Originally posted January 2015, updated November 2023

Several years ago I wrote a post titled How to Bake a Level Cake for Cheap!  That post has been super popular for anyone wanting to bake flat cakes. But the other day when someone asked on my Facebook page about how to avoid "the dreaded dome" when baking a cake, I thought I'd do a little updated post on this topic and add some extra tips for how to get the top of your cake level or flat.

First thing, I should note that I'm talking about cakes baked in traditional round or square cake pans - not special shapes like a bundt cake. Having level cakes is really important when you're stacking a layer cake or tiered cakes. If you're not careful, domes lead to lopsided cakes or a cake that is leaning or may fall over.

Without too much rambling today, let's get to it!  

How to Stop a Cake from Doming:

1.  Bake lower and slower! 

What do I mean? The baking temperature I use for all of my cakes is 325°F (a lower temperature) and I adjust the baking time to bake them for 40 minutes to an hour or longer (slower).

If your oven is hotter, that will make the batter rise more quickly. That's how you end up with a domed cake. Instead, I always set my timer for 40 minutes and check them for the first time!  

Note: pan size matters when you're changing the time and temperature of your baking. Smaller pans are usually done or very close to done at around 40 minutes for my recipes. Bigger cakes will require a longer baking time.  When I make a larger cake (up to 16 inches for weddings) - I bake them for as long as an hour and fifteen minutes.

For this tip to work, your oven temperature needs to be accurate. This is easy to verify with an oven thermometer. I love all of the thermometers made by Thermoworks. I'd recommend the ThermoWorks Square Dot to check the temperature of your oven. 

You may also have to adjust my temperature and cooking time recommendations based on your cake recipes and the amount of batter you put in your cake pans. But overall, this lower/slower method allows the cakes to be baked more evenly. 

2. Wrap cake strips around the outside of your pans when you bake cakes.  

Cake strips are thick fabric strips that are soaked in water and wrapped around the edges of the cake pans to bake more level cakes. These are usually secured with safety pins, velcro, or other clips that come with the strips. If budget is an issue, you can easily make homemade cake strips. 

This is the method that I dedicated an entire post to...   If you don't have the budget to buy cake strips, I have good news for you! You can read this post for instructions on cutting a wet towel into strips and you get the same result as using store-bought cake strips! Using strips of a damp towel around the outside of the cake pan works really well and you probably have everything you need already in your house!  

How does this work to prevent the top of the cake from doming?  The wet cake strips or wet towels lower the temperature on the outside edges of the pan, causing the outside of the pan to stay cooler and cook slower. As the cake rises, the heat is more evenly distributed and this gives the middle of the cake time to catch up with the edges and you end up with a flat top for your cake. Or at least smaller cake domes.

To get all the details click over to this post:  How to Bake Level Cakes for Cheap.

3.  Use Heating Cores. 

You have a couple of options here... you can use real heating cores (as seen above) - or you can use flower nails as heating cores.  I've done both!  

Here are some that I have:  Wilton Flower Nails, Ateco Heating Cores (these are called heating cores, but they look like flower nails...love them!!), and a Wilton Heating Core. Any or all of these products will help you prevent a cake from doming.

Standard Heating Cores

When I first started doing cake, I bought a standard heating core - as seen above. Someone also gave me one they weren't using anymore, so I have two.  To use these, I spray my pans with Baker's Joy or paint them with my homemade cake release, and then I spray/paint the heating core also (on the outside and inside - anywhere it's going to touch the cake).  

I got good results with the regular heating core I didn't love them.

Flower Nails

Then I found out I could use flower nails. I still spray the flower nails (or Ateco Heating Cores) with cooking spray and put them in the center of the pan (upside-down). These work great to prevent cake doming without having to patch up the center of the cake when you're done. 

These heating cores that look like flower nails (turned upside down) or standard heating cores basically do the same thing. They heat up in the middle of the cake batter and distribute heat from the center toward the outside at the same time that heat is baking the cake from the outside edges toward the center.  

This way the sides of the cake and the center are baking more evenly and you end up with a flat surface instead of a dome shape. After the pans and heating cores are prepped, fill the pans with batter as usual. Be sure to put batter inside the 'real' heating core at the same level as in the pan).

Then bake them (lower and slower!!) until a toothpick comes out clean.  You can see in the photo above that the one on the left has a flower nail and the one on the right has a heating core. Both cakes are baked perfectly level. For the one with the heating core, you just have to pop out that little plug of cake and put it back in the center:

Anywho... that's it!!   3 Ways to Avoid Domed Cakes!

More is better (sometimes) - Use Cake Strips and Heating Cores

Oh - one more thing!!  Sometimes, if I'm baking a really large cake or a giant sheet cake, I'll use 2 flower nails. Or I'll use a heating core and wet towels on the outside for extra assurance that the cake will come out level!

How to level a cake?

If after your best efforts, you still end up with a dome in the middle of your cake, you will want to fix that before stacking a layer cake. To do that, you'll either need a cake leveler or a long serrated knife to cut the dome off.

Either of these tools works very well for removing the dome and leveling your cake. And bonus, you can use the scraps to make cake pops!

• How to Use a Heating Core to Bake a Level Cake
• 5 Simple Ways to Stop Wasting Time & Money in your Cake Business
• How to do Fondant Ruffles on a Cake
• How to Bake a Level Cake {for cheap!}

What do you think?  Have you ever used any of these methods?  Do you have other secrets for baking a level cake??  I'd love to hear them in the comments!

The post How to Stop a Cake from Doming appeared first on Rose Bakes.

Originally published January 2022, updated September 2023

Easy Rainbow Cupcake Cake

So let's get started with How to Make an Easy Rainbow Cupcake Cake!

This Pull-Apart Rainbow Cupcake cake was the perfect solution for a rainbow party where kids could help themselves to a cupcake versus having someone cut and serve cake.

And if your kiddo or client is asking for a rainbow cake, but wants to save money on the budget, this is also a great solution. I don't know about your cake business, but with mine, cupcakes are significantly less expensive than a decorated cake.

Supplies You'll Need for a Cupcake Cake

Here's what you'll need for this exact cake:

Cupcakes. You'll need approximately 4 dozen cupcakes for this rainbow pull-apart cake. Of course, the size can be adapted based on your needs. Bake the cupcakes in any flavor you like.

I included a vanilla cake recipe below but you can also use one of my favorite cake recipes, one of these popular recipes, or any recipe that you love. You could even go really basic and follow the directions on the back of a cake mix box. You'll need two batches of almost any recipe to yield 48 cupcakes.

You could get really fancy and use a white cake mix and make colored batter, but that was more work than I wanted to do for this cake.

I think this goes without saying, but you'll also need a cupcake pan and cupcake liners. I used my favorite standard brown liners (that I love), but you could go with white cupcake liners or coordinate them to your board.

You could also use mini cupcakes for a much smaller design.

Cake Board. For this cake, I used a 20-inch by 16-inch cake board* a 20-inch x 30-inch foam board from Walmart, then covered it in white paper. You could also use a pre-covered cake drum if you like (and if you can find one large enough). (

*When I originally wrote this post, it was months after making the cake. I unintentionally put the wrong size board in the post. I'm inserting a (sloppy, thrown-together) mock-up of how I put the cupcake cake together using a (very old banged-up 20x30 board and empty cupcake liners), just to give you an idea of the layout with 48 standard-size cupcakes.

Buttercream Frosting. You're going to need all the ingredients to make a big batch of buttercream for this cake. I made this classic vanilla buttercream, but cream cheese frosting would also work. You probably know I recommend making buttercream in a Bosch Mixer... if you wonder why, check out this post. You will need approximately 19-20 cups. Here are the approximate amounts I used:

• 3 cups pink frosting
• 3 cups orange frosting
• 2.5 cups yellow frosting
• 2 cups green frosting
• 2 cups blue frosting
• 1.5 cups purple frosting
• 5 cups white frosting

Gel Colors. I only use Americolor Gel Colors to tint my frosting. And for this cupcake cake, I used tiny amounts of Electric Gel Colors: Pink, Orange, Lemon Yellow, Leaf Green, Sky Blue, and Regal Purple. Any gel food coloring brand would work!

Electric Mixer. I use my Bosch Mixer for making buttercream. You could use a hand mixer for mixing the gel colors into the frosting, but I usually do this by hand.

Bowls. You'll want a bowl and spoon for each color of frosting you want to make. I use paper bowls for easier cleanup, but small-to-medium mixing bowls would also work!

Piping Supplies. I love these 18-inch piping bags and a 1M tip. The Ateco #824 tip also gives a very similar look.

How to Pipe a Rosette

If you haven't ever piped a buttercream rose or rosette, there is a learning curve. If you need to practice first, do that on a clean plate or plastic cutting board. Then you can scrape the frosting off and use it again.

In fact, if you haven't ever done it, I recommend that you do several practice runs before working straight on a cupcake! It's much easier to scrape it back into your piping bag from a plate than it is off a cupcake!

When you're ready, here's a short video for you showing how to pipe rosettes on the tops of the cupcakes:

Instructions: How to Assemble a Cupcake Cake

Be sure you have a board big enough to accommodate your design. For a cupcake cake this size, I used a 20x30 inch foam board from Walmart. I wrapped it in floral paper to make it a bit prettier.

To make sure I can do the design I want, I check this by laying out empty cupcake liners into the shape I want so I know how many cupcakes I'll need.

I leave the liners in place, then replace them with real cupcakes one at a time, so I keep my design lined up. I do not frost my cupcakes before putting them on the board in the rainbow shape!

Also, I always cover my board with paper, unless it's a pre-covered cake drum. When you're ready to attach the cupcakes, pipe a small dot of buttercream onto the bottom of the cupcake and place it on the board. Apply a little pressure to be sure it's good and stuck.

After all the cupcakes are in place, I pipe overlapping rosettes to cover them and make a cohesive design. There will not necessarily be one rosette per cupcake. I like to have them all run together so it looks more like a whole cake instead of individual cupcakes.

Pro Tips

• If the board you're using feels flimsy, use two boards, glued together with hot glue, then wrap them.
• Lay out empty cupcake liners or the baked cupcakes on the board BEFORE frosting them. When you have them like you want them, pick them up one at a time and add a dot of frosting to the bottom to "glue" them in place. THEN frost them.
• Because you're making multiple colors, use disposable piping bags for easy clean-up. Double bag them with the frosting tip in the outer bag, then the inner bag full of frosting to easily switch between colors.
• Use a cookie scoop to put the cupcake batter in the liners so they're all even and the same size.
• Add rainbow sprinkles to the batter to make them fun on the inside!
• Make all the frosting a day or two ahead of time so that making the cupcake cake comes together quickly. The frosting can sit at room temp (covered tightly) for a couple of days so it'll still be easy to pipe.
• In the recipe below, you can change the flavor of the cupcakes by changing the cake mix and pudding flavor. Use butter cake and vanilla pudding mix, chocolate cake and chocolate pudding mix, lemon cake with lemon pudding mix, strawberry cake with strawberry pudding mix, etc.

Love Rainbows? Check out these posts:

• Rainbow Fiesta Cake with Cactus Toppers
• 20+ Rainbow Cakes & Party Ideas
• Rainbow Chevron Painting Party Cake
• My Little Pony Rainbow Dash Cupcakes
• Elmo Rainbow Chevron Cake

Recipe

How to Make an Easy Rainbow Cupcake Cake

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• Author: Rose Atwater

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Ingredients

Units USM

• 2 (15.25 oz) white cake mixes
• 6 whole large eggs
• ⅔ cup oil
• 1 cup water
• 16 oz. sour cream
• 2 (3.4 oz) boxes instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 cup flour
• 3 cups pink frosting
• 3 cups orange frosting
• 2.5 cups yellow frosting
• 2 cups green frosting
• 2 cups blue frosting
• 1.5 cups purple frosting
• 5 cups white frosting

*these are the approximate amounts of frosting I used. This may vary depending on how heavy-handed you are with the frosting, how much you overlap the rosettes, etc.

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients and mix on medium just until combined.
3. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop the batter into a cupcake pan lined with liners.
4. Bake for 19 minutes.
5. Allow to completely cool.
6. On a prepped 20x30 inch board, lay out the cupcakes in a rainbow shape with clouds.
7. After you're happy with the layout, "glue" them to the board with a dot of frosting on the bottom of each cupcake.
8. Pipe rosettes on the rainbow, slightly overlaying each color until it's complete.
9. Pipe white rosettes for the clouds.
10. Enjoy!

Equipment

Wilton 1M Tip

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Piping Bags

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Brown Cupcake Liners

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Cupcake Pan

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Cookie Scoop

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The post How to Make an Easy Rainbow Cupcake Cake appeared first on Rose Bakes.

Originally published March 2021, updated September 2023

The first time I made a Chantilly Cake for a client, it was a complete disaster. It tasted good, but it looked like a hot mess. The frosting wouldn't stay on the side of the cake and basically had to scoop it into a box.

I had tried a few recipes prior to this one and they did not impress me. I was running out of time to bake for my order.

Then my friend Angela sent me her Chantilly cake recipe and she convinced me it was a winner so I decided to use her recipe for my client without doing a practice run.

But again... it didn't turn out great for me. Mostly, I was having trouble with the filling and frosting being too soft and not sticking to the cake.

I decided to give it one more try. And this time... I found success. The only thing that wasn't working for me was frosting for the outside of the cake so I decided to just go with my tried and true cream cheese buttercream.

It's decadent, delicious, melt-in-your-mouth amazing. Since I sold the first one, my clients have been ordering them weekly!

Why you'll love this Berry Chantilly Cake

I often tell friends who ask me what Berry Chantilly Cake is like that it's like a really fancy Strawberry Shortcake except a million times better.

It's a delightful combination with layers of moist white almond sour cream cake, silky smooth Chantilly Cream, homemade berry sauce, and fresh berries. This cake is bursting with flavor, texture, and deliciousness.

What is a Chantilly Cake?

The name of the cake comes from Chantilly cream - a French word for sweetened whipped cream mixed with vanilla or liqueur.

Chantilly Cakes were originally made in a Whole Foods bakery in New Orleans and then made famous by the same grocery chain.

As described above, it's a beautiful classic white cake, layered with Chantilly cream and fresh berries. It's sweet, but not overly sweet and it looks fancy enough to impress any crowd. It's just perfect.

This cake is called by many names including "Chantilly Cake Whole Foods" or "Whole Foods Chantilly Cake" since any recipe for it is a copycat of the original cake from the grocery store.

Now Publix is also known for their Berry Chantilly Cakes so you might sometimes also hear it called a "Publix Chantilly Cake."

What's a Berry Chantilly Cake made of?

After reading dozens of recipes and websites, here's a list of what almost all of them include in Chantilly Cakes recipes.

• Vanilla or Almond Cake. The addition of almond flavoring is a Southern thing - maybe even specifically a New Orleans thing. Several of the recipes I read that were not "Southern" did not include almond flavoring.
• Chantilly Cream with Mascarpone and/or Cream Cheese filling. Most have both kinds of cheese, along with powdered sugar, whipped cream, butter, and again, sometimes almond flavoring. I refer to this chantilly cream mixture as a "mousse" because it's insanely silky and smooth.
• Fruit filling or jam. The raspberry filling seems to be the most common but I've also seen strawberry and it varies between syrup, filling, and jams. Any would work! For my cakes, I've been using strawberry filling (made like this raspberry filling, but with strawberries).
• Fresh berries. Almost all recipes include strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Many also included blackberries (which I do most of the time). The fresh fruit really cuts the sweetness of the cake and Chantilly cream.
• Frosting. Many recipes used the filling that's inside the cake on the outside as well, but this didn't work well for me. Some used a different frosting for the outside - either vanilla buttercream or cream cheese buttercream. I chose a slight variation of this cream cheese buttercream.

Ingredients

I'm not sure there is an Easy Chantilly Cake recipe. Seriously, this recipe is not for the faint of heart. The ingredients list is long and the steps of the recipe are daunting. But it's SO worth every second of work that goes into it! So let's get started!

I do have an easier option down below - a Chantilly Sheet Cake, so skip on down if you want to try that!

TIP: Bring all ingredients to room temperature before you start on this recipe!

White Almond Sour Cream Cake Ingredients:

• White cake mix - I prefer Pillsbury but Duncan Hines works well too
• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs 
• Vegetable oil
• Water
• Sour cream
• Vanilla extract
• Almond extract

Mousse Filling Ingredients:

• Heavy whipping cream
• Mascarpone cheese - This is usually found in the specialty cheese section or deli section of the grocery store.
• Cream cheese
• Unsalted butter
• Almond extract
• Confectioners sugar
• Salt

Fruit Syrup/Filling Ingredients:

• Frozen strawberries
• Granulated sugar
• Water
• Lemon juice
• Corn starch

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter
• Crisco* shortening 
• Cream cheese
• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Almond extract
• Milk

Fruit::

• Fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries. Some recipes only use strawberries and blueberries but I love having all the berries!

Substitutions

Fruit Syrup: Instead of making homemade fruit syrup, you could substitute a jelly or jam (such as strawberry jam or raspberry preserves)

Whole Eggs: You can use egg whites in place of whole eggs for a whiter cake if you like.

Butter: I most often try to get unsalted butter for this recipe but I have used salted butter and it all still came out superb!

Video

How to Make Chantilly Cake

Okay - let me show you how to make a chantilly cake with box mix. If you have a go-to favorite from-scratch vanilla or almond cake recipe, you could absolutely sub it in here, but I used my usual doctored cake mix recipe - white almond sour cream cake.

FYI: Vanilla cakes from a box mix are also delicious and you can actually skip all the almond extract in all the recipe sections if you don't like almond extract.

For the Chantilly Cake recipe with cake mix:

1. Preheat your oven to 325°F.
2. Mix all cake ingredients just until combined.  
3. Divide the batter evenly between two 8-inch prepared cake pans (I love to use Baker's Joy cooking spray!)
4. Bake at 325° for 35-45 minutes, checking for doneness with a toothpick after 35 minutes.
5. Place the cake layers on a cooling rack to cool.
6. Torte each layer into 2 layers.

Traditionally most Chantilly Cakes only have 3 layers but since I run a small home bakery, I'm not baking multiple cakes a day to use up those extra layers, so I just use all 4 layers and give my clients a really tall cake.

Making the Chantilly Cream:

1. Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.  I have a tutorial here.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the butter, mascarpone, cream cheese and extracts until light and fluffy.  
3. Add the salt, then the powder sugar, one cup at a time, mixing until it's all incorporated and smooth.
4. Gently fold in the whipping cream, just until combined.
5. Set aside.
6. Have the filling and/or jam at room temperature, ready for assembly steps.

For the fruit filling:

1. In a small pot, add the strawberries, sugar, ¼ cup water, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and using a sieve, strain out the seeds. I use a silicone spatula to press the mixture into the sieve to squeeze out all of the juice into a bowl and leave the seeds.
4.  Pour the syrup back into the pot.  
5. In a separate small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and remaining ¼ cup water bowl until dissolved. 
6. Whisk it into the raspberry mixture.
7. Bring mixture to a boil again, stirring constantly to prevent sticking and scorching.  Turn the heat down and continue cooking until thickened, about 5 minutes.  If you prefer a thicker filling, you can add more cornstarch/water mixture a teaspoon at a time until the desired thickness.  
8. Cool in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.  I prefer overnight.

Making the frosting:

1. Cream the butter and Crisco in a mixing bowl. Mix on low speed for a couple of minutes until smooth and creamy.
2. Add in the vanilla and cream cheese and mix again until very smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Gradually add the powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture until it’s all combined.
4. It will be very stiff!
5. Remove 1 cup of the stiff frosting and set it aside for piping the dam.
6. Then begin adding milk until you reach the desired consistency for decorating (2-3 tablespoons works well for me!)

Assembling the cake:

1. Place the first cake layer on a cake board or plate with the cut-side up.  
2. Pipe a dam of stiff frosting around the outer edge using a large round tip.
3. Spread a thin layer of strawberry filling onto the cake. You'll want to use about a third of the filling, maybe a little less. Spread it out evenly.
4. Top with ⅓ of the Chantilly Cream (aka mousse).
5. Top with ⅓ of the fresh fruit. I cut the strawberries into thick slices and usually halve the raspberries and blackberries. I leave the blueberries whole unless they're huge.

6. Top with another layer of cake, cut side up.
7. Repeat steps 2-6 two more times.
8. Top with the final layer of cake, cut side down.
9. From here, you can smooth-frost the cake or add texture using the cream cheese frosting.
10. Garnish with fresh berries or sugared berries.
11. Chill the cake for at least 4 hours or overnight for the best flavor!  Keep it refrigerated until approximately one hour before serving, then allow it to come to room temperature.

Note: except for the final layer, I put cut-side-up for all the layers of this cake so the syrup easily absorbs. But before the syrup, I pipe a dam of stiff frosting around the outer edge of the cake to hold the filling in.

I've done a variety of designs with the fruit. If you want to do the sugared berries, I have a recipe and tutorial here.

Here are a couple of other designs I've done:

If you are intimidated by making a layer cake, I have good news! This cake can be made in a disposable sheet pan into a Chantilly Sheet Cake. This may not make the Chantilly Cake recipe easy, but it makes it easier than the layer cake.

Chantilly Sheet Cake

This option is not as impressive, but if there is one, this is an easy Chantilly Cake recipe (compared to layer cakes). It's much easier to put together, transport, and eat with a spoon. 😉

Here's how to make a Chantilly Sheet Cake (ingredients are the same!)

1. Mix up the cake batter and pour it into a prepared 9x13 disposable pan and bake it.
2. Flip it out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
3. When cooled, torte it into two layers and place the bottom of the cake back in the pan.
4. Top it with the fruit syrup, then the Chantilly Cream, then the sliced fresh fruit.
5. Add the second layer of cake on top.
6. Frost with cream cheese frosting and top with fresh fruit.

The Chantilly Cake in a sheet pan is just as delicious with a lot less work. The only downside is not getting three layers of the amazing mousse filling... (you may have leftover mousse that'll need to be eaten with a spoon 🥄... darn).

Recipe Pro Tips

• Have all ingredients at room temperature before you start!
• For most any doctored cake mix recipe, I prefer the Pillsbury brand but I have had success with other brands.
• Make the frosting, fruit syrup, and Chantilly Cream a day ahead of time so when you get the cake baked and are ready to assemble it, you have everything ready to go!
• If you want so skip making the fruit syrup, use raspberry or strawberry jam instead.
• Cut the fruit into slices for the inside of the cake so it will sit level.
• You can use a bread knife or any long serrated knife to torte (or split) your layers of cake if you don't have a cake leveler.
• With the exception of the top layer, place the cakes cut side up so they can absorb the fruit syrup.
• Make the cake in a disposable sheet pan to save yourself a lot of work, fear, and clean-up!
• If you want to do the sugared berries, I have a recipe and tutorial here.

Serving suggestions 

• This berry Chantilly Cake is a perfect cake for a family get-together, holiday party, potluck or "just because" dessert.
• Chantilly cake is also great for a tea party or bridal shower. It's fancy and just a little bit extra for those special occasions. 
• Chantilly Cake should be kept in the fridge until an hour before serving.

Storage directions 

• Storage/refrigerating: This recipe keeps well in the refrigerator for 3-5 days in an airtight container.
• Freezing: Because this cake has fresh fruit and the delicate Chantilly cream filling, it can not be frozen.

FAQ

Tools needed to make a Chantilly Cake

Round Cake Pans

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Watermelon Knife

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Mixing Bowls

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Hand Mixer

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Offset Spatula

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Ateco Turntable

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Related Recipes:

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• Raspberry Filling
• Whipped Cream
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• Easy Sugared Berries (Just 3 Ingredients!)
• Gold Drip Cake with Sugar Magnolias & Strawberries
• Creamy No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Cups
• Semi-Naked Sugared Berries Winter Wedding Cake

Enjoy this amazing, decadent cake, and let me know what you think if you try it!

Recipe

Berry Chantilly Cake (Box Mix + Video!)

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4.7 from 3 reviews

• Author: Rose
• Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Yield: 20

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Description

This Chantilly Cake Recipe with Box Mix includes four layers of white almond sour cream cake, cream cheese & mascarpone mousse, raspberry filling, and loads of fresh berries! It's a fancy spring or summer dessert sure to impress guests!

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Ingredients

Units USM

White Almond Sour Cream Cake Ingredients:

• 1 white cake mix
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 whole eggs (or 4 egg whites)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 ⅓ cup water
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon almond extract

Mousse Filling Ingredients:

• 8 ounces heavy whipping cream
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 8 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 pound confectioners sugar
• pinch of salt

Fruit Syrup/Filling:

• ¾ cup strawberry or raspberry filling (you can also substitute jams here)

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 ounces unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
• 4 ounces Crisco* shortening
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 pounds powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of almond extract
• 3-4 tablespoons of milk (add until you get the consistency for piping and spreading)

Fruit

• Approximately ½ cup of each: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries plus extra for garnish and decorations
• Cut the larger berries in half or into slices for easy assembly.

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Instructions

For the cake:

1. Mix all cake ingredients just until combined.  
2. Divide the batter evenly between two 8-inch prepared pans (I love to use Baker's Joy!)
3. Bake at 325° for 35-45 minutes, checking for doneness after 35 minutes.
4. Allow the cakes to cool.
5. Torte each layer into 2 layers.

For the mousse:

1. Whip the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.  I have a tutorial here.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the butter, mascarpone, cream cheese and extracts until light and fluffy.  
3. Add the salt, then the sugar, one cup at a time, mixing until it's all incorporated and smooth.
4. Gently fold in the whipping cream, just until combined.
5. Set aside.
6. Have the filling and/or jam at room temperature, ready for assembly steps.

For the frosting:

1. Cream the butter and Crisco in a mixing bowl. Mix on low speed for a couple of minutes until smooth and creamy.
2. Add in the vanilla and cream cheese and mix again until very smooth.
3. Gradually add the powdered sugar until it’s all combined.
4. It will be very stiff!
5. Remove 1 cup of the stiff frosting and set it aside for piping the dam.
6. Then begin adding milk until you reach the desired consistency for decorating (2-3 tablespoons works well for me!)

Assembling the cake:

1. Place the first layer of cake on a cake board or plate with the cut-side up.  
2. Pipe a dam of stiff frosting around the outer edge using a large round tip.
3. Spread a thin layer of strawberry filling onto the cake.
4. Top with ⅓ of the mousse.
5. Top with ⅓ of the fresh fruit.
6. Top with another layer of cake, cut-side up.
7. Repeat steps 2-6 two more times.
8. Top with the final layer of cake, cut-side down.
9. Frost the cake with cream cheese frosting.
10. Garnish and/or decorate with extra fruit or sugared berries.

Chill the cake for at least 4 hours or overnight for the best flavor!  Keep it refrigerated until approximately one hour before serving, then allow it to come to room temperature.

Serve and enjoy!

Equipment

Watermelon Knife

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Round Cake Pans

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Turntable

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Offset Spatula

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Mixing Bowls

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Hand Mixer

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Notes

• • Have all ingredients at room temperature before you start!For most any doctored cake mix recipe, I prefer the Pillsbury brand but I have had success with other brands.
  • Make the frosting, fruit syrup, and Chantilly Cream a day ahead of time so when you get the cake baked and are ready to assemble it, you have everything ready to go!
  • If you want so skip making the fruit syrup, use raspberry or strawberry jam instead.
  • Cut the fruit into slices for the inside of the cake so it will sit level.
  • You can use a bread knife or any long serrated knife to torte (or split) your layers of cake if you don't have a cake leveler.
  • With the exception of the top layer, place the cakes cut side up so they can absorb the fruit syrup.
  • Make the cake in a disposable sheet pan to save yourself a lot of work, fear, and clean-up!
  • If you want to do the sugared berries, I have a recipe and tutorial here.

• Prep Time: 40
• Cook Time: 40
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: chantilly cake, berry chantilly cake, chantilly berry cake, berry cake, berries, almond cake, almond, chantilly cream, chantilly, mousse, box mix, chantilly cake with box mix,

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The post Berry Chantilly Cake (with Box Mix + Video!) appeared first on Rose Bakes.

Originally published April 2019, updated September 2023

Fiesta Party

One of my most favorite and faithful clients, Rebecca, hosted a super fun and bright fiesta party for her little girl and this was the simple fiesta cake for the day!

I'm gonna be (cake-decorator) honest with you and tell you that making all the bold colors of buttercream and having to use a zillion piping bags and washing that piping tip a dozen times is not fun. But - and this is a BIG "but" - it's SO worth it to see the final effect.

Rainbow buttercream ruffles take me to my happy place every single time!

Fiesta Theme Birthday Cake

I had a few Mexican theme cake ideas but Rebecca sent a photo of a Fiesta cake and while I loved it, I really wanted to change things up. Instead of fondant ruffles (which take forever to make and are not fun to eat), I offered to do the buttercream.  She thought that was a perfect idea!

It was going to be such a colorful cake (which I love!) and I was really excited about it. I knew it would be a an easy Mexican Fiesta Cake - and make me so happy!

So, I used Amercolor gel colors in my vanilla buttercream to do all the ruffles. These are the colors I used:

• Regal Purple
• Electric Pink
• Tulip Red - see my recipe and tips for red buttercream here
• Electric Orange
• Lemon Yellow
• Electric Green
• and Teal

Piping the ruffles was pretty easy using a Wilton #104 tip. I used disposable piping bags (doubled-up) so it was easy to rinse out the piping tip and load the next color! I started at the top and worked my way down.

See the video below for a quick (and very old) tutorial for piping ruffles.

Video

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This is the way I've always done ruffles but this time I had some trouble when I got near the bottom and the teal ruffles were a little messy. However, for this style of cake, I didn't stress over it too much 🙂  If any of you pipe ruffles like this, I'd love to hear - do you start at the top or bottom of the cake?

Cactus Cake Toppers

The Mexican birthday cake I used for inspiration had a single cactus cake topper. However, Rebecca requested a 9" round cake and the single cactus just looked lonely. So I ended up making a second cactus and a sombrero for more fun toppers.

To make the cacti, I mixed tylose into green Satin Ice fondant and shaped them around a bamboo skewer. I used toothpicks on the inside to help support the arms of the cacti.

After they dried and hardened (overnight), I used melted lighter green candy melts to paint over the fondant. Before the candy melts harden, I sprinkled them with white nonpariels for dimension extra character.

Fiesta Party Cake

When I finished the cacti, the cake still didn't seem complete and I didn't like the bunting on the inspiration cake, so I brainstormed and finally, it hit me - ribbon bunting! I've done something before (see here!) and I knew with lots of bright colored ribbon, I could make a topper I loved.

In the end, the rainbow ribbon bunting was perfect for the fiesta birthday cake. It was also really easy to make!

I cut several strips of different colored ribbons and tied simple knots over and over again until I was happy with the look! Honestly, I could've added a dozen more and loved it but I didn't want to go overboard.

You can get an idea of how to do a bunting topper like this here (different type of ribbon, but the same idea).

Oh - one other detail. I used a "tan" colored buttercream on top to mimmick sand, then added some confetti sprinkles and more nonpariels.

Simple Mexican Theme Cake (details below)

Last but not least, as mentioned above, this mexican theme birthday cake was a 9" round cake.  Magic Line pans are my go-to brand and I use them for 99% of my cake baking.  The flavor was butter cake with vanilla buttercream. Red frosting is the hardest color to attain (next to black) so see my red frosting recipe here.

Here are some of the supplies I used for the Fiesta theme cake:

• Bamboo skewers for the cacti and to hold the ribbon bunting.
• Several colors of ribbon - get a variety pack here.
• Jute Twine (to tie the ribbons on)
• Satin Ice Green Fondant
• Bright Green Candy Melts
• White nonpariels
• Confetti Sprinkles
• Wilton #104 tip for piping ruffles
• I have a tutorial here for how I cover the board in glitter paper with a ribbon border.

If you do a Fiesta themed birthday cake, you might also want to make some Cactus Pretzel Rods for your treats table or party favors!  Click here for the tutorial.

If I forgot any details, please leave me a comment/question and I'll answser if I can!  Do you love ruffle cakes? Check out these others I've done:

Rainbows & Ruffles Cake

The post Mexican Theme Cake appeared first on Rose Bakes.

With simple ingredients, the right red food coloring, and a few good practices, you'll be able to solve this neverending problem of the pink, coral, and not-so-red, red frosting.

I even have a couple of bonus tips for going from bright red to dark red frosting, if that's your goal.

Originally published January 2017, republished September 2023

With Christmas, then Valentine's Day just around the corner, the need for bright red buttercream will shoot up and the questions will start rolling in. Why? Because red buttercream can be problematic.

This is one of those problems everybody in the cake decorating world has had problems with at one time or another. In fact, for years I struggled with this myself!  

I hope by sharing these simple tips, maybe some of you won't have to struggle as much as I did!  So let's get to it!

Ingredients

When you're figuring out how to make red icing, the first thing you need to do is make sure you have quality ingredients.

• Butter, room temperature - I almost always use salted butter, but unsalted would work just as well. You may want to add a pinch of salt if using unsalted butter to offset the sweet a little bit.
• Vegetable shortening* - I use Crisco and only Crisco vegetable shortening. You can also skip this and use all butter if you want, but the frosting will not be as stable.
• Powdered sugar (aka confectioners sugar)
• Water or milk - this is used to thin the frosting to the consistency you need. I mostly use milk but water does the job as well! You could also use heavy cream if you want.
• Vanilla extract - don't skip out on using quality vanilla extract, or homemade vanilla extract if you have it. This really make the frosting so much more delicious!
• Butter vanilla - this is optional but I swear it's what makes my clients go crazy for my buttercream. It really makes the buttercream smell so great and enhances the butter flavor!
• Pink gel food coloring - this is optional, see pro tips below
• Tulip Red gel food coloring (or other options listed in the post)

Substitutions

Butter & Vegetable Shortening: this recipe calls for equal amounts of butter and shortening. For super stable (in heat) frosting, you can use all shortening. OR you can use all butter and skip the shortening if you want. The buttercream won't be as stable but will be even more delicious!

Tulip Red Gel Food Coloring: as mentioned below, you can use other gel colors if you like - such as Americolor Super Red or other brands of red. As long as it's a gel color, I'm confident you can make it work.

Want to avoid the bitter aftertaste that comes from some red food coloring? Use Red Powdered Food Coloring.

Another substitution for the red gel coloring is a red powdered food coloring. This will yield a gorgeous red buttercream but be warned, you will need a LOT of the powder. However, as mentioned above, it has no bitter aftertaste, so that's a big "pro" for powdered colors.

How to Make Red Frosting

The recipe below is my vanilla buttercream recipe + the instructions to make it red! Let's get started so you'll know how to get red buttercream.

1. Add the butter and shortening to the mixing bowl and cream together. I prefer to do this in my Bosch mixer but you could use any stand mixer or even a hand mixer if that's what you've got!
2. Scrape down the sides to be sure that it's completely mixed together.
3. Add the vanilla and butter vanilla flavors to the creamed mixture and mix again.
4. Slowly add in the confectioner's sugar, a little at a time until completely incorporated.  This will take time and might make a mess  (unless you use a Bosch Mixer).  Again, scrape down the sides of the bowl often.  When all the sugar is added, your frosting will be super thick and dry. 
5. At this point, start adding tablespoons of milk or water to "thin" the frosting to the desired texture.  I usually use milk, but either works just fine.  I make fairly thick frosting to cover and fill cakes and make it slightly thinner to decorate.
6. If you're starting with pink, add pink gel coloring and mix until you get a bright pink color.
7. Add a generous squirt (start with approximately a tablespoon) of red gel coloring to the frosting and mix until well incorporated.
8. Cover the frosting with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container and allow the color to deepen and develop for a few hours or overnight at room temperature.
9. You can use this immediately or keep it in the fridge in an airtight bowl for up to 2 weeks.  It can also be frozen for several weeks.  When you're using it out of the refrigerator, make sure it's completely thawed and rewhip it, adding milk as needed to get the desired texture again.

Video

Watch me make vanilla buttercream in the video below... with NO powdered sugar cloud, thanks to my Bosch. After finishing the frosting, follow the instructions to add red and create the beautiful red frosting you're looking for!

Red Buttercream Recipe Pro-Tips

Usually, the scenario goes like this... You start mixing in the red food coloring and your red icing looks pink. Or coral. You add more and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.  It feels impossible to get red icing.

The frosting is still a pink-orange-coral color. You add more coloring. Maybe your frosting starts to get runny. Your buttercream starts to separate. You panic.

I've been there.  But the one-product solution to this problem is very simple.

So first up - the most important thing:

#1 Use Gel Food Coloring to Make Red Frosting

Maybe the most important thing you can do is use the right food coloring. More specifically, Use Americolor Tulip Red Gel Coloring. While you could use another brand if you like - or even use a different red color, such as Super Red, you must use gel food coloring!

I'm 100% sold on Americolor gel colors and Tulip Red is the bombdigity when it comes to getting a pretty, bright red icing.

I know, I know - most people are just gah-gah about Americolor Super Red. And honestly, I like that particular red and still use it for some of my cake-decorating ventures.  

But Tulip Red is a much better color in my opinion to get bright red buttercream.

Now I'm sure other decorators will have different opinions or tips about getting a good, bright red, but this is it for me.

Why gel coloring? Traditional food coloring from the grocery store is water based. But gel coloring is more concentrated than liquid food coloring so you get more "bang for your buck" without ruining the consistency of your frosting.

Liquid Food Coloring

DO NOT USE THIS. Liquid red coloring is great for a red velvet cake but not great for coloring frosting red.

I know liquid food coloring, which is water-based, is probably the easiest to get your hands on because it's sold in almost all grocery stores on the cake and baking aisle. But trust me - you do not want to try to use liquid food coloring for coloring frosting. The colors are diluted and not nearly strong enough to give you a bright, vibrant red without making your frosting runny.

#2 Start with white or light frosting (or pink... keep reading!)

I use vanilla buttercream (American buttercream) or Cream Cheese buttercream for most of my cakes. Both of these are pretty white/light by nature.

You can also jump-start your red buttercream by starting with pink frosting. Whether you make it pink on purpose or want to use up leftover pink - this gives your frosting a good base to start from.

This is a tip I mentioned in my book, Cake Decorating for Beginners. I like to use Americolor Electric Pink - especially when going for a really vibrant bright red. Americolor Deep Pink will also work but it seems to have a slightly purple hue, so don't use too much!

#3 Plan Ahead: Make Your Red Frosting A Day Early

As with any deep/dark color combined with buttercream, you'll want to mix it up and take plenty of time for the color to develop.  With time, you'll always end up with a darker color. 

Start with white icing or white frosting (or pink as mentioned above, if you like).  Mix in red until you get it barely red enough... like a medium red? Then cover it and let it sit for an hour or two for the color to develop. If it's still not red enough, add more and again... let it sit as long as you can.  

I actually prefer to make my red buttercream a day before to really give it time to develop.  I'll go back to it every 1-2 hours and add more here and there until I get a true, bright red buttercream. For the red buttercream cake above, it wasn't quite deep enough when I finished it, but after chilling overnight, it was perfect!

#4 How to Make Red Food Coloring Darker

Use Americolor Super Red

For those of you trying to figure out how to make deep red frosting, I've got you hooked up too! The first tip for how to make red frosting darker (and the easiest way to make red buttercream darker) is to use Americolor Super Red gel coloring.

My problem with Super Red gel coloring is that I'll think I have the perfect red color, then I come back a few hours later and the dark red color has gotten too dark... too deep. However, this is not a problem at all if you're trying to make deep, dark red icing color.

You can see the final color when using Super Red Gel coloring on this Raggedy Ann cake:

I took this picture the day I finished the cake and you can see already the red buttercream frosting is darker than the nose/mouth.  But when I got up the next morning for delivery, it was really, really dark and I was quite disappointed.  

But if that's what you're looking for - Super Red is for you!

With Tulip Red, even when it sits, it will get a little darker or richer, but it won't go super dark on you. But if you have a choice between Super Red and Tulip Red, Americolor Tulip Red is your best bet to get bright red buttercream (vs dark red buttercream)!

Bottom line: if you get to choose between Americolor gel colors and any other brand of red coloring - go with the Americolor gel colors.  

Use a Dot of Black Gel Coloring

Another tip you might try if trying to figure out how to make dark red icing is to use black gel coloring! But only the tiniest amount.

Grab your red frosting and then add the tiniest dot of black gel coloring. And I do mean tiny. Like, use the point of a toothpick to add an itty-bitty dot of black.

Mix it up and let it rest and develop for at least an hour, then check it again before adding more. You can very quickly end up with maroon frosting or even a muddied brown-gray-reddish mess if you add too much black gel so be very careful!

But if done right, you can end up with a darker, richer red buttercream by just mixing in the tiniest dot of black.

Microwave Hack to Make Red Buttercream Frosting Darker

If you want to make red frosting darker or richer and you've tried other tips, here's one secret hack that's almost guaranteed to work. It's called the "microwave method.: But it does have a downside!

Try microwaving (and melting) a small portion of your frosting (start with a cup of frosting), then mixing it back into the whole (see more detailed tip above).

How to store Red Buttercream Frosting

Red Buttercream can be kept it in the fridge in an airtight bowl for up to 2 weeks.  It can also be frozen for several weeks. 

When you're using the red out of the refrigerator, make sure it's completely thawed and rewhip, adding milk as needed to get the desired texture again.

If you are using it out of the freezer, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then set it out to come up to room temperature before mixing it to a smooth consistency again.

One issue you might encounter after refrigerating or freezing your frosting is air bubbles. Use a rubber spatula to stir it and smooth out the air pockets.

Royal Icing and Cream Cheese Frosting

As a sidenote, many of these tips will also work for royal icing or cream cheese frosting (except for the microwave tip). If you're decorating Christmas cookies or Valentine's treats, give these tips a try!.

FAQ

More Buttercream Recipes:

• Half the Sugar Raspberry Buttercream
• Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
• Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting
• Brownie Batter Frosting

I'd love to hear your thoughts.  Have you struggled with this?  Do you have any other tips or thoughts?  Leave a comment!  

Recipe

Super Red Buttercream Frosting

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★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆

No reviews

• Author: Rose Atwater
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 6 cups

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Description

Super Red Buttercream Frosting. Tried and true tips to get really bright red frosting every time. With the right red food coloring and a few good practices, you'll be able to solve this neverending problem of the pink and coral and not-so-red, red frosting. 

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Ingredients

Units USM

• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature (434g)
• 1 cup vegetable shortening* (205g)
• 7 cups or 2 lb. bag of powdered sugar (454g)
• 2-4 tablespoon water or milk (15ml)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (4ml)
• 1 tsp butter vanilla (4ml) (optional)
• Pink gel food coloring (optional)
• Tulip Red gel food coloring (or other options listed in the post)

 

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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Instructions

1. Add the butter and shortening to the mixing bowl and cream together. Scrape down the sides to be sure that it's completely mixed together.
2. Add the vanilla and butter vanilla flavors and mix again.
3. Slowly add in the confectioner's sugar, a little at a time until completely incorporated.  This will take time and might make a mess  (unless you use a Bosch Mixer).  Again, scrape down the sides of the bowl often.  When all the sugar is added, your frosting will be super thick and dry. 
4. At this point, start adding tablespoons of milk or water to "thin" the frosting to the desired texture.  I usually use milk, but either works just fine.  I make fairly thick frosting to cover and fill cakes and make it slightly thinner to decorate.
5. If you're starting with pink, add pink gel coloring and mix until you get a bright pink color.
6. Add a generous squirt (start with approximately a tablespoon) of red gel coloring to the frosting and mix until well incorporated.
7. Cover the frosting with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container and allow the color to deepen and develop for a few hours or overnight at room temperature.
8. You can use this immediately or keep it in the frig in an airtight bowl for up to 2 weeks.  It can also be frozen for several weeks.  If you're using it out of the refrigerator, make sure it's completely thawed and rewhip, adding milk as needed to get the desired texture again.

Equipment

Small Silicone Spatulas

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Bosch Mixer

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Notes

Tips

• add a tiny drop (like a dot from the end of a toothpick) of black gel coloring to get a deeper/darker red.
• use Americolor Super Red for a darker red
• microwave ¼ cup of the red frosting to melt it and deepen the color, then mix it back into the bowl of buttercream. chill if needed to firm up the consistency.
• start with pink frosting to jump-start your red frosting
•  

• Prep Time: 10
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Countertop
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: red frosting, red icing, how to make red food coloring darker, red buttercream, how to make red buttercream, red buttercream frosting, red buttercream cake, how to make red food coloring, what colors make red food coloring, how to make red icing, how to make dark red icing

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When Diane was describing the cake she wanted for her baby girl's second birthday, I got so excited! She told me that Eleanor loved the red, white, and blue ice pops so she wanted to make sure I included those in the design.

While she did send a couple of pictures of 4th of July cakes for inspiration, she told me she wasn't tied to those designs specifically. She did want the main colors to be red, white, and blue plus some light blue to soften it a bit so the cake wouldn't look so 'grown up.'

My wheels started turning and I was so happy with the final cake!

Red White and Two 4th of July Cake Details

• I made a double batch of White Almond Sour Cream Cake and baked three 8-inch layers to stack up for this cake. I had a little extra batter, by the way.
• The cake was filled and frosted with Vanilla Buttercream. I had to have two big batches for this cake.

Ingredients and Tools Needed for Decorations

• Ateco #862 tip to pipe the stars and little dollops of white frosting
• Piping bags
• Red, white, and blue jimmies
• Red and blue twisted lollipops (see a few varieties here, here, here, and here)
• Mini star cookie cutter
• Red fondant and blue fondant
• Ice pop mold
• Popsicle sticks
• Red, white, and blue candy melts
• Heavy cream (to add to candy melts for drip)
• I displayed the cake on this tall red cake stand

How to Decorate a Red White and Blue Cake

• Add a single drop of royal blue gel coloring to one batch of vanilla buttercream. Mix thoroughly and add more color if needed to get the perfect shade of light blue.
• Fill and frost the entire cake, then smooth it and chill it for at least 30 minutes.
• Use an ice pops mold to make two chocolate ice pops. I melted red candy melts, then filled a mold about ⅓ full and let it set in the fridge. Then I added white and chilled again. Then blue and a stick to finish it off. When chilled, the chocolate ice pop just pops right out!
• Add red drip (you can use this canned frosting hack) or make ganache using red candy melts to make the drip. Tips here for the drip. I used a squeeze bottle to do the drip on this cake.
• Pipe some stars around the sides of the cake with white buttercream and the #862 piping tip.
• Add red, white and blue jimmies - every 4th of July cake needs these 😉
• Add red and blue twisted lollipops - I bought mine in a brick-and-mortar store, but you can see a few varieties here, here, here, and here
• Cut stars out of red and blue fondant and add those randomly around the cake.
• Use melted chocolate to "glue" a lollipop stick to the top one of the ice pops (at an angle) so it can stand upside down on the cake.

More 4th of July Treats

• 27 Delicious 4th of July Desserts
• Easy 4th of July Cake
• Last Minute 4th of July Dessert Ideas
• Easy 4th of July Cupcakes
• Happy 4th of July with Glittery Candy Apples!!
• Red White and Blue Rice Krispie Treats

Did I miss any details that you're dying to know? Leave me a comment!

The post Red White and Two 4th of July Cake appeared first on Rose Bakes.

Originally published June 2017, updated July 2023.

Easy 4th of July Cupcake Ideas

I'm cutting it so close to sharing this Firecracker Cupcakes tutorial for the 4th of July.  I had hoped to post it last week, but it was such a busy week, well, here I am!

For a couple of weeks... wanting to come up 4th of July cupcakes ideas - something anybody can make where no special skills or tools are required.   And these firecracker cupcake toppers are exactly that.  I dare even call it a tutorial - it's so stinkin' easy.

I did pipe on some pretty buttercream (I have a tutorial for that here), but even if you just spread on buttercream with a spoon and add some colorful sprinkles (I did below!), I still think the addition of the "firecrackers" would make them super cute and festive.  And it'll look like you exerted way more effort than actually required 🙂

What You'll Need for 4th of July Cupcakes

When looking at fourth of July cupcake ideas, the cake and frosting don't matter as much as the toppers.

I'm sharing the recipes I used but you can easily swap out for your favorite cake and frosting. The firecracker cupcakes really come to life with the DIY cupcake toppers with toothpicks!

• Cupcakes (I baked chocolate ones)
• Buttercream - my favorite vanilla recipe here
• ½" glitter pompoms (I picked out the red, white & blue ones for a 4th of July dessert)
• Toothpicks
• Sprinkles (optional) - I used rainbow nonpariels but if you could find some red, white & blue sprinkles, even better!
• Red White & Blue Cupcake Liners (optional) - I bought this set and they're super cute!! (not pictured above)

How to Make Easy 4th of July Cupcakes

Okay - once you have everything together, these are so, so easy to make!

1. If you purchased a mixed bag of pompoms (like I did), first sort out the red, white, and blue ones. You'll need 3 of each color for however many July 4th cupcakes you're making.

2. For the toppers, you simply stick a pompom on a toothpick.
3. And you're done. No gluing required. The toothpicks stick easily into the pompom easy-peasy.
4. Make as many as you need (you can do them really fast), and voila - Easy DIY Firecracker Cupcake Toppers.

How to Assemble the Cupcakes and Toppers

1. First, you start with a cupcake. So smart, right?  Haha!
2. Then you add buttercream.  I piped these with an Ateco #869 (large French Star Tip) from this set.
3. Next, you'll just add your 'firecrackers' by sticking the toothpicks into the frosting.
4. Last, add some sprinkles (if you want - if you have them).
5. As a final touch, I dropped mine into 4th of July cupcake liners but this is not necessary. They're SUPER cute without the extra liner!

These Fourth of July Cupcakes really are incredibly adorable and so festive, right?  I hope you love them as much as I do!

I was dreaming up all kinds of variations of these. Can you imagine using other colors of pompoms for Christmas cupcakes or a little girl's birthday party?  They're just FUN!!

Anyway - I hope you'll make easy Fourth of July patriotic cupcakes for the upcoming 4th of July celebrations!!   Happy Independence Day peeps!

More 4th of July Desserts & Ideas

• Red White and Blue Rice Krispie Treats
• Easy 4th of July Cake
• 27 Delicious 4th of July Desserts
• 4th of July Last Minute Dessert Ideas
• Happy 4th of July with Glittery Candy Apples!
• Easy Ice Cream Sandwich Cake (Perfect for a Crowd!)

Recipe

Easy 4th of July Cupcakes

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★★★★★

5 from 1 review

• Author: Rose Atwater
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 24

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Description

If you're looking for 4th of July Cupcake ideas, I'm sharing everything you'll need to make these Easy 4th of July Cupcakes! Use your favorite cake and frosting recipes and the topper supplies are easily at your local craft store, Walmart, or even a dollar store.

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Ingredients

Units USM

For the cake:

• 1 chocolate cake mix
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 3.4 ounce box instant chocolate pudding
• ½ cup water
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 8 ounces sour cream

For the frosting:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4-5 cups powdered sugar
• 2-4 tablespoons milk

For the toppers

• pompoms
• toothpicks
• sprinkles

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Mix together the cake mix, flour, eggs, oil, water, sour cream, and pudding mix until smooth. Usually 2-3 minutes.
3. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
4. Scoop batter into each liner, filling ⅔ full.
5. Bake 18-20 minutes or until the top springs back when pressed.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
7. While the cupcakes are cooling, mix together the butter and vanilla extract until creamy and smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar (1 cup at a time) until completely mixed in. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until the frosting is soft to the touch (softer than cookie dough, but stiffer than cake batter). You want it to hold it's shape for piping.  Mix until light and fluffy.
8. Use a piping bag and a large piping tip (1M or Ateco 869 are good ones) to pipe a pillow of frosting.
9. Add sprinkles (optional).
10. Place one pompom on each toothpick. Place the toothpicks on the cupcakes (one each of red, white and blue).
11. Enjoy!

Equipment

Cookie Scoop

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Mixing Bowls

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Hand Mixer

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• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 20
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: 4th of july cupcake ideas, patriotic cupcakes, 4th of july cupcakes, fourth of july cupcake ideas, fourth of july cupcakes, july 4th cupcakes, firecracker cupcakes, 4th of july cupcakes, easy fourth of july patriotic cupcakes, 4th july cupcakes

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Do you have more 4th of July cupcake decorating ideas? Leave me a comment!

The post Easy 4th of July Cupcakes appeared first on Rose Bakes.

Originally published March 2021, updated June 2023

When I was recently asked to make a lemon cake and "make it pretty," I knew I wanted to try my hand at candied lemon to use as garnish.

With that in mind, I started looking for a candied lemons recipe and finally settled on how I wanted to make them! As it turns out, when you use lemons this way, you're essentially making lemon candy - what a treat!

Video

Ingredients

When learning how to candy lemons, you'll only need three staple ingredients.

• Lemons - choose lemons that are heavy for their size, bright yellow and fragrant, and not too soft when squeezed. Regular lemons or Meyer lemons will work. Regular lemons will be larger and brighter yellow, but will also be slightly more bitter. Meyer lemons are smaller and darker yellow, but sweeter and less acidic.
• Sugar - any generic granulated sugar works for this recipe, sugar substitutes will not work
• Water - nothing special here

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Knife

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How to Make Candied Lemons

1. First, you're going to want to wash and slice the lemons. You could use a mandolin to get uniform slices (I use my mandolin all the time!!), but for these, I just did my best to get them pretty even with a really sharp knife. The thickness can vary slightly but if they're sliced too thin, they'll disintegrate when cooking. 

2. Gently remove all the seeds. Especially if you know these will be eaten. When I started cooking mine the first time, I realized I missed quite a few.

3. In a large shallow saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer (med-low).
4. Add the cut lemons in a single layer.
5. Simmer the lemon slices over medium heat for 20-40 minutes or until translucent. The cooking time will vary based on the thickness of the lemon slices.

6. If the lemons start to curl into little cups, flip them once or twice during the cooking proces to keep them flat.
7. When the pulp of the lemons starts to look clear (and the sugar water will start to thicken), it's time to transfer the lemons to a a cookie sheet or cooling rack.

I prefer to use a cooling rack over a cookie sheet but you can certainly line a cookie sheet with parchment and dry them that way.

8. Dry the lemon candy (see two options below).

How to Dry Candy Lemons (2 Ways!):

• You can bake the lemons at 200°F for one hour to dry, then let the crystalized lemon cool. Then they're ready to use!
• OR you can let them air dry overnight (at least 12 hours). They are a little stickier when air-dryed but that method works too!

I prefer to bake my lemon slices. So when I take them out of the oven and then let them cool - they're ready to use on a cake!

When the lemons are cooled - they're so beautiful! They still may be a little sticky but they're also stiff and glass-like. How beautiful is this caramelized lemon?

Pro Tips

• Use a shallow wide pot for best results. You want the lemons spread out into a single layer and not overlapping.
• Don't overcook! Once the lemons are transluscent, go ahead and remove them from the simple syrup to drive. If you continue cooking past this, they will disintegrate.
• This exact recipe will work for any citrus fruits including limes, oranges, and grapefruits.
• If you find that your candied lemons taste too bitter, you can blanch them first to soften the rinds and remove some (if not all) of the bitterness. To do this, bring a pot of water to boil and drop the sliced lemons in. Boil for only one minute, then remove them to an ice bath for 30 seconds to stop the cooking. Dry the lemon slices then proceed wiht the recipe as it's written.
• Dip the candied lemon slices in sanding sugar for extra sweetness, some added crunch and a little sparkle.

Serving Suggestions

• Snacks - you can eat them alone... so tart and chewy, a bit like fruit leather.
• Garnish for Desserts: use them on cakes, cheesecakes, pies, cupcakes and more! I was asked to make a lemon cake for a birthday party but to please "make it pretty!" See the details of that cake here -> https://rosebakes.com/candied-lemon-cake/
• Garnish for Drinks: perfect for lemonade, citrus cocktail drinks, or hot teas.

Storage Suggestions

• At Room Temperature: candied lemon slices can be kept at room temperature for 24 hours.
• Refrigerated: candied lemons will last for 2 to 4 weeks if put in an airtight container in single layers (with parchment paper between) in a refrigerator.
• Frozen: Candied lemon slices can be kept in the freezer in single layers, in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

To keep the lemon candy slices long-term, I would suggest that you dip them in another layer of sugar. This will prevent them from sticking to the parchment paper and each other.

FAQ

Delicious Lemon Recipes

• Lemon Kissed Cupcakes With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
• Candied Lemon Cake
• 20 Easy Sheet Cake Recipes
• Lemon Curd Recipe

Recipe

Candied Lemon Slices

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★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Rose
• Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
• Yield: 24 slices

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Description

Candied Lemon Slices are thin slices of lemon, cooked in sugar, then dried until they have a beautiful glass-like look! They are perfect as garnish on cakes or desserts! If you love citrus, you might even eat them for snacks!

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Ingredients

• 1 cup (226 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (237 ml) water
• 2-3 lemons

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Instructions

1. Wash lemons.
2. Slice lemons approximately ⅛th inch thick, throwing away the ends. The thickness can vary slightly but if they're sliced too thin, the pulp might disintegrate when cooking. 
3. Remove seeds.
4. In a large shallow pan, combine the water and sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer (med-low) and add lemon slices in a single layer.
5. Simmer over medium heat for 20-40 minutes or until translucent. The cooking time will vary based on the thickness of the lemon slices. Flip them once or twice during the cooking process if the lemons start to curl up into little cups.
6. While the lemons are cooking, preheat your oven to 200°F.  Also, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat OR place a wire rack on your cookie sheet.
7. Transfer the lemon slices to the cookie sheet, then bake for one hour.*
8. Remove from the oven.  The candied lemons can sit at room temperature for up to 24 hours before storing in an air-tight container.  

Equipment

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Notes

Use a shallow wide pot for best results. You want the lemons spread out into a single layer and not overlapping.

Don't overcook! Once the lemons are transluscent, go ahead and remove them from the simple syrup to drive. If you continue cooking past this, they will disintegrate.

This exact recipe will work for any citrus fruits including limes, oranges, and grapefruits.

If you find that your candied lemons are too bitter, you can blanch them first to soften the rinds and remove some (if not all) of the bitterness. To do this, bring a pot of water to boil and drop the sliced lemons in. Boil for only one minute, then remove them to an ice bath for 30 seconds to stop the cooking. Dry the lemon slices then proceed wiht the recipe as it's written.

Dip the candied lemon slices in sanding sugar for extra sweetness, some added crunch and a little sparkle.

• Prep Time: 5
• Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: candied lemons, lemon candy, candied lemon slices, candied lemon, candied lemons recipe, crystalized lemon how to make candied lemons, how to candy lemons, lemon candy, candy lemon slices, caramelized lemon, lemon slices

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Lemon Desserts You'll Love:

Lemon Chiffon Layer Cake Recipe

Easy No-Bake Lemon Icebox Pie

Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake Trifles

The post Candied Lemon Slices appeared first on Rose Bakes.

Originally posted April 2015, updated June 2023

These vanilla petit fours don't always look perfect... but the taste and texture... yep. Perfect!

I mentioned to a client they weren't perfect and she said, "If they looked perfect, I wouldn't believe they were homemade!"

Good point. Mine aren't perfect, but once you bite into one, you won't care!

So, I kept making them... over and over again... to be sure it wasn't a fluke and now I can say with confidence, I'm in love with this recipe & method for making them!

They're delicious. One of my clients declared them "the best cake she'd ever had in her life!"

I won't say they're super easy... you do have to work for them! But I can say without hesitation they're worth every minute of work! And if you want to make them for Christmas, keep reading and see a pic down below! Or for Valentine's Day - be sure to check out my post here on Heart Shaped Petit Fours!

Perfect Petit Fours Recipe

Okay... so here we go. First, you're going to make up the recipe below for a simple butter cake. This is a scratch recipe (which y'all know is rare for me) but it's soooo worth it! It's also actually a pound cake recipe - courtesy of my friend Angela.

She gave it to me to make her daughter's wedding cake and told me (in passing) that it was good for petit fours. I'll be forever grateful for that tidbit!!

To keep this petit fours recipe easy, let's start with the ingredients for the cake batter. They're all very basic, which make it even more impressive how good this cake is!

Vanilla Petit Fours Ingredients:

• Sugar
• Butter - I prefer salted, but unsalted works as well. The tiny salt difference will not affect the recipe. The butter should be softened to room temperature.
• Shortening - Crisco is the only brand I use. I have a full post on shortening here if it's not an ingredient you use often.
• Vanilla extract - I'm partial to homemade vanilla extract, but store-bought works just as well!
• Eggs - large eggs at room temperature
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Evaporated milk - be careful here to not use condensed milk. And please don't use any substitutions. I'm not sure why, but evaporated milk is almost a secret ingredient here.
• Sour cream - use full-fat sour cream here and no substitutions
• Raspberry Filling (optional, and variations below) - if you want to use the homemade filing (which is far superior, I highly recommend making it a day or two beforehand).
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• Petit Four Icing

What's the best filling for petit fours?

Because the cake, cream cheese frosting, and petit four icing are all sweet and rich, I love to contrast the filling with something tart. But really, the sky is the limit. Here are my favorite petit four fillings (and some other options):

• Raspberry Filling - this is one of my top two popular fillings. You could also use strawberry filling if you like but the raspberry is a perfect complement to the almond and white chocolate. You will likely want to make this ahead of time!
• Lemon Curd - this is my other most popular filling. I also have a microwave version here or you can buy it pre-made at your local grocery store.
• Fruit Jams - instead of making your own filling, you can use any store-bought jam that you love as filling!
• Marzipan (almond paste) - this is another classic and traditional filling for petit fours. I much prefer the fruit filling, but if you love almond flavor, you will love petit fours filled with marzipan.
• Caramel - I haven't ever tried this, but I imagine it would be amazing! I'd probably skip the almond flavoring in the icing and use vanilla instead!

Equipment and Tools Needed for Petit Fours

• Half Sheet Pan (bonus points if you have a lid for it!)
• Parchment Paper or Silicone Mats
• Mixing Bowls
• Hand Mixer
• Flexible Cutting Boards
• Cake leveler or Agbay or large serrated knife
• Ruler
• Skewers (optional) for dipping
• Cooling rack or wire rack

Petit Fours Recipe

This is the recipe for the butter cake that is the STAR of these petit fours. I have recipes for the filling, frosting, and icing below.

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Prep a 13"x18" half-sheet pan. These Nordic Pans are my favorite... I have about a dozen of them! I line the pan with parchment paper, then spray down the edges with non-stick baking spray.
3. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar, butter and shortening until smooth then beat in vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, until fluffy.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt). To save some time, you can also whisk it all together.
5. Add this flour mixture and the evaporated milk to the original mixture alternately. With an electric mixer, beat for 2 minutes on medium speed, then fold in the sour cream.
6. Pour the batter onto a prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (check at 25 minutes!).
7. See the instructions above for assembling the cake and icing the petit fours.

How to Make Petit Fours

1. Flip the cooled cake out onto a work surface on another piece of parchment paper.

2. Torte the cake into two thin layers. Y'all... torting (or splitting cake layers) is pretty new for me, but you really should for petit fours. You get to add in a little extra special bit of flavor and it makes them pretty too!

Note: Torting is easily done with my Agbay, (which I LOOOVE) but you can also use a less expensive cake leveler such as this extra-wide cake leveler. As a last resort, you can also torte the cake free-hand using a long serrated bread knife - just be careful because this cake is thin and it would be easy to mess it up!

3. With the cake bottom-up on parchment paper, lift the top layer onto another sheet of parchment paper. I've found the easiest way to do this is to slide a flexible cutting board into the cut, then simply lift it off.

4. If you're using a filling, such as raspberry or lemon curd, spread a thin layer onto the cut side of the cake.

5. Then spread a thin layer of frosting. I use both filling and frosting, but you could use frosting only if you don't want to use a fruit filling.

Note: for the filling - today I'm using raspberry. You could make your own raspberry filling or use raspberry jam. I have my Raspberry Filling recipe here and it's perfect and so easy! My only tip would be to make it ahead of time! For other ideas, check out the list below.

6. Using the flexible cutting board again, place the top layer of cake over the filling and/or frosting layer, lining up the edges.

6. Finally, the last step before freezing the cake is to put another layer of frosting on top. I use this as an opportunity to level out any low spots and make a really smooth, clean surface for the poured frosting!

This layer of frosting can be as thin or thick as you like, so long as it's level and smooth. Why? Because the poured icing on top will only be as smooth as the surface it's poured over!

8. Once you have that top layer of frosting smooth, cut off the edges so you'll have really nice squares. Plus, you get to eat the edges and I have to tell you - they're much fought over in this house!!

9. Freeze the cake. I lift it (with the parchment underneath), put it back on the sheet pan I baked it on, put a lid on (love these with lids!!), and then I put it in the freezer for around an hour.

Petit Four Icing Recipe

To keep this post from being miles long, I'm not going to share the full step-by-step icing recipe here. I do have it in the recipe card below or you can read a full post about it here: Petit Four Icing.

How to Make Petit Four Icing and Set up

1. Make the icing. While the petit fours are freezing, I work on the set-up and the icing. I use this Petit Four Icing recipe (be sure to start prepping it before you take the cakes out of the freezer).

Here's my icing setup... a make-shift double boiler:

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment, wax paper, or a silicone mat, and lay a cooling rack over it.

I like to use cooling racks larger than the sheets so there's good space between the cooling rack and the surface beneath.

3. When the cake comes out of the freezer, use a sharp knife to cut it into squares (1-1.25 inches square). Sometimes I just eyeball it, sometimes I use my sewing ruler and/or a straight edge to get them perfect. I've also found the smallest biscuit cutter in this set works great! Do whatever makes you happy!

4. Place them on a cooling rack.
5. Working quickly (they're easier to keep pretty and square when they're cold), I move a small batch of them to the prepped cooling rack and immediately start covering with icing.
6. TIP: Freeze the remaining cake while you work and only take out as much as you can dip before it begins to thaw (I usually do 10-12 at a time on small baking sheets).

How to Ice Petit Fours (2 ways)

Icing Method #1: skewer each frozen square in the side and dip the cake in the melted icing.

Place the dipped petit four on your prepared cooling rack and twist the skewer while pulling it out of the cake. Let it sit until the icing is set.

Video

Below is a short (informal) video of us skewering from the bottom. Now we do it from the side as seen above, but you'll get the idea!

NOTE: If you're using an adblocker, you must turn it OFF to see this video!!

Icing Method #2: ladle the icing over the frozen cakes while they're sitting on the cooling rack. I first ladle the icing around the sides and then into the middle. You must work quickly because it will set up fast.

• Whichever method you choose, when you place the dipped or coated petit fours on a cooling rack, the excess runs off and onto the paper or silicone mat below. It can be reused if it doesn't have a bunch of cake crumbs in it. Let it firm up and you can peel it off and put it back into your bowl to re-melt! No waste... which I love!!
• If you're adding sprinkles or any decorations that need to stick, add them before the icing sets (which is quick because the cake is cold).
• Otherwise, let them set then decorate.

After the petit fours are iced, let them firm up for a few minutes - the icing sets fast because they're cold - and then you can move them to a platter or individual candy cups (my favorite way to present them).

Pro-Tips for Perfect Petit Fours

• If you don't have an Agbay and/or flexible cutting board to torte your cake into layers, you can make this job less stressful by cutting the cake into fourths before you start working. Then use a serrated knife to torte the smaller cake squares. It'll be much easier to handle in small portions when removing the top layer to fill with fruit and frosting.
• Do not skip the freezing step! Dipping the small cake squares is exponentially easier with frozen cake.
• In that same vein, dip or coat the cubed cake in small batches and keep the other cake in the freezer while you work.
• Spread any fruit filling that you choose very thin. If it's thick, it will cause the cake to slide around and be more difficult to handle.
• Use almond bark (my preference) or white chocolate bars for the poured icing recipe. White chocolate chips are very difficult to melt and get smooth.
• As with almost all baking recipes, it's best to have your ingredients (eggs, butter, cream cheese, etc.) at room temperature.
• Follow the detailed instructions or alternating the wet and dry ingredients when mixing.
• For perfectly square and uniform petit fours, use a biscuit cutter to cut your squares. I recommend the smallest one in this set.
• If you don't need several dozen petit fours, you can use a portion of the sheet and freeze the remaining cake (before or after filling). If it's wrapped up tight and/or covered well, it will keep in the freezer for 3-4 weeks!
• If you want to use homemade raspberry filling or lemon curd, I highly recommend making it ahead of time (hours or days ahead). Otherwise, a store bought alternative might be best!

How to Decorate Petit Fours

Brush of color - My favorite way to decorate petit fours is a brush of gold or color across one side. For the petit fours in this post, we did a brush of hot pink. Beneath that picture, you can see others where we used a brush of gold. I always use Sweet Sticks Edible Paints for this.

Fondant decorations - I used a tiny bow mold to make the burgundy bows on the petit fours below. They were for a dessert display at a wedding.

Flowers: You can also add fondant, buttercream, or royal icing decorations to petit fours. Examples are the bows above and the flowers (buttercream and fondant) below.

Initials or monograms are great decorations for petit fours for baby showers, bridal showers, or weddings.

Drizzle of white or colored icing or chocolate is simple and fits most any decor. I recommend gel food color if you want to change the icing color.

Candy or sprinkles can be added to petit fours to make them fun! You should do this before the icing sets!

Wafer Paper - I used wafer paper butterflies on the petit fours below and they were so lovely!

Stamps: One last idea is to use a stamp. I made custom chocolate medallions stamped with the couples initials for their more formal wedding.

Serving Recommendations

• Petit fours are best served at room temperature.
• I always serve petit fours in candy cups. These are slightly smaller than cupcake liners but cupcake liners will work in a pinch!
• Petit fours are so versatile - you can serve them as a stand-alone dessert or as one dessert of many on a dessert bar. They're perfect for weddings, birthdays, baby and bridal showers, or even family gatherings and holidays.

Christmas Petit Fours

Here's a bonus nugget for you! If you're a fellow home baker like I am, Christmas petit fours are one of my top sellers! This past year we adapted the recipe to a Christmas Petit Fours recipe!

We baked two sheets, one red, and one green, then mix-matched the top and bottom layers to make them red and green on the inside. To finish them off, we added a brush of gold on the outside and they were perfection! Here's a quick (slightly blurry) photo we snapped:

How many petit fours are in one batch?

NOTE:  This recipe will yield ~84 petit fours at the size listed above (1.25-inch squares). However this will vary if you cut smaller or larger petit fours or you free-hand them. My daughter cuts them slightly larger and gets around 60-70 petit fours per batch. If you cut smaller 1-inch squares and don't trim too much off the edges, you can get as many as 130 petit fours from one batch.

Storage Directions

• Petit fours are okay at room temperature for a few hours.
• To keep them overnight or longer, they need to be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to a week.
• Can petit fours be frozen? Yes, they can be frozen for up to 2 months if stored in a freezer-safe container.

Recipe FAQ

More dessert ideas...

• How to Make Candy Apples Any Color!!
• Pralines & Cream Fudge Recipe
• Easy Southern Pecan Pralines
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• 16 Simply Irresistible Party Perfect Desserts

Recipe

Perfect Petit Fours Recipe (with Tutorial)

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★★★★★

4.9 from 55 reviews

• Author: Rose
• Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
• Yield: 6 dozen

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Description

These vanilla petit fours are the perfect bize-sized cake for weddings, showers, or parties of any kind! Buttery cake with raspberry filling, cream cheese frosting and a hint of almond in the white chocolate icing makes them packed with delicious flavors!

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Ingredients

Units USM

For the cake:

• 2 ¾ cups sugar
• ¾ cup salted butter, softened
• ¾ cup shortening
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 5 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup evaporated milk
• ¼ cup sour cream

For the cream cheese frosting:

• ½ cup salted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
• ¼ cup Crisco* shortening (just under 2 oz. on a kitchen scale)
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1.5 pounds powdered sugar
• ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1-2 tablespoons milk (add to get the consistency to pipe or spread)

For the filling:

• Raspberry filling recipe here
• OR Raspberry Jam

For the icing:

• 6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup (or 6 ounces) of chopped white chocolate or almond bark

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Prep a 13"x18" half-sheet pan by lining the pan with parchment paper, then spray down the edges with non-stick baking spray. These Nordic Pans are my favorite!
3. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar, butter, and shortening until smooth then beat in vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, until fluffy.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt). To save some time, you can also whisk it all together.
5. Add this flour mixture and the evaporated milk to the original mixture alternately. With an electric mixer, beat for 2 minutes on medium speed, then fold in the sour cream.
6. Pour the batter onto a prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (check at 25 minutes!).
7. Flip the cake out onto a cooling rack and allow it to cool, then follow the instructions below for filling and frosting.

For the cream cheese frosting:

1. First, cream the butter and Crisco in a mixing bowl. Mix on low speed for a couple of minutes until smooth and creamy. Add in the vanilla and cream cheese and mix again until very smooth.
2.  Gradually add the confectioners' sugar until it's all combined. It will be very stiff! Then begin adding milk until you reach the desired consistency for decorating (2 tablespoons works well for me!)

Filling and frosting the petit fours:

2. Flip the cooled cake out onto a work surface on another piece of parchment paper.
3. Torte the cake into two thin layers. This is a fancy way of saying split the cake into two layers with a cake leveling tool or sharp serrated knife.
4. With the cake bottom-up on parchment paper, lift the top layer onto another sheet of parchment paper. I've found the easiest way to do this is by sliding a flexible cutting board into the cut, then simply lifting it off.
5. If you're using a filling, such as raspberry or lemon curd, spread a thin layer onto the cut side of the cake.
6. Then spread a thin layer of frosting. I use both filling and frosting, but you could use frosting only if you don't want to use a fruit filling.
7. Using the flexible cutting board again, place the top layer of cake over the filling and/or frosting layer, lining up the edges.
8. Finally, the last step before freezing the cake is to put another layer of frosting on top. I use this as an opportunity to level out any low spots and make a really smooth, clean surface for the poured frosting! This layer of frosting can be as thin or thick as you like, so long as it's level and smooth. Why? Because the poured icing on top will only be as smooth as the surface it's poured over!
9. Once you have that top layer of frosting smooth, cut off the edges so you'll have really nice squares. Plus, you get to eat the edges and I have to tell you - they're much fought over in this house!
10. Freeze the cake. I lift it (with the parchment underneath), put it back on the sheet pan I baked it on, put a lid on (love these with lids!!), and then I put it in the freezer for around 30 minutes to an hour.

For the petit four icing:

1. While the cake is freezing, bring a pot of water to boil, then place a larger glass bowl over it. You'll do all of this recipe in the glass bowl!! This is my "double-boiler".
2. In the glass bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, water, corn syrup and extracts. 
3. Continue whisking or stirring until the mixture becomes smooth and consistent. It should be thin enough to drizzle from a spoon, but not so thin that it all runs off the cake! You can also check the temperature and when it reaches 92° F, it's good.
4. When it's ready, add in the chopped white chocolate and stir until melted. I like to turn down the heat but keep my water steaming underneath as I work to keep the icing from setting up!

Icing the petit fours:

1. When the cake comes out of the freezer, use a sharp knife to cut it into squares (1-1.25 inches square). Sometimes I just eyeball it, sometimes I use my sewing ruler and/or a straight edge to get them perfect. I've also found the smallest biscuit cutter in this set works great! Do whatever makes you happy!
2. Place them on a cooling rack.
3. Working quickly (they're easier to keep pretty and square when they're cold), move a small batch of them to the prepped cooling rack and immediately start ladling the icing over the cakes, or use a skewer to dip them.
4. Freeze the remaining cake while you work and only take out as much as you can dip before it begins to thaw (I usually do 10-12 at a time).
5. I like to use cooling racks larger than the sheet pan, so there's good space between the cooling rack and the paper beneath.
6. Whichever method you choose, when you place the dipped or coated petit fours on a cooling rack, the excess runs off and onto the paper or silicone mat below and can be re-used. Let it firm up and you can peel it off and put it back into your bowl to re-melt! No waste... which I love!!
7. If you're adding sprinkles or any decorations that need to stick, add them before the icing sets (which is quick because the cake is cold).
8. Otherwise, let them set then decorate.

And finally... ENJOY!

Equipment

Half Sheet Pan

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Bosch Mixer

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Mixing Bowls

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Notes

• If you don't have an Agbay and/or flexible cutting board to torte your cake into layers, you can make this job less stressful by cutting the cake into fourths before you start working. Then use a serrated knife to torte the smaller cake squares. It'll be much easier to handle in small portions when removing the top layer to fill with fruit and frosting.
• Do not skip the freezing step! Dipping the small cake squares is exponentially easier with frozen cake.
• In that same vein, dip or coat the cubed cake in small batches and keep the other cake in the freezer while you work.
• Spread any fruit filling that you choose very thin. If it's thick, it will cause the cake to slide around and be more difficult to handle.
• Use almond bark (my preference) or white chocolate bars for the poured icing recipe. White chocolate chips are very difficult to melt and get smooth.
• As with almost all baking recipes, it's best to have your ingredients (eggs, butter, cream cheese, etc.) at room temperature.
• Follow the detailed instructions or alternating the wet and dry ingredients when mixing.
• For perfectly square and uniform petit fours, use a biscuit cutter to cut your squares. I recommend the smallest one in this set.
• If you don't need several dozen petit fours, you can use a portion of the sheet and freeze the remaining cake (before or after filling). If it's wrapped up tight and/or covered well, it will keep in the freezer for 3-4 weeks!
• If you want to use a homemade raspberry filling or lemon curd, I highly recommend making it ahead of time (hours or days ahead). Otherwise, a store-bought alternative might be best!

• Prep Time: 3 hours
• Cook Time: 45 mins
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: simple, butter cake, petit fours, easy, how to make, pound

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The post Perfect Petit Fours Recipe (with Tutorial) appeared first on Rose Bakes.

Homemade Robin Egg Chocolate Cake Recipe

The best part of this cake is that the decorating is super easy - even an amateur can do it! And nothing screams spring more than a Robins Egg dessert!

So let's get started!

Ingredients

• Sugar - granulated white sugar
• Cocoa Powder - I love fancy, rich cocoa powder but the best, easy-to-find brand is Hershey's and it makes a delicious cake!
• Butter - unsalted butter is the preference here, but salted works as well
• Buttermilk - I have an entire post about buttermilk here and if you don't have any on hand, make a perfect substitution with this recipe.
• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Soda - check the expiration date on your baking soda because if it's expired, your cake will not rise like it should
• Eggs - large eggs are best and be sure to set them out so they're at room temperature
• Vanilla Extract - I only use homemade vanilla extract, but any real quality vanilla will work
• White Frosting - I don't share a recipe in this post, but you'll find my favorite vanilla buttercream here, or cream cheese frosting here. You can also use store-bought frosting for this recipe
• Blue Gel Food Coloring - I only use Americolor gel colors (Electric Blue is my favorite!) but Wilton brand is easily found at your local Walmart or grocery store and works just as well.

Equipment You Need to Make this Cake

• Mixing Bowls and Electric Hand Mixer
• Or a Stand Mixer
• 8-inch Cake Pans
• Silicone Spatula
• Offset spatula (or you could use a butter knife)
• Bristle Pastry Brush

How to Make a Homemade Robin Egg Chocolate Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Start making the cake batter by adding your sugar, butter, cocoa, and water to a large mixing bowl. Mix until combined.
3. Add in buttermilk, flour, baking soda, eggs, and vanilla extract.
4. Beat until well combined.
5. Divide evenly and pour into two prepared, round cake pans.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. If you're going to use homemade buttercream frosting, make it while the cake is baking. I recommend this vanilla buttercream or this cream cheese buttercream.
8. If you're using store-bought frosting, pour it into a bowl and use your hand-mixer to whip it up to a smooth, fluffy consistency.
9. Flip the cakes out onto wire racks to cool.
10.  While the cake is cooling, add food coloring to your frosting and stir, until you achieve a robin egg blue. I started with 3 small dots and slowly added more.
11. Once your cake is cool, assemble it and cover the cake with robin's egg blue frosting.
12. In a small bowl add cocoa, and slowly add water until it is paint consistency.
13. Dip your brush in and flick the mixture onto your cake to create a speckled effect.
14. Serve and enjoy!

How to Assemble the Cake

1. To assemble the cake, trim the rounded edge off the first cake layer and place it cut-side down on a cake board or cake plate.
2. Then spread a layer of frosting on top of it. While normally I'd tell you to repeat this for the top layer, this time we'll do something different.
3. Without trimming the second layer of cake, place it on top of the first layer with right-side-up so that the rounded top gives it more of an egg shape!
4. Last, cover the entire outside of the cake with the robin's egg blue frosting.

Video

Pro Tips

• Chill the cakes before assembling to lower the risk of breaking or tearing a cake while frosting it.
• As a cake professional, I have tons of frosting spatulas and cake tools but if you're an amateur, using a butter knife to frost this cake is just as effective as a fancy tool. There's no need for a flawless finish on this cake.
• If you want, you can further decorate this cake by making a nest on top with some toasted coconut and filling it with candy eggs (Cadbury Mini Eggs are my fave!!).
• To prepare the cake pans, you can line them with parchment paper, spray them with cake release (such as Baker's Joy) or make a homemade version!
• The blue frosting color will develop and darken over time so if you want a light blue, be careful to not add too much gel coloring in the beginning.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this cake as dessert for a Spring or Easter Celebration, or for a sweet baby shower. There's really no wrong occasion to serve chocolate cake!

Of course, any cake is always better with a tall glass of ice-cold milk or steaming cup of coffee 🙂

Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top for the ultimate splurge!

Make-Ahead, Storage, and Freezing Tips

Here are my best tips for keeping this cake moist and fresh.

Unfrosted Cake Layers: 

If you want to bake the cake ahead of time and decorate it closer to your event, wrap the cake layers tightly in plastic wrap and store them at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To bake them more than 3 days ahead, wrap the layers in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and freeze them for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before you decorate the cake, then allow it to come to room temperature at least an hour before serving.

Decorated Cake:

The Homemade Robin Egg Chocolate Cake can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days but it must be covered in a cake carrier or on a cake stand with a lid.

You can also freeze the decorated cake. Start by freezing it, uncovered for 3-4 hours. Then take it out and wrap it in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil. If you have a box that will fit in your freezer, place it in the box as an added layer of protection against it being damaged. Freeze for up to one month. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then allow it to come to room temperature at least an hour before serving.

FAQ

More Easter Dessert Recipes

• Spring Flower Cake Pops
• Easter Egg Cake Pops
• Easy Easter Rice Krispie Treats
• How to Make Decorated Easter Bunny Cookies
• Easter Rice Krispies Pops

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Printable Recipe:

Recipe

Homemade Robin Egg Chocolate Cake Recipe

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★★★★★

5 from 1 review

• Author: Rose Atwater
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 20

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Description

This Homemade Robin Egg Chocolate Cake Recipe is so easy and perfect for Easter or a spring dessert! You're going to love this moist, delicious cake and how easy it is to decorate for a family dinner or baby shower.

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Ingredients

Units USM

• 2 cups sugar
• 4 tablespoons of Cocoa
• ½ cup of Butter
• 1 cup of Hot Water
• ½ a cup of Buttermilk
• 2 cups of Flour
• 1 and ¾ teaspoons of Baking Soda
• 2 Eggs
• 1 teaspoon of Vanilla
• White Frosting
• Blue Gel Food Coloring
• 2 tablespoons of Cocoa
• Water
• Bristle Pastry Brush

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Instructions

1. Start by adding your sugar, butter, cocoa and water to a large mixing bowl. Mix until combined.
2. Add in buttermilk, flour, baking soda, eggs, and vanilla.
3. Beat until well combined.
4. Pour evenly into two well greased and floured, round pans.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6.  While the cake is cooling, add food coloring to icing and stir, until you achieve a robin egg blue. I started with 3 small dots and slowly added.
7. Once your cake is cool, ice it with blue icing.
8. In a small bowl add cocoa, and slowly add water until it is paint consistency.
9. Dip your brush in and flick the mixture onto your cake to create a speckled effect.
10. Serve and enjoy!

Equipment

Kitchenaid Mixer

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Bristle Pastry Brush

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• Prep Time: 30
• Cook Time: 25
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: robin egg, robins egg cake, robins egg chocolate cake, homemade chocolate cake, from-scratch chocolate cake, easter cake, egg cake

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The post Homemade Robin Egg Chocolate Cake Recipe appeared first on Rose Bakes.

This was my last cake of 2022 and I couldn't have been more excited to make it. It was small and easy and fun!

Video:

My daughter is a hedgehog lover and owner and she's mentioned a few times me making a hedgehog cake so I had to say yes... even though I had the weekend "off" from cake and had planned for it to be a down week for me.

Sarah has owned three hedgehogs... this is her current baby, Stardust:

They were in the Pet Parade at a local festival last Fall and won 1st place 😊

Anywho... I digress. Let's talk about the cake.

How to Make a Hedgehog Cake

I don't have a photo tutorial but I hope I can talk you through this sweet little cake.

1. Bake, fill, and crumb-coat two (2) 7-inch cakes. I used this white almond sour cream cake and vanilla buttercream. But you could use any flavors you like, including chocolate, strawberry, etc. As always, I baked in Magic Line pans.
2. Chill your cake until cold all the way through. I prefer overnight.
3. Trim the top corner edge off the cake to give it a rounded look. Just a small trim will do the trick.
4. Cut out a semi-circle piece modeling chocolate for the face. I used this Satin Ice Chocolate Fondant and place it on the cake. If you have trouble getting it to stick, using a slightly damp paper dowel, dab the side of the cake until the buttercream is moist and sticky so the fondant will stick to it.

5. Mix up three colors of buttercream (I used pink, yellow and dusty blue). One cup (or less) of each is plenty.
6. Using these Russian piping tips and a #22 star tip, pipe the flowers/stars onto the cake, mixing up the colors to give it variation.
7. For the feet, arms/legs, and ears, I used the backend of large piping tips to cut out circles of modeling chocolate. For the arms/feet, I used thicker modeling chocolate, then a butter knife to score them. For the ears, I roll it out thinner. You could also use small circle cookie cutters.

8. For her face, I cut out an oval-ish piece of modeling chocolate then added nose/snout on top in a small pyramid shape. One benefit of modeling chocolate is being able to smooth seams until they disappear and that's what I did here. Then I added the pink nose and used a ball tool to make an indention to add small balls of black fondant for the eyes.
9. That's it!! She was presented on a cake drum with a white ribbon. See my tutorial here for adding ribbon to a cake board.

And that's all I have for you! I fell in love with this sweet little cake and I hope I have an opportunity to make another one!

The post A Super Cute Hedgehog Cake appeared first on Rose Bakes.

A while back I sent out this cake in an email, and asked if my readers had any questions about it. First, I'll give you the details of how I made it, then I'll answer the questions some of you asked!

Details for the Fancy Rainbow Unicorn Cake

• The cake sizes are 5-7-9 inches. I baked them in my favorite Magic Line pans.
• The cake flavor was white almond sour cream with sprinkles (aka confetti cake!). See the recipe down below.
• The frosting was vanilla buttercream.
• I used homemade marshmallow fondant for almost all of the decorations. We then colored the fondant with Americolor gel colors.
• The gold decorations were made with Satin Ice Gold Shimmer fondant.
• The unicorn mane was piped with a #1M piping tip. Then the borders were piped with a #22 piping tip.
• The clouds were cut out with these cloud cutters.
• The stars were cut with these star plunger cutters.
• The name was cut out with Funky Alphabet Tappit cutters.
• Everything else was hand-cut and rolled (the rainbow, the large cloud, the unicorn eyes, ears, and the unicorn horn). However, I do have a video for a unicorn horn here.
• Finally, I used Americolor Electric Pink and Electric Blue for the bottom and middle tiers.

Shop here for supplies:

Round Cake Pans

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Bosch Mixer

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Bench Scraper

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Rainbow Jimmies

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Cloud Cutters

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22 Piping Tip

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Reader Questions

Recipe

Confetti Cake Recipe

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★★★★★

5 from 1 review

• Author: Rose Atwater
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 20

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Description

This Confetti Cake Recipe is delicious, and moist, and holds up well for tiered cakes or carving.

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Ingredients

Units USM

• 1 (15.25 oz) white cake mix - I use Pillsbury White Cake Mix
• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• 1 ½ cups (185 g) all-purpose flour (OR 1 cup of AP flour + ½ cup extra cake mix)
• 1 ⅓ cup (360 ml) water
• 1 tsp. (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 1 tsp (5 ml) almond extract (or omit the almond and do 2 tsp. of vanilla)
• 4 egg whites (for true white) or 3 whole eggs
• 1 cup (8 oz. or 25 g) sour cream
• 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) vegetable oil
• ½ cup rainbow jimmies

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Instructions

1. Mix all dry ingredients by hand using a whisk in a very large mixing bowl.
2. Add the liquid ingredients and beat on low speed for 2-3 minutes, until well combined.
3. Gently stir in jimmies.
4. Bake at 325° (time depends on the size pans used*). I bake cupcakes for 18 minutes or cakes in 8" round pan for 40-45 minutes.
5. Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes then flip out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
6. Fill & frost with Vanilla Buttercream or Cream Cheese Buttercream.

Equipment

Measuring Cups and Spoons

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Mixing Bowls

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Hand Mixer

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Notes

• This is enough batter to perfectly fill two 8-inch cake pans. You will have to multiply it to make a tiered cake like this unicorn cake.
• You can frost this cake with cream cheese or vanilla buttercream. Both are delicious!

• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 45
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: confetti cake, confetti, cake, funfetti, white cake, white, confetti cake recipe

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The post Fancy Rainbow Unicorn Cake (+ Confetti Cake Recipe) appeared first on Rose Bakes.

Originally published January 2020, updated August 2022.

It wasn't too long ago that I hadn't even heard of using canned frosting to do cake drip. So when I saw it suggested in my cake group, All Things Cake, I was quite intrigued. ➡️ Click here to join my Facebook group All Things Cake!!

Those who use it were saying it was super easy, even fool-proof, and well... I'm all about an easy solution to a cake problem.

Not that creating drip cakes was a problem; but it is certainly not always foolproof. Having tried candy melts and chocolate ganache drips (with chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream) and white chocolate ganache, I knew it was a challenge to always get the drip "just right." I even addressed this issue in my book, Cake Decorating for Beginners.

Read more about this Gold Drip Cake with Sugar Magnolias & Strawberries here.

And the truth is, drip cakes are beautiful and trendy and popular... but also easy to mess up. Ask me how I know. 😉

But now, after finally trying the canned frosting to do a drip cake, I can say with confidence that canned frosting is by far the easiest way to add colored drips to the extremely popular drip cakes! So let's get to it...

Ingredients for the cake and frosting

For the Cake:

• White Cake Mix - Pillsbury is my favorite brand, but I've also used Duncan Hines with good results!
• All Purpose Flour
• Eggs
• Water
• Oil
• Sour Cream
• Instant vanilla pudding mix (or use white chocolate pudding for a whiter cake) - use the dry mix, do not make the pudding!

For the Frosting:

• Butter - I use Great Value brand salted butter for almost all of my frosting, but you can also use unsalted butter and add a pinch of salt to the recipe.
• Shortening - Crisco is my preferred brand!
• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla Extract - I always use homemade vanilla extract, but any good quality vanilla will work. You can also use clear vanilla, but the flavor is not as good.
• Butter Extract - optional, but so good!
• Milk, water, or heavy cream - use to thin the frosting to the desired consistency for frosting the cake. Milk is my go-to but I've used both water and heavy cream in a pinch and they're also great.

Find the full instructions in the Drip Cake Recipe here.

Ingredients for the Cake Drip:

To do the drip, you'll need two things...

• Canned white frosting - you could also use vanilla frosting or cream cheese frosting - any flavor of canned frosting that is also white
• Food coloring - I wouldn't recommend anything other than gel colors, but I have seen others use powder colors with success
• Oh. And a spoon 😁

Chocolate Drip Cake

As an alternative, you can absolutely use canned chocolate frosting for a chocolate drip cake or even dark chocolate frosting! Everything is the same except you don't need any gel coloring, obviously.

For this Gluten-free, Soy-free, Egg-free & Dairy-free Chocolate Cake and Frosting recipe, I melted the homemade chocolate frosting and also had fabulous results, so if you want to try that with homemade chocolate buttercream, it works!

How to Make a Drip Cake

Start with a chilled cake. More specifically, you'll need to have your cake already baked, and the layers are cooled. Then fill and frost the cake... then place it in the refrigerator or freezer. For this cake, I used a 6-inch vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream.

You really want the frosting to be very cold and firm so that the drip doesn't get away from you. I like to chill in the fridge for around an hour.

Melting the canned frosting

Next, to prep the frosting, I opened up the top, peeled off the foil cover, and placed it in the microwave without a lid. Then I warmed it for 10 seconds. I stirred and warmed another 10-seconds, and repeated one last time, for a total of 30 seconds.

The timing will vary based on the power of your microwave but basically, you want the frosting melted, warm, and smooth. You want it warm enough to easily pour over the cake (although we won't be pouring it). You don't want it so hot that it starts to bubble.

If you like more precision than that, I like to use my Thermapen (mine is pink ;)) to check my frosting and my goal is to have it around 100°F-102°F after it's stirred.

I used a butter knife to stir mine so I could get into the corners and it worked perfectly.

Coloring the canned frosting

I was making a pink drip cake, so immediately after it got to the right consistency and it was melted through, I added a few drops of Electric Pink gel coloring and stirred again. I wanted the drip to be pretty bright so I ended up adding more drops.

The frosting won't really change colors after it sets (like homemade buttercream frosting) so go ahead and get it the color you want.

Spoon the frosting on to form drips

When the frosting is warm and your cake is chilled, place the cake on a turntable and you're ready to start decorating the birthday drip cake!

Then using a spoon, gently add a small amount of the frosting near the edge of the cake (but not on the edge).

Then using the edge of the spoon, gently push a tiny bit out and over the edge until it starts to run down. Then turn a tiny bit and repeat.

You'll keep working around the cake, adding drips approximately one inch apart. If you find the drips are not running down the cake as far as you'd like, you can push a little more over the edge.

I like to vary the amount so that the drips aren't all exactly the same length.

Keep going until you get back to where you started. When you have all the drips done, then it's time to fill in the center.

Use the spoon to add more frosting and smooth it as you go, until the center is completely covered with frosting. It doesn't set really fast so you should be able to get it as smooth as you like.

You could also pour frosting in the center and then spread it around with a spoon. Just be careful to not add too much!

Then go back and clean up the edges if there are places you don't like.

The finished drip cake:

I was so incredibly pleased with how easy it was to make a drip cake with canned frosting. It was easy to work with, easy to color, and super smooth and pretty.

I'm not sure I'll ever use anything else to do drips! Before I did any more decorating, I placed the cake in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to set the drips. I'm also told they'll set up at room temperature, but it'll take longer.

Drip Cake Ideas

Here are a few trendy cakes I've done with canned frosting drip along with one from my friend, Holly!

My friend, Holly, at Once Upon a Cupcake used white canned frosting (without coloring) to make this gold drip cake. She let the drip completely set, then painted the drips gold with great success (see pic above!!)

I've also made a rose gold drip cake! For this cake above, I used white canned frosting, then painted it after it set using this Edible Rose Gold Luster Dust mixed with lemon extract. It was gorgeous!

Note: See how I paint with gold in this Unicorn Horn tutorial!

You can also leave the canned frosting white and do white drip cakes. They look just like white chocolate drip cakes, but so much easier! As you can see above, it works on everything from an elegant naked cake for a baby shower to a very colorful buttercream rainbow cake for a birthday.

Drip cakes are especially fun if you add the elements of candy and sprinkles! Both of these bright cakes above are perfect for Birthday Drip Cakes!

But you can also use this drip cake recipe for weddings... here are a couple of my favorite wedding cake drip cakes:

Finishing the cake...

In addition to using the canned frosting hacks, you can continue to dress up a drip cake with sprinkles and piping! I didn't photograph the rest of my decorating for this cake, but I can give you some details.

I used a 1M tip to pipe on the border and the little clouds of frosting on top of the cake.

Then I added Valentine's sprinkles and called it a day. This cake was so easy to make and your clients will love it if you offer these for Valentine's Day or change up the colors and do this design for any holiday!

And that's it - a finished Valentine's Drip Cake made with canned frosting!

Equipment Needed:

• Cake Pans
• Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
• Mixing Bowls - to make the cake batter and frosting
• Bench Scraper - to smooth the cake
• Spoon or small offset spatula - to apply the drip
• OR a Squeeze Bottle - this is an alternative way to do the drip.
• 1M tip for piping the border

Shop for Drip Cake Supplies:

Pillsbury White Frosting

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Electric Pink Gel Coloring

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Spoons

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Wilton 1M

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Valentine's Sprinkles

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Bench Scraper

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FAQ

How to Make a Drip Cake Ahead of Time

I've mentioned before that I use boxed cake mix recipes for my cakes, so if you're doing that and using my recipes below, you can make this cake up to 3 days ahead of time. Keep it in a box or covered cake plate in the refrigerator until an hour before serving.

Pro Tips

• A drip cake is beautiful on its own, but you can dress it up more with candy, sprinkles, piping, dipped strawberries, and more!
• The drip will set up completely within 10-15 minutes in the refrigerator. If you want to keep it at room temperature, assuming your cake was cold when you started, it should be completely set in 30 minutes. But if you're going to paint the drip, I highly recommend refrigerating vs room temperature.
• In addition to using a spoon or small offset spatula for your drip, another option is to use a squirt bottle. Simply pour your warmed and colored frosting into one of these cheap squirt bottles and go around the edges the same way as you did with the spoon.

Storage

• Refrigerator - store the finished cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It's best if covered in an airtight container or cake box.
• Freezer - if you want to keep the cake longer, you can! Place the UNWRAPPED cake in the freezer (in a box or on a plate). Allow it to freeze overnight, then take it out of the freezer and wrap in a few layers of plastic wrap. Place the cake in a box and back into the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Unwrap the cake BEFORE thawing so the drip doesn't stick to the plastic wrap and pull off the cake. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

Check out these other popular cake tutorials:

• How to Smooth Frost a Cake and How to Get Sharp Buttercream Edges {Video Tutorial}
• Messy Ruffles Cake Decorating Video Tutorial
• How to Use a Silicone Pearl Mold
• How to Sell Paint-Your-Cookie Sets (the ebook!)
• Can You Freeze a Fondant Decorated Cake?
• How to Organize Ribbons

Recipe

Super Easy Drip Cake Recipe (Canned Frosting Hack!)

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★★★★★

5 from 1 review

• Author: Rose Atwater
• Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
• Yield: 24

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Description

Can I use canned frosting for drip cake? I've seen this question so many times recently and the answer is yes, you can use canned frosting for a drip cake! And yes, the results are fabulous!! So today I'm sharing a Super Easy Drip Cake Recipe (Canned Frosting Hack!)

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Ingredients

Units USM

Cake Recipe

• 1 (15.25 oz.) White Cake Mix, I prefer Pillsbury*
• 3 oz. extra cake mix or 3 oz. all purpose flour
• 3 Whole Large Eggs (or ⅔ cup of egg whites)
• ½ cup water
• ⅓ cup oil
• 1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
• 1 small box (3.4 oz) of instant vanilla pudding mix** (or use white chocolate pudding for a whiter cake)
• *Be sure to read my post on adjusting recipes for smaller cake mixes!
• **Use the DRY pudding mix - do not actually make pudding!

Vanilla Buttercream Recipe:

• 2 sticks (8 oz) salted butter
• 1 cup (7.2 oz) vegetable shortening
• 7 cups (2 pounds) powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp butter-vanilla (optional)
• 2-3 tablespoons milk, water or heavy cream

For the drip

• 1 can store-bought white or vanilla frosting
• gel food coloring

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Instructions

For the cake:

1. Thoroughly mix all ingredients together.
2. Divide the batter between two 7-inch or two 8-inch prepared pans.
3. Bake at 325° for about 38-45 minutes just until a toothpick comes out clean. 
4. Allow cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then flip out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
    

For the frosting:

1. First, add the butter and shortening to the mixing bowl and cream together. Scrape down the sides to be sure that it’s completely mixed together.
2. NOTE: I put my bowl on the scale, zero it, then add the shortening and weigh it. I do this for 2 reasons – it’s more accurate than trying to measure messy shortening in a measuring cup AND it’s one less greasy cup to wash!
3. Add the vanilla and butter flavors and mix again.
4. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, a little at a time until completely incorporated. This will take time and might make a mess. I like to drape a damp towel completely over the top of my mixer to "catch" the powdered sugar dust. Again, scrape down the sides of the bowl often.  UPDATE: Now that I use a Bosch mixer, I don't have the huge mess or need the damp towel. It's all kept in the bowl ... YAY!  See my post about that here.
5. When all of the sugar has been added, start adding tablespoons of milk or cream to “thin” the frosting to the desired texture. I usually use milk unless I happen to have cream in the frig, but either works just fine. I make a fairly thick icing to cover and fill cakes and make it slightly thinner to decorate.  
6. You can use this immediately or keep in the fridge in an airtight bowl for up to 2 weeks. It can also be frozen for several weeks. If you’re using it out of the fridge, make sure its completely thawed and rewhip, adding milk as needed to get the desired texture again.

Assemble the cake:

1. Place the first cooled cake layer on a cake board or cake plate, 
2. Add frosting to the top of that layer, then place the second layer of cake on top.
3. Frost the entire cake, then smooth it with a bench scraper and small offset spatula.
4. Chill the cake for at least an hour, or 30 minutes in the freezer.

For the drip:

1. Open the can of frosting and remove the foil seal.
2. Microwave in 10-second intervals and stir in between each until the frosting is pourable.
3. If you have a food thermometer, it's best to get the frosting to 100°F-102°F.
4. Using a spoon or squeeze bottle, apply the frosting to the top edge of the thoroughly chilled cake.
5. Decorate with piping, candy, sprinkles, etc.

Equipment

Spoons

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Mixing Bowls

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Notes

• It is crucial to use a fully chilled cake when making a drip cake.  Chill it in the fridge for an hour or in the freezer for 30 minutes before applying the canned frosting drip.
• A drip cake is beautiful on its own, but you can dress it up more with candy, sprinkles, piping, dipped strawberries, and more!
• The drip will set up completely within 10-15 minutes in the refrigerator. If you want to keep it at room temperature, assuming your cake was cold when you started, it should be completely set in 30 minutes. But if you're going to paint the drip, I highly recommend refrigerating vs room temperature.
• In addition to using a spoon or small offset spatula for your drip, another option is to use a squirt bottle. Simply pour your warmed and colored frosting into one of these cheap squirt bottles and go around the edges the same way as you did with the spoon.
• Refrigerator - store the finished cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It's best if covered in an airtight container or cake box.
• Freezer - if you want to keep the cake longer, you can! Place the UNWRAPPED cake in the freezer (in a box or on a plate). Allow it to freeze overnight, then take it out of the freezer and wrap in a few layers of plastic wrap. Place the cake in a box and back into the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Unwrap the cake BEFORE thawing so the drip doesn't stick to the plastic wrap and pull off the cake. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

• Prep Time: 30
• Assemble & Decorate Time: 45
• Cook Time: 35
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: Drip cake,, cake drip, Chocolate drip cake*, how to make a drip cak,e pink drip cake, birthday drip cake, drip cake ideas, drip cake recipe, rose gold drip cake, gold drip cake, canned frosting hacks

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The post Super Easy Drip Cake Recipe (Canned Frosting Hack!) appeared first on Rose Bakes.

Originally posted January 2013, updated August 2022

Update: If you'd rather buy them than make these, I am taking orders for these and can ship them within the USA.  Please visit my online store to order or order in the box here and complete checkout to get your Hello Kitty Toppers on the way!

If you're the crafty type, or you own your own cake business, this tutorial might help you out... How to Make Easy Hello Kitty Cupcakes. These are so cute, you can skip the birthday cake and only serve cupcakes for your kitty-inspired event!

Or you can get a simple cake from a bakery and add one of these as an edible cake topper and then serve cupcakes for the party guests.

Here's a simple cake I made with a slightly larger Hello Kitty topper. The birthday girl couldn't decide on a theme so her mom had multiple paper cupcake toppers made and then focused on a fondant Hello Kitty for the simple cake. Note: I had to hand cut the cake topper; I could not find a bigger cutter.

Supplies

Here are the things you'll need to make these edible cupcake toppers:

• White fondant (homemade marshmallow fondant or a store-bought variety like Satin Ice)
• Hello Kitty Cookie Cutter
• Black Food Marker
• Yellow Food Marker or a small amount of Yellow Fondant
• Pink Fondant
• Small round cutters or round piping tips
• Sugar glue and a small brush
• Cornstarch
• Ball tool (optional)

How to Make Easy Hello Kitty Cupcake Toppers

These were super simple to put together!  I don't have photos for all the steps but I'm writing out the instructions and they truly are super easy to follow!

First, I used a Hello Kitty Cookie Cutter I found on Amazon and cut the faces from homemade marshmallow fondant. It's actually called a Hello Kitty Vegetable Cutter, but it works great for fondant!

I love this cutter because it has the inside plunger that makes an impression of where the eyes, nose, whiskers, and bows go ... taking the guessing out of decorating these (yes, I'm lazy that way) and they're perfect every time!

After cutting the faces, I drew the faces on with Americolor Food markers... easy-peasy. You could also use tiny bits of fondant for the eyes, nose and whiskers, but the markers were SO easy!!

For the bows, I wanted them to really stand out, so I used pink marshmallow fondant and cut them with frosting tips.   I found the round tips closest to the impressions on Hello Kitty's face and used those (Ateco #806 and Wilton #12).  

Lastly, I made a tiny impression with a ball tool to finish the bow. This step could be skipped but it gives it a little more character. 🎀

I used a tiny dot of sugar glue to hold them on the faces. You could also use a tiny bit of water. After the bows were on and the faces drawn, I placed them on a cookie sheet dusted with cornstarch and let them dry overnight so they wouldn't sag when placed on the cupcakes.

These cupcakes were half chocolate and half strawberry.  They were topped with pink vanilla buttercream (piped with a large Ateco star tip), then I added a few sprinkles of Wilton Spring Confetti. I used Americolor Electric Pink in the frosting.

These liners were Wilton Snappy Stripes Baking Cups.  Very pretty and very matchy to the Hello Kitty theme!

Pro Tips & Tricks:

• Roll your fondant a little thicker than usual (approximately 4mm) so they will hold up well. This also makes them less flexible so they won't sag or bend on the cupcakes.
• Use cornstarch underneath the toppers when you let them dry so they won't stick to your surface.
• Place the cupcake toppers on fresh buttercream before it crusts and they'll more easily stick and stay in place.

I hope this tutorial helps you but if I missed any details, please feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email!

How to Store Cupcake Toppers:

• All fondant and gum paste decorations can be kept for 12 months.
• Store in a cool, dark, dry area at room temperature (such as a kitchen cabinet or pantry).
• DO NOT store in an airtight container or the refrigerator (a cardboard box works great and keeps dust or anything from settling on them).

Order Hello Kitty Cupcake Toppers here:

The post How to Make Easy Hello Kitty Cupcake Toppers appeared first on Rose Bakes.

With the new Minions movie, Minions: The Rise of Gru, making big waves in the theaters, I know that it won't be long before Minion-themed parties will be making a comeback! With that in mind, I wanted to round up some party inspiration for you. So if you're ready, keep scrolling for...

15+ Super Fun Minion Cakes & Treats

Minion Cake by Rose Bakes

And I have a full tutorial for the cupcakes here.

Minion Cupcakes by Rose Bakes

Don't like fondant cupcake toppers? Check out these buttercream Minion cupcakes...

by Taste of the Frontier

I adore this cake with a Minion having a cupcake... just so cute!!

by Custom Cakes by Beth.

Wanna change things up or combine two of your kids' favorite things? How about a Hulk Minion?

by So Sweet

How about these Minion Macarons? What a fun, bite-sized treat?

by Baked by Andres

Combine those macarons with a simple drip cake and it's perfection!! Also by Baked by Andres.

Do you need things to be a little more on the feminine side? Check out this sweet cake with bows and pink overalls?

by Rose Bakes

Or a pink hat and twirlers:

by Little Hill Cakes

And if you haven't already seen enough cuteness... how about Minion Cakesicles:

by Crave by Leena

or fancy little Mini Minion Cake Pops...

by Bakerella

Maybe you want 1st Birthday cake for your baby... check out this Baby Minion:

By Frost Me Sweet

Wanna keep things super easy? How about Minion Dipped OREO cookies?

by Fun Squared

Or a sheet cake:

by Rose Bakes

Or even just a simple fruit tray:

by Feeling Nifty

And that's all folks! I hope you found all the Minion inspiration you'll need to serve up a fantastic party!!

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The post 15+ Super Fun Minion Cakes & Treats appeared first on Rose Bakes.