This 3-layer zebra cake features mesmerizing swirls of chocolate and vanilla, plus a silky chocolate cream cheese frosting. This marbled cake is easier than it looks because it starts with just 1 batter!
I originally shared this recipe in 2017, and I’ve since updated it with new photos, a video, and extra success tips for consistently great results.
You’re looking at chocolate and vanilla cakes baked together in a striking striped pattern. Pretty impressive, right? Much easier than you think to pull off, too. Like marble loaf cake but a little more flashy. Zebra cake is often baked as a single-layer cake or a Bundt cake, but I needed a fun and towering cake for a friend’s birthday. And an excuse to make chocolate cream cheese frosting!
*No zebras were harmed in the making of this cake. 😉
One reader, Erin, commented: “This cake is delicious! It’s fun to make, and the final product looks astounding. The cake has a wonderfully soft and fluffy texture. And the frosting!! That chocolate cream cheese frosting has to be the best kind of frosting I have ever had. It’s creamy, smooth, chocolate-y, and downright perfect. Even my dad, who hates frosting, loved it. It’s nice because it’s not as tooth-decayingly sweet as normal buttercream. And the cream cheese adds a fabulous tang! This is definitely my new favorite chocolate frosting recipe. ★★★★★“
Ingredients You Need
- All-Purpose Flour: Cake flour is too light to stand up to this particular cake. Use all-purpose here, and be sure to sift it before measuring. Sifting the flour rids any clumps and aerates it, which I find important in a cake recipe that uses this much flour.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: These leaveners lift the cake up while baking.
- Salt: To balance out the sweet.
- Proper Room-Temperature Butter: To achieve a good rise, properly cream the butter and sugar together. You have the crutch of baking powder and baking soda, but the cake’s crumb truly sings when that creaming process steps in. You need softened, room-temperature butter, which is actually still cool and firm to the touch, not soft and greasy. Butter that’s too cold or too warm won’t mix properly.
- Sugar: We’re using granulated sugar to sweeten this zebra cake.
- Eggs: While I sometimes use only the egg whites to make white cake, we’re using whole eggs today. We don’t want a crumb as light and fluffy as the white cake; rather, this crumb is similar to the rich, moist texture of yellow cake.
- Sour Cream: It adds moisture and richness, and makes for a creamy, tender texture in every bite.
- Pure Vanilla: Reach for pure vanilla extract—a full Tablespoon goes in the cake batter, and then you’ll use it to flavor the frosting, too. You’ll really taste it in this recipe, so I don’t recommend using imitation vanilla here.
- Buttermilk: Store-bought buttermilk gives the best result, but you can make a DIY buttermilk substitute if you can’t find it in your grocery store.
- Cocoa Powder: Use unsweetened cocoa powder, and either Dutch-process or natural cocoa is fine. There’s enough acid in the cake batter that it wouldn’t make a difference. (Learn why that’s important here: Dutch-Process vs Natural Cocoa Powder.)
- Espresso Powder: Optional, for a deeper chocolate flavor.
Recipe Testing Zebra Cake
Back in 2018 when I was working on this recipe, I started with a basic vanilla cake/yellow cake hybrid recipe: my checkerboard cake. I ADORE this cake, which tastes like a cross between a mega-buttery yellow cake and lighter vanilla cake.
But if I’m not careful, I can over-cream the butter + sugar or over-mix the batter since there’s so much of it. Additionally, there’s extra mixing involved when you turn half of the vanilla cake batter into chocolate cake batter. Over-mixing can leave you with a denser-tasting cake. I wanted to avoid that, so I slightly reduced the flour and added a little more baking powder for lift + airiness. I added some sour cream too, for a little extra moisture. (Never hurts!) Totally worked—this cake is so moist!
Made From 1 Batter
The cake batter follows a simple, familiar process. Whisk the dry ingredients together, then work on the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, use a mixer to cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs, then the sour cream and vanilla. Pour in the dry ingredients and then with the mixer running, slowly add the buttermilk.
The chocolate cake is made from the vanilla batter, so you don’t have to prepare two completely separate batters. YAY! Divide the batter in half and add cocoa powder to one.
But since we’re adding a dry and bitter ingredient to the chocolate batter, it will dry out the cake. A little sugar and warm milk or buttermilk solved that problem. (Warmth helps the cocoa powder bloom/dissolve.) Both the vanilla cake and chocolate cake are so moist. We did it!
You can also add a little espresso powder to the chocolate batter. Just to help bring out the chocolate flavor. This is an optional ingredient. You can find it in the coffee or baking aisle at the grocery store, or online.
IMPORTANT: This is a thick batter, which is important for this recipe because as you are layering the two batters together, it helps keep them separate, whereas a thin, runny batter would end up just spreading all together.
Use Parchment Paper Rounds for Cakes
Lining cake pans with parchment rounds is the trick I use every single time I bake a round cake, whether I’m making a 1-layer sprinkle cake, a 9-layer Smith Island cake, or today’s recipe. Store-bought pre-cut parchment rounds are convenient, but it’s really easy to just make them yourself. You can cut the exact pan size you need, whether you’re making a 6-inch cake, an 8-inch cake, or a 9-inch cake. If you don’t make a lot of round cakes, just cut them as you need them. If you bake a lot, cut many at a time and store them with your baking pans, ready for the next time you bake.
Very lightly grease the cake pan with butter or nonstick spray. Place the parchment paper round inside, and then grease the parchment, too. Yes, you grease the pan and then also grease the parchment. This creates an ultra-nonstick environment for your cake. The cake won’t stick to the pan, and the parchment round won’t stick to the cake. For more tips on this method, see Parchment Paper Rounds for Cakes.
How to Make Zebra Stripe Cake Layers
Now here’s where the zebra shows up! You create the beautiful zebra stripe pattern by layering the batters on top of each other. Before baking, the cakes look like a bullseye.
Start with a spoonful of 1 batter in the center of each of the pans, then place a spoonful of the other batter on top. Alternate between the 2 batters until you’ve filled the pans.
Every now and then, tap the pans on the counter and give them a little shake, to level the batter off and help it spread toward the edges of the pan.
Don’t worry about making this look perfect. The layers of the finished cake are going to look swirly and stripey—we aren’t trying to achieve perfectly straight lines here.
Bake the cakes and then let them cool completely before you make the…
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Regular cream cheese frosting is one of my all-time favorites because it’s not as cloyingly sweet as American-style buttercream and it’s easier than, say, making Swiss meringue buttercream. It’s the creamiest of frostings with a silky smooth and velvety mouthfeel. With carrot cake, red velvet cake, banana cake, and pumpkin cake… it’s just the best!
But could we possibly improve on the perfection that is cream cheese frosting? By adding… chocolate?? Oh yes… we could indeed.
Not in the mood for cream cheese frosting? Chocolate buttercream, Nutella frosting, vanilla buttercream, or Swiss meringue buttercream would also taste fantastic on this zebra cake.
Yes! Instead of turning half of the batter into chocolate batter, simply tint half of the batter your desired color using a couple drops of gel food coloring.
Yes! See how I turned this into a 6-inch layer cake for a safari-themed 1st birthday cake.
Assembling This Zebra Cake
Once the cakes have baked and cooled, trim the tops using a cake leveler or a large serrated knife to create an even surface. A flat top ensures a sturdier and more stable layered cake.
If you’d like a little assistance with this part, I have a full post and video tutorial on how to assemble a layer cake.
Now the moment of truth. Cutting into the cake to see how those zebra stripes look!
One reader, Amy, commented: “Sally, thank you for this cool and easy technique! I omitted the cocoa & used pink & green food coloring to make an Easter cake. My 11-year-old son helped & said ‘I like that this is a cool, not boring, way to make a cake.’ ★★★★★“
Cool and not boring? I’ll take that as a major compliment, coming from an 11-year-old!
Print
Zebra Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 27 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This 3-layer zebra cake features mesmerizing swirls of chocolate and vanilla, plus a silky chocolate cream cheese frosting. This marbled cake is easier than it looks because it starts with just 1 batter!
Ingredients
- 3 and 1/2 cups (413g) sifted all-purpose flour* (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (75g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract (yes, Tbsp!)
- 1 and 3/4 cups (420ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
Chocolate Batter
- 2 Tablespoons milk or buttermilk, warmed
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
- 1/3 cup (27g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- 12 ounces (339g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature*
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2/3 cup (55g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1–2 Tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- pinch salt
- sprinkles for decorating, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Make the vanilla batter: Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl. Set aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the eggs and mix on medium speed until combined. Scrape down the bowl again, and then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. The batter will look lumpy and curdled; that’s normal at this point.
- Add about 1/3 of the dry ingredients and 1/3 of the buttermilk, then beat on low speed until combined. Add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients and 1/3 of the buttermilk, then beat again on low speed until combined. Add the remaining of each, and beat just until incorporated. Do not over-mix this batter. The batter will be smooth, velvety, and slightly thick.
- Make the chocolate batter: There will be around 8 cups of batter total. Divide it in half (you can just eyeball it) and transfer half of the batter into another bowl. Whisk espresso powder into the warmed milk and then add it to one of the batters, along with the cocoa powder and sugar. Whisk until combined; a few small lumps are OK.
- Grease three 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Drop a large spoonful of 1 batter in the center of each pan. You can use the back of the spoon to spread it around a bit to make a circle. Top each circle with a spoonful of the other batter. Rotating the pans as you add the batters will help you get that circle shape. Alternate spoonfuls of the batters on top of each other in each pan and repeat until all the batter is used. After every few spoonfuls, give the pans a little shake to level out the batters.
- Bake for 25–27 minutes, or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans set on a cooling rack for 1 hour, then remove them from the pans and let the cakes finish cooling directly on the rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the butter and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, 1 Tablespoon milk, and salt and beat on low speed; gradually increase the speed to medium-high and beat until combined and creamy. Add 1 more Tablespoon of milk to slightly thin out, if needed. Taste, then add another pinch of salt if desired.
- Assemble and frost: First, using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with about 1 cup of frosting (about 240g). Top with the 2nd cake layer, upside down, and evenly cover the top with the same amount of frosting. Top with the 3rd cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting in a thick layer all over the top and around the sides. Garnish with sprinkles, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake keep its shape when cutting—it could slightly fall apart without this time in the fridge.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I like to use a cake carrier for storing and transporting.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare cakes and frosting 1 day in advance. Keep cakes at room temperature, covered tightly. Refrigerate prepared frosting in an airtight container until ready to use. Bring frosting to room temperature before spreading as it will be quite stiff after refrigerating. (Add a splash of cream or milk to thin out, if needed.) Frosted or unfrosted cakes may be frozen for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, if desired, before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Round Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack | Cake Turntable | Straight Spatula (for frosting) | Round Cake Carrier (for storage)
- Flour: Sift flour before measuring.
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a DIY buttermilk substitute. Add 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1 and 3/4 cups. (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cake won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Cream Cheese: Make sure you’re using the bricks of cream cheese, not cream cheese spread. They’re typically sold in 8-ounce bricks, so you’ll need 1 and 1/2 bricks.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read more about the importance of room-temperature ingredients.
- Tint Half of the Batter: Instead of turning half of the batter into chocolate batter, simply tint half of the batter your desired color using a couple drops of gel food coloring.
- Smaller 6-Inch Cake: I scaled down this recipe to make a 6-inch version, and served it as a 1st birthday cake for my daughter’s “safari”-themed birthday.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I used this recipe to make a mini wedding cake for my sister in laws birthday lunch tomorrow. The pans are so cute! But I had leftover and quickly put it in a small rectangular metal pan. We just cut out a few pieces while warm and its SOOOO tender and tasty! Great recipe but a little messy with lots of bowls….but worth it….the 3 little cakes are cooling and time to put together the frosting…hoping the stripes will show up …their family tradition has been checkerboard cake …so time for a change up! Even have the perfect cake platter to serve it on. Thanks for the recipe!! A new keeper for sure!
Sally, could this be made as a sheet cake? Or, would you suggest a different recipe?
Hi Amy, this batter can be made in a 9×13 pan but we are unsure of the bake time. Same oven temperature though!
Thank you! Do you think I would use all the batter?
Planning on making this cake for a friends retirement party. There could be more than 20 people there so thought I would try to add cupcakes to make up the additional servings. Do you imagine this will be alright and could you suggest a cooking time/ temp pleaser? I’ve made your coconut cream cake and red velvet cakes, both amazing so really looking forward to making this one.
Hi Michael! Cupcakes usually take about 20 minutes at 350°F (177°C). Here’s our marble cupcakes recipe if you’re interested!
Hi! I use your recipes to impress my fam & friends all the time (and share your site widely). I’m making this one for my grandfather’s 90th birthday and want to stack a 3 layer 8 inch vanilla cake on top of this one. Think I need to use dowels?
Hi Amanda, we’d recommend using cake dowels to be safe! You can see how we use them in this homemade wedding cake post.
What would be another good frosting recommendation? We don’t like cream cheese frostings… Any other ideas? Thank you!
Hi Abby, regular chocolate buttercream would be fantastic here!
Cake turned out very dense despite cooking fully (followed cooking time and did toothpick test) and the colors were not crisp, but were a bit muddy. I followed all instructions (no substitutions).
I had the same issues – I just don’t think the work you have to put into it reflects in the final product. Oh well, next…..
Baked this for my friend’s 50th birthday and it was an instant hit. Not a crumb was left. I baked it in the bundt pan and still had left over batter for 2 large muffins. Thank you so much for your quick response!
Made this cake last weekend—delicious! My colleagues loved it as well. Time consuming—only made two layers and paired it with Sally’s milk chocolate buttercream frosting, came out perfectly. Cake is dense (which is my preference). People thought the cake was from a bakery! Thank you for sharing your incredible recipes!
Hi Sally, all your recipes are amazing and I would love to try this one for a friend’s b’day. Would you recommend making this in a large bundt cake pan?
Hi Zeina, This cake recipe will fit nicely into a Bundt pan. We’re unsure of the exact bake time for the bundt, but it should be close to (or over!) 1 hour at 350F. Hope it’s a hit!
This is the only recipe on the site so far that I haven’t absolutely loved. I tried making it twice, and despite being very careful not to over-mix and also being very precise with the zebra-print process, both cakes came out very dense and don’t have the impressive stripes from these pictures. My guests enjoyed the cake, so I don’t regret making it this time. I can’t wait to try the next recipe on this site, which will surely be amazing.
I made your homemade wedding vanilla cake for a friends birthday and it was absolutely fantastic. I now want to know if you have a chocolate cake recipe that would be ideal for a bottom layer of a 10” wedding cake. Would the marble cake hold under the weight with dowels. I can then use the vanilla cake on top as a 2nd layer.
Thank you so much
Hi Anne, at this time we don’t have a plain chocolate cake sturdy enough to be the bottom tier of a tiered cake. But this Zebra/marble cake would work well! Let us know if you give it a try 🙂
This was amazing. Especially with the chocolate cream cheese frosting. I don’t think my zebra stripes looked as good as yours so will need to make again to see if I can better them. Might even need to make a few times until I get them right (insert laughing emoji).
Had fun trying the zebra cake. Was a late night but worth it! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
I want to make this for a friend’s birthday this weekend but I don’t have 9-inch pans. I have the 8-inch and 10-inch instead. Would you recommend using three 8″ or two 10″ pans?
Hi Kat, you can use the 8 inch cake pans. The cakes will be thicker and need a little extra time in the oven — same temperature. Enjoy!
Thank you!!!
I realize I don’t have 8-inch pans 🙁 I have two 10-inch pans and a 9-inch (x 4-inch height) pans instead. Can I make just 1 layer and cut it in half to make layers or would the 10-inch pans work better?
If I want to make this in a 6 inch pan, 3 layers would you change the oven temp and time?
Hi Emily! You can find our 3 layer 6 inch zebra cake recipe in this post (feel free to use a different frosting recipe) – enjoy 🙂
Going to make this for my son’s safari birthday! But I want to make the white whiter and the black blacker, can I sub eggs for egg whites? And can I use black cocoa powder in place of the natural cocoa? Or add activated charcoal to the chocolate batter?
Hello! We haven’t tested those changes, but they would take some testing to get right as baking is a science and those changes would alter the batter. Let us know if you try anything! My suggestion would be to leave the vanilla cake as-is and add some black gel food coloring to the black batter for more contrast.
I want to make this for my daughters 1st birthday. I only have a 7inch cake tin, do I need to adjust the quantity that I make? I cant find a 6 inch tin anywhere….
Hi Lynette, This recipe is actually written for three 9-inch pans. Do you happen to have that size? If not, you can use our post on Cake Pan Sizes and Conversions to help you calculate how much batter to use for a different size.
Hi there,
Love this cake recipe. have made it a couple if times and it had always come out perfectly. this time round my query is if I were to bake and freeze the cakes on thurs 1/20/22 and the defrost the cake to ice it on 1/25/22. would it still be as good as baking fresh?
Hi Vini, We are so happy you enjoy this cake recipe! For the best results, you can find all of our best tips in this post on How to Freeze Cakes.
Hi! I’ve made this cake before and loved it, but I was just wondering if I could make it in a loaf pan. Would I just have to halve the recipe?
Hi Audrey! Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes. However, keep in mind that we usually don’t recommend baking cakes in a deep pans (like loaf pans) because they can bake unevenly. You may love our chocolate chip loaf cake recipe!
Is there a reason you don’t line the pans with parchment paper in this recipe? Does it have something to do with the method of layering the batter in the pan?
You can absolutely line the pans with a parchment round for this recipe. It’s something we’ve been adding to recent round cake recipes and can apply to any on this website. Helps the cakes release from the pan easier.
Sally, please, please, please help! As you see by my comment above, dated November 17th, I did a test run with this cake using 3 8″ pans. Now the person that I’m making the cake for is asking me to make it a 2 layer with 10″ pans. I don’t think 8 cups of batter will be enough. So, I could make two batches (not doubling), but 16 cups is too much batter. Should I just use 12 cups of the batter, with six cups in each pan and use the leftover for cupcakes. I think I should still bake it at 350, but for how long: 35 to 40???? The anniversary is December 18th. I hope you are able to help me. Stressing right now!!!
Hi Marie, We have never made this in 10 inch pans. However, you can use our post on Cake Pan Sizes and Conversions to calculate exactly how much batter you would need for that size pan. We are unsure of the bake time needed but use the same oven temperature and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Just as a follow up….I made the two layer 10″ rounds using approximately 6.5 cups of batter for each layer (made each batter separately) and baked the cakes for 43 minutes and it came out perfect. Thanks so much for the conversion chart.
Thanks, Sally, for this wonderful recipe. I have been asked to make a marble cake for a 50th wedding anniversary and want to make it from scratch. Your website was the first place I searched, and (as always) your recipe did not disappoint. I made a practice cake today that came out super moist thanks to your detailed directions. The zebra stripes are so much fun! I can now make the official anniversary cake with confidence.
Absolutely love this recipe! I actually use it whenever I want marble cake. I wanted to make a half sheet cake, could you tell me if a double batch would work? Thank you!
Hi Liana, so glad you love this zebra cake recipe! Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
Can you use cake flour instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Janet, cake flour isn’t strong enough for this cake, so we do suggest sticking to AP flour.
There isn’t a recipe by Sally that has failed me. Any time there is a special occasion I immediately go to Sallysbakingaddiction.com. I made this cake for my mom’s retirement party and it turned out amazing! The cake is light and moist and the icing isnt super sweet which is refreshing. The steps are spot on and I love all of Sally’s helpful tips. I have learned so much about baking because of the information she provides. I highly recommend this cake!
Hi Laura, We are so glad you loved this cake! Happy retirement to your mom.
Can sour cream be removed? What will
happen?
Sour cream adds necessary moisture to the cake. Do not omit, but you can use plain, full fat yogurt in its place in a pinch.
Hi – love your website! Could I use 8” round pans for these cakes? If so, would I need to adjust the baking temperature or time? Thank you!!
Hi Laura, you can use the 8 inch cake pans. The cakes will be thicker and need a little extra time in the oven — same temperature. Enjoy!
Great! Thank you! Any sense of how much longer? Just a few minutes probably? And the best test is that a toothpick should come out dry?
You got it! Happy baking, Laura.
I made this cake for my son’s birthday and it was amazing. It is delicious and moist, and it slices beautifully. The key is to eat it at room temperature. I have made so many of your cakes. I am trying the pistachio cake next. Thanks, Sally.
Is the sour cream measured as a dry or wet ingredient? I don’t have a scale. Thanks.
Hi Rana! Sour cream can be measured with a dry measuring cup.
I am making these tonight and am SO excited!! How long would you bake them for if I were to make cupcakes?
Thank you!
Hi Kathleen! To make cupcakes, we recommend you use this amount of batter (which is basically half of this recipe), then alternate spoonfuls of batter on top of each other in the cupcake liners. We’re unsure of the exact bake time – cupcakes are done when a toothpick comes out clean. Let us know how they turn out!
Thank you! This will make 12 cupcakes?
You bet! I would guess it would make about 12-14 cupcakes.
Would this cake hold up well under fondant? (Assuming regular buttercream instead of the cream cheese frosting). Do you know how tall your final cake was when you used 9″ pans?
Hi Shelby, yes, this cake should hold up just fine under fondant. This isn’t a super tall cake — each layer is about 1.5-2 inches. The final total height depends on how heavily you frost between the layers.