Description
The Ombré Graduation Cake is an impressive celebration dessert featuring three to four tender cake layers enveloped in smooth, white buttercream. Created with graduating shades of gel food coloring, this cake showcases a rich visual ombré effect. Using a turntable and spatulas, colored buttercream is precisely blended for a seamless transition and striking finish, perfect for graduation festivities.
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 cake layers (flavor of choice, baked and cooled)
- Large amount of white buttercream frosting
- Gel food coloring in 3 or 4 graduating shades
- Several spatulas
Instructions
- Place the first cake layer on a cake turntable and secure it with a dab of buttercream.
- Stack remaining layers with a thin layer of buttercream between each, ensuring even alignment.
- Divide the buttercream into 3 or 4 bowls, depending on the number of shades desired.
- Add gel food coloring to each bowl, making each color slightly darker than the previous.
- Starting at the base, apply the darkest colored buttercream in a horizontal band around the cake.
- Continue adding lighter colored buttercreams in consecutive bands up the cake, finishing with the lightest shade or white at the top.
- Using a clean spatula, gently blend the interfaces between each color by swiping horizontally to create an ombré effect.
- Smooth the sides and top, clean up the cake base, and refrigerate to set the frosting before serving.
Notes
For cake layers, use vanilla, chocolate, or your preferred flavor; vanilla buttercream can be replaced with cream cheese or vegan frosting. Use natural food coloring for a dye-free alternative. Assembled cake keeps refrigerated up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before serving. If your ombré colors won’t blend smoothly, let the frosting rest and use a warmed spatula. Buttercream too stiff? Add a touch of milk. Cake can be baked and wrapped ahead, then assembled and decorated on the event day.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Frosting and Assembling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 cake)
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 34g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 62g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 70mg