Baker friends, do you make your own special occasion cakes? I always make my own birthday cake as well as the birthday cakes of every nearby family member, but I have been forbidden to make my own wedding cake. You would think that this would be a relief (and it is, especially with the wedding right around the corner), but it’s just so hard to give up control sometimes. I feel like the entire wedding planning process has been an exercise in letting go, but it’s especially hard where the cake is concerned. However, no one is stopping me from making a pre-wedding cake, right? I’m celebrating my last days as a single lady with this over the top purple cake!
I’ve been wanting to make a purple ombre cake for as long as I can remember, but just haven’t found the right occasion until now. I can’t think of anyone other than myself who would love a cake that looks like the color purple exploded, and I had so much fun making this! Even though my wedding is in just a few days and I probably shouldn’t have been spending my time baking, it really helped relieve some of the stress.
For the cake, I used my Pink Almond Party Cake recipe but omitted the almond extract and divided the batter between 5 6-inch cake pans. Rather than add the food coloring all at once, I divided the batter between 5 bowls and tinted them individually. I highly recommend using gel food coloring rather than liquid. Add a tiny amount at a time until you get the color that you want. Since you are dividing the batter into 5 parts, the thinner layers will only need to bake for about 15-18 minutes.
I used the same frosting recipe as my Pink Almond Party Cake as well but upped the quantity. The recipe for the larger batch of frosting is below. You probably won’t use all of it, but I find that it’s best to have some extra when you’re tinting the colors. Just in case you overdo it with the food coloring, you have some extra white to add back in.
For the cake recipe, click here.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (450 grams, 4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 5 cups (575 grams) confectioner's sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
- Purple gel paste food coloring
Instructions
- With an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it becomes pale and creamy (2-3 minutes).
- Add the powdered sugar and salt and beat on low until combined. Turn up to medium and beat for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine..
- Add the cream 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- Place the white layer of the cake on an 6-inch cake board. Place about 1/2 cup of the frosting on top, and spread evenly with a palette knife. Place the next layer on top of the first and repeat the process with the next 4 layers.
- Place a generous scoop of frosting on the top of the cake, and spread evenly across the top of the cake. Work your way around the sides until the entire cake is covered with a thin layer of frosting.
- Let the crumb coat set in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
- Once the crumb coat has set, spread a thicker layer of frosting on the top and sides of the crumb coat to create a smooth finish.
- Divide the leftover frosting into 3 bowls and tint each with food coloring.
- Place the frosting in 3 separate piping bags fitted with star tips to decorate the top of the cake.
Cake recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated via epicurious.com
WOW! Award for the prettiest cake EVER!
Thank you, Jessica!
what was the brand and name color of purple used
I used a combination of Americolor electric purple and royal purple.
you say for the cake mix you used the recipe for the pink almond cake minus the almond extract. i have an issue with the measurements.
1 1/2 cups (170 grams) cake flour ?????? – 1 1/2 cups is 192 grams
and is it 2 1/2 tsp baking powder???????
and 1 cup plus 2 tbsp (230 grams) sugar ???????? one cup alone is 200 grams. im confused
and then when the cakes come out of the oven hoe do you decipher the different colors of purple cause i really cant tell
OK, you make the prettiest cakes EVER!!! This is gorgeous!! Love the beautiful layers and the ombre colors. I might steal it for my birthday…just informing you! I love baking my birthday cake too, no one can stop me when it comes to that. However, it is a good idea leaving the wedding cake up to someone else. The few days leading up to the wedding is just so hectic that you don’t want to be stressing or in the kitchen if you don’t have to!
Thanks, Zainab! I hope you make this for your birthday- it was so much fun! And I’m really glad I didn’t bake my own cake. It worked out ok, because the cake exceeded my expectations.
Hi, what brand and colour did you use for this cake? It looks beautiful.
I used Americolor gel paste food coloring- a combo of royal purple and electric purple.
Natasha, this is the loveliest thing I’ve seen in a long time! Girl, it’s absolutely gorgeous. You totally nailed the shades of purple and I could only dream of decorating a cake this beautifully. I also bake my own birthday cakes and I’m VERY glad to hear that you’re not making your wedding cake, not because it wouldn’t have look amaze balls and been delicious but you need to give yourself some rest before the big day. You don’t need that stress on top of everything else. You should enjoy this entire process and have fun! I’m so excited for you!
Thanks, Nancy! I’m so glad I didn’t bake my own cake. There were so many other things to do!
That’s one beautiful cake!
Thank you, Angie!
this cake is stunning!
Thanks, Dina!
This cake looks absolutely incredible! I always bake my own birthday cake, because no one else ever offers 🙁 They all say there’s too much pressure! I love baking birthday cakes for my friends and family though, I would get so sad if they didn’t let me!
I love baking for friends and family, too!
AMAZING! That’s all I can say…
Thank you, Anna!
Your cakes are always so so gorgeous! I love the purple! And happy almost wedding 🙂
I make my own birthday cake and love doing it!
Thank you, Ashley!
Your purple layer ombre cake is absolutely stunning.
Thanks, Carrie!
You can only use words like “gorgeous” and “stunning” for a cake like this! So beautiful from cake layers to that frosting. I’m very partial to purple, too. : ) This is a very worthy pre-wedding cake, indeed. You cake maker has a lot to stand up to!
My daughter’s favourite colour is purple….and while I am not the greatest baker, I am definitely making this cake for her bday. Wish me luck! Thanx for this recipe!!!!
This is so beautiful, my friend! I thought I was over ombre but I fell in love with it all over again thanks to this cake. And happy almost wedding! You’re going to show us your cake, I hope?!
I don’t even have the words to tell you how gorgeous this cake is!! I am waiting for an occasion to be able to make this… or maybe I won’t wait for an occasion maybe I’ll just make it for myself!!
Beautiful cake, beautiful photos!
This cake is GORGEOUS!
This is truly amazing and the colors are so true and vivid! I use gel colors, however, they are never “rich” in color…Not vibrant enough. May I ask what brand you use? Thank you in advance for any advice you can offer. Happy Baking…I’m sure your wedding cake was just as amazing! Congratulations!!
Thank you, Kym! I used Americolor gel food coloring- a combo of electric purple and royal purple. I had to use quite a bit for the darkest layer.
i can not wait to make this for my daughter and my grand daughter. i just have a question, you didn’t say how much of the batter to put in each pan? i don’t want a cake that is 10 feet high lol.
Just divide the batter evenly between 5 bowls before you dye the colors. I used a kitchen scale to do this, but you can measuring cups if you don’t have a scale. The cake will not turn out extremely high.
Do you think I could use whipped cream frosting for an all over coat instead of the butter cream & just the butter cream on top? I prefer the taste of whipped cream.
Whipped cream frosting doesn’t take color as well, but if you use buttercream on top I think it would work just fine.
Hey this one looks delicious! But I have a doubt. I am allergic to eggs. So is there any other ingredient that I can use instead of eggs and still make this cake? I am really very keen on making this one.
Hi Hetal,
You can’t leave the eggs out of this recipe, but you can do the same thing with this one. It also makes a 6-inch cake.
http://cakemerchant.com/2014/01/28/vegan-vanilla-birthday-cake/
I just made this for my daughter’s purple party but my layers do not look like yours, they look soooo thin in the pan. I am afraid I will have to re-make the cake tomorrow? Did you double your cake recipe? I followed your recipe to the t and trusted it because I noticed you adapted from my go to..americas test kitchen. Advice? Thanks
I’ve made this recipe many times, so I’m not sure what happened. Are you using 6-inch pans? How old is your baking powder?
just wondering how much this cake can feed for ?
thank you 🙂
I am so thankful to find your cake! It is beautiful. It also has the same dark purple that I am needing to make for a friend’s wedding. I see in your comments that you use Electric and Royal purple but I can’t find the Royal anywhere, even online. Is it now called Regal purple?
It might be Regal purple. I looked at the bottle and the writing is so smudged that it’s hard to tell, but it’s a slighter more bluish purple than the electric purple.
Natasha, this is such a beautiful cake. Your cake recipes appear to be for 6″ cake pans. If I wanted to use 9″ cake pans, do I just double the cake ingredient measurements?
Yes, you can double the recipe for 9-inch cakes. You’ll also need to increase the baking time.
Natasha, your photos are as amazing as the cake!! Which camera do you use? 🙂
Cheers
Thanks, Lisa! I use a Nikon D7000.
THIS IS AN AWESOME CAKE! I HAVE A FRIEND THAT HAS ASKED ME TO MAKE IT FOR HER BDAY! CROSSING MY FINGERS THAT IT COMES OUT AS PRETTY AS YOURS!
Natasha, I love this cake, I am having a terrible time finding the Americolor Royal Purple gel, any suggestions? I have tried Amazon and no one listed has this particular color. Love your site so inspirational.
I think it’s Regal Purple. I looked at my bottle of food coloring and it’s smudged, so all I can make out is the R, A, and L. I think I just assumed it said Royal.
I made this using Wilton violet (using varying amounts for the different colors) and it came out great. Although I’m not a professional and the cake was for my 2 year old but I think the colors were great. Wilton is available at Joanne’s fabric and Walmart from what I’ve seen.
Hi! Can you please share the tip sizes you used? I’m going tondo this cake tomorrow but, I’m going to do 8inch..should I double the scratch recipe? Double box cake as well? Thank u
Hi Natalie, I used Wilton 1M, Wilton 4B, and Wilton 32 tips.
Perfect looking ,just gorgeous!! I wonder if lavender flavored extract would be appropriate for this kind of frosting, have anybody tried ?
I think that would taste great!
i had a cake order and it was for this cake…never made one before…I made a 9 inch since I didn’t have 6 inch pans at the time ….I was impressed with myself…not too shabby..thanks for the great post!!! I wish I could post a pic here
I would love to see a picture. You can post it on my Facebook page!
Hi,
Amazing cake, am going to try and make it for my sister in law. With the two colour purple dyes, do you add equal amounts and then add a few drops into each layer?
I didn’t really measure. I just added a small amount at a time until I got the color I liked. Start of with less than you think, because these colors are pretty potent.
I made this cake it turned out pretty good. I was nervous at first because the cake batter was thin. It still tasted good it wasnt bitter at all. The icing is to die for. I wish I had found this when I made my wedding cake last year. Thank you for such a beautiful and delicious inspiration.
Thanks, Stacia! I’m glad it turned out well for you.
Whaoooooooow !! I was googling “purple layer cake” for inspiration and found this. This cake looks amazing !
Very beautiful cake! I’d love to make this for my granddaughter’s.
Could you do cup cakes in the different colors as well with out the layers of course?
This recipe works well as cupcakes. You could even add multiple layers of different colored batter. The layers wouldn’t be as clean, but you would get a neat swirl effect.
Hi! I only have two 6 inch pans. Can the batter sit while the others bake?
Yes, that’s what I did too.
Hi Natasha,
I am going to be attempting this cake for my daughter’s birthday party on Saturday, wondering what my timeline should be for baking. Do you find that baking the day before an event and frosting/decorating the day of works best? Thank you!!
Hi there! I made this cake for my 21st birthday earlier this month, and it was PHENOMENAL. I wanted to make it last year for my 20th, but a combination of a tummy bug and two (!) exams on my birthday made it a little impossible. I considered having a belated birthday party last year just to make this cake, but between varsity and work I was just too busy. So, when my 21st rolled around I made sure to bake it! And boy, was it worth the wait. This cake is perfect in every way, from the soft and fluffy cake to the perfect frosting (the cream definitely adds something gorgeous) to the absolute wow-factor of the purple ombre. Thank you so much! I have included a link to our podcast’s, Let Them Eat Cake, website, because the cake’s pictures (and a link to your recipe) is up there. Go have a look if you have a minute, because this cake is by far my best achievement to date!
Thanks, Renate! I will check it out!
Hi,this is such a beautiful cake! I have only 8 inch pans that I’m going to use, so if i don’t want to double the recipe should i only use 4 maybe?
I made this in a 12 inch version for an engagement party. The bride found your post and sent it to me. I used a pink champagne cake recipe, but purple hues. I got so many wows when the cake was sliced. And so many compliments. I’m a home baker with a regular sized oven that can only accomodate on 12 inch cake at a time. Unfortunately, I had to bake an extra cake since my 3 year old pinched a huge chunk out of one of the cooling cakes. Thank you for sharing this.
I love the color purple and I want to make this cake for my sweet 16 birthday party. thanks for giving me the recipe because it would’ve been awful with me just guessing! I am going to try it out in a couple of days! I’m so excited to make this in my new kitchen! It has three big ovens and a big island!
I hope it turns out well. I’m jealous of your kitchen!
Love this! I made it a while back and it’s just so pretty!
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BEAUTIFUL bold colors! I used americolor purple for my hombre cake and also got red little specks! What are these from and how can I avoid it next time?
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