding and stretching the fondant in one direction only. This is a good practice for making wood and stone effects too.
Once the desired color was achieved, the fondant was rolled to a thickness of 1/4″, and a diameter of 18″. The icing was then draped over the chilled cake and the edges are then flattened down. The warmth of your hand will help the fondant adhere to the butter icing. Chilling the cake makes sure that the edges stay firm while putting the fondant onto it, resulting in a smooth look.
Next step is to make the alligator’s body. This is made in three parts. To make the mouth of the Alligator stay open, form the fondant into the correct shape. Take a sharp knife and cut the mouth. Then place a piece of stiff folded card covered with powdered sugar and place it in the mouth. Leave for at least 24 hours before removing the card. Leave for longer in very humid places. Once dry the body can now be placed onto the cake and the fish and bird can be made and placed in their correct positions.
The last process is to make the grass and reeds. This is done by rolling a thin layer of colored fondant out and cutting it into grass shapes with a pizza cutter. These are then attached to the side of cake using a small amount of water. The cake is now ready to eat and enjoy.
Alligator cake decoration idea by Amanda D., Kenosha, WI
We used 2 bundt cakes to make this Crocodile cake decoration idea! Ingredients: 2 cake mixes, 2 cans icing, green food coloring, green M&Ms, green gummy fruit slices, Whoppers, large marshmallow, yogurt covered pretzels, and toothpicks.
Directions: Prepare cakes as directed on box and allow plenty of time for them to cool before doing any cutting. Trim bottom of cakes so that they are flat. Cut each bundt into 1/3 segments of equal size (you’ll have 6 equal sections of cake.) Cut one of the 6 segments from top left to lower right to create 2 angled pieces, one of these angled pieces will serve as the tail, the other angle piece can be cut into 4 equal sized segments to form the feet. Assemble the remaining 5 segments so they create a wavy pattern, choose one end to be the head and attach the tail to the alternate end.
Add Green food coloring to the icing till it reaches desired hue. Frost cake evenly using icing to secure the feet to the crocodile. OK, now the fun part! Start decorating the cake, it’s easiest if you start with the head first because that’s the most detailed portion.
EYES: Cut the large marshmallow in 1/2 (so that you have 2 round segments), these will serve for the whites of the eyes. Now, take a toothpick and insert it into a whopper without going through the other side, now insert the whopper topped toothpick into one of the 1/2 marshmallows and attach to crocodile face, repeat these steps for the 2nd eye.
NOSTRILS: Use 2 whopper-topped toothpicks and attach at end of cake.
TEETH: Cut some yogurt-covered pretzels so that they do not have round edges. Use a knife to cut a shallow line around the croc’s mouth where the teeth will be inserted, insert the yogurt covered pretzels.
SCALES: Attach toothpicks to the green fruit slices and arrange them on top of the crocodile’s body like scales. In between the scales, place the M&M’s to give detail and depth. Use 4 fruit slices and make 3 diagonal cuts, these will serve for toes, attach these to ends of feet.
For an additional touch for this cake decoration idea: Put coconut in a Ziploc bag and add green food coloring (or brown for dirt effect) and use the coconut to decorate around cake.
Alligator cake decoration idea by Becky K., Lawton, OK
My grandson loves alligators and I wanted to make him one. I went online and couldn’t find anything, so I designed this myself.
I took a Wilton 1979 rocket-ship cake pan and used my imagination. It took one cake mix.
I used Duncan Hines white cake mix and used green food color to make the batter green. Grease and floor the pan and pour in the cake mix. Bake at 350 till done.
I used a star tip and put green icing stars all over. I used the print tip to make the zigzag mouth and used brown icing. Then I used white icing to make the teeth. The eyes are M&M’s (choose any color you like).
Alligator cake decoration idea by Angela C., Milford Nova Scotia, CA
First I used a mini Christmas tree pan for the head and a bunt pan for the body. I cut the bunt-pan cake into three equal sections and arranged them facing opposite direction like a snake.
I then baked the end and cut to a point to look like a tail. For the head I cut the tree pan where it was equal size width and height and shaped the end to blend with body.
My cake decoration idea for the teeth – marshmallow cut to shape, I put a red strip to define the mouth before I began. I used a star tip to decorate the body and head.
The eyes were marshmallows cut in half then cut a little on the bottom to fit flat on the head and I used the star tip to make eye lids (don’t forget to put some black frosting for the nostrils and dots for the eyes on the marshmallows).
The legs were cupcakes cut in half decorated with the star tip and I used mint leaves flattened a little and sliced to look like claws. The spikes were mint leaves kept in the cake by sticking toothpicks in the mint leaves then inserting on the back of the alligator for spikes.