Mardi Gras Tricolor Cake (Printable)
Fluffy cake with tricolor icing in festive Mardi Gras colors for a joyful celebration.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Cake Components
01 - 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon salt
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 2 cups granulated sugar
06 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
08 - 1 cup whole milk
→ Tricolor Icing
09 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
10 - 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
11 - 4-5 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream
12 - 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
13 - Gel food coloring: purple, green, gold/yellow
14 - Pinch of salt
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans, lining bottoms with parchment paper.
02 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until evenly incorporated.
03 - Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract until combined.
05 - Add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until incorporated.
06 - Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted in center emerges clean.
07 - Let cakes rest in pans for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks. Cool completely before frosting.
08 - Beat butter until creamy. Gradually incorporate powdered sugar until smooth. Add vanilla, salt, and milk to achieve spreadable consistency.
09 - Divide icing evenly among three bowls. Tint one purple, one green, and one gold using gel food coloring. Mix until colors are uniform.
10 - Position first cake layer on serving plate. Spread thin layer of any colored icing over top. Add second layer. Apply purple, green, and gold icing in alternating stripes or decorative swirls over sides and top.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The butter cake base is ridiculously moist and stays tender for days thanks to that perfect alternating method of flour and milk
- You get three distinct buttercream flavors to play with since the coloring changes how we perceive sweetness somehow
02 -
- Room temperature ingredients are not optional, they're the difference between cake and sweet cornbread
- Don't add food coloring to hot frosting, the heat breaks down the color and you'll end up with muddy pastels instead of vibrant Mardi Gras shades
03 -
- Use an ice cream scoop to transfer batter to pans, it distributes evenly and makes those perfect flat layers everyone wants
- Chill your frosted cake for 30 minutes before slicing to get those clean restaurant style pieces