Harley Quinn Cake Inspired by Birds of Prey

Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn is now available to purchase on Blu-ray and digital!

I saw this movie earlier this year in theaters and have been counting down the days until I could purchase it on Blu-ray and watch it again from home.

I’ve got my DIY Harley Quinn Caution Tape Jacket and my new themed cake, and I am set!

Birds of Prey was such a colorful and fun movie — and I think this movie poster really captures those vibes. It also happens to be the inspiration for my new Harley Quinn Birds of Prey cake!

Rainbow ombre buttercream cake? Seems like a great way to reproduce the colorful poster background! Top it with the Birds of Prey cake toppers and cover it with gold star sprinkles — and maybe a few surprise sprinkles on the insides — and this cake just screams Harley freakin’ Quinn!

My cakes aren’t normally this bright — but I am totally digging this rainbow ombre vibe!

Harley Quinn Birds of Prey Cake

What You Need:

CAKE

Three 6-inch circular cakes

BUTTERCREAM ICING

4 sticks of salted butter, room temperature
2 lbs. of powder sugar (1 bag), sifted
2 tsp. of vanilla extract
3-5 tbsp. milk

DECORATING TOOLS

Food gel coloring — blue, purple, pink, green, yellow, orange, black
Assorted rainbow sprinkles (for inside the cake)
Gold star sprinkles (for top of the cake)
Angled spatula
Icing bags
Icing couplers
Icing tips — medium star tip
Serrated knife
6-inch cake board
Cake spinner
Icing scraper
Lollipop sticks (for cake toppers)
Birds of Prey poster — DOWNLOAD, PRINT, and CUT
Birds of Prey logo template — DOWNLOAD

Prepare and bake three 6-inch circular cakes — you choose the flavor!

CAKE BAKING TIPS: Grease your cake pans and then sprinkle flour all over the surface. Next, cut out a circular piece of parchment paper and lay it on the base of the pan before pouring the batter into the pans. These steps will help your cakes slide right out of the pan once they cool.

Once your cakes are out of the oven, set them aside to cool. Then, using a serrated knife, level off the top of the cake, if needed.

Next, it’s time to prepare your buttercream icing.

Using a stand or hand mixer, beat your softened butter until fluffy and creamy (this is an important step!). Then, add vanilla and a tablespoon or so of milk. Mix, then add half of your powdered sugar. Add the remaining milk and powdered sugar, and mix until incorporated. (I let my stand mixer go for several minutes until the buttercream mixture is creamy). Taste test to be sure it’s perfect!

Place your first cake on top of your cake board and use a glass or a cookie cutter to remove the center of the cake. Then add a generous amount of icing to the top of the cake.

Next, place your second cake on top. Repeat the process, removing the center circle of the second cake and adding a layer of icing to the top of it.

Fill in the center of your cake with assorted rainbow sprinkles.

Top with your third cake, adding a layer of buttercream to the top of the cake and all around the sides. Using your angled spatula, smooth the icing around your cake.

Next, place your cake in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes. While your cake is chilling, color your icing in various colors — pink, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, as well as a small amount black and white.

After you remove your cake from the refrigerator, add an additional buttercream layer to the cake. Smooth with your angled spatula, then use your icing scraper to get that extra smooth buttercream surface. Tip! Run your icing scraper under hot water for a few seconds and then dry it off prior to using it to smooth your buttercream. This will help your icing be extra smooth.

Next, use a knife to add your colored buttercream all around the cake sides and top. To resemble the movie poster, start by icing two columns. The first should include green, yellow, orange — from top to bottom — and the second column should include blue, purple, pink — from top to bottom. Repeat the pattern to color the entire cake. Then, use your icing scraper to smooth the sides and top of your cake.

Add your BOP design to the front of your cake with black buttercream. Take the BOP design stencil and carefully press it to the middle of the front of your cake. Use a knife to spread black buttercream over the opening of the stencil, then carefully remove the stencil to reveal your BOP design left on your cake. For any areas of the design that have a gap (due to the lines in the stencil), use a toothpick to add the icing to fill in the gaps.

The final steps are for decorating! Add a decorative icing pattern, using a star tip, around the base of your cake in your desired color — I went with hot pink!

Next, print and cut out each of the characters from the Birds of Prey poster (found in the list above) and tape them to lollipop sticks. Stick them in the top of the cake, then add gold star sprinkles all over the top.