This Lil Piglet

Pastel Layer Cake with Buttercream Filling

Pastel Vanilla Layer Cake // thislilpiglet.net

VanillaLayerCakeSlice

The trees are budding and the bees are flying in search of blooming flowers. Although we are still awaiting bloomed flowers and nighttime temperatures above freezing, the days have offered gorgeous weather. Spring reminds me of pastels and dainty treats for teatime; like this Pastel Layer Cake with Buttercream filling.

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I love baking and I love making cakes but what I don’t love is having a huge cake that either goes to waste or dries out before you can finish it all. With Mother’s Day coming, I wanted to make a pretty teatime size cake in pastels inspired by spring. This 6″ mini layer cake is perfect for sharing during a coffee visit or, in this case, an excuse to pull my grandmothers china like a warm hug.

Even better, this would make a lovely gift along with your company to your mother, grandmother or a friend that just needs a special something.

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I layered this cake in pink because pink is my favourite but also because when I think of pastels, pink is my first choice. I also love the look of a barely there icing for a peek-a-boo layered look; top with some pastel candy sprinkles for the final touch. A smile comes over me at the thought of gifting this to a loved one.

If you like this recipe, let me know in the comments below, check out my other recipes and I’d love if you’d pin it for later on Pinterest or follow along for other great recipes on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Pastel Layer Cake with Buttercream Filling
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 eggs
  • 1½ cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ⅔ cup milk
  • Pink food colouring (I use gel/paste food colouring)
  • Candy Sprinkles, about ½ cup larger sized sprinkles
  • Buttercream Icing Ingredients...
  • 1 cup butter
  • 4 cups confectioners/icing sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 4 tbsp milk
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
  3. In a stand mixer, beat the butter until a creamy texture; add sugar and vanilla gradually and beat until fluffy.
  4. Add 1 egg at a time to the creamed mixture, beat well after each egg but do not overbeat.
  5. Add the dry ingredients and milk a little at a time as you having the beater on the mixer running on medium, only until blended. Scrap down sides with a spatula as you go to ensure all ingredients are mixed.
  6. Scoop out half of the batter to a bowl.
  7. Put pink food colouring in the remaining batter to the colour you want to achieve.
  8. Lightly spray two 6" spring pans with cooking oil and turn half the colour batter into each pan.
  9. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.
  10. Repeat the last step with the uncoloured batter, remove each cake layer from the pan onto a cooling rack. Cool completely.
  11. If the layers have a hump to the top, you will want to level the layer by cutting the top off into a straight line. Set aside.
  12. For the buttercream icing, cream the butter in the mixture with a paddle attachment on medium to high in your stand mixer.
  13. Add the milk and vanilla, cream again and add the icing sugar gradually until fully blended and smooth.
  14. Place the bottom cake layer on a cake plate/serving platter, ice the top evenly with buttercream icing. Alternate coloured cake layers with buttercream filling until the fourth layer is done, making sure to line up the edges.You want the filling to fill he gaps right to the edge of the cake. I prefer a thinner filling but this icing recipe makes enough that you can spread it a little thicker.
  15. On the top of the layered cake you want a generous spread of buttercream with a thinner spread of icing around the entire sides of the cake, scraping the excess off to show the coloured layers through.
  16. Spread the candy sprinkles to cover the entire top of the cake, taking care not to get them on the sides. This can be a bite tricky but you can also pick off any extras that land on the sides and smooth the icing back out if you need to.
  17. Wipe the excess icing of the plate with a warm water paper towel or cloth for a crips/clean finish.
  18. Serve with a smile.
Notes
This recipe only makes 1 6" round cake with 4 layers; you will need a 6" spring form cake pan to make this cake, I suggest at least a couple of pans to make cooking the layers go quicker.
You can double the recipe to make a larger version.
If you want to transport, you will need to start the construction on a disposable cake plate or plan ahead.

 

3 comments on “Pastel Layer Cake with Buttercream Filling”

  1. Gorgeous!! Definitely a great idea for a mother’s day dessert. Those gigantic sprinkles are fabulous!

  2. What a pretty spring/summer cake! I am going to try this one gluten free, thanks for the recipe!

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