Red, White and Blue Ombré Layer Cake
A colorful and festive layer cake!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 cups cake flour , sifted (340 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature (226 grams)
- 2 cups granulated sugar (400 grams)
- 1 cup whole milk (237 ml)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 5 large egg whites
- Red gel food coloring
- Blue gel food coloring
For the vanilla buttercream:
- 1 ½ cup unsalted butter , at room temperature (340 grams)
- 6 cups powdered sugar , sifted (1 kg 360 grams)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (90 ml)
- Sprinkles , if desired
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 8-inch round pans and line with parchment paper. Since you'll need 5 layers total, use as many 8-inch pans as you have and bake in batches if necessary.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl combine the milk, vanilla and egg whites. Set both aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape bowl down with a spatula a few times as needed. Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the wet ingredients, and ending with the dry. Mix only until incorporated.
- Divide batter between 5 small bowls. For even layers, weigh the batter and divide evenly. Leave one bowl of batter as is and using the gel food coloring, tint the remaining bowls as such: 1) bright red, 2) light red, 3) bright blue, 4) light blue.
- Pour batters into individual prepared cake pans and bake until centers spring back when touched, about 14-16 minutes. Bake in batches as needed to finish all 5 layers. Let cake layers cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and whipping cream on medium speed until moistened and uniform. Increase speed to high and beat until light and creamy, about 4-5 minutes.
!To assemble the layer cake:
- Place the bright blue cake layer on a display plate or cake stand. Cover with ½ cup of the buttercream. Top with the light blue cake layer. Repeat so that the cake layers are in the following order: bright blue, light blue, white, light red, bright red.
- Cover the layer cake with the remaining frosting and decorate as desired. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving to neat and clean slicing. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Calories: 1028kcal, Carbohydrates: 141g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 50g, Saturated Fat: 31g, Cholesterol: 133mg, Sodium: 164mg, Potassium: 233mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 112g, Vitamin A: 1545IU, Calcium: 104mg, Iron: 1mg
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