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🐣More Easter Egg Desserts To Try

Easter Egg Petit Fours with Tangerine ButtercreamEaster Fruit PizzaPeanut Butter Easter EggsFondant-Covered Easter Egg CookiesMarbled Easter Egg TrufflesEaster Egg Doughnuts

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5 from 8 votes

Sugar Easter Egg Cake

Looking for a knockout Easter cake? Try this Sugar Easter Egg Cake! The look is based on old-fashioned panoramic sugar eggs, but it's made out of CAKE! And unlike those classic sugar eggs, this dessert is entirely edible!

Prep Time3 hours hrs

Cook Time2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Cooling Time4 hours hrs

Total Time5 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Easter cake, easter dessert, easter eggs, sugar egg

Dessert Type: Cake

Servings: 16

Author: Elizabeth LaBau

Ingredients

For the Cake- Make this recipe TWICE:

• 8 oz unsalted butter at room temperature
• 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
• 12.25 oz granulated sugar (1 ¾ cups)
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 9.5 oz all-purpose flour (2 ¼ cups)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the Frosting:

• 12 large egg whites
• 18.66 oz granulated sugar (2 2/3 cups)
• 1.33 lbs unsalted butter soft but still cool
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Assorted gel food coloring I used Americolor brand: I used Royal Purple and Electric Purple, Leaf Green for the primary frosting colors

For the Decorations:

• 16 oz purple sanding sugar not all will be used on the cake
• Royal icing daisy flowers
• Chocolate Easter figurines
• Jelly beans or chocolate eggs
• Other Easter candies as desired

US Standard – Metric

Instructions

To Make the Cake:

• Prepare to bake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 12x8x3-inch football cake pan with nonstick cooking spray, and place it on a baking sheet.
• Cream wet ingredients: In the bowl of a large stand mixer, combine the softened butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix it in. The batter might appear a little broken at this point—that’s okay.
• Mix dry ingredients, add to wet: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until they’re combined. Finish stirring everything together with a spatula, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
• Fill pan: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer.
• Bake: Bake the cake for about 65-70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. If the top starts to get too dark while baking, loosely tent the top with foil to prevent overbrowning.
• Cool completely: Once the cake is baked, let it cool at room temperature for 15-20 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
• Make and cool second cake: Repeat this process to make a second football cake. The cakes need to be completely cool before assembly. They can be made in advance, wrapped in plastic, and stored in the freezer until ready to use. Partially defrost them before assembly.

To Make the Frosting:

• Simmer water: Start your makeshift hot water bath by adding 1-2 inches of water to the bottom of a small saucepan that will let you fit the base of the stand mixer snugly on top. Bring the water to a simmer.
• Heat egg whites and sugar: Combine the egg whites and the granulated sugar in the bowl of a large stand mixer, and whisk them together. Place the mixing bowl on top of the saucepan, making sure that the bottom isn’t in contact with the water, and heat the egg white mixture. Whisk frequently so that the egg whites don’t cook. Continue to heat the whites until they are hot to the touch, and when you rub a bit between your fingers, you don’t feel any grittiness from the sugar. Once the whites are hot, transfer the mixing bowl to your mixer and fit it with a whisk attachment.
• Whip meringue: Beat the whites on medium-high speed until they are a shiny, stiff, voluminous meringue, and are no longer warm to the touch—feel the outside of the bowl, and make sure that it is around room temperature. Depending on your mixer and the temperature of your environment, this may take 15-20 minutes, or more.
• Add butter chunks: Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the softened but cool butter in small chunks, a tablespoon at a time, making sure to wait in between additions. It may separate or look a little gloopy at this point—this is normal!
• Whip till fluffy, add vanilla and salt: Once all of the butter is added, increase the speed again and whip until it comes together and is light and fluffy. If, after 5 minutes, it hasn’t come together, refrigerate the mixing bowl for 5-7 minutes, to cool the mixture down, and whip it again until it has thickened and is smooth and silky. Add the vanilla extract and salt.
• Use or chill: The buttercream can be made in advance and kept at room temperature if you’re going to use it the same day, or refrigerated. If it has been chilled, let it sit at room temperature until completely soft, then re-whip it to get the smooth texture back before you use it.

To Assemble And Decorate:

• Divide and color frosting: Remove 2-1/2 cups of frosting from the bowl. Color 1 cup of this frosting green, and place it in a piping bag. Leave the other 1 ½ cups white, and place it in a separate piping bag. Color all of the remaining frosting purple.
• Prep bottom cake: Trim off the rounded bottom of one of the football cakes so that it will sit flat. Cut out a stiff piece of cake board to be the approximate shape of the bottom of your football cake. Flip the cake over so the flat bottom rests on the cake board.
• Cut cake layers: Trim the long flat tops of both cakes until they are even. Then slice both cakes into two layers, giving you a total of four cake layers total—the trimmed rounded bottom, two long wide layers for the center of the cake and one rounded piece for the top of the cake.
• Stack and frost first layer: Spread an even layer of purple buttercream onto the bottom cake layer, about 1/4-inch thick.

  Note: Before adding the next piece, take note that the long wide layers that are being used for the center of the cake are not perfectly rectangular. Due to the round shape of the cake pan, you'll notice that one side is slightly wider and the other is slightly narrower. The second layer should have the narrow side pointing down and the third layer should have the narrow side pointing up. That means that the widest parts of the 2nd and 3rd layers will be in the center of the cake, becoming more narrow as they connect with the rounded bottom and top pieces.
• Stack and frost second and third layers: Place a long wide cake layer with the narrowest part pointing downward on top of the first layer and spread more frosting on top. Place the remaining long wide cake layer with the narrowest part pointing upward on top to form the third layer. Then add buttercream to the third cake layer.
• Place final layer and chill: Place the final rounded cake layer on top. You should have a vaguely egg shaped cake now! Chill the cake well, until the buttercream is firm.
• Trim and shave cake edges into egg shape: Use a serrated knife to trim around the edges of the chilled cake to make it egg shaped. Shave off any protruding edges, and shave down the pointy sides.
• Carve spot for panoramic scene: Once you're happy with the shape, use a knife and a spoon to carve out a hollow in the center of the cake for the panoramic scene. Carve an outline with the knife, and scoop out the insides with a spoon. The exact size is up to you, but be sure to leave a margin around the top and sides so the cake is stable (and leave enough cake to eat!) Look at the size of the candies you want to use in the scene and use those to help you determine the size of the hollow.
• Add crumb coat and chill: Spread a thin layer of purple frosting all along the outside of the cake to lock in crumbs, and spread a thin layer of white frosting on the inside of the hollow. Refrigerate the cake again until the frosting is firm.
• Frost outside and cover with sugar: Spread a thicker layer of purple frosting along the outside of the cake and smooth it out. Pour the purple sparkling sugar into a bowl set on a rimmed baking sheet. Hold the cake on a cake board in one hand, and use your other hand to grab handfuls of sparkling sugar. Pour the sugar over the frosted cake and press gently to adhere it to the frosting. Let the excess sparkling sugar fall onto the baking sheet for easy clean-up later. Cover the whole outside of the cake with sparkling sugar.
• Decorate panoramic scene: To decorate the inside, fit the green frosting bag with a leaf tip, and pipe leaves trailing up the walls of the hollow. Switch to a grass tip, and pipe grass on the bottom. Now add your candy decorations! Flowers, candy eggs, and chocolate animals are all great choices, but use whatever you have available.
• Add border: Finish by fitting a small or medium open star tip on the piping bag filled with white buttercream. Pipe a shell border around the outside of the panoramic scene to make it look more polished. You can also pipe more shells around the entire cake, if you’d like.
• Add finishing touches: Finally, place a small round tip on the green piping bag and pipe swirly vines on top of the egg. Add flowers, either purchased royal icing flowers or homemade buttercream roses, and finish it off with small leaves here and there. You can also write a customized Easter message on your egg if you’d like.
• Serve or store: For the best taste and texture, serve this cake at room temperature. It can be kept, well-wrapped, at room temperature for several days, or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Video

Notes

You will need to make the cake recipe TWICE in the football pan to make this Easter egg cake!

Measuring Tips

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Nutrition

Calories: 726kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 29g | Cholesterol: 168mg | Sodium: 314mg | Potassium: 149mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 55g | Vitamin A: 1550IU | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 1.1mg

🥣How to Make A Sugar Easter Egg Cake

This cake takes a bit of planning, mostly because you’ll need to make the pound cake recipe twice, and it requires some extensive chilling times throughout the entire project. Be sure to read through the recipe before getting started, and leave yourself plenty of time to work on the cake! Full instructions are included in the recipe card above.

Here’s how it all come together:

1. Make 2 rounded pound cakes: The two batches of pound cake batter are baked in a football cake mold–this will help us achieve that signature egg shape!
2. Cut, stack, and frost cake layers: Both cakes will be cut in half and layered one on top of the other with buttercream in between. Once stacked the cake will need to be chilled well.
3. Shape the chilled cake: You’ll use a serrated knife to shape the chilled cake into an egg shape. Then you’ll hollow out a cavity in the center of the cake for the Easter scene.
4. Apply crumb coat and chill: Now the outside of the cake gets a thin crumb coat of frosting, and another chill in the fridge.
5. Frost outside of the cake: The cake is frosted again, with a thicker layer of buttercream this time.
6. Apply sparkling sugar: To get the full sugar egg look, sparkling sugar is pressed all over the outside of the cake.
7. Finish the cake: Time for decorating! Create your panoramic scene with frosting leaves, candy accents, flowers, and any other flourishes. Add a shell border and embellish the top. Yesssss! Keep reading for more decorating ideas.

Browse More:

Pound CakesEaster DessertsLayer CakesSpring Desserts

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EASTER CAKE RECIPES 🐇

We’ve rounded up 35 adorable Easter cake recipes that will make your holiday extra-special — click here to get all the recipes!

💗Pink velvet cake for Valentine’s Day

Flowers and chocolates are all well and good, but if you really want to win someone’s heart this Valentine’s Day, you’ve gotta up your game. Might I suggest making them a big ole layer cake as a token of affection?

Everything about this Sky-High Pink & Red Velvet Cake is swoon-worthy: the eight (!!!) layers of super-moist pink and red velvet cake, the smooth and tangy cream cheese frosting, and the easy but eye-catching candy decorations ringing the sides and top.

If you love the sound of this cake, you won’t want to miss some of our most-beloved Valentine’s Day dessert recipes, including Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies, Trendy Cream Tarts, Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cakes, and another romantic red velvet cake, our Heart-Topped Valentine’s Day Cake.

🧾 What You’ll Need

Equipment

• 8-inch cake pans: My absolute favorite cake pans are 3-inch tall pans with removable bottoms, like these 8-inch cake pans. They’re super versatile, can handle extra-high cakes and cheesecakes, and make removing even the stickiest cake a cinch.
• Mixer: You’ll need some kind of mixer to properly beat the cake batter and frosting. Either a stand mixer or hand mixer will work fine.
• Cake turntable:You can certainly make this cake without a cake turntable, but it’s much easier to layer and decorate cakes when you use one. If you think you will be making cakes regularly, it’s worth it to pick one up — my favorite is this Ateco revolving cake stand.
• Offset spatula: A medium offset spatula is perfect for smoothing frosting on the sides and top of the cake.
• Piping bag and tip: I like these piping bags (I wash them and re-use them to reduce waste!) and used a large closed star piping tip to pipe the rosettes on top.

Pink and Red Velvet Valentine’s Day Cake

Nothing says “love” like this Pink and Red Velvet Valentine’s Day Cake! The uniquely sized tiers give it a modern look, and the graphic red, black, and white heart-and-arrow pattern is striking. You’ll swoon over this romantic red velvet cake!

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Truffle-Topped Heart Cake

This Truffle-Topped Heart Cake is a chocolate lover's dream come true! It starts with a moist chocolate cake, layered with chocolate-blackberry filling and covered with a shiny chocolate glaze. Top it off with a mass of homemade chocolate truffles!

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5 from 3 votes

Sky-High Pink and Red Velvet Cake

Looking for a lovely Valentine’s Day dessert? This Pink and Red Velvet Cake has it all – 8 beautiful cake layers, a delicious cream cheese frosting, and a super easy decoration anyone can do!

Prep Time2 hours hrs

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: homemade, layered cake, red velvet cake, Valentine’s Day

Dessert Type: Cake

Servings: 20 slices

Author: Elizabeth LaBau

Ingredients

For the Red Velvet Cake:

• 10.5 oz all-purpose flour 2 1/2 cups
• 10.5 oz granulated sugar 1 1/2 cups
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1.5 cups buttermilk at room temperature
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 TBSP red gel food coloring or 2 TBSP red liquid food coloring
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Pink Velvet Cake:

• 10.5 oz all-purpose flour 2 1/2 cups
• 10.5 oz granulated sugar 1 1/2 cups
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk at room temperature
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 tsp pink gel food coloring or 2 tsp pink liquid food coloring
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 lb unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 lbs full-fat cream cheese at room temperature
• 3.5 oz marshmallow cream or fluff 1/2 cup
• 2 TBSP vanilla extract
• 3 lbs powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream or milk
• 1/4 tsp salt

To Decorate:

• 2 cups heart-shaped jelly beans

US Standard – Metric

Instructions

To Make the Cakes:

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Line four 8-inch cake pans with parchment rounds, and spray the pans with nonstick cooking spray.
• Begin by making the red velvet cake: in a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa, and salt. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla, and mix on medium speed with a paddle attachment until everything is smooth.
• Stop the mixer, add the dry ingredients, and mix on low until the flour streaks disappear. Turn the speed to medium and continue to mix until any lumps are gone and the batter is smooth. Divide the batter between two cake pans.
• Wash your bowl and paddle, and repeat the process to make the pink velvet layer cakes. They will be made in exactly the same way, except the pink velvet doesn’t contain any cocoa powder, and the amount of food coloring used is less. Bake the pink and red velvet cakes for 30 minutes, until the tops spring back when touched lightly and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Cool the cakes completely on a wire rack, then turn them out of the pans and wrap them well in plastic wrap. Place the cakes in the freezer to chill for at least 1 hour before assembling the cake. They don’t need to be frozen solid, but it will be much easier to assemble if they are partially frozen and firm. If you do want to make them in advance and freeze them for several days or several weeks, that’s fine—they will keep well. Just let them sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before trying to slice them so they’re easier to cut.

To Make the Frosting:

• Combine the butter, cream cheese, and marshmallow cream in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream them together until they’re light and fluffy, without any chunks of butter or cream cheese. Add the vanilla and salt, and mix it in.
• Add the powdered sugar and cream, and mix on low speed until the sugar is moistened. Turn the speed to medium-high and whip until the frosting is fluffy and light. Add more cream or sugar as desired, to get your optimal texture. Use immediately, or store in the refrigerator until ready to use. If it’s too cold straight from the fridge, beat it briefly until it’s a workable texture.

To Assemble:

• Working with partially frozen cakes, cut each one in half so you have 4 red velvet rounds and 4 pink velvet rounds. Place a red velvet round on a cardboard cake circle, and top it with about 1/2 – 2/3 cup of frosting. Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting to the edge of the cake. Place a pink velvet round on top, and top it with more cream cheese.
• Continue to layer the cakes and frosting until you have stacked all 8 cake layers. Spread a very thin layer of frosting on the top and sides of the cake. It will look rough and imperfect, and that’s okay – this is the “crumb coat” and it is used to lock in any stray crumbs.
• Refrigerate the cake for at least an hour, until the frosting on the outside is cold and firm. Add a thicker layer of frosting to the top and sides of each cake, covering the crumb coat, making sure the frosting is as smooth as possible. To get the sides extra-smooth, run a metal offset spatula under very hot water, then wipe it dry and run it along the sides of the cake—the heat from the spatula helps smooth out the frosting. 
• Transfer some remaining frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip, and pipe a ring of rosettes around the outer edge of the cake.
• Press heart-shaped jelly beans into the side of the cake in the pattern of your choice, and add a heart on top of each rosette.
• Keep the cake refrigerated until shortly before you're ready to serve it. This cake keeps well, and should stay moist for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.

Notes

To make cupcakes: Line cupcake pans with 24 paper wrappers. Scoop batter into pans and bake at 350 F for 20-22 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Cool completely before decorating.

This cake can also be made in 9-inch pans if you prefer your cake to be slightly shorter and wider. 

Measuring Tips

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Nutrition

Calories: 849kcal | Carbohydrates: 125g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 569mg | Potassium: 166mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 100g | Vitamin A: 1283IU | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 2mg

THE BEST VALENTINE’S DAY CAKES

Check out our collection of the 27 best Valentine’s Day cake ideas — click here to get all the recipes!

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🎂 Extra-Tall Fresh Blueberry Layer Cake

No one’s ever accused me of being subtle when it comes to my cakes. “Go big or go home” has always been my motto in life–and desserts. (Exhibit A: this towering Spring in Bloom Cake!) So when I ended up with a surplus of super sweet fresh blueberries, it’s no surprise that I wanted to make the biggest, boldest, blueberry-est cake I could think of. If you’re a dessert maximalist like me, you’ll fall head over heels for this tender sour cream cake, packed with fresh blueberry filling!

If you are looking at this and thinking, “Okaaaaay, but I am not feeding a small army this weekend, what am I supposed to do with all this cake?!” I have a few thoughts for you:

1. Check out the FAQ section down below for information on halving the recipe.
2. Use the filling, frosting, and decorating recipes and ideas, and swap in your favorite appropriately-sized cake recipe instead.
3. Consider inviting over a small army of cake lovers??

Read on for the complete how-to, and if you’re now in the mood for all things blueberry, don’t miss our Blueberry Toasted Coconut Tart, Blueberry Crumble Pie, or Blueberry Pavlovas!

🧾 Blueberry Cake Components

Ingredients

There are 3 (well…maybe 3.5) components to this blueberry cake:

• The cake: Every epic cake needs an epic foundation, and this one doesn’t disappoint! This cake starts with a sour cream cake, made using the “reverse creaming” method so the cake is structurally sound but not too dense or dry. The sour cream keeps the cake moist, and adds the perfect subtle tang to balance out the sweetness.
• The blueberry filling: The star of the show is the fresh blueberry filling between all the layers! This is a cousin to my favorite blueberry sauce recipe (which you should 100% pour on some ice cream immediately). But this version is a bit thicker and less sauce-y, to lend stability and support to the cake.
• The frosting: I’m always a sucker for a good Swiss meringue frosting, and I think it’s the perfect choice for a light spring cake where you want the flavor of the fruit to really shine through, so here we’re making a basic vanilla Swiss meringue. If you want other options, this mock (cheater’s) Swiss meringue would also be a great choice to use!
• The granola/streusel: This is considered a half component since it’s not homemade! I was inspired by my favorite blueberry streusel pie to add some cinnamon granola in on top of the blueberry filling. I love the additional flavor and texture it adds, but it’s completely optional if that doesn’t sound appealing to you. You can also get extra credit brownie points and make your own streusel, if you’d like!

Equipment

It’s not a huge surprise that a tall cake takes an equally tall equipment list! Here’s what you’ll need to create this masterpiece: (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• 6″ cake pans: My favorite cake pans to use are 3″ tall and have removable bottoms, like these. They can handle a variety of cake heights with ease, and the removable bottom ensures cakes always come out cleanly.
• 6″ cake boards: I always have a supply of cake boards on hand. They’re indispensable for assembling and transporting cakes, and keeping a few different sizes on hand makes everything easier.
• 6″ parchment rounds:Lining the pans with parchment circles means you’ll never lose a cake bottom during the unmolding process again!
• Dowels: For extra stability and security, you can add dowels to tall cakes like this.
• Acrylic cake disks: Cake disks are optional, but they are one of my favorite “secret weapons” for quickly and easily getting perfectly smooth sides and edges on layer cakes! ESPECIALLY for tall, unwieldy cakes like this, cake disks make the task of creating a smooth and even buttercream layer super simple. I like a thicker buttercream frosting layer, so for a 6″ cake like this, I use a set of two 6.5″ acrylic disks from CakeSafe. (That link is my affiliate link and will get you 10% off anything you buy!)
• Palette knife: I used a few palette knives to create the pattern on this cake. You can substitute a mini offset spatula instead if you prefer.
• Food coloring: I always recommend gel food coloring rather than liquid food coloring — gel will give you a much more intense color payoff. I used a variety of Americolor shades to get the different blue and purple colors you see.
• Piping bag and tip: You’ll need a piping bag and star tip to do the rosette decorations on top.

💭 Assembly Tips

The biggest tip for success I can offer is to give yourself plenty of time to make this cake. More time than you think you will need! ALL the time! There are several homemade components that need to be made, and then cooled before using, and then there are multiple chilling periods during the cake decorating process. What all of this adds up to is a VERY long day if you try to do it all at once.

Instead, I recommend doing this over the course of two days. On the first day, make the cakes, filling, and frosting. (The recipe card gives guidance for how to make and store these components in advance.) Then, on the second day, you can do the assembly and decorating without the pressure of worrying that your cakes have not had time to cool properly, or feeling stressed if your buttercream takes longer than expected to come together. Give your cake plenty of time to chill between decorating steps, because a well-chilled cake is an easy cake to decorate!

This cake is assembled using a “double barrel” method, meaning it is actually two three-layer cakes stacked on top of each other, with a cake board and dowels in the middle for extra support. This step is highly recommended for cake stability, especially if you will be transporting the cake, or if it will be exposed to warm temperatures for any amount of time. (The video does not currently go into this assembly step, but will be revised in the future to better show it.)

💡 FAQs  

💙 More Blueberry Desserts

• Blueberry Pavlovas
• Blueberry Crumble Pie
• Mixed Berry Cobbler
• Berry Shortcake in a Jar

Blueberry Sauce

This Blueberry Sauce is made using fresh or frozen berries and has a hint of lemon. Use it on your favorite dessert for a burst of berry flavor!

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Blueberry Toasted Coconut Tart

This Blueberry Toasted Coconut Tart has a toasted coconut shell, toasted coconut pastry cream, and a delicious fresh blueberry topping.

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5 from 7 votes

Blueberry Layer Cake

This mile-high Blueberry Streusel Layer Cake is extra-tall, extra-gorgeous, and extra-delicious! It’s a twist on the usual blueberry cake recipe, with six moist rounds of sour cream cake, layered with fresh blueberry sauce and sprinkled with streusel in between.  

This cake is assembled using a "double barrel" method, meaning it is actually two cakes stacked on top of each other, with a cake board and dowels in the middle for extra support. Note that this cake's components and assembly require a lot of baking and chilling time, so be sure to read through the recipe before beginning and give yourself plenty of time for everything. Each component includes instructions for making it in advance, if you want to split the recipe up over several days.

Prep Time3 hours hrs

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Chilling Time4 hours hrs

Total Time7 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: blueberries, layer cake

Dessert Type: Cake

Servings: 20 servings

Author: Elizabeth LaBau

Ingredients

For the sour cream cake:

• 8 large egg yolks
• 11 oz sour cream (1 ⅓ cup), at room temperature
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• 16 oz cake flour (4 cups)
• 14 oz granulated sugar (2 cups)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 12 oz unsalted butter at room temperature

For the blueberry filling:

• 2 TBSP cornstarch
• 1 TBSP cold water
• 16 oz blueberries (about 3 cups) fresh or frozen
• 4.67 oz granulated sugar (⅔ cup)
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice from 1 large lemon

For the frosting:

• 9 large egg whites at room temperature
• 14 oz granulated sugar (2 cups)
• 1 lb unsalted butter soft but still cool
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt

To assemble:

• 3.5 oz cinnamon granola (1 cup), optional
• Assorted gel food coloring I used Blue and Purple and recommend Americolor brand
• Sprinkles optional
• Fresh blueberries optional

US Standard – Metric

Instructions

To make the sour cream cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line three 6-inch cake pans with parchment rounds, and spray the parchment and pan sides with nonstick cooking spray.
• Lightly whisk together the egg yolks and about a quarter of the sour cream (no need to be precise) and the vanilla extract, and set aside for now.
• Combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for about a minute to combine the dry ingredients.
• Add the remaining sour cream and the softened butter to the large mixing bowl and mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for a minute and a half.
• Add the egg yolk mixture in three batches, mixing for 20-30 seconds after each addition, until you have a smooth batter. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and give the batter a few more stirs to make sure everything is incorporated.
• Divide the batter evenly between the three pans–if you are using a kitchen scale, each pan should get about 19 ounces of batter. Bake the cakes at 350 F for 45-50 minutes, until the sides just start pulling away from the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Let the cakes cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then gently turn them out and let them cool completely. I find it’s easiest to cut and stack cakes that have been chilled, so if you have time, wrap them with plastic wrap and put them in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, until they are firm but not frozen all the way through. If you are making these in advance, they can stay in the freezer for up to several weeks. Let them partially defrost, until they are firm but not rock-hard, before assembling.

To make the blueberry filling:

• In a small bowl, combine the corn starch and cold water and stir until the starch dissolves. Set aside.
• Place 2.5 cups of blueberries in a medium saucepan, reserving ½ cup for later. Add the sugar and lemon juice to the blueberries, and place the saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally as it heats up and the sugar dissolves. When the berries start releasing their juice, mix in the corn starch.
• Bring it to a boil, stirring regularly. Cook the sauce until the berries have popped and it has a thick, glossy texture. Remove from the heat and stir in the reserved ½ cup of berries.
• Pour the sauce into a container and press a layer of cling wrap directly on top. Refrigerate until completely cool. This can be made several days ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the cake.

To make the frosting:

• Combine the egg whites and the granulated sugar in the bowl of a large stand mixer, and whisk them together. Choose a small saucepan that lets you fit the base of the stand mixer snugly into the top of the saucepan—this is your makeshift hot water bath. (Alternately, you can use a different bowl or an actual bain marie and then transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl once it’s heated.) Add an inch of water to the bottom of the saucepan, and bring the water to a simmer.
• Place the mixing bowl on top of the saucepan, making sure that the bottom isn’t in contact with the water, and heat the egg white mixture. Whisk frequently so that the egg whites don’t cook. Continue to heat the whites until they are hot to the touch, and when you rub a bit between your fingers, you don’t feel any grittiness from the sugar. Once the whites are hot, transfer the mixing bowl to your mixer and fit it with a whisk attachment.
• Beat the whites on medium-high speed until they are a shiny, stiff, voluminous meringue, and are no longer warm to the touch—feel the outside of the bowl, and make sure that it is around room temperature. Depending on your mixer and the temperature of your environment, this may take 15-20 minutes, or more.
• Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the softened but cool butter in small chunks, a tablespoon at a time, making sure to wait in between additions. It may separate or look a little gloopy at this point—fear not. Once all of the butter is added, increase the speed again and whip until it comes together and is light and fluffy. If, after 5 minutes, it hasn’t come together, refrigerate the mixing bowl for 5-7 minutes, to cool the mixture down, and whip it again until it has thickened and is smooth and silky. Add the vanilla extract and salt.
• The buttercream can be made in advance and kept at room temperature if you’re going to use it the same day, or refrigerated. If it has been chilled, let it sit at room temperature until completely soft, then re-whip it to get the smooth texture back before you use it.

To assemble and decorate:

• Using a large serrated knife, slice off the top of each cake to make them completely flat, then slice each cake in half. Place one layer face-up on a cake cardboard.
• Spread a thin layer of buttercream on top of the cake layer. Pipe a ring of buttercream all along the edge of the cake round–this is your “buttercream dam” that prevents the filling from leaking out. Spread ¼ cup blueberry filling inside the buttercream dam, then sprinkle the top with a few spoonfuls of granola, if using. Spread a very thin layer of buttercream on top of the granola–this helps the next layer of cake adhere better.
• Top the cake round with a second round, and repeat the buttercream, blueberry, and granola process. Add a third cake layer on top. Spread a thin layer of buttercream along the sides and top to hold the crumbs in.
• Repeat this whole process a second time, making an identical 3-layer cake on a separate cake board so that you have two 6-inch cakes. Refrigerate both cakes until they are firm, about 45 minutes.
• Insert cake dowels into one of the cakes– place one in the center of the cake, and four in a ring around it a few inches from the edge. Cut the dowels so that they are flush with the top of the cake. Spread a layer of buttercream on top of the doweled cake, then stack the second cake on top, pressing down gently to secure the cakes together.
• Spread a thicker layer of frosting on the top and sides of the cake – I like to use acrylic cake disks to easily get smooth sides. Refrigerate the cake until it is completely firm, at least 1-2 hours.
• While you wait for the cake to chill, color your remaining frosting a variety of shades of blue, purple, and maroon.
• Once the cake is firm, use palette knives or offset spatulas to add strokes of different colors going up the sides of the cake. Layer the colors and vary the pressure to create different shapes and shades of strokes.
• Once you are happy with the sides, use this rainbow frosting technique: layer the remaining buttercream colors on a sheet of plastic wrap, roll it like a burrito, and twist the ends closed. Snip one end off and insert the frosting package, snipped side-down, into a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe multi-colored swirls of frosting along the edges of the cake. Finish with sprinkles, fresh blueberries, or anything else you’d like!
• To serve, separate the two cakes so you can easily slice them as usual. For the best taste and texture, enjoy the cake at room temperature. Leftovers can be kept, well-wrapped, in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Notes

The cake recipe is adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Sour Cream Butter Cake.

Measuring Tips

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Nutrition

Calories: 626kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 172mg | Sodium: 237mg | Potassium: 125mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 1206IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg

About Elizabeth LaBau

I’m Elizabeth, but you can call me SugarHero! I’m a former pastry chef turned blogger, cookbook author, and baking instructor, and I consider myself sugar’s #1 fan. Learn more from my About page, or connect with me on social media:

🥚 Make A Cute Nest Cake this Easter

This Easter Nest Cake recipe was first published in 2015, and since then has become one of SugarHero’s most popular Easter desserts. Every year, I receive emails and pictures from readers who have fallen in love with the cake — from first-time makers to folks who’ve made it a family tradition, this fun and whimsical cake converts new fans every year.

It’s easy to see why this cake recipe is so popular. Obviously, it’s ADORABLE (said with all the bias of a proud parent gazing down at their newborn baby), but it’s also an eye-catching, clever design that looks difficult, but is actually simple (and fun!) to decorate. You don’t need a special cake pan to make it, and you can make the nest decorations as simple or as complex as you’d like.

The BEST part? This Bird’s Nest Cake is deeply, divinely, unapologetically full of chocolate flavor. From the moist cake layers to the fudgy frosting in between, this is a chocolate lover’s dream come true.

🧾 What You’ll Need

Ingredients

This recipe is built on pantry staples, so chances are you have a good amount of the ingredients already. Here are a few notes to keep in mind as you gather ingredients: (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – Since this cake gets all of its chocolate flavor from cocoa powder, I recommend using a high-quality cocoa powder. Cheap cocoa powders can be nearly flavorless, or worse, impart a bitter, dusty, or stale flavor. My personal favorite is Cacao Barry Extra Brute – it hits that sweet spot between very high quality but also pretty affordable since it is sold in bulk. Whatever you use, make sure that it is dutch-processed (also known as alkalized), because that will make a huge difference in the final taste and texture of the cake! 
• Butter – Use unsalted butter, and leave it at room temperature before you start baking. This is an all-butter cake, which is my favorite type of chocolate cake to make. Using butter instead of oil gives the cake more flavor, makes it less prone to a greasy texture, and also makes the cake sturdy enough for layering into tall cakes. Chocolate butter cakes can also be turned into great cupcakes, and if you’re looking for a no-fail cupcake, check out my Chocolate Cupcake recipe. 
• Unsweetened Chocolate: the frosting uses unsweetened chocolate, which gives it an ultra-rich texture and deep chocolate flavor. Any unsweetened bar you pick up from the grocery store will work – I typically use Guittard or Baker’s unsweetened chocolate.
• Decorations: use coconut or edible Easter grass to line your nest, then fill it with your favorite Easter egg candies. Just like these Easter Egg Brownies, you can’t go wrong with which candies you choose!

Equipment

There are a few must-haves to make this cake: (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Grass Piping Tip: the secret to getting that messy, swirled bird’s nest look is a multi-opening piping tip, also known as a “grass” tip.
• Piping Bags: use piping bags to add the frosting and to any additional decoration.
• Metal Bowl:we’re using a 4-quart mixing bowl as the baking pan to create that perfect nest shape.
• Egg Candy Molds: I use both large and small egg candy molds to shape the chocolate eggs for decorating. You can skip this if you’re using pre-bought Easter decorations!

📋 Instructions

Curious about how to construct this cute nest shape? I’ve got ya covered! Here’s a quick overview of the decorating process. You can find full printable instructions in the recipe card below.

Bake & Layer the Cake

• Line a 4-quart metal bowl with overlapping strips of parchment paper, then spray well with nonstick cooking spray.
• Pour in the cake batter and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.
• Let the cake cool completely, then wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it well. An hour in the freezer or several hours in the refrigerator is perfect!
• Flip the cake out onto a cardboard circle, so the widest part is now the base. Cut the cake into three equal layers.

Frost the Cake

• Spread a thick layer of chocolate frosting on the bottom cake layer, and use a metal spatula to smooth it out to the edges.
• Top that layer with a second cake layer, and add more frosting. Finally, add the final third of cake.
• Once all of the cake layers are assembled, spread a thin layer of chocolate frosting all along the sides of the cake, to seal in any crumbs and to give it more structural support. Don’t put any frosting on the “top” of the cake, because once we’re done decorating it, the cake will be flipped over and that will be the bottom!

Add Frosting Decorations

• Fit a piping bag with a grass tip and fill it with chocolate frosting. Starting at the top of the cake, squeeze the frosting out onto the sides, going around and around the cake as you work your way down. Don’t worry about making it “pretty”—this actually looks best when the frosting weaves around in a random pattern.
• Place a small cardboard cake circle on top of the cake, and flip the cake upside-down so it is now a nest shape. If you have bare spots on the sides that you couldn’t decorate before, add frosting to them now.
• Use a spoon to scrape out a shallow hole in the top of the cake. Leave a lip around the edge to hold the eggs in.

Add Finishing Touches

• Spread a thin layer of frosting on the top of the cake, and go around the edges with the grass tip so the nest’s texture covers the edge around the top.
• Fill the nest cake with chocolate eggs, jelly beans, marshmallow chicks, edible grass, or any other combination of Easter candy you can dream up!

💡 Tips

• Chill out. You will have a much easier time decorating this cake if it is well-chilled before you start assembly. It can even be partially frozen (completely frozen will make it hard to slice!) Working with a cold cake provides more stability during the assembly process. Consider baking the cake on one day, and doing the decorating on the next.
• Assemble upside down. I recommend assembling and frosting the nest cake upside-down so it’s more stable. Once it’s assembled, then you can flip it over and add the topping!
• To make the speckled eggs pictured in this post, check out these instructions for Hollow Chocolate Easter Eggs. I make them in different sizes using both a small egg mold and a large egg mold. The video shows an alternative way to decorate, using store-bought Easter candies.
• Play around with decorations. You can add any Easter-y decorations your heart desires! Try coconut grass, Peeps, jelly beans, chocolate figurines, or anything else you enjoy eating.

💭 Easter Nest Cake FAQs

Easter Push-Up Pops

These Push-Up Pops are perfect for Easter! Chocolate cake, frosting, and chocolate rocks are layered in push pop containers, then topped with adorable chocolate bunny ears, carrots, and bunny butts.

View Recipe

Chocolate Easter Bunny Cake

It just wouldn’t be Easter without at least one adorable bunny-themed treat, and this Chocolate Easter Bunny Cake delivers! Moist chocolate cake, smooth buttercream, and lots of mini fondant decorations on top make this bunny cake a favorite the whole family will love.

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Print Recipe

4.70 from 10 votes

Easter Nest Cake

This Easter Nest Cake is a cute and easy Easter dessert recipe! It’s baked right in a bowl–no special pan required–and is decorated with chocolate frosting to look like a sweet little bird’s nest, complete with your favorite Easter egg candies.

Prep Time3 hours hrs

Cook Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total Time4 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Easter cake, layer cake, Nest cake

Dessert Type: Cake, Easter recipe

Servings: 16 servings

Author: Elizabeth LaBau

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 6 oz unsalted butter at room temperature
• 4.75 oz granulated sugar (2/3 cup)
• 5 oz brown sugar (2/3 cup packed)
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 oz buttermilk 1 cup, at room temperature
• 4 oz sour cream 1/2 cup, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp water or brewed coffee
• 7.8 oz all-purpose flour (1¾ cups)
• 3 oz unsweetened cocoa powder (1 cup)
• 1½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt

For the Frosting:

• 12 oz unsweetened chocolate finely chopped
• 36 oz powdered sugar (9 cups)
• 12 oz unsalted butter (3 sticks, or 1.5 cups) at room temperature
• 1/2 cup milk plus more if necessary
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt

For Decoration:

• Candy eggs assorted variety, optional
• Peeps optional
• Easter candy optional

US Standard – Metric

Instructions

To Make the Cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cut 4 strips of parchment paper about 2 inches wide and 14-16 inches long. Spray an oven-safe 4-quart metal bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the parchment strips in an asterisk in the center of the bowl, so they overlap each other in the middle and extend up the sides. Spray the parchment with nonstick cooking spray—this process makes it easy to remove the cake after baking.
• Combine the butter and both sugars in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat them together on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix it in.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and water (or coffee, if using). In a different bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running on low, add a quarter of the sifted flour mixture. When the flour streaks have almost all disappeared, add a third of the liquid to the mixing bowl. When that’s incorporated, continue to add the drys and wets in an alternating pattern, ending with the dry ingredients.
• When the dry ingredients are nearly incorporated, stop the mixer. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and finish mixing the cake by hand. Pour the batter into the prepared bowl and smooth it into an even layer. Bake the cake for about 70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. If the top seems to be getting too dark during baking, cover it with foil to prevent it from burning. Because of the unique shape of the bowl, it takes a little longer to bake than other cakes, and can sometimes bake a little unevenly. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack.
• Unmolding the cake should be a simple matter of turning it out onto a cake cardboard—the parchment is a big help here. If you’re having trouble, gently use a small metal spatula around the sides to loosen the cake before unmolding it. The cake can be made several days in advance and kept, well-wrapped and refrigerated or frozen, until ready to use. If you freeze it, make sure it’s partially defrosted before you use it so you can cut it easily.

To Make the Frosting:

• Place the chopped unsweetened chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and melt it in 30-second increments, stirring after every 30 seconds until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Place the remaining ingredients (sugar through salt) in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the sugar is thoroughly moistened, then raise the speed to medium and beat for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• Turn the mixer speed back to low, and add the chocolate. Once the chocolate is mixed in, raise the speed back to medium and beat for one minute more. If it seems too stiff, add a bit more milk until you get a texture that you like. Use immediately, or place in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed on top. The frosting can be made several days in advance and kept in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature before using.

To Assemble:

• Cut out a cardboard cake circle the same size as the bottom of the chocolate cake. If the inside of your bowl was round, instead of having a flat bottom, trim the rounded part off the bottom of the chocolate cake, to give the cake a flat base.
• Place a large cake cardboard on a cake turntable, and flip the cake upside-down so the widest part is now on the bottom. Cut the cake into three layers with a long serrated knife. Spread a thick layer of chocolate frosting on top of the cake layer, and use a metal spatula to smooth it out to the edges.
• Top the cake with the second layer, and add another layer of frosting. Finally, add the final layer of cake. Once all of the cake layers are assembled, spread a thin layer of chocolate frosting all along the sides of the cake, to seal in any crumbs and to give it more structural support. Don’t put any frosting on the “top” of the cake, because once we’re done decorating it, the cake will be flipped over and that will be the bottom!
• After your sides are covered with chocolate, transfer some of the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a grass tip (I used Ateco #133). Starting at the top of the cake, squeeze the frosting out onto the sides, going around and around the cake as you work your way down. Don’t worry about making it “pretty”—this actually looks best when the frosting weaves around in a random pattern, because that makes it look more like a nest. Just make sure to fill in all the gaps so there aren’t any naked areas not covered in the long strings of chocolate frosting. It might get more difficult as you get toward the bottom of the cake, so just go as far down as you can.
• Place the small cardboard cake circle on top of the cake, and using the large circle underneath to support it, flip the cake upside-down so it is now the typical nest shape. If you have bare spots on the sides that you couldn’t decorate before, add frosting to them now.
• Use a spoon to scrape out a shallow hole in the top of the cake. You just want to create a little indentation where the eggs will rest, so only scrape about 1/2- or 3/4-inch of cake, and leave a lip around the edge to hold the eggs in. Spread a thin layer of frosting on the top of the cake, and go around the edges with the grass tip so the nest’s texture covers the edge around the top.
• Fill the nest cake with chocolate eggs, jelly beans, marshmallow chicks, edible grass, or any other combination of Easter candy you can dream up!

Video

Measuring Tips

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Nutrition

Calories: 764kcal | Carbohydrates: 106g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 332mg | Potassium: 343mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 85g | Vitamin A: 909IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 5mg

EASTER CAKE RECIPES 🐇

We’ve rounded up 35 adorable Easter cake recipes that will make your holiday extra-special — click here to get all the recipes!

🎉 What IS a piñata cake?

What’s the only thing better than a tall chocolate cake with rich chocolate buttercream? A tall chocolate cake, with rich chocolate buttercream, packed full of CANDY that comes pouring out when you cut into it!

Yep, piñata cakes are inspired by piñatas–you know, those cardboard and tissue paper characters that are filled with goodies and then attacked by sugar-crazed, bat-wielding children at birthday parties. But instead of whacking a cardboard princess to get at stale lollipops and toys, you just cut a slice from an innocent-looking cake, and candy pours out instead!

Piñata cakes are the best of both worlds – you get a delicious slice of cake, served with a side of candy! Kids love them, of course, but they’re not just for kids. The spectacle of the candy pouring out turns any gathering from a ho-hum party into a par-tay!

🍬 The ultimate chocolate cake with candy inside!

It was important to me that this piñata cake not only look amazing, but taste amazing too. That’s why it’s made with eight (eight!!!) layers of tender homemade chocolate cake, an ultra-dark and rich black chocolate buttercream, vanilla buttercream for those bright neon colors, and–of course–glimmering candy-coated chocolate inside.

If you’re looking for more amazing chocolate layer cakes, don’t miss our Agate Cake, Mint Chocolate Chip Cake, or decadent Rocky Road Cake!

🧾 What You’ll Need

There are 3 main components to this cake:

• chocolate cake
• black (chocolate flavored) buttercream
• vanilla buttercream

I’m providing all of the recipes for you down in the recipe card, so you can make it exactly as shown in the pictures and video!

However, if you have a favorite cake recipe, chocolate buttercream, or vanilla buttercream recipe, you are welcome to swap them in instead! The assembly and decorating tutorial will work with a variety of cake and frosting types.

Important: Just be sure that any cake you use is sturdy enough to be stacked into a tall layer cake (I don’t recommend cake mixes for this reason), and that your frosting is medium to medium-stiff consistency.

Having said that, here are some specific notes about the ingredients and equipment used in this recipe! Whenever possible, I’ve linked the exact products I used to help you find them.

Ingredient Notes

• Cocoa powder: Cocoa powder is used in both the chocolate cake and the chocolate frosting recipes. I recommend using Dutch-processed (alkalized) cocoa, and my absolute favorite brand is Cacao Barry. I buy this in bulk and swear by it! The cocoa powder you use makes a HUGE difference in the final flavor of your baking, so it pays to buy great quality.
• Black cocoa powder: This is my secret for getting deep, dark black frosting. (It’s also my secret ingredient in Homemade Oreos and Cookies and Cream Cake!) I love this Black Onyx brand and always keep some on hand. In this recipe, I use a combination of black and regular cocoa powder to give the frosting a black color. I find that black cocoa powder can be bitter and drying when used on its own, so I like to blend it with regular cocoa for better results. If you don’t have any, you can swap in more regular cocoa, just know that you’ll probably have to compensate with additional black food coloring.
• Black food coloring: Speaking of food coloring…you’re gonna need some! It’s a fact of life that you can’t get dark black or bright neon without using a little food coloring! I always use Americolor Super Black gel coloring.
• Neon food coloring: Love those bright-bright-bright colors? Me too! I achieved them with this Americolor “Electric Kit.” It has seven dazzling neon colors, and I used six of them to decorate this cake.
• Candy: It wouldn’t be a piñata without candy, now would it? I used multicolored Sixlets, and I think M&Ms would be another great choice. Avoid using sprinkles or unwrapped hard candies–anything that’s primarily sugar will absorb moisture from the cake and quickly become a sticky mess.

🥄 Equipment

You will need some standard cake-decorating tools to make this cake, and I’ve also included a few optional tools that will make your cake life much easier! If you don’t have all of these items, you can modify the assembly or design to work with what you have. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

Must-Haves

• Cake pans: You will need four 6″ cake pans. I like the 3-inch deep ones because they’re so versatile. If you only have two pans, you can halve the recipe and make/bake it twice to end up with four 6″ cakes.
• Basic cake tools: Assembling and decorating will be MUCH easier if you have a cake turntable and offset spatula. I keep a ton of these cheap gripper pads in my kitchen to use on my turntable so cakes don’t slide around.
• Piping tools: To create this design, you’ll need at least six piping bags,  six #4 round tips to pipe the donkey, and six large French star tips.
• Round circle cutter: to cut out the circles from the cake. I found 3″ circles were a good size, but anything from 2.5-3.25″ should be fine.

Nice-to-Haves

• Acrylic Discs: you’ll see me using these discs to frost the cake in the video. These are definitely optional, but I LOVE mine–it makes getting smooth, straight sides and razor-sharp corners a breeze! I’m using 6.5″ discs from CakeSafe.
• Super-tall scraper: this 10″ straight edge is a lifesaver for extra-tall cakes! If you don’t have one you can always use that metal spatula we talked about earlier, but if you’ll be making a lot of cakes, it’s worth it to invest in a tall scraper.

⏲ Let’s Talk Timing

If it wasn’t obvious from the 12-page recipe, this is a bit of a project! (I kid about the 12 pages…kinda.) It’s a FUN project, and completely worth your time, but just know that it’s not the kind of cake you bust out 45 minutes before company is due to arrive.

I strongly encourage you to break this cake assembly up into a few days, if possible. Here’s why:

1. The frosting really needs at least a day to develop the best colors. You’ll get a deeper, richer black, and brighter, more vivid neons, if you color the frosting and then let it sit overnight.
2. There are multiple long chilling times during the cake assembly. A cold cake is an easier cake to work with, and you don’t want to cut corners, especially when cutting corners means your cake is tilting like the leaning tower of Pisa and sliding all over your turntable!
3. And finally, most importantly: you’ll have more fun making it if you’re not stressed, and you’ll do your best decorating if you’re not sweating the clock. Baking should be fun, so set yourself up for success from the start!

⏰ Recommended Schedule

Here is my ideal schedule for putting together this cake:

• Day 1: bake the cake layers, wrap them well, and put them in the freezer. Make and color all frosting, wrap well, and leave at room temperature or in refrigerator.
• Day 2: Assemble the cake layers, fill with candy, and crumb coat. Chill well, then do the final frosting coat.
• Day 3: Decoration day!! Add the sprinkle border, pipe the piñata design, and finish with the thick rope border.

Do you have to do it this way? Of course not! But please read through the recipe before starting to figure out what kind of timing and schedule will work for you!

🐴 Get the Donkey Piñata Template

You can decorate this piñata cake however you’d like! But if you’d like to recreate this cake and do a donkey piñata design, you can download the pdf here.

Print this design out on cardstock and cut it out. Trace around it on your cake to create a cute donkey piñata shape.

💡 Tips  

It’s easiest to cut this cake when it is still chilled, but not straight from the refrigerator. (You want the stability of the cold to keep the slices intact, but straight from the fridge can make the frosting extremely hard.)

The candy will roll everywhere once it’s cut, so put it on a rimmed cake stand or plate if you want to avoid that! Cut the cake into slices (don’t forget to ooh and aah as the candy pours out) and serve with a few pieces of candy on the side of the plate!

For the best taste and texture, enjoy this cake at room temperature. Cold cake and frosting is great to cut, but mediocre to eat. Store leftovers, covered, at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

🎂 More Fun Party Cakes

If you like this piñata cake, I already know you love a good party cake! Try one of these fun ideas:

• Circus Animal Cake
• Curious George Cake
• Mini Banana Split Cakes
• Striped Buttercream Balloon Cake
• Watermelon Cake
• Where the Wild Things Are Birthday Cake

Birthday Present Mini Cakes

These cute Birthday Present Mini Cakes are decorated with fruit roll-up pom-poms on top to look like mini gifts! The perfect layer cake for your next birthday party, or any fun celebration.

View Recipe

Colorful Unicorn Cakes

These bright mini Unicorn Cakes put a colorful spin on traditional unicorn cakes! The cake batter and the frosting are both swirled with a colorful watercolor effect, so these cheerful unicorns look magical, inside and out.

View Recipe

Print Recipe

5 from 8 votes

Piñata Cake

This Piñata Cake is the ultimate party cake! Picture layers of moist, deep dark chocolate cake, stacked with rich chocolate buttercream, and filled to the brim with colorful chocolate candy that POURS out when you cut into it! And the best part? It’s easier to make than you’d think!

Prep Time4 hours hrs

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Chilling Time2 hours hrs

Total Time6 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: birthday, birthday cake, chocolate cake, cinco de mayo, colorful cake

Dessert Type: Cake

Servings: 20 slices

Author: Elizabeth LaBau

Ingredients

For the chocolate cake:

• 9 oz unsalted butter at room temperature
• 7 oz granulated sugar (1 cup)
• 7.5 oz brown sugar (1 cup, lightly packed)
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• 18 fl oz buttermilk (2 ¼ cups, at room temperature)
• 1 TBSP instant espresso powder optional
• 12 oz all-purpose flour (2 ⅔ cups)
• 4.5 oz unsweetened cocoa powder (1.5 cups)
• 2 ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt

For the black chocolate buttercream:

• 24 oz unsalted butter at room temperature
• 4-6 TBSP milk 1 or 2% is fine
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 oz unsweetened cocoa powder (1 cup)
• 1.5 oz black cocoa powder (½ cup) or substitute with more regular cocoa powder
• 32 oz powdered sugar
• 2 TBSP Black gel food coloring I recommend Americolor Super Black

For the colored buttercream:

• 1 lb unsalted butter at room temperature
• 4 TBSP milk 1 or 2% is fine
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 28 oz powdered sugar
• Neon gel food coloring I used 6 "electric" Americolor gels

For the assembly and decorations:

• 3 cups candy I used Sixlets
• ¼ cup light corn syrup or piping gel
• 1 cup multicolored sprinkles I used Sweetapolita “Lite Brite” mix

US Standard – Metric

Instructions

To make the cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line four 6-inch cake pans with parchment circles and spray them with nonstick cooking spray, or brush them with pan release.
• Add the butter and both sugars to the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat them together on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and espresso powder, if using, and mix them in.
• In a different bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running on low, add a quarter of the sifted flour mixture. When the flour streaks have almost all disappeared, add a third of the liquid to the mixing bowl. When that’s incorporated, continue to add the drys and wets in an alternating pattern, ending with the dry ingredients.
• When the dry ingredients are nearly incorporated, stop the mixer. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and finish mixing the cake by hand.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans — each should get about 16 oz batter. Bake the cakes at 350 F for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Cool the cakes for 15 minutes, then turn them out of the pans and cool completely.
• The cakes can be made several days in advance and kept, well-wrapped and frozen, until ready to use. If you freeze them, make sure they are partially defrosted before using them so they can be cut easily.

To make the black buttercream:

• Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat the butter for 2-3 minutes, until light and creamy.
• While the butter is beating, mix together 4 TBPS of milk, the vanilla, and the salt in a small bowl, and stir to help the salt dissolve.
• With the mixer on low, add the milk mixture. At first it will resist coming together, but raise the speed to medium-low and continue to beat it for about a minute, until it comes together and you have a smooth and creamy mixture.
• Sift both cocoa powders together to remove any lumps.
• Turn the mixer back to low and add the cocoa powder. When it’s mixed in, add about half of the powdered sugar.
• Let that powdered sugar incorporate, then add the rest of the powdered sugar. Let it mix, then stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to get any dry pockets.
• Mix at medium speed for 2 minutes, then lower it to the lowest speed and run the mixer for about 5 minutes. If the frosting is very stiff, add additional milk, a teaspoon at a time, until it is creamy, smooth, and easily spreadable.
• Add the black food coloring and mix it in. Add additional coloring if desired. The black color will darken and deepen over time, so if you’re able to make this a day in advance, you’ll have more success getting a true dark black.
• Press a layer of plastic wrap directly on top of the frosting, and store it at room temperature for up to a day, or in the refrigerator for a week, until ready to use. When you’re going to use it, stir it for several minutes by hand with a rubber spatula to remove any air bubbles and restore its creamy texture.

To make the colored buttercream:

• Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat the butter for 2-3 minutes, until light and creamy.
• While the butter is beating, mix together the milk, vanilla, and salt in a small bowl, and stir to help the salt dissolve.
• With the mixer on low, add the milk mixture. At first it will resist coming together, but raise the speed to medium-low and continue to beat it for about a minute, until it comes together and you have a smooth and creamy mixture.
• Turn the mixer back to low and add about half of the powdered sugar.
• When that’s mixed in, add the rest of the powdered sugar. Let it mix, then stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to get any dry pockets.
• Mix at medium speed for 2 minute, then lower it to the lowest speed and run the mixer for about 5 minutes. At the end, your frosting should be creamy and smooth.
• Divide the frosting evenly into 6 bowls–each should have a little over a cup of frosting. Add a big squirt of neon food coloring to each bowl and stir well, then add additional coloring if you want a brighter color. All food coloring intensifies over time, so if you’re able to make this several hours or even a day ahead of time, you’ll have brighter colors.
• Press a piece of cling wrap directly on top of the frosting and keep it covered until you’re ready to use it, so it won’t dry out. When you’re ready, transfer each color into a piping bag fitted with a small round #4 tip.

To assemble:

• If your cakes have domed, trim off the tops to make them flat, then slice each cake in half, so that you have eight thin cake layers.
• Leave three of the layers as they are, and for the remaining five, use a 3-inch circle cutter to cut a circle out of the center of the cakes. You can eat the centers, or save for another use. Put one of your intact cake layers on a cake cardboard to be the base of the cake.
• If you are using acrylic discs, put a nonskid pad on your cake turntable, then a 6.5” disc, then another nonskid pad, then top with a cake on a cake cardboard. If you aen’t using discs, just place the cake on a cardboard on your cake turntable with a nonskid pad underneath if you have one.
• Spread about ½ cup of black frosting on top of the base cake layer. Take a second cake layer without the center hole, and place it on top. Spread more frosting on this second layer.
• Now grab those layers with the center holes! Stack them, one on top of the other, with a thin layer of buttercream between each. I like to use a piping bag to pipe a ring of buttercream on the cake rounds, and then spread it evenly with a mini spatula. Try to make sure you’re stacking the cake as straight as possible as you add the layers.
• Take a mini spatula and spread a thin layer of frosting on the walls of the hole inside the cake– this just helps the cake’s stability and also seals in the cake so it stays moist. Refrigerate the cake for 20-30 minutes, until the frosting is firm.
• Fill the hole in the cake with candy of your choice. I recommend candy-covered chocolates like Sixlets or M&Ms, or candies that are individually wrapped. Avoid unwrapped hard candies–they will absorb too much moisture from the cake and will be a sticky mess.
• Add a thin layer of frosting around the top of the cake, and press the final cake layer on top. Spread a thin layer of frosting all over the top and sides of the cake to lock in any crumbs. Refrigerate for at least an hour, until firm.
• To finish frosting the cake, spread a thick layer of frosting on top of the cake and smooth it out all the way to the sides. If you are using acrylic discs: take a second 6.5” disc and place a few dabs of frosting along the outside edge. Press a parchment circle onto the disc, then place the disc parchment side-down on top of the cake. Try to make sure the top disc is in line with the bottom disc.
• Cover the sides of the cake with frosting. Take a tall straight edge and start scraping the extra frosting off, filling in the areas where it’s sparse. As you work, make sure you are holding the scraper in a straight line against both the top and bottom disc. Fill in any frosting gaps, and keep filling and scraping until you’re happy with the buttercream. Chill for at least 20 minutes, then run a hot, thin sharp knife under the top disc so that it pops off. Carefully peel off the parchment from the top.
• If you are not using acrylic discs: Once the top is frosted, spread a thick layer of black frosting along the sides of the cake. Use a metal spatula, bench scraper, or tall straight edge to smooth the frosting into an even layer. Wash the spatula frequently in hot water to make the smoothing process easier.
• Scoop a little more black frosting on top, and spread it almost to the edge. Take a mini spatula and hold it against the cake as you turn it on the turntable, to create a spiral design. Don’t worry about making the cake edges look nice, since those will be covered up later. Chill the cake for at least an hour, until very firm. This is also a good stopping place if you want to refrigerate it overnight.
• To decorate:
• Use a pastry brush to brush the bottom inch of the cake with corn syrup or piping gel, and press sprinkles all around to make a sprinkle border.
• Cut the pinata donkey or other shape of your choice out of cardstock. With one hand hold it against the cake, and with the other lightly trace around it with a toothpick.
• Take one of your frosting bags, and use an up and down motion to make a small zig-zag pattern across the bottom of the shape.
• Once you’ve done your first line, use a different color for the second layer. Make sure you slightly overlap the first layer so that it looks like the second color is laying on top of the first. Keep repeating this design with different colors as you work your way up the pinata shape.
• When the shape is completely filled in, swap the small round tip for a large French star tip for each piping bag. (I used Wilton #8B). Pipe a rope border in alternating colors all along the top edge.
• It’s easiest to cut this cake when it is still chilled, but not straight from the refrigerator. (You want the stability of the cold to keep the slices intact, but straight from the fridge can make the frosting extremely hard.) The candy will roll everywhere once it’s cut, so put it on a rimmed cake stand or plate if you want to avoid that!
• Cut the cake into slices (don’t forget to ooh and aah as the candy pours out) and serve with a few pieces of candy on the side! For the best taste and texture, enjoy this cake at room temperature. Store leftovers, covered, at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Video

Notes

Timing: It is much, MUCH easier if you make this cake over the course of a few days! The cake assembly requires several chilling times, and the buttercream will be much more vibrant if you make it a day or two in advance. Read the recipe carefully, and please give yourself plenty of time to put everything together.

Yield: This cake is only 7” wide, but it is very rich, and VERY tall! As a result, it’s difficult to give a precise yield. At a minimum, you should get 12 pieces, and if serving children, you can most likely get 20-24 servings.

Measuring Tips

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Nutrition

Calories: 525kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 128mg | Sodium: 362mg | Potassium: 206mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 1260IU | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 2mg

Happy Valentine’s Day! I haven’t made a big, all-out cake in a while, so I thought it only fitting to ring in the day of looooove by going back to my one true love: over-the-top cakes! (Apologies to my husband, but he’s always known there’s a special place in my heart for cake beasts like this.)

For this Valentine’s Day cake, I wanted to do something a little different and ply around with proportions, so I made the top cake tier extra- tall, with 6 layers of cake, and the bottom tier extra-short, with just 2 layers. I always think it’s fun to switch up perspective—I also really love it when multi-tiered wedding cakes do the same thing, with a really really tall layer stuck right in the middle of shorter layers. It’s just a nice change from the usual uniformity of fancy cakes. Why not play around with expectations a little bit??

(Now that I’m out of the wedding cake game I don’t really have the opportunity to make cakes larger than 2 tiers usually, but maybe I should just for fun! Stay tuned…)

In addition to the slightly unusual cake sizing, I also went jumbo with the fondant heart topper. Yes, this bad boy is aaaaallll fondant, and he pretty much made my son’s dreams come true. (Don’t worry, I didn’t let him take more than a bite or two!) If you wanted something a little more delicious, you could instead make a heart out of rice crispy treats and cover that with fondant decorations. Rice crispy treats are a great way to make large, lightweight toppers that are more pleasant to eat than just plain fondant.

Speaking of fondant…the mini arrow decorations on the top tier are fondant as well! (I was just thinking that I’ve already typed the word “fondant” way too much in this post, but in looking through my archives I realized I rarely share fondant cake recipes with you, so I guess I’m making up for it today!)

The arrows are made out of little red hearts and strips of perfectly imperfect black fondant. You could also use black food coloring or black food markers to make the arrows (in the same way I used food coloring to paint the black on the heart topper) but I really loved the sweet, slightly homespun look of all those arrow segments. It just seemed to fit the aesthetic of the cake.

The bottom tier is also covered with fond–just kidding! I gave us all a fondant break on the bottom and covered the last tier with sweet little Valentine’s Day heart sprinkles. You can use whatever sprinkles/nonpareils/jimmies you’d like, or even leave it plain, but I think the chaos of the sprinkles is fun in contrast to the super-stark red, black, and white upper layers.

And how does it look when you cut into it? Pretty cool, if I do say so myself!

This cake is a typical red velvet, meaning it’s a light cocoa cake that mostly tastes like a buttermilk cake. Because it’s oil-based instead of butter-based, it tends to keep very well and will stay moist for days. It’s a lovely celebration cake, and of course, you can switch up the colors if you’d like.

More romantic cake recipes Strawberries and Cream Layer Cake, Sky-High Pink and Red Velvet Cake, Giant Rose Cake, Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cakes and Raspberry-Rose Cake Recipe.

Wishing you a lovely Valentine’s Day full of love, hearts, and lots and lots of cake!

Equipment You Will Need:

Cake turntable
6” cake cardboards
9” cake cardboards
Metal offset spatula
Cake dowels
Small paint brush
Fondant rolling pin
Small heart-shaped cookie cutter

Don’t miss our collection of the 10 Best Valentine’s Day Cakes – see the whole web story here!

Print Recipe

5 from 6 votes

Pink and Red Velvet Valentine’s Day Cake

Nothing says “love” like this Pink and Red Velvet Valentine’s Day Cake! The uniquely sized tiers give it a modern look, and the graphic red, black, and white heart-and-arrow pattern is striking. You’ll swoon over this romantic red velvet cake!

Prep Time3 hours hrs

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time4 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Pink and Red Velvet Valentine’s Day CAke

Dessert Type: Cake, Valentine’s Dessert

Servings: 24

Author: Elizabeth LaBau

Ingredients

For the Pink and Red Velvet Cake:

• 17 oz all-purpose flour (3 ¾ cups)
• 15.75 oz granulated sugar (2 ¼ cups)
• 1.5 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
• 12 fl oz vegetable oil (1 ½ cups)
• 18 fl oz buttermilk (2 ¼ cups), at room temperature
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 1.5 tsp white vinegar
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 TBSP red gel food coloring
• 2 TBSP pink gel food coloring

For the Buttercream Frosting:

• 8 fl oz pasteurized liquid egg whites (1 cup)
• 32 oz powdered sugar (8 cups)
• 1 tsp salt
• 32 oz unsalted butter (4 cups), at room temperature
• 2 TBSP vanilla extract

For the Decorations:

• 1 lb white fondant
• 8 oz red fondant
• 2 oz black fondant
• Black gel food coloring
• 3 cups Valentine’s Day sprinkles
• ½ cup large heart-shaped sprinkles

US Standard – Metric

Instructions

To Make the Cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 Line two 6×3-inch cake pans, and two 9×2-inch cake pans, with parchment paper rounds and spray the rounds with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.
• In the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium-low speed until well-combined.
• Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the pan with a spatula, then mix on medium speed until the cake batter is smooth and all the lumps of flour have disappeared.
• Pour out half of the batter into a separate bowl. Stir the red food coloring into one portion of the batter, and the pink coloring into the second portion.
• Divide the batter into the prepared pans, making one 6-inch and one 9-inch cake of each color. (If you want to use a kitchen scale, the tall 6-inch cakes should each have 23 oz of batter, and the shorter 9-inch cakes should each have 12 oz of batter.)
• Bake the 9-inch cakes for 15-18 minutes, and the 6-inch cakes for 45-50 minutes. The tops should spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Cool the cakes completely before proceeding.

To Make the Frosting:

• Combine the whites, powdered sugar, and salt in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix everything together on low speed, until the sugar is moistened and no dry patches remain. Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula, then turn the mixer to medium speed. Beat on medium for 5 minutes.
• After 5 minutes, turn the mixer to medium-low and start adding the softened room temperature butter, 1-2 tablespoons at a time. Once all of the butter is incorporated, add the vanilla extract and mix it in. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides once more. Turn the speed to medium and beat the buttercream for 10 minutes. At the end, you’ll have a frosting with a wonderfully light and creamy texture. It can be used right away, or stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or the freezer for up to two months. If you have chilled the frosting, let it come to room temperature and then beat it for several minutes to smooth it out and restore its texture before using it.

To Make the Heart Topper:

• (Note that the heart should be made at least 24 hours in advance, to give it time to harden before assembly!)
• Dust your work surface lightly with powdered sugar, and roll out the red fondant until it is about ½-inch thick. If you have an extra-large heart-shaped cookie cutter, you can use that to cut a heart shape that’s about 6-inches wide. Otherwise, draw a 6-inch heart on paper to use as a template, and trace around it with a paring knife to cut out your fondant heart. Cut out a second, smaller heart that is 1-inch wide to use as the tip of the arrow.
• Cover a baking sheet with parchment lightly dusted with powdered sugar, and set the large heart on the parchment.
• Push a wooden skewer into the bottom of the heart, making sure to keep it in the middle of the fondant so it doesn’t poke up out of either side, and push it up until it is firmly embedded and secure.
• Roll out some white fondant so it is a similar ½-inch width, and cut out the front and back of the arrow shapes. Push a long toothpick into the top of the heart where the back of the arrow should go, to make a hole, then take it out. Push the toothpick halfway into the back of the arrow, brush it lightly with corn syrup, then push the toothpick into the hole you made previously, joining the heart and arrow together so they touch. The corn syrup will help the two fondant pieces fuse together as the arrow dries.
• Repeat the process with the front of the arrow, using 2 toothpicks this time: one to affix the heart on the arrow tip, and one to join the arrow to the large heart. (Trim the white fondant if necessary so it fits the curves of the arrows.) Make sure you add a touch of corn syrup to each fondant piece so they fuse together.
• Take a thin paint brush, dip it in black gel food coloring, and paint an arrow design on the white fondant. (Alternately, you can use a black food marker if you prefer). Let the heart sit for at least 24 hours before placing it on the cake. It should feel firm to the touch and stable once you lift it from the baking sheet.

To Assemble and Decorate:

• Set a 9-inch cake round on a 9-inch cardboard circle, and place it on a cake turntable, if you have one. Dollop a generous cup of frosting on top, and use an offset spatula to spread it in an even layer out to the edge of the cake. Top with the second 9-inch cake round, and cover the top and sides of the cake with more frosting.
• Pour the Valentine’s Day sprinkles in a small bowl. Hold the cake in one hand over a rimmed baking sheet, and with the other, grab a handful of sprinkles and press them against the sides of the cake. Repeat with more sprinkles, going around the whole cake and covering the top, until all of the buttercream is covered with sprinkles. Hopefully, the rimmed baking sheet caught any falling sprinkles, so pour the extras from the baking sheet into a plastic bag and reserve for a later use.
• Since the top tier is so much heavier than the bottom, we’ll want to add a few dowels to the bottom layer to add support. You can use “real” cake dowels, lollipop sticks, or even extra-large straws (like boba tea straws.) Place a 6-inch cake cardboard on top of the 9-inch cake in the center, to give you an idea of where the top tier will be situated, and then remove it and push 4 dowels or straws into the cake in a rough square shape, underneath where the top tier will be. Leave a few inches between each dowel to help distribute the weight. Using a marker, make a mark on each dowel to show where the top of the cake hits, pull it out of the cake slightly, then cut the dowel with scissor right where your mark is. Push it back down into the cake—it should be flush with the top of the cake, not sticking out.
• Refrigerate the bottom layer while you prepare the top layer. Cut each 6-inch cake into 3 layers, so that you have 6 layers total. Assemble them like you did the bottom layer, alternating pink and red colors and filling each layer with a generous scoop of buttercream. Once the cake is assembled, frost the top and sides with buttercream, trying to get your frosting smooth and level, and the corners sharp. Refrigerate the layer for at least 45 minutes, so the buttercream is firm before adding the fondant.
• When you’re ready to cover the cake with fondant, dust your work surface with powdered sugar, and roll out the white fondant until it is a round a little less than ¼-inch thick. Roll the fondant back over the rolling pin, then life the pin over the cake and drape the fondant over the cake so the sides are as even as possible. Use a fondant-smoothing tool, if you have one, and start pressing the fondant on top of the cake, going outward with even pressure, then press it down and against the sides of the cake. If you are unfamiliar with covering a cake with fondant, there are many excellent video tutorials to demonstrate this step. Trim the excess fondant from the bottom.
• Put a generous dollop of buttercream in the center of the 9-inch cake, in the middle of the dowels, and carefully set the 6-inch cake on top. (The buttercream will help the cake stay firmly on the bottom layer.) Pipe a very thin layer of buttercream along the bottom edge of the 6-inch cake, and press the large heart sprinkles into the buttercream to make a border along the bottom.
• Roll out the black fondant into a very thin layer (about 1/8-inch thick). Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to cut thin strips of fondant, about 1/8-inch thick. You’ll want approximately 14 strips that are about 4 inches long (for the arrow bodieand then 56 small segments about ½-inch long for the arrow quills.
• Roll out a bit of red fondant until it is very thin, and cut out 14 small (about ½-inchearts for the arrow tips.
• Use a thin paint brush to paint the backs of the black strips with corn syrup, and affix them in a diagonal pattern around the 6” cake in even intervals. Add the red fondant hearts to one end of each arrow, and add the 4 quills on the other end of each arrow.
• Finally, take the fondant heart cake topper and embed the skewer firmly in the 6” cake. Your cake is now ready to display and serve!

Notes

Note that you will need to make the heart topper at least a day in advance to give it time to set up, so take that timing into consideration when making this cake.

Measuring Tips

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Nutrition

Calories: 400kcal

THE BEST VALENTINE’S DAY CAKES

Check out our collection of the 27 best Valentine’s Day cake ideas — click here to get all the recipes!

I couldn’t decide whether I liked the cake better with just an outline of truffles along the edge, or with the top of the cake completely filled in—so I did it both ways. The arrangement is up to you, but if possible, I do recommend using two or three different cocoa powders to roll them in. I think the different shades of cocoa add so much dimension and visual interest to the cake. I used a natural cocoa powder (the lightest color), an alkalized cocoa powder (the darkest) and then I sifted the two together to make the medium brown shade.

The blackberry taste itself is very subtle, and I don’t think anyone would eat this and think that it’s a blackberry cake—rather, it just enhances the natural fruitiness of the chocolate to make it even more tangy and fragrant, and of course the jam between the layers keeps the cake very moist. You’re free to use any other seedless berry jam you like—I think raspberry and blueberry would also work very well.

🤎More Tempting Desserts

Pink and Red Velvet CakeThe Best Double Chocolate Cheesecake RecipeChocolate Raspberry Mousse CakeBlack Forest Mini CakesChocolate Rose CupcakesRaspberry Almond Spiral Cake

Print Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Truffle-Topped Heart Cake

This Truffle-Topped Heart Cake is a chocolate lover's dream come true! It starts with a moist chocolate cake, layered with chocolate-blackberry filling and covered with a shiny chocolate glaze. Top it off with a mass of homemade chocolate truffles!

Prep Time2 hours hrs

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: birthday cake, Cake Truffles, homemeade cake, Valentine’s Day

Dessert Type: Cake

Servings: 12 -16

Author: Elizabeth LaBau

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Cake:

• 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate either baking chips or finely chopped, 60-65% cacao
• 8 oz unsalted butter at room temperature
• 5 oz brown sugar (2/3 cup), packed
• 2.66 oz powdered sugar (2/3 cup )
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup blackberry jam seedless, divided use
• 3 oz unsweetened cocoa powder (1 cup)
• 10.66 oz all-purpose flour (2 1/2 cups)
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups milk at room temperature

For the Chocolate-Blackberry Filling:

• 2.75 oz heavy cream (1/3 cup)
• 2.75 oz blackberry jam (1/4 cup), seedless
• 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate either baking chips or finely chopped, 60-65% cacao
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature

For the Chocolate Truffles: Ideally made 1 day in advance

• 10 oz semi-sweet chocolate either baking chips or finely chopped, 60-65% cacao
• 8 oz heavy cream (1 cup)
• 1 tbsp light corn syrup
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 12 oz chocolate candy coating melts optional

For the Chocolate Glaze:

• 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate (1 cup), either baking chips or finely chopped, 60-65% cacao
• 8 oz heavy cream (1 cup)

US Standard – Metric

Instructions

To Make the Chocolate Cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two 8-inch heart-shaped cake pans with parchment paper, and spray the pans with nonstick cooking spray. (Round pans can be substituted, and 9-inch pans will also work, with slight adjustments to the baking time.)
• Place the semi-sweet chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second increments, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. Set the chocolate aside to cool to lukewarm.
• Combine the butter and both sugars in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream them together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter will probably look lumpy or broken by the end—this is okay.
• Add the vanilla extract, 1/2 cup of seedless blackberry jam, and the cooled melted chocolate. Mix on low speed until the batter smooths out and there are no visible bits of unincorporated butter.
• Sift or whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Add a third of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix them on low just until the flour streaks disappear. Add half of the milk, then when that’s incorporated add half the remaining drys, then the milk, and finish with the dry ingredients. Finish mixing by hand, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl well. Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans.
• Bake the cakes in the 350 F oven for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick emerges with just a few moist crumbs attached. Don’t overbake, or your cakes will be dry! Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Cakes can be made ahead of time and kept, well-wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature for several days, or in the freezer for several weeks.

To Make the Chocolate-Blackberry Filling:

• Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Combine the heavy cream and blackberry jam in a small saucepan. Whisk them together and heat them until the cream comes to a simmer and bubbles appear along the edges of the pan.
• Pour the simmering cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for one minute to soften the chocolate. After a minute, whisk the chocolate and cream together until the mixture is shiny and smooth. Add the room temperature butter and whisk it in. Press a layer of cling wrap on top of the chocolate and let it sit overnight to firm up, or, if you’re pressed for time, refrigerate it for about an hour until it has the texture of peanut butter.

To Make the Chocolate Truffles: Ideally made 1 day in advance

• Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Combine the heavy cream and light corn syrup in a small saucepan. Whisk them together and heat them until the cream comes to a simmer and bubbles appear along the edges of the pan.
• Pour the simmering cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for one minute to soften the chocolate. After a minute, whisk the chocolate and cream together until the mixture is shiny and smooth. Add the room temperature butter and whisk it in. Press a layer of cling wrap on top of the chocolate and refrigerate it for about 1 hour, until firm enough to scoop and roll.
• Pour the cocoa powder into a shallow bowl or pie tin. Use a small 1-inch candy scoop or a teaspoon to form small balls of truffles, and roll them quickly in the cocoa powder. Coat your palms with cocoa and roll the truffles between your palms to make them round. Place the round truffles on a baking sheet covered with parchment. Continue until all of the truffles are formed. This recipe makes about 48 truffles.
• If cocoa powder is going to be your only topping, it is not necessary to dip them in chocolate. You can just make sure they’re totally covered in cocoa, and then once they’re firm, you’re good to go.

To Roll the Truffles in Toppings: Optional

• If you want to roll the truffles in extra toppings like nuts, coconut, or other textured substances, I definitely recommend the dipping step. This step can also be done to add an extra layer(s) of cocoa powder, if you’re curious to try it.
• If you have time, let all the truffles sit out overnight at cool room temperature to form a “skin.” This makes them much easier to dip—it means they can be dipped at room temperature, so they don’t cool down the temperature of the dipping chocolate, but the skin prevents them from melting into the chocolate and changing the texture. If you don’t have the time, simply refrigerate the truffles until firm.
• To quickly dip the truffles in a thin layer of chocolate coating, melt the coating wafers in the microwave, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. Let the melted coating cool until it is warm but not hot. Place the cocoa powder, nuts, coconut, or whatever else you want to coat the truffles with, in a shallow bowl or pie tin.
• Spoon a generous amount of coating into your palm. Place a truffle in the coating, and use your other hand to roll it around until it’s covered. Tilt your hand down so that the truffle rolls down your fingers and into the topping of choice—this will help remove excess coating and ensure that the chocolate around the truffle is a very thin layer. Immediately use a spoon or fork to toss the topping on top of the wet chocolate. Leave the truffle in the topping to firm up while you dip more truffles. Once your tin of topping is full of covered truffles, carefully fish them out with a fork, place them on a baking sheet, and repeat until all of the truffles are dipped and coated.

To Assemble the Cake and Make the Chocolate Glaze:

• Cut a piece of cardboard the size of the heart-shaped cakes, and slide it under one of the cakes to make the finished cake easy to transfer. Trim the tops of the cakes so that they are flat, and slice each cake in half. Transfer the chocolate-blackberry filling to a mixing bowl, and whip it with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until it lightens in color and gets thick like frosting, about 1-2 minutes.
• Spread a layer of blackberry jam, about 1/2 cup, on top of the bottom layer of cake. Top it with a cake layer. Spread the chocolate-blackberry filling on the second layer of cake, then top it with a third layer. Top this layer with the remaining 1/2 cup of blackberry jam, then add the final cake layer on top. Scrape off any filling or jam that has squished out the sides. Transfer the cake to a wire rack set over a baking sheet, then make the chocolate glaze.
• Place 8 oz chocolate in a small bowl and set aside. Pour 8 oz heavy cream into a small saucepan and heat it until it comes to a simmer and bubbles appear along the edges of the pan. Pour the simmering cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for one minute to soften the chocolate. After a minute, whisk the chocolate and cream together until the mixture is shiny and smooth. If it seems a little thin, let it cool and thicken for a minute or two.
• Pour the glaze over the cake, taking care that it goes down the sides evenly and that all of the cake is covered. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to start setting, then transfer the cake to the refrigerator to firm up the glaze completely, for about 10-15 minutes. Top the cake with the homemade chocolate truffles, and serve immediately.
• The cake can be assembled in advance, but for the best presentation I recommend not covering it with the glaze until shortly before you’re ready to serve it. The glaze might get dull or show condensation if it’s refrigerated for an extended amount of time and then brought to room temperature. It will still taste good, but the visual impact will be lessened.

Notes

This cake isn’t difficult, but it does have a lot of components—especially if you decorate it with homemade chocolate truffles! While it can be made in one day, if you have the time I recommend you split the work into two days. Bake the cakes, make the filling, and roll the truffles the first day. The second day, dip the truffles, and assemble and decorate the cake. This way you won’t be too tired to enjoy the fruit of your labors by the end!

Measuring Tips

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Nutrition

Serving: 16g | Calories: 1138kcal | Carbohydrates: 122g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 69g | Saturated Fat: 41g | Cholesterol: 174mg | Sodium: 448mg | Potassium: 938mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 71g | Vitamin A: 1425IU | Vitamin C: 4.5mg | Calcium: 219mg | Iron: 8.6mg

📸 Photo Tutorial: How to roll Chocolate Truffles

I put together a photo tutorial showing my favorite method for rolling and coating truffles. This is technically optional for cocoa-covered truffles—to save some time, you can just roll the truffles in cocoa and call it good. However, it’s a valuable method to know in general, so allow me to drop some knowledge.

This method is explained in detail in the recipe above, but the general idea is that the truffles are rolled in chocolate or candy coating in your palm to produce a very thin layer around the truffle.

When you dip them the traditional way into a bowl of melted chocolate, the coating is much thicker. That’s fine if you just want chocolate-dipped truffles, but if you’re looking to coat them with nuts, coconut, sprinkles, or any other textured topping, you might find that you’re left with a very thick, lumpy outer layer that distracts from the smooth filling.

The other advantage this method provides is that gives your coated truffles some structure. They’re less likely to soften, melt, or get misshapen if they have a little chocolate around them keeping them round. The photos show the truffles being coated in cocoa powder, but this works for basically anything you might want to roll truffles in—nuts, coconut, sprinkles, chopped candy, freeze-dried fruit powder, or anything else you can dream up!

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