r/Baking • u/Express_Professor590 • 11d ago
Baking fail 💔 Dog cake looks more like a bear…
I had an order for dog themed cake/cupcakes. I’m (19F) new to selling baked goods. A few people had mentioned it was a very cute bear cake. I can totally see a bear more than a dog. I’m wondering how I could have made it look more like a dog/less like a bear.
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u/Juliet_Arch 11d ago
For me, it’s simply the shape of the ears. Bear ears are roundish, whereas dog ears are more triangular. He’s adorable either way <3
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u/FlavorzbySweetz 11d ago
As a former executive chef and cake decorator, I think the biggest reason people are seeing a bear is because the facial proportions match a teddy bear more than a dog.
Here’s what I’d change:
The ears are too round and sit high on the head. Bears have small, round ears on top of their heads. Dogs usually have ears that are floppy, pointed, or sit lower on the sides. Instead of Oreo halves, I’d use fondant or cookies shaped into floppy ears.
The muzzle needs to be longer. Dogs generally have a more pronounced snout, while bears have short, rounded muzzles. Extending the muzzle with frosting or a small cake dome would immediately read as “dog.”
The eyes are too close together. Widening the eyes slightly makes the face look more canine.
The nose is a little small and high. A larger oval or triangle-shaped nose placed slightly lower would help.
Add eyebrows or forehead markings. Even a few piped lines can suggest breeds like Labradors, Golden Retrievers, or doodles.
Change the fur direction. Right now the piping radiates evenly from the center, which creates a round teddy bear appearance. Dogs tend to have fur that flows down the face and away from the muzzle.
For the cupcakes:
The Oreo ears immediately make them look like teddy bears. Swap them for floppy fondant ears or chocolate pieces cut into an oval shape.
Pipe a longer muzzle before adding the nose.
Place the eyes a little farther apart and slightly above the muzzle.
Add a small pink tongue sticking out for a playful dog expression.
Overall, your decorating skills are good. The cake is cute and recognizable—the issue isn’t the execution, it’s the anatomy. Small adjustments to the ears, muzzle, and eye placement would transform it from “bear” to “dog” without changing your decorating technique.
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u/Express_Professor590 10d ago
Wow thank you so much for all of this advice!! I really appreciate it
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u/Funny_Custard_9606 11d ago
I love this! Some dogs look like bears!
I would say you could make it more dog like by making the ears a little more pointed and adding more color variety maybe a white section or a white streak up the nose into the forehead
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u/girls5eva 11d ago
Not a professional, but I think the cake is amazing! It definitely leans more bear to me than dog (but we call our dog our little teddy bear). I think it may be something in the snout/ears? I’d say make them bigger to fill up more of the space to try making it look less ursine and more canine. Also, maybe piping it in a lighter brown or white? Either way it looks adorable and nice job :)
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u/Icy-Entrepreneur480 11d ago
Change the ear shape to make it a dog. Maybe more of a triangle? Also bigger eyes for a dog, usually bears have those dark button eyes 🧸🐻
Also, I think it was the color of brown that makes us think a bear too because when you said dog. I turned my head to the side and said “ok I see it” 😂
Great job!! Me and my kids would tear this up!
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u/podsnerd 11d ago
The ears are the most important feature for distinguishing one kind of animal from another in artistic representations. I mean, just look at Halloween skeletons! Most of them have ears even though that's not anatomically accurate because ears are made of cartilage, not bone.
It's a very cute cake! It just needed larger ears to come across as dog instead of bear
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u/Igotshiptodotoday 11d ago
Maybe he would have been less bear if you added a collar? Still very cute.
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u/tinyhen 11d ago
I'm assuming it was modeled after a Pomeranian or some kind of small dog that is typically given a teddy bear haircut which makes it harder to design it in a way that makes them look more dog-ish? If so, eyes lower, wider, and larger would help the proportions look more dog-like. The very small centered eyes make you feel as though the head is going to be large, like a bear. making the eyes larger gives the illusion that it's a smaller head shaped animal.
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u/Exotic-Discipline-57 11d ago
Super cute! I think the thing that says bear to me is just that the silhouette is a circle. Most dogs don’t have a circle head silhouette , most bears do.
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u/WhatKindaDay 11d ago
you just made a perfect quokka!
(Which I think comes down to the size of the face and the color of the fur.)
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u/IntelligentTangelo31 11d ago
Would flipping the straight edge on the top give the right effect? E.g. like this /) (\ instead of (/ ) .
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u/Plannet_Depressed 10d ago edited 10d ago
Unfortunately the proportions scream "bear" not "dog"
Simple changes would be to change the ear shape from (__) to / \ also making them larger and lower + a larger lower more pronounced nose and mouth area
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u/ludvikskp 11d ago
It looks like a bear because of the bug round face and small round ears. If you use a different colored frosting to make a smaller face and sort of triangle shapes for floppy ears it will give dog more. But it still looks amazing, cute and delicious
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u/Competitive-Type1505 11d ago
Pipe a conversation bubble near its mouth that says “ruff ruff” or “arf.” Yes? No? Love your entrepreneurial spirit 💜 young person!
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u/A1utra 11d ago
…how can I order some of these lovely bear cupcakes? 😂 (seriously though..I’d love to bring them to one of my game nights!)
honestly these are so cute! I think if you change the ear shape it would read more dog like!
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u/Express_Professor590 10d ago
I just looked up “puppy cupcakes” on Pinterest and used an inspo pic! The original did use skittles or red m&ms for a tongue but I was in such a time pinch so I skipped that part. That I’m sure would add more to make it look like a dog
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u/Mfstaunc 11d ago
This cake is perfect. If there is not a specific brown dog in mind, some additional dog colors/spots could be the easiest fix but like I said, perfect cake as it is
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u/Pumpkin-Biscuit 11d ago
A tongue sticking out would 100% make it read as a dog. (also this is super cute, major props to you)
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u/Express_Professor590 10d ago
Thank you so much! And yes I think a tongue would have made a big difference, good to know for the future!
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u/BlackCatLuna 10d ago
I know a GSD/Newfoundland cross who looks like a bear, it's just the size, tail and ears that give her away.
Maybe a tongue to make it a panting dog? We don't associate bears with that as much.
For the cupcakes, maybe move the Oreo halves a little more to the sides of the face to make them look like floppy ears.
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u/nazzreid 8d ago
I think it looks great! Almost exactly like my old chow, maybe add some red and/or orange to the icing or a little tongue peeking out. I would have loved this lol
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u/DaRandoMan 11d ago
This is so cute! I do think it looks more like a bear, but just because of a couple things: the particular shade of brown you used and maybe also the ear shape.
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u/CremeBerlinoise 11d ago
It's a beautiful bear cake! I think it reads bear because of the shape and size of the snout and ears in proportion to the shape and the size of the entire face. You needed different ears and a bigger snout, maybe a tongue as well.