With stripes of vanilla and chocolate across two layers, this Zebra Cake is finished with a decadent cookies and cream frosting. I used a box cake mix to help keep this decadent cake simple and easy enough for anyone to make. I find it’s completely delicious and fun, and receives a lot of “ooohs and aaahs” when you serve it!

Easy Zebra Cake Recipe

This fun Zebra Cake is the perfect example of a cake that looks fancy but is actually super easy to make. The black and white zebra stripes don’t require any special technique or equipment. It’s really just a matter of layering the two cake batters on top of each other.

And to keep things easy, I used a box cake mix and switched up the ingredients just a bit. All I used was milk, oil, and egg whites. Plus some cocoa powder to achieve the chocolate stripes.

The cake itself is moist and tender with a subtle chocolate flavor. But the true star of this cake is the cookies and cream frosting—it’s rich, decadent, and delicious!

Helpful Tips

• Wait to add cookie crumbs to the frosting. Don’t mix the cookie crumbs into the frosting until you’re ready to assemble the cake. If you add them too early, they’ll soften and blend into the frosting, turning it grey instead of speckled.
• Cut back on the frosting, if desired. The frosting recipe makes enough to generously frost the cake with plenty leftover to decorate. If you want to frost the cake without decorating it, you can cut the frosting recipe in half.
• Use any frosting you want. Other frostings that pair well are chocolate buttercream, vanilla buttercream, peanut butter frosting, or strawberry frosting.
• Decorate as you wish. When it comes to decorating, feel free to get creative by adding other fun toppings like more crushed Oreos, chocolate sprinkles, chocolate shavings, or a melted chocolate drip.

How to Make Zebra Cake Step by Step

Prep the oven and make the batter: Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray 2, 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray. Cut 2 circles out of parchment paper and lay them in the bottom of the pans, and spray them with cooking spray. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, in a large bowl, combine the cake mix with 1 cup of milk, ½ cup of oil, and 4 egg whites for 30 seconds or until it comes together. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Take half of the cake batter and pour it into a different medium-sized bowl.

To the remaining cake batter, add ¼ cup of cocoa powder and stir until just combined.

Make the cakes: Working with both cake pans, add about ¼ cup of the white cake batter to the center of each pan, then add about ¼ cup of the chocolate batter into the center of the white batter in each pan.

Repeat layering: Repeat until the batters are used up and the pans each have the same amount of batter. If the batter isn’t spreading, tilt the baking pan until the batter fills the bottom. This will not mess up the zebra design.

Bake: Bake the cakes for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely in the pans.

Make the frosting: Place 16 Oreos in the food processor and process into crumbs; set aside.

Place 1 cup of softened butter and 8 oz. of cream cheese into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, and cream until smooth. Add 8 cups of powdered sugar a little at a time until fully mixed in, scraping down the sides as needed.

Add 6 tbsp of heavy cream and 2 tsp of vanilla, and stir until combined. Place the mixer on medium-high speed and whip for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.

Add the cookie crumbs and stir until combined. I like to then use a spatula to mix it a little more by hand to make sure the cookie crumbs are evenly distributed.

Frost the cakes: Cut any doming off the cakes so the tops are flat. Take one of the cakes and place it, bottom side down, onto your serving platter. Spoon about 1 cup of the frosting on top and smooth it out to the edge.

Place the second cake on top with the bottom side down onto the frosting. Add a thin layer of frosting over the whole cake and place it in the fridge for 1-2 hours to set up.

Once the cake has chilled, add another layer of frosting onto the whole cake. Take the remaining frosting and decorate as you wish, and add mini Oreos if desired.

Serve: Cut and serve immediately.

Serving Suggestions

For the best texture and taste, I like serving this cake at room temperature, along with a few other less indulgent options like a fresh fruit salad or a honey lime fruit salad. To drink, I like to pair this cake with an Irish coffee for the adults and fresh homemade lemonade for the kids.

How to Store

Both the cake layers and frosting can be made a day in advance. Once the cake layers have cooled, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap at room temperature. The frosting needs to be covered and refrigerated.

Zebra cake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. Keep it in a covered container or covered with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out.

You can also freeze the cake or slices. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge.

More Fun Cake Recipes

• Hummingbird Cake
• Shirley Temple Cake
• Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
• Chocolate Swiss Roll
• Pinata Cake
• Blue Ombre Cake