Description
A stunning and delicious pink Ombre Cake featuring moist, tender layers with a smooth vanilla buttercream frosting, perfect for special occasions and celebrations. This recipe includes detailed steps to create gradient colored layers and a beautifully blended buttercream finish.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Layers:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (375g)
- 3 cups granulated sugar (600g)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder (10g)
- 1 tsp fine salt (6g)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (226g)
- 1 cup carton egg whites or 7 large egg whites, room temperature (235g)
- 1 1/2 cups full-fat sour cream, room temperature (360g)
- 2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil (30g)
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (12g)
- Gel food coloring (pink or color of choice)
Buttercream Frosting:
- 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature (452g)
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (12g)
- 1/2 tsp fine salt (3g)
- 7 cups powdered sugar (904g or a 2 lb. bag)
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature (80g)
Decorations:
- 1/2 batch pink ganache
- 5 Pink gum balls
- 5 Pink macarons
- Pink sprinkle blend
Equipment:
- 3, 8-inch cake pans or 4, 7-inch cake pans
- Spinning cake stand
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- 10-inch greaseproof cake board
- Large offset spatula
- Bench scraper
- Small piping bag
- Open star piping tip (e.g., Wilton 1M)
Instructions
- Prepare Cake Pans: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line four 7-inch or three 8-inch pans with parchment rounds and grease with non-stick spray or homemade release.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Combine 3 cups flour, 3 cups sugar, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp salt in a mixer using a paddle attachment until fully mixed.
- Add Butter: Slowly add 1 cup room temperature unsalted butter to dry ingredients on low speed until mixture resembles moist sand without large butter chunks.
- Incorporate Egg Whites: Pour in 1 cup egg whites and mix on low until just incorporated, scraping bowl sides as needed.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Mix in 1 1/2 cups sour cream, 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, and 1 Tbsp vanilla on low speed until fully combined.
- Beat Mixture: Scrape down bowl and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds to lighten the batter texture.
- Color and Portion Batter: Add gel food coloring for the lightest shade and stir evenly. For 4 layers, portion 450g batter per pan, increasing color intensity progressively for each layer. For 3 layers, use 600g batter each and deepen color similarly.
- Bake Layers: Bake for 33–36 minutes until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs. Rotate pans halfway during baking.
- Cool Layers: Let pans cool 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around edges and freeze layers for 30 minutes to cool thoroughly. Remove layers carefully once cold.
- Level Layers: Before assembling, level cake tops with a serrated knife. Wrap and freeze if preparing in advance; thaw for 20 minutes before assembly.
- Make Buttercream: Beat 2 cups unsalted butter on medium speed until smooth. Add 1 Tbsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp salt on low speed.
- Add Powdered Sugar and Cream: Gradually blend in 7 cups powdered sugar and 1/3 cup heavy cream on low speed until desired consistency. Adjust with more cream or sugar as needed.
- Assemble Cake: Stick first darkest cake layer to a cake board using buttercream. Stack layers from darkest to lightest, spreading even buttercream between each. Place top layer upside down for sharp edges.
- Crumb Coat: Apply a thin buttercream layer all around the cake. Smooth with a bench scraper and chill cake for 30 minutes (fridge) or 10 minutes (freezer) until firm.
- Color Buttercream: Mix small amounts of gel food coloring into separate buttercream quantities to create 4 progressively darker shades.
- Decorate Ombre Frosting: Spread lightest colored buttercream on top and upper side of cake, then apply next shade around the sides and blend gently. Repeat with deeper shades, smoothing with a bench scraper.
- Final Decoration: Pipe swirls with leftover frosting, add a partial ganache drip, mini macarons, gum balls, and sprinkle blend as desired.
- Storage: Cake can be kept at room temperature for up to 24 hours or refrigerated for up to a week.
Notes
- Use gel food coloring for vibrant colors without altering batter consistency.
- Ensure all wet ingredients are at room temperature for better mixing and texture.
- Freezing cake layers after baking accelerates cooling and helps with clean assembly.
- Adjust buttercream consistency with cream or powdered sugar for spreading or piping needs.
- Always crumb coat and chill before final frosting for a smooth finish.
- This cake is best served within a few days but can be frozen after assembly if wrapped properly.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 cake)
- Calories: 620
- Sugar: 58g
- Sodium: 190mg
- Fat: 33g
- Saturated Fat: 20g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 74g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 55mg
Keywords: ombre cake, pink cake, layered cake, vanilla buttercream, celebration cake, birthday cake, gradient cake
