Ingredients
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream
6 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk, room temperature (or coconut milk)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups cake flour
2 large egg whites
4 large eggs, room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup shortening, room temperature
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
Step by step
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare three KitchenAid® Cake Pans with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
In the Ceramic Bowl of your KitchenAid® Stand Mixer, use the flat beater to mix butter, shortening, and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Next, add eggs and egg whites one at a time to the mixing bowl and beat until well incorporated.
In a separate large bowl, sift cake flour, baking powder and salt together. Turn the Stand Mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture to the butter mixer and fully incorporate. Finally, add milk and vanilla extract and finish beating on low until everything is just combined. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl as well.
Evenly divide the cake mixture into three separate bowls and tint two of the bowls using two distinct colors, leaving one bowl alone. Next add separate batters to each prepared baking pan and place in the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Make sure not to over bake.
Remove cakes from the oven and let rest in pans for 10 minutes. Then, turn out layers from the Cake Pans and place on cooling racks for one hour.
For the buttercream: In the Ceramic Bowl of your KitchenAid® Stand Mixer, beat butter and salt at medium low speed.
Next turn the Stand Mixer down to low and slowly add confectioner’s sugar in small portions until all is added. Then turn the speed to medium high to combine.
Add heavy cream and vanilla extract, and mix until nice and fluffy.
Divide the buttercream into three separate bowls. One bowl should have approximately 2/3 of the buttercream and should be left white. The other two bowls should have approximately 1/6 of the buttercream each and should be tinted to match your two colored layers of cake.
To assemble: Begin by placing the lightest (or darkest, depending on your preference) layer of cake on a cake decorating turntable. Coat the cake layer with plain white buttercream. Repeat with all layers ending with the darkest layer (or the lightest if you started with the darkest layer). Then apply a thin coating of the plain buttercream to the outside of the entire cake to create a crumb coat. Place the cake in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes or until the icing is set.
Now for the ombre effect: Carefully add icing in corresponding colors to the layers on the sides of the cake with an offset spatula. Add the top layer’s colored buttercream to the top of the cake as well. This process doesn’t have to be perfect.
Once all colors are on the cake, you can begin smoothing out the icing. Using your offset spatula, hold it perpendicular to the turntable and go around the sides of the cake while spinning your turntable. Continue to do this until the sides of your cake are as smooth as you would like. Make sure you also use your spatula to smooth the top of your cake as well.
Have fun with this. Pipe designs on the top of your cake or use sprinkles to add more color, then serve and enjoy!