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Easy Easter Cake

This fun and easy Easter cake will satisfy any sweet-tooth! Yellow cake, Almond Buttercream, and some Peeps for good measure!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 20 slices
Calories 446kcal
Author Lisa

Ingredients

Yellow Cake- makes 3 6inch round cakes

  • 2 ½ cups cake flour
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ¾ cup sugar divided
  • 1 cup buttermilk at room temperature
  • 10 tbs unsalted butter plus amore for greasing the pans
  • 3 tbs vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 6 large egg yolks at room temperature
  • 3 large egg whites at room temperature
  • Pinch of Cream of Tarter

Almond Buttercream- you will need 2 batches of this!

  • ½ cup butter softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • pinch salt
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • 5 cups powdered sugar
  • Food Coloring blue, pink, purple

Additional Items

  • 15 Peeps
  • Easter Candies for decorating optional
  • 1 cup Coconut sweetened or unsweetened
  • Edible Easter Grass Optional

Instructions

For the cake

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grese the inside of your cake pans with butter and then dust with flour- or spray with a floured non stick baking spray.
  • Melt the 10 tbs butter in the microwave then set aside and let it cool slightly.
  • Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 ½ cups sugar in a large bowl, set aside. (2 ½ cups cake flour, 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 ½ cups sugar)
  • Whisk buttermilk, melted butter, oil, vanilla and egg yolks until well combined, set aside. (1 cup  buttermilk, melted 10 tbs butter, 3 tbs vegetable oil, 2 teaspoon vanilla, 6 large egg yolks)
  • Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer and the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until foam appears (about 1 minute). Then whisk on high until the egg whites become cloud like (1-2 minutes). (3 large egg whites, pinch of cream of tarter)
  • Slowly add remaining ¼ cup of sugar to the egg whites and whisk until stiff peaks form (3-5 minutes). Move egg whites to a different bowl.
  • In the stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment add the flour mixture. While whisking on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture, then increase the speed to medium high and make sure it is fully incorporated.
  • Using a large spoon or rubber spatula fold in, by hand, ⅓ of the egg white mixture into the batter. Then carefully fold in the remaining egg white mixture making sure there aren’t any white streaks when done.
  • 10. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If baking more than one cake layer at a time, bake the cakes on the same oven rack to ensure even baking.
  • 11. Let the cakes cool completely before frosting.

Almond Buttercream

  • Using a stand mixer or hand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium/high until light and fluffy looking. (½ cup butter)
  • Add in vanilla, almond extract, salt and heavy cream and mix until combined. (1 teaspoon vanilla extract,1 teaspoon almond extract, ¾ cup heavy cream)
  • Add in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time allowing each cup to fully incorporate. Do this until all the powdered sugar is added. (5 cups powdered sugar)
  • Measure out ⅔rds cup and place in a separate bowl with a little pink gel food color, measure out another ⅔rds cup and place in a separate bowl with some purple gel food coloring. Set the remain ⅔rds cup aside and make your second batch of frosting. (If you are making larger cake rounds see notes below)
  • Once your second batch is made add the remaining ⅔rds cup of white almond cream frosting then add a little blue gel food coloring.

To assemble the cake:

  • Level the cakes buy cutting them flat if needed.
  • Put a dab of frosting in the center of your cardboard cake round or whatever you will be setting the cake on, to hold it in place.
  • Place the first layer, then add the pink frosting. Spread the frosting into an even layer. Then add 6 or 7 peeps in a layer (or more if you made larger cakes)
  • Add a very thin layer of frosting to the bottom of the second cake then gently press onto the peeps. Add the purple frosting to the top of the cake and the place more peeps on top of that.
  • Add a very thin layer of frosting to the bottom of the third cake and gently press onto the peeps. Refrigerate the cake for 10 minutes to allow the frosting to set up. Then crumb coat your cake with some of the blue frosting and refrigerate again for 10 minutes.
  • For the final coat add the remaining frosting and smooth out over the entire cake.
  • To speckle the cake add a little blue food gel to a bowl and then add a few drops of water. You need very little water! Then flick the water onto the cake- I use a food safe paint brush but you can even use your fingers if you need to (they will turn blue though!)
  • Add coconut to the top of the cake in the shape of a circle, then add easter egg candies to the top. I also added some edible easter grass around the bottom of the cake.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

Lisa's Tips
*If you are making this cake into 2 9 inch rounds simply measure out 1 ½ cups frosting from the first batch and die the color of your choice, set the remaining ½ cup of frosting aside and then add it to  your second batch of frosting to dye it blue.
Cake adapted from Cook’s Science of Good Cooking Book, Fluffy Yellow Cake Recipe

Nutrition

Calories: 446kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 222mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 53g | Vitamin A: 546IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1mg