Description
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with this beautiful Ombre Cake featuring five layers of moist white cake tinted in varying shades of green, layered and covered with matching green buttercream frosting. This festive and elegant cake is perfect for parties and will impress with both its look and delicious flavor.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
White Cake
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup vegetable shortening
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 12 egg whites, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- Green food coloring, as needed
Buttercream Frosting
- 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk
- Green food coloring, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure it is hot and ready to bake the cakes evenly.
- Cream Butter, Shortening, and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the softened unsalted butter, vegetable shortening, and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This step is crucial for creating a tender cake texture.
- Add Egg Whites and Vanilla: Incorporate the egg whites and vanilla extract into the mixture, mixing until you achieve a smooth and consistent batter.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to ensure even distribution and avoid lumps.
- Mix Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture and milk into the wet mixture, blending until the batter is smooth and homogeneous.
- Divide and Color Batter: Split the batter evenly into five separate bowls. Add green food coloring drops to four of the bowls, creating a gradient from light to dark green in each bowl.
- Prepare Cake Pans: Spray five 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds for easy cake removal.
- Pour Batter into Pans: Evenly distribute each colored batter into the prepared cake pans.
- Bake Cakes: Place the pans into the preheated oven and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool Cakes: Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely on wire racks before frosting.
- Prepare Buttercream Frosting: Beat the unsalted butter until smooth. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar and mix until fully incorporated and creamy.
- Add Vanilla and Milk: Stir in vanilla extract and add milk slowly while mixing to reach a smooth, spreadable consistency.
- Color Frosting: Divide the frosting into five bowls. Add green food coloring to four bowls to create shades that coordinate with the cake layers, forming an ombre effect.
- Level Cake Layers: Use a cake leveler or a serrated knife to slice off the rounded tops of each cake layer to create flat surfaces for stacking.
- Assemble Cake: Starting with the darkest green cake layer, place it top side down on a cake plate. Spread a thin layer of the matching darkest shade of frosting on top. Continue layering each cake with corresponding frosting, working from darkest to lightest green layers.
- Frost the Outside: Pipe frosting around the outside edges of each cake layer. Use a frosting scraper to smooth and blend the frosting, achieving a seamless ombre effect on the sides of the cake.
Notes
- This Lucky St. Patrick’s Day Ombre Cake is perfect for festive gatherings and celebrations.
- Use gel food coloring for more vibrant shades without altering the batter consistency.
- Ensure cake layers are completely cool before frosting to prevent melting or sliding.
- A cake leveler yields the best results for uniform flat layers but a serrated knife can also be used.
- To achieve a smooth finish, chill the cake briefly between frosting layers if needed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 610
- Sugar: 63g
- Sodium: 188mg
- Fat: 29g
- Saturated Fat: 16g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 84g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 62mg
