This pink ombré cake is a totally from-scratch dessert that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, or any day! And it’s flavored with strawberry extract to make it extra special!
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Two ways to my heart: give me a slice of pink ombré cake or be a slice of pink ombré cake.
Or be chocolate or coffee or Cookie. . .
But today we’re dealing with cake—the cake of my childhood dreams! Soft cake layers (flavored with strawberry extract if you want) dyed in graduated shades of my very favorite color.
And the best part? This truly is an uncomplicated recipe. Make one of these for your Valentine and prepare yourself to be even more loved than you already are!
Why you’ll love this pink ombré cake:
- It’s totally from scratch but it’s hardly more complicated than a box cake mix
- It’s customizable so you can use any color you want (don’t limit yourself to pink!)
- The ingredients are all easy to find—no weird ingredients here!
How to make your cake layers
- Stir together your dry ingredients, then set aside
- Beat butter until smooth
- Beat in sugar, egg whites, and a few other ingredients
- Beat in the dry ingredients, mix and sour cream
- Divide batter into 4 equal portions mix food coloring into three of them
- Pour two of the colors into 8-inch cake pans and bake
- After your first layers come out of the oven, clean the cake pans and bake the second two colors
Notes:
- You don’t want to over-beat cake batter; beat just until you don’t see large streaks of flour, then switch to mixing with a spatula to make sure the dry ingredients are fully incorporated
- I suggest using strawberry extract, but if you don’t have any you can substitute additional vanilla (or another flavor of your choice!)
- I used liquid food coloring here but you can use gel if you prefer (I always recommend Wilton gel coloring)
- You’ll bake the cakes layers in batches of two—even if you have four 8-inch cake pans I don’t recommend baking all four layers at once because you don’t want to overload your oven
- Cool your cake layers completely before frosting them or your frosting will melt!
How to make vanilla buttercream
- Beat room temperature until creamy
- Beat in powdered sugar and a few other ingredients until smooth
- Set 1 cooled cake layer on a cake stand or cardboard cake circle
- Top with frosting, then repeat with the remaining cake layers
Notes:
- You’ll start with the darkest-colored cake layer, then the second darkest, then the lightest, then the plain white
- I left my frosting white, clearly, but you can dye that pink too
How to store your cake
Uneaten cake can be stored covered, at room temperature, for a couple of days or in the fridge (also covered) for about three days.
You can also store your cake in the freezer (I slice it individually first), tightly wrapped, for up to 2 months.
If you want to store your cake layers before you frost them, you can wrap them tightly with plastic wrap (after they’ve cooled) and store them at room temperature overnight.
What does ombré mean?
Ombré means shadow or shade in French. It’s the gradual transition from one color to another, typically from light to dark.
You may have heard of ombré hair color—it’s been trendy for years now and was, at one point, my absolute obsession.
While I’m now more into balayage for my hair, I’m still totally into ombré when it comes to baked goods.
Helpful tools for making your cake
- This is the food coloring I used; use any pink coloring you like though
- This is the strawberry extract I used (I was able to find it at my local Walmart much cheaper than it’s available online)
- A cake turntable is always helpful when you’re frosting cakes
- I used this large star piping tip and a 16-inch pastry bag to decorate my cake
- I used pink nonpareil sprinkles. Pink sanding sugar, pink jimmies, or even strawberries would also be beautiful decorations!
A few more desserts you might enjoy:
Chocolate Strawberry Cake
Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes
Valentine’s Day Bundt Cake
Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies
Did you make this pink ombré cake? That’s awesome! Let me know what you think with a comment and a rating below. Then post a pic on IG–tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see your delicious creations!
Pink ombré cake is a fun dessert perfect for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, or just a regular day! Flavor it with a little strawberry extract if you want for an extra special dessert!
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons strawberry extract*
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract clear if you have it
- 6 large egg whites
- 1 cup full fat sour cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- Pink food coloring
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
- 5 to 5 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 6 to 8 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract clear if you have it
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment, spray the parchment with cooking spray, and set pans aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add the sugar, strawberry extract, vanilla, and egg whites and beat on medium until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (Stop the mixer a few times to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.)
- With mixer on low, beat in half of the dry ingredients until just combined. Beat in half of the sour cream. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Still on low, beat in the remaining flour, then the remaining sour cream and milk. Stop the mixer and use a rubber spatula to stir the batter a few times to ensure all of the flour is mixed in. (Don’t over-mix.) The batter will be thick.
- Divide batter into 4 equal portions in separate bowls. (You’ll have about 6 cups of batter so each bowl should have about 1 1/2 cups of batter in it.)
- Leave one bowl white and add 2 drops of food coloring to one bowl, 6 drops to another bowl, and 10 drops to the final bowl. (You can add more or less food coloring depending on your personal preferences.)
- Stir the food coloring into each bowl until fully combined. Scrape the white batter into one prepare cake pan and the batter with 3 drops of food coloring into the second. Smooth the tops.
- Bake for 20 to 26 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Cool cake layers in pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the cakes. Carefully turn the cake layers out onto the wire rack to cool completely.
- Wash and dry the cake pans, then spray with cooking spray and line with parchment (as you did earlier). Repeat the baking process with the final two cake layers.
- Cool all the layers completely on wire racks before frosting.
- Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until very smooth.
- Gradually beat in 5 cups of the powdered sugar, 6 tablespoons of the milk, and the vanilla and salt. Beat on low to combine.
- Turn mixer to medium and beat until frosting is very smooth.
- If frosting is too thin, add additional powdered sugar; if it’s too thick add additional milk.
- Use a long serrated knife to trim your cake layers if they've domed.
- Place the darkest pink cake layer on a cake stand or cardboard cake circle and top with a layer of frosting. Top with the next cake layer (it will be the medium pink), then more frosting, then the lightest pink, then the white.
- Frost the cake with the remaining frosting and decorate as desired. Slice and serve.
- Store uneaten cake, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the freezer, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 months.
- *You can substitute vanilla if you prefer
- I used liquid food coloring here but you can use gel if you prefer (I always recommend Wilton gel coloring)
- You’ll bake the cakes layers in batches of two—even if you have four 8-inch cake pans I don’t recommend baking all four layers at once because you don’t want to overload your oven
- Be sure to cool your cake layers completely before frosting them or your frosting will melt
Stephanie says
Hello,
I am hoping to make something like this for my daughter’s birthday. Will this recipe work for 6 inch round pans? If so, what time / temperature adjustments do you recommend?
Kelsie says
Hi Stephanie! To make this cake in 6-inch pans, you’d have to make more layers because there’s going to be way too much batter for four 6-inch layers. It’s possible you could cut the recipe in half, I think, but I really don’t have any experience in converting recipes for 8-inch pans to 6-inch pans. The baking temperature will remain the same regardless of pan size but the time in the oven will probably be less, although again I can’t really say how much. I think the easiest thing to do would be to use a white cake recipe written for 6-inch pans and just dye them the way I instruct. And you can certainly add strawberry extract to a white cake recipe to go along with the pink color. I hope that helps!
Taryn says
I making this cake for someones birthday and they don’t like frosting. Do you think I could substitute cool whip with the frosting in this recipe?
Kelsie says
Hi Taryn! I think you could sub cool whip. You could also substitute homemade whipped cream, which (to me) would taste better. But either way, I wouldn’t assemble the cake until just before you serve it since whipped cream/cool whip won’t hold up as long as regular frosting would. Here’s a link to a whipped cream frosting that would probably be your best bet in terms of stability. Hope that helps! (And I should add that I haven’t actually made the cake with whipped cream or cool whip or this frosting so I can’t really say for sure!)
sherry says
what a glorious cake kelsie. i love all the layers of pink.
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
You did such a beautiful job with this Kelsie! It’s gorgeous!! Definitely the cake of my childhood dreams, too!! Love that the pink cake is also strawberry flavored. (Insert hands clapping here). Bravo!
Mimi says
GOSH this is so so pretty. I won’t be making this, since I don’t bake, but it’s surely gorgeous. You’re very talented!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
How gorgeous is this cake Kelsie?! I’ve got a friend whose daughter is having a baby girl in March and this cake would be perfect for her shower!
Kelly @ Kelly Lynn’s Sweets and Treats says
This cake is so pretty Kelsie!! Perfect for Valentine’s Day! I have never made an ombré cake before, but now I totally need to try!
Milena says
The layering is stunning, absolutely a visual treat before the sweetness. I’d serve it with fresh strawberries on the side, mmm.
annie@ciaochowbambina says
This cake just makes me happy!!! I’m with Leanne – I need to send this link to hubby and see if he’ll surprise me! 😉
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
LOL! YAAAAAASSSS GIRL! If only I could turn my husband into a pink ombré cake! 😉 Kidding of course (kinda) lol. For a tomboy I definitely have a total girly-girl side and the color pink just speaks to my SOUL! Needless to say, I am totally smitten over this cake! Seriously, I’m pretty sure this cake is my spirit animal (you know if cakes could be animals). Now I just need to find someone talented to make this cake for me for Valentine’s day… or you know, a witch of eastwick to turn my husband into this cake. LOL LOL!! Pinned!
Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes says
I swear everytime I visit your blog your recipes just get more beautiful! What a gorgeous idea – I have a few pink loving friends who would be crazy about this cake. Now I know what to make for their birthday 😉
Matt - Total Feasts says
Wow, those colours are so vivid. I always struggle to have such bright bold colours when I bake. What an awesome sounding (and looking) cake!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Hello, my name is Dawn and my favourite colour is pink! Seriously Kelsie…this is one BEAUTIFUL cake! Love those pretty layers and colours. I’d almost not want to eat it because I’d want to stare at it all day!!! Pinned! Happy weekend ahead, my friend 🙂
David @ Spiced says
What a fun recipe, Kelsie! The first thing I thought when I saw this photo was “Ooo…4 layers in her ombre cake!” And then as I read the post I was like “Ooo…strawberry extract.” All together you created the best Valentine’s dessert ever. Actually, forget Valentine’s Day. That’s too far away. I need this cake today! Also, tell Cookie I said hello.
Leanne says
Those pretty layers are just stunning Kelsie and strawberry is always a winning flavour! This is definitely the perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day! Perhaps I’ll send the link to my husband and see if he makes it for me! 😉 Happy almost weekend!