Description
This Purple Ombre Layer Cake is a stunning, multi-layered dessert featuring a beautiful gradient of purple hues created with gel food coloring. Moist and tender, each layer is stacked and frosted with creamy vanilla buttercream, making it perfect for birthdays, baby showers, or any festive celebration.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large egg whites
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
Coloring & Decorations
- Purple gel food coloring (in varying amounts for ombre effect)
- 1 batch vanilla buttercream frosting (about 4–5 cups)
- Optional: sprinkles or edible flowers for decoration
Instructions
- Prepare the pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line four 6-inch or three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper to ensure the cakes release easily after baking.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening agents and salt.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together using an electric mixer until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale, about 3 to 4 minutes. This creates air pockets that help the cake rise.
- Add egg whites and vanilla: Incorporate the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition to ensure they are fully integrated. Stir in the vanilla extract for flavor.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients: Alternately add the dry flour mixture and the whole milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix each addition just until combined to avoid overworking the batter, which can toughen the cake.
- Create ombre layers: Divide the batter evenly into 3 or 4 separate bowls, depending on the number of layers you want. Tint each bowl with increasing amounts of purple gel food coloring to achieve a gradient from light to dark purple.
- Fill pans and bake: Pour each tinted batter into the prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 22 to 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, indicating doneness.
- Cool and level: Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely in the pans. Once cooled, level the tops with a serrated knife if needed to create even layering surfaces.
- Assemble and frost: Stack the cakes from lightest to darkest layer, spreading a generous amount of vanilla buttercream frosting between each layer. Apply a thin crumb coat to seal in crumbs, chill briefly, then finish with a smooth outer coat of frosting.
- Decorate and serve: Decorate the cake as desired with sprinkles or edible flowers. Serve at room temperature and enjoy this visually stunning and delicious ombre cake.
Notes
- Use gel food coloring to achieve vibrant, intense purple shades without thinning the batter.
- For a deeper purple hue, mix a small amount of blue gel food coloring with red.
- This cake is perfect for celebrations such as birthdays, baby showers, or spring events.
- Leveling the cake layers will help create clean, even stacks for a professional look.
- Chilling the crumb coat before the final frosting helps achieve a smooth finish.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
