Pink Ombre Cake

   

  So you have seen these cakes all over on pinterest right?  Have you been just a little afraid to try?  That's how I felt.  I wasn't sure how they did it.  Wasn't sure mine would turn out.  But I needed an idea for my mom's 83rd birthday cake and I needed one fast.  I mean fast and fast to make.  I was helping make other food items for our family 4th of July dinner and so it couldn't take a long time and intense work.  I guess I have a devil may care attitude or something so I decided to try it.  After all I do have about 79 cake mixes in my food storage so if it failed I could just whip one out and make a good ole 13 x 9 pan cake and ice it with store frosting (also in food storage, I am a food storageaholic!) couldn't I?  It was soooo fun!  And it came together fast and easy.  You do have to make sure you have the icing tip and a few bags for the different colors and 8" or 9" round pans.  Here's how it went:

     I found instructions to make this one on this site: Country Cleaver .  I really like her pictures and explanations so you can look there for more info.  There are a few changes that I made to her process.  First, I started out with making a double WASC cake recipe.  This starts with a box mix and adds ingredients to make it moist and delicious.  If you don't have it let me know but any cake will work. 
       I found my mom's 8" cake pans that I (honest mom)  didn't remember I had them in the bottom of my oven storage drawer. (She's been looking for them for years...).  Divide the batter into 4 parts in separate bowls.  I used Americolor 132 Soft Pink to make the shades of pink in the icing and cake batter.  Americolor is very strong so use it very sparingly.  My first try to make the lightest color actually turned into my darkest pink with very little color added.  The color also intensifies after sitting for an hour or so. 

      I used my pan release on the pans- found here, (it is great stuff!)  then I poured batter in the pans until it was about 1/2 way full.  Use Bake Strips found here (you can get them at Micheal's or Jo Ann's too) to help them bake with a less rounded top.  Check cakes with a toothpick to check to see if they are done.  The WASC recipe takes a little longer than regular mixes because it is more moist and dense. 

     Cool cakes about 10 minutes and then take out to cool completely on a wire rack. Meanwhile, make your icing.  I liked the white chocolate icing Country Cleaver used but didn't have the ingredients on hand so I just tripled my recipe for American Buttercream.  I have more experience with it too so I knew it would work well.  Next time I would 4x it because I had to really scrape the bowl to have enough to finish my last rose on top!  Divide and color!  Try to match the cake levels of color. 

American Buttercream Icing

1 cup butter (salted)  ( I used 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup vegetable shortening to help stabilize it.       
                                It also keeps the icing white so when you add food   
                                                                 coloring it will be the true color you want.)
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon clear almond extract
2 Tablespoons milk

Cream butter in bowl for 1 to 2 minutes.  Add 1/2 of the powdered sugar slowly and beating thoroughly after each addition.  Add flavorings and half of the milk.  Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat until creamy.  Add the rest of the milk as needed for the consistency you want.
     This is a crusting buttercream so keep it covered with a wet cloth until you use it. 

To assemble and ice:

     Once cake layers are cool, take a long knife and level the tops to make a flat surface on 3 of them.  Place darkest layer on serving plate. Ice top with plain colored buttercream.  Place the next darkest layer cut top side down on the icing and ice the top of it.  Place the next and lightest pink layer on top, cut side down (this reduces the amount of crumbs you will have to deal with).  Ice it and place the last (non colored) layer on top with the dome facing up.   Ice the entire cake with a thin layer of white icing.  I didn't use an icing tip for this because honestly it was faster and easier to just use a offset spatula to apply and quickly smooth the icing around the cake.  This icing layer only needs to be quite thin as a background for the icing to come.  The rose circles will add plenty of icing for the cake. 
    
         If you are lucky enough to have 4 1M icing tips and 4 size 14 bags or larger you can now fill each with a different color of icing and you are ready to go.  I am not that lucky so I had to do mine one at a time. 
      Start with the darkest pink and (this is the fun part!!)  make a rose at the bottom of the cake.  All you do is hold the bag at a 90 degree angle (straight out) from the cake.  It is like making the letter O from the bottom and up and around it.  Start your O in the center, while pressing icing out, continue to the bottom of the O up the left side and around to the right side and then the bottom where you stop pressing.

Moving to your left around the O automatically makes it look like a rose.  See?  Easy peasy!  And you will look at it and be amazed that it looks so pretty!  Remember to make the 1st rose and each one after it as tall as the 1st layer of cake.  Using the layer as a guide helps it to come out even.  Also, as you start the subsequent rows of roses keep each one right above the one under it so the vertical rows will be even and pretty to look at too.  This part goes very fast.  The top is just more of the same but start on the outside circle of the top and work in to the last rose in the middle with the lightest color.  There you did it!  Congratulations! 

 In case you are wondering about this picture, it is my silly nephew, Blake.  You might not believe that he is actually a well respected teacher and community member!  He just has this SILLY side that has to come out!  Also, he was very excited about this cake!

Have FUN! 

Here is my cute mom!  I think she liked it!

This recipe has been shared on the following wonderful sites!
Mandy's Recipe Box 
The recipe critic 
anyonitasnibbles 
Chef in Training
kitchen fun with my 3 sons 
The Country Cook 
Chocolate Chocolate and More 
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