Mardi Gras Tricolor Cake (Printable)
A fluffy cake with vibrant purple, green, and gold icing layers ideal for festive occasions.
# Ingredient List:
→ 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 Buttercream Frosting
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 - Purple gel food coloring
14 - Green gel food coloring
15 - Gold or yellow gel food coloring
16 - Pinch of salt
# Directions:
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 well blended.
03 - Beat butter and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract until incorporated.
05 - Add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with milk in two additions, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until combined, being careful not to overmix.
06 - Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Smooth tops with spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
07 - Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks to cool completely before frosting.
08 - Beat butter until creamy in large bowl. Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing until smooth and creamy.
09 - Mix in vanilla and salt. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until spreadable consistency is achieved.
10 - Divide frosting equally among three bowls. Tint one bowl purple, one green, and one gold or yellow using gel food coloring. Mix each until color is uniform.
11 - Place first cake layer on serving platter. Spread thin layer of any colored frosting over top.
12 - Position second cake layer on top. Use offset spatula to frost cake with tricolor stripes or swirls, alternating purple, green, and gold frosting around sides and top.
13 - For enhanced presentation, sprinkle with colored sugars or edible glitter in Mardi Gras shades.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The buttercream is practically cloud like and barely sweet letting those vibrant Mardi Gras colors shine without overwhelming your tastebuds
- This cake stays incredibly moist for days thanks to the perfect butter to sugar ratio I stumbled upon after years of dry cake disasters
02 -
- Room temperature ingredients are not optional—cold butter creates lumpy batter and cold eggs can cause curdling that no amount of mixing can fix
- Gel food coloring is absolutely worth the extra cost because liquid coloring will turn your buttercream into a soupy mess that slides right off the cake
03 -
- Freeze any leftover buttercream in small portions for emergency cupcake decorating—those Mardi Gras colors work for superhero parties too
- Place your cake platter on a rotating cake stand or a lazy Susan because spinning while you frost creates those perfect smooth swirls