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July 13, 2015 · 34 Comments

Kit Kat Candy Bar Cake

Cakes & Pies· Holidays

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Kit Kat Candy Bar Cake is a chocolate layer cake with chocolate buttercream frosting, surrounded by Kit Kat candy bars, then topped with M&M’s and tied with a big bow for a festive, fun party cake!Kit-Kat-Cake-1

I have been wanting to make this cake for the longest time. And I finally had the perfect occasion.

I was asked to donate a cake for a charity golf tournament over the weekend. The cake would be auctioned off to raise money for a young man named Trent Jones who was in an automobile accident and is now a quadriplegic. (Click here to learn more about his story and donate to his injury fund.)

A cake that was extra special!

Kit Kat Candy Bar Cake is a chocolate frosted chocolate layer cake, surrounded by over 40 Kit Kat bars, topped with 2 large bags of M&M’s and wrapped with a beautiful ribbon that’s tied in a bow. Not only is it completely delicious, it also traveled well. Since the frosting was covered by the candy, it was easy to wrap it up in clear plastic (gift basket style) and display on the auction table.

Kit-Kat-Cake-4a

If you haven’t noticed, I have a thing for M&M’s. I love baking with them! They’re so colorful. And not to mention, super yummy!

Needless to say, the cake was a hit! I will definitely be making a Kit Kat Candy Bar Cake again when I need to bake something festive. It would be perfect for any holiday. In fact, it would be so cute using limited edition M&M’s for various holidays and adding coordinating ribbon colors. I’m already thinking Halloween, what do you think?

Parchment

How to Make a Kit Kat Candy Bar Cake

Step 1: Line cake pans with parchment paper

The first thing I always do when baking a cake is cut parchment paper to line the bottom. I simply place the pan on top of the paper, trace the shape of the pan onto the paper with a permanent marker and cut it out. I cut about an 1/8″ inside the line to make it fit perfectly. Then spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spray on the bottom and sides of pan. Place the paper liner, then spray more on top of the liner. That baby will not be sticking to your pan. No way, no how!

Batter

Step 2: Bake the cake

Since this cake is sort of umm… EPIC, I thought it would be a good idea to just use a cake mix. You know, to save some time. Feel free to use your favorite chocolate cake recipe, if you’re feeling ambitious. I used two 9-inch round cake pans and divided the batter from one cake mix equally between the two pans. Then baked them according to the package instructions.

Level

Step 3: Freeze the cakes

After the cakes are baked and cooled, cover and freeze for about an hour. They’re easier to work with that way. Then they need to be leveled. Using a large bread knife, slice horizontally across the top of each cake, just so you can remove the dome like shape.

Frosting

Step 4: Make the frosting

For the frosting, I used a little short cut. Let’s call it semi-homemade chocolate frosting. Start by adding one can of chocolate fudge frosting (I used Pillsbury) to a large mixing bowl. Then add 1 stick of softened butter. Beat with an electric mixer on medium for about a minute. With the mixer on low, gradually add half a bag of powdered sugar and 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Once all is combined, turn up to medium and beat for 2 minutes.

Note: If you want to make homemade, try this recipe: The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

Assembly

Step 5: Frost the cake & add the candy bars

Place one cake on a 12-inch cake board or large round plate. Frost the first layer, then add the second layer and spread frosting all over the cake. After you unwrap all of the Kit Kat bars (it takes a little bit of time, be patient), then you can start pressing them into the side of the cake. If the icing has formed a crust, then you will need to take a butter knife and rough up the edges a bit to get the candy bar to stick. Place the Kit Kat Bars side by side, all the way around the cake. I used about 11 Kit Kat bars or 42 sections.

Kit-Kat

And voila! Your candy bar cake fence is complete. You should be left with about an inch and a half of vertical space to add your M&M’s.

Kit-Kat-Cake-2

Step 6: Tie a ribbon around cake, add M&M’s

Before adding the M&M’s, carefully wrap a ribbon around the cake and tie in a bow. To measure the ribbon, I used a very technical method. I eyeballed it!

Kit-Kat-Cake-3

Then I used almost two entire large bags of M&M’s to fill the cake. Each bag was 19.20 ounces. If you wanted to get fancy, you could color coordinate your ribbon and your M&M’s by going to the candy store and picking out your own custom colors. Like for a baby girl shower, you could use pink ribbon and several shades of pink and white M&M’s. Of course, the M&M’s are more expensive that way.

What Kit Kat Candy Bar Cake color combination would you like best? Let me know in the comments. I love hearing from you! 🙂

Tools for success

KitchenAid Mixer

Spatulas

Bench Scraper – For smoothing frosting on sides of cake.

Cake Turntable with Icing Spatula

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Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Kit Kat Candy Bar Cake

Chocolate layer cake with chocolate buttercream frosting, surrounded by Kit Kat candy bars, then topped with M&M's and tied with a big bow for a festive, fun party cake!
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Author: Lise Ode

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 1 15.25 ounce box of chocolate cake mix, prepared according to package instructions (I used Pillsbury)
  • For the frosting
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (or 1 stick)
  • 1 16 ounce can of chocolate fudge frosting (I used Pillsbury)
  • 3 3/4 cup 1 pound powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream (more if needed)

For the decorations

  • 11 1.5 ounce Kit Kat candy bars (you'll need 42 sticks total)
  • 2 bags M&M's ( I used 19.20 ounce bags)
  • 12- inch cake board
  • Ribbon of your choice (I found mine at the dollar store)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. Line with pre-cut parchment paper (trace shape of pan onto paper and trim to fit in pan). Spray more cooking spray. Set aside.
  • Prepare cake mix according to package instructions. Fill prepared pans equally with cake batter. Bake according to package instructions. (I used Pillsbury and baked the cakes for 28-30 minutes.) Let them cool. Then cover and put in freezer for 1 hour. You can skip this step, but the cake is much easier to handle when it is chilled and firm.
  • Meanwhile, scoop the chocolate fudge frosting into a large bowl. Add the butter. With an electric mixer, beat on medium for a minute. Turn mixer to low and gradually add the sugar and cream. Beat for 2 minutes on medium. If it's too thick, add a little more cream. Stir to combine.
  • Place chilled cake on cake board or large plate. Using a large bread knife, slice horizontally to remove the dome shape of cake. You have a nice flat surface. Frost top of cake. Level second cake and place on top. Frost all over top and sides of cakes.
  • After unwrapping all of the candy bars, stick Kit Kat's to the sides of the cake, lining them up vertically, side-by-side. If the frosting has formed a crust, just use a butter knife to spread it again, making it sticky. Wrap a bow around the cake, securing the Kit Kat's. Fill the top of the cake with M&M's. You should have about 1 1/2 inches of vertical space above the cake to add the M&M's. You might have a few extra left over. I had about 1/2 cup left over.
  • I think it's best to keep the cake at room temperature because when the candy gets cold, it will sweat when you take it out of the refrigerator. Store covered for up to 3 days. Or if you must refrigerate, it will last a few days longer. Remove bow before cutting the cake.

Notes

You can substitute homemade chocolate frosting if you wish. Try this recipe for The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

You might also like these recipes:

Perfect Vanilla Cake with the Best Chocolate Frosting Ever

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Chocolate Vanilla Swirl Cupcakes

Gluten Free Vanilla Cake

Kit-Kat-Cake-LongAll text and images © Lise Ode for Mom Loves Baking. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be accurate. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jayne wenger says

    December 20, 2015 at 3:53 am

    Very pretty and creative. Love it!!!

    Reply
  2. Heyy says

    January 26, 2016 at 5:59 pm

    hungry right now. urggghh 🙁

    Reply
  3. supyall says

    April 20, 2016 at 8:19 pm

    cool

    Reply
  4. Kristen says

    April 28, 2016 at 11:58 am

    Do the kit Kats get soggy after a while if the cake isn’t served right away

    Reply
    • Mom Loves Baking says

      May 20, 2016 at 6:07 pm

      No, the Kit Kats don’t get soggy.

      Reply
  5. Melanie Phillips says

    June 13, 2016 at 6:32 pm

    Did you use regular size kit Kats?

    Reply
  6. Tianna says

    June 16, 2016 at 2:21 am

    How does cutting it work?

    Reply
    • Kat H says

      June 13, 2019 at 3:14 pm

      This is what i want to know!!!

      Reply
  7. Anne Whie says

    August 30, 2016 at 5:59 pm

    What a great idea!!!!

    Reply
  8. Anne White says

    August 30, 2016 at 6:00 pm

    What a great idea!??????

    Reply
  9. Anne Whie says

    August 30, 2016 at 6:02 pm

    What a great idea!!!! So creative!

    Reply
  10. Katie says

    September 24, 2016 at 9:39 pm

    What a nice cake!!?

    Reply
  11. Katie says

    September 24, 2016 at 9:42 pm

    Tomorrow is my birthday and it is my brothers birthday I’m secretly making this cake for him and I know he will love it!!?

    Reply
    • Mom Loves Baking says

      September 29, 2016 at 2:15 pm

      Happy Birthday, Catherine! 🙂

      Reply
  12. Mafer Calderón says

    November 15, 2016 at 10:33 am

    Hola quiero hacer una torta, así de parecida para el cumpleaños de mi novio, me gustaría que me diera consejos porque es la primera vez que haré algo así, bueno, antes ya he hecho tortas pero no una como esta, y quisiera que todo salga bien, por favor, me podría ayudar..

    Reply
  13. Jivanna says

    November 19, 2016 at 3:52 pm

    when should I make the cake ?
    I need it for Sunday and today is Saturday
    will I be ok to make it tonight for tomorrow night?

    Reply
    • Mom Loves Baking says

      November 20, 2016 at 7:49 pm

      Either one would work.

      Reply
  14. Britt says

    November 30, 2016 at 2:58 pm

    So cute! I’m thinking about making this for my daughter’s birthday. My daughter asked if we could use Hershey bars instead since she doesn’t like Kit Kat bars. Do you think that would work?

    Reply
    • Mom Loves Baking says

      November 30, 2016 at 7:18 pm

      You could use Hershey bars, but it will be a very different look. I’m not sure if it will be as cute. What about Twix?

      Reply
  15. Britt says

    December 4, 2016 at 8:56 am

    My daughter and I made the cake last night and it turned out wonderful! Thank you for the recipe! We decided to try using the Hershey bars and it turned out great! They weren’t as easy to work with as Kit Kats – they broke easily, but in the end it looked really cute! I wish I could upload a picture. Maybe I’ll put it on Pinterest. The buttercream frosting was yummy!! The cake was a big hit with her friends. Thanks again!

    Reply
    • Mom Loves Baking says

      December 5, 2016 at 2:57 pm

      That’s great! So glad it turned out and thank you for letting me know! I would love to see a photo! Would you want to email it to me? [email protected]

      Reply
  16. Teresa says

    January 18, 2017 at 1:31 am

    I made this for my son’s 16th birthday and it was AWESOME!! I didn’t use as many kitkats or m&m’s as the recipie but it was still ?!

    Reply
    • Mom Loves Baking says

      January 18, 2017 at 1:26 pm

      Yay! So glad it was awesome! Enjoy!

      Reply
  17. Teresa says

    January 18, 2017 at 1:34 am

    I made this for my son’s 16th birthday and it was AWESOME!! I didn’t use as many kitkats or m&m’s as the recipie but it was still ?!content://media/external/file/13591

    Reply
  18. Jennifer says

    April 14, 2017 at 1:34 am

    How are kit Kats tall enough for a two layer cake with room for candy on top?! Are they sold in two sizes?

    Reply
  19. Jennifer says

    April 14, 2017 at 1:37 am

    Do kit Kat come in longer size? How are they tall enough for a two layer cake with room for candy on top?!

    Reply
    • Mom Loves Baking says

      April 15, 2017 at 10:18 pm

      No, the cake layers are very thick.

      Reply
  20. Gage says

    January 28, 2019 at 12:33 pm

    How much people does it serve

    Reply
    • Mom Loves Baking says

      February 3, 2019 at 8:24 pm

      14-16 cake slices.

      Reply
  21. Kathy says

    September 27, 2019 at 3:59 pm

    I made it. Kit Kats were plenty long enough. Took quite a bit of m & m’s to fill it, but it looks lovely. Wasn’t able to attach a picture.

    Reply
    • Lise Ode says

      October 1, 2019 at 8:40 pm

      Kathy: Yay! So glad you made it and that it looks lovely. I’d love to share your photo. Are you on Instagram? If you tag @momlovesbaking on Instagram, then I will share it. :-))

      Reply
  22. nicole says

    December 5, 2020 at 12:23 pm

    This cake was the easiest birthday I’ve made! Thank you so much for the idea!!! Everyone LOVED it!

    Reply
    • Lise Ode says

      December 10, 2020 at 10:06 am

      Hi Nicole, Yay! I’m so happy to hear. Did you take a photo? If so, tag me on Instagram #momlovesbaking and happy baking!

      Reply
  23. Janet DAily says

    December 30, 2020 at 10:08 pm

    The best cake I made for one of my grandsons……he absolutely loved it, as did all that attended the party! It was delicious, fun, and a big hit!
    Now…he has asked me this year to make him a SNICKERS cake…..but he wants it exactly like the KitKat cake but with his “new “ favorite candy….lol
    Any advice on how to do this?

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Lise! Welcome to Mom Loves Baking where I’ve been sharing recipes I love since 2013. I hope you love them too!
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