Homemade Zebra Cakes – Easy, Quick and Vegan-izable!

When I tell you make a zebra cakes recipe from scratch is NBD – I MEAN it is NBD. I was absolutely shocked at how easy, fun and simple this recipe was to make! This is Part II of the Nostalgia Series (which if you haven’t tried the Little Bites yet….you gotta) and this little debbie zebra cakes recipe will take you BACK. I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to replicate the fluffy, creamy, sweet magic that is the zebra cake, but when I bit into these, it was like. pure. nostalgia.

The recipe itself is super easy to follow and can be made plant-based with a few subs! It’s just about getting a vegan cream filling and white chocolate, and after that you’ll be all set! The cake itself is naturally vegan and only six ingredients. It might be the simplest sheet cake I’ve ever made. And since you now I make almost everything from scratch, I have the from-scratch options listed, as well as some store-bought subs!

It’s all about making this recipe approachable, easy and fun. Because I want it to be something you WANT to do on the weekend or want to make as a quick snack. Zebra cakes are FUN. So let’s not overcomplicate things 😉

How to make the zebra cakes base for this recipe

I’m all about impact-minimizing recipes (you can read more about what I mean when I say that in my website’s FAQ here) so this cake recipe is naturally vegan! What’s even better is that it is 6 ingredients and all you need is a bowl and a whisk to make it.

Ingredients you will need for the zebra cakes:

Now, to get the classic little debbie zebra cakes taste, we’ll be using the same ingredients that are typically used in a white cake recipe. I added a few vegan subs, but the ingredients can also be the dairy versions if that’s what you have on hand!

• 150 grams all-purpose flour – this is about 1 cup, packed, but since this recipe is pretty small, I’d recommend measuring by weight if you can! The small the amounts, the less accurate measuring with cups can be.
• 1 tbsp baking powder – it is a lot, but this cake needs significant rise because of the vegan ingredients!
• 1/8 tsp salt – this is to offset the sweetness, it is a total godsend in white cake recipes!
• 1/2 cup melted plant-based butter – I prefer using Country Crock’s plant-based butters! But Miyokos Creamery also makes amazing vegan butter subs. But if you only have regular butter, feel free to use that as well!
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar – you can use other subs like maple syrup or coconut sugar, but if you want the real best-of-the-best for a white cake, you can’t go wrong with using a white sugar!
• 1/2 cup milk of choice  – I used almond milk for this one! But dairy milk, cashew milk, soy milk and oat milk would also be amazing choices.

How to make the zebra cake batter:

• Preheat your oven to 350F.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Normally sugar goes in with the wet ingredients, but for this cake we do not want a lot of aeration or rise, so we are whisking in the sugar with the dry ingredients!
• In another small bowl, whisk together the melted butter and almond milk.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until well combined. I use a large whisk for this and it comes together in minutes!
• On a rimmed baking sheet (I used a 9×11′ with a 1.5′ rim) line the sheet with parchment paper and pour in the batter. You can also do this in a deep baking sheet, but just make sure it is 9×11′ so that you can spread your batter thinly!
• Use a spatula to smooth out the batter until it is in a thin even layer. You want it to be about 1-2 cm thick. The cake will rise slightly, but not too much, and this will give you the perfect height for a zebra cake recipe from scratch.
• Bake at 350F for 15-18 minutes. Remove from the oven and chill in the fridge while you prep your other ingredients. You can also let it sit out at room temperature if you plan on assembling everything immediately afterwards!

Making the filling for this recipe

The filling for this recipe is arguably the best part, and what makes it even better is the fact that if you want to…you can just buy it from the store 😉 I’m not sure exactly what type of frosting a real Zebra Cakes actually use, but it always felt so thick, creamy and fluffy that I knew only a whipped cream recipe would suffice. So if you are making this zebra cake recipe from scratch, you’ll want to whip up a three ingredient cream for this one!

If you are hoping to make these plant-based (which you totally can!) I’d recommend getting a vegan whipped topping option from the store. Vegan whipped cream can be finicky, so I only attempt it in my recipes when I have the time and resources. I actually use the liquid from canned chickpeas to make mine, but I don’t want you to have to open up an unnecessary can of chickpeas just for this zebra cake recipe!

Ingredients for the zebra cakes filling:

If you are doing the homemade version:

• 1/2 cup cold heavy cream – chilling it will make the whipping easier!
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

If you are doing the store bought version:

• 1 cup store-bought coconut whipped cream, or any other plant-based option
• Or just 1 cup Cool Whip if you don’t have any dietary restrictions

Steps to make the filling:

1. If you are making your filling at home, take a large chilled bowl and add in the cream, maple syrup and vanilla.
2. Use an electric mixer and mix on high until stiff peaks form. Set this in the fridge to chill.

It’s not a lot of whipped cream, but it should be just the right amount to fill all of your Zebra Cakes!

How to make the coating for this recipe:

I learned this tip from Sugar Geek Show, she uses it to make the drip for some of her cakes, but I’ve adopted it as the easiest way to make a chocolate coating that melts well, pours evenly and will stick to mini cakes. And the best part? All you need are chocolate chips and water!

Ingredients for the coating:

• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips – you can use any brand from the store, but I use Pascha as my plant-based brand. It melts nicely and spreads super well!
• 2 tbsp boiling hot water – it MUST be boiling. Don’t skimp on the heat for this one! You can heat it up in the microwave or by using a tea kettle.
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips – you can also use semisweet chips. This is for the drizzle on top, so we don’t need to mix in water with these, you want ’em a little bit thick!

How to make the coating for the zebra cakes:

• Make sure your chocolate chips are at room temperature.
• In a small bowl, add your white chocolate chips and the 2 tbsp of boiling water. Use a whisk and mix rapidly until the chips start to melt and the water begins to combine.
• You might need to throw this in the microwave for another 30 seconds to help the chocolate melt more, but after a few minutes of vigorous whisking you should be left with a thin melted mixture!
• Set the white chocolate to the side to thicken up a little, and melt the chocolate chips as normal. I prefer to melt them at 30 second increments in the microwave, stirring each time.
• When you are ready to ice the cakes, give the white chocolate another mix with the whisk to make sure everything is emulsified. Then you can begin to assemble!

How to assemble the cakes to look just like little debbie zebra cakes

The assembly of this recipe might seem like a lot, but it’s really not! Just sandwich them up, coat the outside, chill and serve! Of course, those instructions might seem a bit vague, so here are a few more details on how to assemble this zebra cakes recipe from scratch.

Step-by-step instructions on how to make zebra cakes come together:

• Use a small cookie cutter (or even a cocktail glass, I’m not picky) to cut out 3′ circles in your sheet cake. These will be relatively thin.
• Place a generous dollop of cream on half of the circles. Place the other circles on top to make little cream sandwiches.
• Very carefully pour the white chocolate mixture on top of the cakes. Use a spoon or knife to swirl around the edges.
• Place these cakes in the fridge for 30 minutes to help solidify.
• When the white chocolate has hardened slightly, drizzle the melted dark chocolate on top to make the zebra “stripes.”
• Place back in the fridge for another 30 minutes to harden, and then eat whenever!

Tips & tricks to help out with making this zebra cakes recipe from scratch

This recipe IS super simple, but there are few tips and tricks that might make your life a little bit easier as you embark on your zebra-cake-making (if that’s a term? We’re making it a term)

Here are the main tips I recommend when making this recipe:

• When spreading out your cake batter in your cake pan, use a large spatula and make long, even, swirling motions across the top to get the batter to even out. Then tap the baking sheet on your counter a few time to help the batter fully spread out into a thin layer. This batter does thicken up, so the spreading might be a little cumbersome, but definitely worth it!
• Chill the cake BEFORE cutting out your circles. If you slice into the cake while it’s still warm, you won’t get as connected of a crumb structure in the cake, and your circles might have more crumbly edges.
• When assembling your zebra cakes, use the “tops” of the cake circles as the parts of the cake that will touch the cream. This is because the bottoms of the cake circles will have a more even appearance (since they baked on the flat baking dish surface) and this will make adding the coating easier when you get to that step!
• When drizzling the icing on your zebra cakes, start with a spoon and add a generous amount to the top of the cake. Swirl the amount so that it drips over the edges of the cake, then use a knife to run around the edges. It’s a bit tricky, but once you get the hang of it, it will run so smoothly!
• Use a fork to drizzle the dark chocolate on top – this will give you better looking zebra stripes and will make it easier to dribble!

How to store these cakes

Just like a normal little debbie zebra cake – you can totally store this recipe and save it to eat at a later date! Just know that they won’t last as long as regular little debbie’s…because to be honest I think those things are indestructible. Here are my best tips on how to store this recipe for later:

• Store all of the cakes in a flat, shallow container. You don’t want to stack them on top of each other, the icing will end up sticking to each cake, and they won’t look cute when you pull them apart.
• Wrap in cling wrap or cover with an air-tight lid. This will help preserve freshness for up to 7 days.
• Store in the fridge, not the pantry. This will keep the coating looking nice and will keep the cakes fresher for a longer period of time!
• If you want to freeze them, follow the same instructions and store for up to 6 months! When you are ready to eat, just thaw in the fridge for 12 hours before serving!

How to prep the zebra cakes and assemble the recipe at a later time

If you want these to feel like a fresh little debbie zebra cake recipe – then it’s totally fine to prepare all the ingredients, store them and then assemble them right before you serve them. I only recommend that you give yourself 30 minutes of time to chill them before serving – this way you won’t have any chocolate sticking to fingers!

To prep this ahead of time, bake the cake per the instructions, but instead of cutting out the circles, just store it in the sheet pan. If you cover the sheet pan with cling wrap or foil, it should stay fresh for 4-5 days. After that you can follow all the assembly instructions and assemble them as you need them!

Substitutions for this recipe

Substitutions are always a big request, so here are the most common ingredients I get asked about, as well as the substitutions you can use!

• Flour – if you are gluten free, I recommend using a 1:1 gf flour as a substitute! Oat flour and almond flour will not work as well for this recipe unfortunately.
• Granulated sugar – you can use coconut sugar instead of granulated, but you won’t get as light of a cake or as white of a color, just a heads up!
• Vegan butter – if you only have dairy butter on hand, that works fine! I would not use oil or ghee for this recipe, as it will not yield the same result.
• Plant-based milk – again, if you only have the dairy version, that’s completely fine!
• Dark chocolate – this can totally be substituted for any chocolate you prefer! As well as vegan or non vegan options!
• White chocolate – same as the above! Of course, I prefer the white chocolate for the color and the taste, but you do you!

FAQ

And that’s about everything for this zebra cake recipe from scratch! If you make it – please please PLEASE show me on Instagram! I would love to see how you made it and your reaction! And I’m also on Pinterest as well, so feel free to tag me over there. And of course, happy baking!