Description
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with this beautiful Pink Watercolor Cake featuring a moist, tender crumb swirled with delicate pink hues and topped with a luscious pink buttercream frosting. Perfect for a romantic occasion or any time you want a stunning, tasty dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 cup whole milk
- Pink gel food coloring
Buttercream Frosting
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- Pink gel food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two round cake pans thoroughly to prevent sticking.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a separate large bowl, cream the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, which should take about 3 minutes using an electric mixer.
- Add Eggs and Extracts: Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Then mix in the vanilla extract and almond extract for aroma and flavor.
- Mix Dry and Wet Ingredients: Alternately add the flour mixture and the whole milk to the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir gently until just combined to avoid overmixing, which can make the cake dense.
- Create Pink and White Batters: Divide the batter equally into two bowls. Tint one bowl of batter with pink gel food coloring, and leave the other bowl plain. Pour dollops of each batter alternately into the prepared pans, then gently swirl them together using a knife or skewer to create a watercolor effect.
- Bake and Cool: Bake the cakes in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely in the pans before removing and frosting.
- Prepare Buttercream Frosting: Beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar while continuing to beat. Add heavy cream to achieve a smooth, spreadable consistency, then tint with pink gel food coloring to your desired shade.
- Assemble and Frost Cake: Once the cake layers are completely cool, frost the cake with the pink buttercream frosting, spreading evenly or creating decorative swirls as desired.
Notes
- Use gel food coloring for vibrant pink without altering the batter’s consistency.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter to maintain a light, fluffy texture.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting to prevent melting the buttercream.
- The almond extract adds a subtle nutty flavor; omit if allergic or substitute with additional vanilla.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
- The swirl pattern can be customized by how you layer the batter in the pans.
