OMBRE CAKE

 

my ombre obsession began years ago. it first started when i decided to ombre my hair. but since bleaching the ends of my hair was probably not the healthiest thing to do, it was short lived. i then decided it was time to bring ombre into my baking. ombre cakes, ombre frosting, ombre cupcakes, OMBRE EVERYTHING. it may be time consuming as you need to bake each coloured cake separately, but aside from that it is really easy. everytime i have made an ombre cake for a party people have been beyond impressed [nothing modest about this cake]. the colours are so vibrant and fun. this particular cake is the first time i ombred the inside AND outside of the cake. it turned out exactly as i had hoped for and it was a huge hit. for this particular cake i chose a basic vanilla cake and buttercream frosting. however, i have ombred fancier cakes in the past including a coconut cream cake for my boyfriends birthday.

ingredients

for the cake

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups raw sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • food colouring (i used wilton rose coloured food gel)

for the frosting

  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 cups icing sugar, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • food colouring (again, wilton rose coloured food gel)

directions

  • preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • in the bowl of a stand mixer cream butter and sugar.
  • add the eggs and mix until light and fluffy.
  • mix in vanilla and oil until combined.
  • in a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. gradually add to stand mixer at low speed.
  • once flour is JUST combined into the wet ingredients, add the milk.
  • separate batter into 4 bowls and add food colouring starting from lightest to darkest (white, light pink, pink, dark pink).
  • using 9 inch cake pans bake each layer for about 10-15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • let cakes cool completely before flipping onto a cooling rack.
  • for the frosting add all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until light and fluffy, about 8-10 minutes.
  • separate frosting into 3 bowls: white, light pink, dark pink.
  • to decorate: begin with a white frosted crumb layer and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. next, begin with the darkest pink at the bottom, followed by light pink, followed by white.