PRIDE CAKE
A 4” SIX LAYER MINI RAINBOW CAKE PERFECT FOR PRIDE OR ANY CELEBRATION.
SKILL LEVEL: BEGINNER | QUANTITY: 4” SIX LAYER CAKE
LISTS
GROCERY LIST:
3 sticks | Unsalted Butter (plus more for buttering cake pans - about 1 ½ tablespoons)
4 large | Eggs
¾ cup | Buttermilk
4 ounces | Cream Cheese
1 cup | Granulated Sugar
4-5 cups | Confectioners’ Sugar
1 ½ cups | All-purpose Flour (plus more for dusting cake pan - about 1 ½ tablespoons)
½ teaspoon | Kosher Salt
¼ teaspoon | Baking Soda
1 ½ teaspoon | Baking Powder
1 tablespoon | Vanilla Extract
A few dashes | Food Coloring (red, orange, yellow, green, blue & purple)
¼ cup | Rainbow Sprinkles (optional)
KITCHENWARE:
3 or 6 4x2-inch Round Cake Pan
Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer w/ Large Mixing Bowl
Medium Mixing Bowl
Measuring Spoons & Cups, Whisk, Sieve (fine mesh strainer), Rubber Spatula & Dowel or Extra Wide Straw
PREP
Helpful tips!
Let butter and eggs come to room temperature by leaving out for about 1 hour*.
Let buttermilk come to room temperature by leaving out for about 30 minutes*.
When measuring flour, don’t pack the flour or you will end up adding more flour into the mixture and risk having a drier cake. Instead, use a large spoon to scoop flour into measuring cups and level off with the handle of the spoon.
Don’t sift kosher salt or sugar. Both are usually not fine enough to get through the sieve.
*Dependent on the temperature of your home
BAKE
CAKE:
1 large | Egg (room temperature)
3 large | Egg Yolks (room temperature)
¾ cup | Buttermilk (room temperature)
1 ½ teaspoons | Vanilla Extract
1 ½ cups | All-purpose Flour
¼ teaspoon | Baking Soda
1 ½ teaspoons | Baking Powder
½ teaspoon | Kosher Salt
1 cup | Granulated Sugar
1 stick | Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
A few dashes | Food Coloring (red, orange, yellow, green, blue & purple)
FROSTING:
4 ounces | Cream Cheese (room temperature)
2 sticks | Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1 ½ teaspoons | Vanilla Extract
4-5 cups | Confectioners’ Sugar
TOPPINGS:
¼ cup | Rainbow Sprinkles (optional)
Preheat oven to 325° F and place rack in the center of the oven.
Roll out parchment paper and trace the bottom of a 4x2-inch round cake pan six times. Cut out the parchment circles and set aside. Butter each cake pan with a bit of room temperature butter. Use your hands to smear butter all over the bottom, corners and sides of the inside of the pan. Place parchment circle inside of pans. Use another bit of butter and smear over parchment circles. Sprinkle about ¼ teaspoon of flour over each buttered pan and rotate and tap the pans to move flour around to completely coat the bottom, corners and sides. Tap out excess flour. This will allow for an easy and clean removal. Set aside.
Whisk egg, egg yolks, buttermilk and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, sift flour, baking soda and baking powder into large mixing bowl. Add salt and sugar and gently mix to combine, just a few turns. Cut butter into 1-inch pieces and add pieces to bowl of flour mixture. Mix on low speed, slowly increasing speed to medium until butter is worked into dry flour mixture, about 4 minutes. Mixture will look like coarse meal and there shouldn’t be any dry flour or visible chunks of butter.
Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in half of buttermilk mixture. Starting on low speed and slowly increasing to medium, until well incorporated. Add remaining buttermilk mixture and beat on low speed, do this slowly to prevent spilling, until fully incorporated. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is smooth, light and thick, about 3 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to ensure all ingredients at the bottom and around the edges are incorporated.
Evenly divide batter into 6 separate bowls and add a few drops of food coloring per bowl to create red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple batters. If you only have 3 4x2-inch pans, bake 3 colors at a time in two batches but if you have 6 4x2-inch pans, bake all at once.
Pour dyed batters into prepared pans and bake for 20 minutes. Quickly rotate pans to ensure an even bake and bake for an additional 15-17 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Don’t leave your oven open too long or you run of the risk of your cakes sinking. Cool cakes in pan for at least 15 minutes before removing.
Make the frosting by beating the room temperature cream cheese and butter in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and continue beating for about 1 minute. Slowly add in the confectioners’ sugar until mostly mixed. Increase speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl until smooth and creamy, but don’t overwhip. Set aside.
Use a serrated knife or cake leveler to remove domed tops of each cake.
Use an offset spatula to frost between each layer and add a dowel or extra wide straw directly down the center of the cake to help hold the structure. Add a thin crumb coating on the top and sides of the cake. Don’t worry about having visible crumbs in this coat, just make sure not to get crumbs into your bowl of frosting. After the crumb coating is done, place in fridge for 20-30 minutes. This will firmly set the crumb coating. Once cooled, use remaining frosting to completely cover cake and decorate with sprinkles or as desired.
Store leftovers in airtight container at room temperature.
