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Gender Reveal Cake Pink Ombre Cake

Gender Reveal Cake

A gorgeous, three-layer ombre cake made with layers of moist vanilla cake and classic vanilla buttercream!

Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
YIELD 12 servings

Ingredients

Cake

  • 3 cups (420g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks/227g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) canola or vegetable oil
  • 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 and ¾ cups (420 ml) whole milk

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

  • 1 and ½ cups (3 sticks/340g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • teaspoon salt
  • 5 cups (600g) powdered sugar, sifted, plus more as needed
  • 5 tablespoons (75 ml) heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Butter three 9-inch cake pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

  2. Cake: In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, oil, and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the milk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Do not overmix the batter. The less you mix, the lighter the cake will be. Divide the batter as evenly as possible into three bowls. Add food coloring to each bowl until desired color is reached. Add just a tiny drop at first because food colorings can be very concentrated.

  4. Pour each bowl of batter into prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool for 15 minutes, then gently remove from pans and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.

  5. Frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle or whisk attachment, beat butter and salt on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add 5 cups powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase speed to high and beat for 2 minutes. Beat in more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin.
  6. Assembly: If the cakes rose too much, cut their rounded top with a knife to make them flat. Set one cake layer on a plate or cake stand. Evenly spread a thick layer of the frosting over the cake to the edge. Top with the second cake layer and spread a thick layer of the frosting. Finish with the third cake layer. Spread frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Store cake in the fridge, but bring it to room temperature before serving. The cake can be made a day in advance.

Recipe Notes

Note: To use different sized cake pans, check out my article on converting cake pan sizes to learn how to adjust the recipe.