When I’m looking for impressive dessert recipes, I turn to some of my favorites including black forest cupcakes, strawberry lemon cake, Nutella cake, heart cake, berry chantilly cake or this festive pink velvet cake. Sometimes you need a colorful treat to brighten up a gloomy day, and that’s where this pink cake comes in! It’s fun to make, full of flavor, and perfect for Valentine’s Day, birthday parties and baby showers.
Pink Cake Ingredients
To make this pink cake, you will need all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, buttermilk, butter, vegetable oil, whole eggs, vanilla extract, white vinegar, pink food coloring, egg whites and pink sprinkles.
How Do You Make A Pink Cake?
To make the cake layers, preheat the oven, coat 3 cake pans in cooking spray, and line the pans with parchment paper. Soak your cake baking strips in water for later use. Sift the dry ingredients of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer, then stir in the sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix just until you have a batter. Divide the cake batter evenly between the pans, then add the baking strips and bake the cakes. Let them cool completely on a wire rack. For the Swiss meringue frosting, bring a pan of water to a simmer, and put a large bowl of egg whites and sugar on top of the pan. Whisk the egg whites and sugar together until a thermometer registers at least 160 degrees F. This makes the egg whites safe to eat. Transfer the egg whites to a mixer, and beat with the mixer until a meringue like mixture forms. Add the butter, a little at a time, until a smooth buttercream forms. Stir in your food coloring and your pink frosting is complete. To assemble the cake, trim the cakes with a serrated knife to create flat, even layers. Dab a little frosting onto a cake board, and place the first layer of cake on top. Pipe a layer of frosting onto the layer, then add the next cake on top. Repeat the process with the final layer of cake. Apply a thin layer of frosting to create a crumb coat, then chill the cake. Add more frosting to the cake, then use a scraper to create a smooth finish. Press sprinkles halfway up the sides of the cake. Pipe some rosettes on top, add a few more sprinkles then your cake is ready to be enjoyed.
Tips For The Perfect Pink Velvet Cake
Pink velvet cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator. The cake is best enjoyed at room temperature so one to two hours before serving, remove from the refrigerator. The cake can be wrapped in individual portions and stored in a container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Baking strips help to prevent doming and create even layers. You can purchase them online or in the cake decorating aisle at craft stores. Using a kitchen scale helps to make sure each pan has the same amount of batter. Cutting the outside edge of the cake with a serrated knife before using a cake leveler to cut through the cake can help prevent tearing. To create guide points for even frosting rosettes, draw around an 8-inch cake pan on parchment and cut out a smaller circle around ½ inch from the drawn edge. Fold in half, half again and then into thirds. Open this out and place on top of the cake. Use a toothpick to mark each point. Use these as a guide to pipe the rosettes evenly.
Flavor Variations
This cake is perfect as-is, but you can make a few changes to suit your tastes.
Frosting: If you don’t want to make Swiss meringue, you can whip up some cream cheese frosting instead. Place 2 1/2 cups of unsalted butter and 20 ounces of softened cream cheese in a mixer, then beat until light and fluffy. Add 9 cups of powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time to the mixer until you have a smooth frosting. Stir in 2 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, then frost your cake. Color: This cake can easily be made in any color you like! Simply swap out the food coloring for your desired hue and add sprinkles that match. Use red food coloring to make a red velvet cake!
Whether you’re having a party or just looking for a sweet treat, this pink cake is sure to be a winner!
