Intensive Cake Unit

Author: Sarah H

  • Lemon Poppyseed Sourdough Discard cake

    Lemon Poppyseed Sourdough Discard cake

    Lemon Poppyseed Sourdough Discard cake photo: slice cut from cake in foreground with remainder of cake in background

    Could you use a simple & delicious way to use up sourdough discard – and get an amazing Lemon Poppyseed cake out of it?

    I’m constantly on the hunt for new sourdough discard cakes – since I seem to always have lots of discard on hand – and this week I pulled in some extra lemons and poppyseeds and it made an insanely good cake! 😉 

    I’ve detailed this in prior ‘sourdough layer cake recipe’ posts (vanilla and chocolate) – but my latest baking kick has been sticking a toe into the massive OCEAN of the sourdough recipe world! 

     A friend gave me some starter and instructions on how to feed it a couple of months ago. And man has it been an adventure! 

    I’ve been in a nonstop spin of recipe-trying, recipe ideas, new recipe-testing, recipe-successes, recipe-nasty-flops, and recipe-do-overs. Lol. It’s maybe a touch out of control – but in the best way. It’s been super fun. And now I understand why sourdough addicts are the way they are! 

    All that said, I’m not going to lie – biggest problem of the whole thing has been figuring out what to do with all the discard.

    I’m still getting my feet under me – so quite possibly feeding too much starter at a time. – but man. I don’t want to accidentally underfeed it or run out! 

    Then I found out it can function similarly to buttermilk in recipes. (More details here.) 

    (Right?? ::blink blink:: … “Well NOW I know what to try with all this discard!!”

    So  –  testing began.

    I added lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon extract, and a touch of yellow food color  (100% optional) to my go-to sourdough layer cake recipe, and – out came my newest favorite cake layer! 

    And OH man.

    Definitely one I’d make again! SO good. 

    So – if you want a super strong flavor – use discard that’s had a bit of fridge time to ferment, I guess.  The sourdough flavor is there but it’s light and not overpowering. It’s a little difficult to fit into words, but the sourdough discard adds a bit of tang and maybe just a touch of bitterness that’s balanced out by the sweetness of the cake really well. Once I added some strawberry cream cheese frosting it was even better!

     

    So with that…first a couple of questions, then on to the recipe!
    “Do I need a full cup of sourdough discard? That’s kind of a lot.”

    That’s what I’ve used in all my trial runs so far – so obviously I’d recommend it. If you don’t have that much discard on hand though, just use what you have! If you have less than ½ cup on hand, I’d use what you have and substitute buttermilk for the remaining amount.

    “How strong is the sourdough taste?” 

    With regular sourdough bread being a 10/10, I’d give the strength of the sourdough flavor in the cake layers maybe a 2 or 3/10. It’s there, but not strong enough that the cake tastes like a sourdough loaf. (My husband’s a much bigger fan of sourdough than I am, so for me – that’s perfect.) It’s a bit stronger in other cake layers like my vanilla sourdough discard layer cake. (Even with the same amount of discard.) I suspect this is because vanilla’s not as strong as lemon to compete with the flavor – but the combo of sourdough discard with lemon in this one is a great pairing! 

    “Can I use active starter?”

    Tbh I’ve not personally tested this one. My guess is maybe…? I did one trial run with starter that I’d fed the day before and then put into the fridge, so it was still fairly bubbly. I’ll plan to do some more testing and update this section if that changes though.

    (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

    Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later! 🙂 

    Lemon poppyseed sourdough discard cake, not cut
    Lemon Poppyseed Sourdough Discard cake photo: slice cut from cake in foreground with remainder of cake in background
    Print Recipe

    Lemon Poppyseed Sourdough Discard cake

    Could you use a simple & delicious way to use up sourdough discard – and get an amazing Lemon Poppyseed cake out of it?
    Prep Time45 minutes
    Cook Time37 minutes
    Decorating time30 minutes
    Total Time1 hour 52 minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Cream cheese frosting, Easy sourdough discard recipes, Lemon poppyseed sourdough cake, Lemon sourdough cake, Sourdough discard cake, Sourdough discard layer cake
    Servings: 16 servings
    Calories: 774kcal
    Author: Sarah H

    Equipment

    Ingredients

    Lemon Poppyseed Sourdough Discard Cake layers

    • 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
    • 3 cups granulated sugar
    • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
    • 1 cup butter or 2 sticks, room temperature – add ½ teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter
    • 5 eggs
    • 1 cup sourdough discard (250g)
    • ½ cup milk
    • 2 Tablespoons Lemon zest (zest of 2 large lemons for me)
    • ¼ cup lemon juice (this took about 2 lemons for me)
    • 2 teaspoons lemon extract
    • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 2 Tablespoons poppyseeds

    Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

    • 8 ounces cream cheese (one package; softened)
    • 1 cup butter (2 sticks; softened (+¼ teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter))
    • 5+ cups powdered sugar
    • 1 Tablespoon lemon extract
    • 1-2 Tablespoons milk (if needed to reach a spreadable consistency)
    • 1-2 drops yellow gel food coloring (optional)

    Filling (optional)

    • 1 package Lemon pudding mix + 1 ½ cups milk or half n half  (3.4 ounces)

    Decorations

    • Lemon slice spirals (slice a lemon, cut a slit to the center of each slice, and pull the edges apart to create the spiral)
    • Sprinkles of your choice (optional – I just used Wilton sugar pearls)

    Instructions

    Lemon Poppyseed Sourdough discard cake layers

    • Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (180C) or 325 F (160C) for a convection oven. Grease 3 8-inch cake pans with baker’s floured spray (or line with parchment rounds).
    • Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined.
    • Mix chunks of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture becomes crumbly.
    • Pour in eggs and mix on low until just combined. Whisk together sourdough discard, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon extract until well-combined. Add the sourdough discard/milk/lemon mixture in 2 parts, mixing until combined.
    • Add oil and poppyseeds and mix at a low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
    • Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans (I find a kitchen scale helpful for this part). This guarantees your layers will bake to be the same height.
    • Bake for 35-37 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans – it helps to run an offset spatula or knife around the perimeter of the pan first. Cool completely before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired.
    • Once the layers have fully cooled, the caramelized bits can be trimmed from the sides / top of the cake using a serrated knife if desired – and you could split them lengthwise to make 6 layers instead of 3. (Be sure the layers are completely cooled or chilled before trimming – or they’ll crumble or break.) This is a great time to make your frosting!

    Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

    • Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with flavoring until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add salt/milk if needed and beat until well combined. Color half of the frosting yellow if desired.

    Assembly

    • Place a smear of frosting on a cake circle or flat plate (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center your first cake layer in the center of the circle.
    • Spread the first layer with frosting. Add your next cake layer on top, and repeat the process with your remaining cake layers.
    • Now you're ready to crumb-coat. If you're unfamiliar with crumb-coating, it's just what it sounds like – spreading a thin layer of frosting over the entire outside of the cake to keep crumbs out of your final layer.
    • Once your crumb coat has set (this takes about 5-10 minutes in the fridge), add your final layer of frosting and smooth (or texture) the sides.

    Decorating

    • Smoothing the cake sides will probably result in a small ‘lip’ or ‘ridge’ of frosting at the top – this is a good thing. 😉 Wipe off the offset spatula again, and use it to pull in that ‘lip,’ keeping the spatula even with the top of the cake. Work your way around the cake until the top edge is smooth. Smooth-ish. Whatever. 😉
    • Decorate as you like – I used sliced lemons, frosting swirls, and sprinkles!
    • Annnd you’re done! Cut in and enjoy!

    Video

    Notes

    (Please note nutrition information is an estimate and may not be exactly accurate.) 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 774kcal | Carbohydrates: 99g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 38g

    Did you make this Lemon Poppyseed sourdough discard cake? 

    Please consider leaving a recipe rating and / or comment at the bottom of the page! This really helps other bakers find recipes they’ll love!

    Send me an email and let me know how it went – or make my day and find me on Pinterest or on Instagram or on TikTok and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo or video! 

     

    Other recipes you might enjoy… 

    (Click / tap on any photo to be taken to the recipe page!) 

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  • No bake Espresso Martini Cheesecake

    No bake Espresso Martini Cheesecake

    No-bake espresso martini cheesecake; slice cut from cheesecake in foreground. Remainder of cheesecake in the background.

    Strap in – we’re making a no-bake Espresso Martini cheesecake that’s packed with cocktail flavor! 

    Since my Coconut Rum cheesecake – I’ve been dying to work out another no-bake cocktail-cheesecake! (Summer’s still in full swing weather-wise and turning on my oven right now truly sounds like the world’s worst idea.) So I wanted an all-season-friendly dessert equivalent of the cocktail! 

    At first, I wasn’t sure there was a way to actually do this. (“How much liqueur can I actually add before I just end up with cheesecake-soup?”) Here’s the thing, though –

    Some instant Jell-O pudding mix means you can add some pretty decent amounts of the liqueurs in without messing up the consistency! (Just think about Jell-O shots if you doubt me on this one. 😉 ) 

    I eventually got a little more aggressive on this one and mixed in 4oz of vodka and Kahlua. One (3.4oz) box of pudding mix was enough to hold a cheesecake consistency, but the liqueur flavors come through strong! 

    I started off with more instant espresso than I eventually included in the recipe. (I used a full 2 Tablespoons of instant espresso powder at first). I figured – hey, Espresso Martini cheesecake; it’s got to have a good punch of espresso flavor! I definitely overshot my first round. There WAS plenty of espresso flavor – but there was SO much it got a touch bitter and masked the liqueur flavors a bit. I backed it down to 1 Tablespoon and that seemed a better flavor balance. 

    “Should I use chocolate or vanilla instant pudding?”

    – I called in a slew of taste-testers to make this decision for me!  I liked them both for different reasons, (so I went back and forth and back and forth on which pudding mix to include in the recipe). Vanilla and chocolate were both delicious! I felt like the chocolate pulled a little attention away from the real ‘Espresso Martini’ flavor – but I really liked the flavor overtones that the chocolate added. (Chocolate addicts unite, right?) 

     

    one lighter and one darker cheesecake cut in pieces on serving trays; waiting for taste-testers
    2 versions waiting for taste-testing!

    Here’s what the taste-testers had to say! 

    Of the 12 people I had try both types, 3 liked the vanilla one better, 8 liked the chocolate one better – and I had one “Holy [edited]; they’re both SO good!” 

    I pulled out some whipped cream and chocolate-covered espresso beans to decorate. (I figured since the cocktail usually has a touch of lighter-colored foam on the top mirroring that with the cheesecake decoration would fit the theme.) And here’s the end result! 

     

    Why make this espresso martini cheesecake? 

    • Flavored  with the actual flavors of the cocktail! 
      • Includes enough coffee liqueur (I used Kahlua) and vodka that they can be clearly tasted – but pairs them with the creaminess of cheesecake! 
    • Serves a crowd 
    • Very minimal hands-on prep time 
    • Can be easily converted to serve in martini glasses if you’d rather! 

     

    Okay! On to the recipe! 

    (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

    Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later! 

    No-bake espresso martini cheesecake; slice cut from cheesecake in foreground. Remainder of cheesecake in the background.
    No-bake espresso martini cheesecake; slice cut from cheesecake in foreground. Remainder of cheesecake in the background.
    Print Recipe

    No-Bake Espresso Martini Cheesecake

    Strap in – we’re making a no-bake Espresso Martini cheesecake that’s the all-season-friendly dessert-equivalent of the cocktail!
    Prep Time30 minutes
    Cook Time0 minutes
    Decorating time10 minutes
    Total Time40 minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Cocktail cheesecake, Espresso cheesecake, Espresso Martini cheesecake, No-bake cheesecake, No-bake desserts, No-bake recipes, Oreo crust
    Servings: 16 servings
    Calories: 320kcal
    Author: Sarah H

    Equipment

    • 9-inch springform pan (9- or 10-inch; I've tried both)
    • Hand or stand mixer
    • Piping bag with large star tip (optional)

    Ingredients

    Crust

    • 22 Oreo cookies whole cookies; well-crushed or blended (sub in Nilla wafers plus cocoa powder if you don’t have Oreos on hand- but I like the creaminess that Oreos add to the crust.)
    • 4 Tablespoons Butter

    Cheesecake

    • 24 ounces cream cheese (3 blocks, softened)
    • 3.4 ounces Chocolate pudding mix (one package; JUST the mix-no milk)
    • ½ cup vodka brand’s up to you
    • ½ cup Kahlua or other coffee liqueur
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 1 rounded Tablespoon instant espresso powder (or add ⅓ cup prepared espresso – but back the liqueur amounts down to ⅓ cup each if you do)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional, but really does seem to add something to the flavor.)
    • 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream (about 3 cups whipped)

    Topping

    • ¾ cup heavy whipping cream (about 1 ½ cups whipped)
    • ¼ cup granulated sugar (add to whipped cream – if you'd like to stabilize the whipped cream whisk in ½ teaspoon of powdered gelatin before adding to the whipping cream)
    • 1 Tablespoon Kahlua
    • Chocolate-covered coffee beans

    Instructions

    Crust

    • Crush or blend Oreos to a crumb consistency – the finer they’re crushed the easier your crust will be to press into the pan, and to cut cleanly later. Pour in melted butter and stir until well combined. Press into springform pan and chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.

    Cheesecake

    • Beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Add about ½ of the pack of pudding mix – gradually so it doesn’t clump – and beat until well-mixed. Add vodka and the other ½ of the pudding mix, and beat until combined. (adding all the liquid at once can split the cream cheese and make it weird and lumpy). Repeat with the coffee liqueur and the granulated sugar, then pour in the espresso powder and vanilla and beat until well-combined.
    • Whip 1 ½ cups of heavy cream until stiff peaks form. (Okay to substitute pre-made whipped topping if you prefer! Taste won’t be the same, but it’s faster/easier.)
    • Gently fold in whipped cream (the mixture will be fairly thick. Mix until well-combined and uniform in color and consistency, but don’t overmix.)
    • Transfer to springform pan on top of the Oreo crust and smooth. It will be soft-set in 15 minutes or so; for best results allow to chill 2-3 hours or overnight.

    Decorating

    • Combine remaining ¾ cup of heavy cream with sugar and 1 Tablespoon Kahlua; whip until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping or plastic bag; top cheesecake with whipped cream and espresso beans. No limits here; decorate to your heart’s content! 😉
    • High-five yourself on your *awesome* Espresso Martini cheesecake – and enjoy!

    Video

    Notes

    (Please note nutrition information is an estimate and may not be exactly accurate. I had difficulty finding exact nutrition information for the liqueurs, and no way to add alcohol ‘grams’ to the nutrition facts form.) 
    If Jell-O pudding mix isn’t your style, Reddit users indicated 2 1/2 teaspoons of gelatin is a workable substitute. You’ll probably want to add an additional 1/4 cup of sugar as well. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 22g

    Did you make this no bake Espresso Martini Cheesecake? 

    Please consider leaving a recipe rating and / or comment at the bottom of the page! This really helps other bakers find recipes they’ll love!

    Send me an email and let me know how it went – or make my day and find me on Pinterest or on Instagram or on TikTok and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo or video! 

     

    Other recipes you may enjoy… 
    (Click / tap the photos below to be taken to the recipe pages!) 

    Malibu rum-infused no bake Coconut Rum cheesecake - slice cut and on a plate in the foreground; cheesecake and Malibu rum bottle in the backgroundLemon Oreo Cheesecake (no-bake) thumbnail image - slice cut from cheesecake in foreground, yellow lemon cheesecake decorated with lemon spirals, lemon Oreos, and whipped cream in the background
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  • Lemon Oreo Cake

    Lemon Oreo Cake decorated with yellow frosting, a white drip, and Lemon Oreos

    Lemony, zesty, and creamy – it’s true of the Lemon Oreo, so all of those components had to go into this Lemon Oreo Cake!!

    I needed a lemon cake for my father-in-law’s big milestone birthday party – big birthday, big party, so we needed a showstopper cake. And this was the cake I went with! 😉

    We needed a lemon cake for my father-in-law’s big milestone birthday party – big birthday, big party! So we needed a cake to match. 😉 Details of the cake were largely left up to me – so this Lemon Oreo cake was the cake I went with!

    “Looks like a great cake…but ALSO looks like a lot of work. What if I don’t have this kind of time in my life?” 

    I touch on this in the video, but I have two small kids and not a lot of time. So I split the work over 2 afternoons (nap time) before the birthday party. And to do this – controversy alert – I kept the cake layers overnight in the fridge. There are incredible bakers on both sides of this debate, but I’ve never had the quality of my cake layers affected by an overnight or two (well-wrapped) spent in the fridge or freezer. So I baked 3 8-inch lemon cake layers a day ahead of assembly day. I used a familiar recipe because I knew the layers would handle being cut across to make 6 layers total. (Of note – if you do this – make SURE you make that cut before they go in the freezer! I’d set them in the freezer out of habit – and the edges were semi-frozen by the time I realized that mistake.)

    I made a batch of lemon curd, lemon cream cheese buttercream, and some lemon pudding – and chopped some Oreos. (The prep ahead meant I could assemble during my toddler’s nap. Which makes the whole thing way less stressful!) 

    When all the components were ready – late in the day before the party – it was assembly time!

    Between each cake layer I added lemon pudding and lemon curd inside a frosting ‘rim’ to keep the fillings inside. I added a sprinkle of chopped Lemon Oreos for a bit more texture and more stability to the filling. (I really didn’t want the layers to start sliding on me, as I needed to transport the cake to the party).

    It was a big hit – and definitely one that I’d make again!

    What makes this Lemon Oreo cake special?

    In addition to just being a great lemon cake – this recipe combines the lemony zesty flavor of a Lemon Oreo with the creaminess of the filling and the crunch of the cookies between the layers. Even party-goers that don’t usually like cake finished their pieces! 😉

    The frosting actually got the most attention from my recipe reviewers – lemon buttercream is good, but lemon cream cheese buttercream is arguably one of the best frostings ever. It behaves pretty similarly to regular buttercream, but the flavor of the cream cheese just brings it up a notch flavor-wise.

    I decorated with a drip, piping, and Lemon Oreos – but how and even if you decorate the cake beyond frosting it is completely up to you. I’ve seen plenty of rough-frosted lemon cakes on Pinterest and they look gorgeous!

    Please note – I used Preppy Kitchen’s Lemon Curd recipe – which is AMAZING. (Because it’s not my recipe, I’ve left it out of the recipe card below.) You can make it to fill the cake – but note ahead of time it does take some extra time and effort! (Read: juice lemons, zest lemons, crack eggs, separate eggs, combine ingredients. Now – unless you have one already – piece together a double boiler and simmer some water. Now cook the curd until it thickens – which took me upwards of 30 minutes – then mix in the butter. And now strain to get the zest ‘bits’ out. And refrigerate with plastic wrap over the top to keep a skin from forming.)

    It was quite a bit more time + effort than I was expecting, if I’m honest. Not that it wasn’t absolutely delicious, but it’s also not a bad idea to buy some if you anticipate being short on prep/assembly time.

    (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

    Lemon Oreo cake - cut to show layers inside

    Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later! 

    Lemon Oreo cake decorated with yellow frosting, a white drip, and Lemon Oreos. Lemon Oreo package in background.
    Lemon Oreo Cake decorated with yellow frosting, a white drip, and Lemon Oreos
    Print Recipe

    Lemon Oreo Cake

    Lemony, zesty, and creamy – it’s true of the Lemon Oreo, and so all those components had to go into this cake! 😉
    Prep Time1 hour
    Cook Time37 minutes
    Decorating time45 minutes
    Total Time2 hours 22 minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: lemon cake, Lemon layer cake, Lemon Oreo layer cake, Summer desserts, Summer recipes
    Servings: 20 servings
    Calories: 748kcal
    Author: Sarah H

    Equipment

    Ingredients

    Lemon Cake Layers

    • 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
    • 3 cups granulated sugar
    • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup unsalted butter or 2 sticks, room temperature
    • 5 eggs
    • 1 ½ cups buttermilk room temperature – or milk + juice of 2 lemons
    • 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
    • 2 Tablespoons lemon extract
    • 2 Tablespoons lemon zest I recommend fresh, but dried lemon zest is another option
    • 3-4 drops yellow food coloring (optional)

    Frosting / Filling

    • 8 ounces cream cheese one package, softened
    • 1 cup butter 16 Tablespoons or two sticks, softened
    • 5-6 cups powdered sugar
    • 2 Tablespoons lemon extract
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter
    • Lemon pudding / Lemon curd (either or both – both optional)
    • 5 Lemon Oreos (chopped)

    Drip (optional) & Decorations

    • 4 ounces white candy melts (or ½ cup; for cake drip)
    • 2 – 2 ½ Tablespoons heavy whipping cream (for cake drip; start with 2 Tbsp and add more if needed)
    • 5-6 Lemon Oreos

    Instructions

    Lemon Cake layers

    • Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare 3 8-inch cake pans with non-stick or baker’s floured cooking spray (or line with parchment rounds).
    • Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined. (A hand mixer will work as well)
    • Mix bits of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture becomes crumbly.
    • Pour in eggs and mix on low until just incorporated. Add in the buttermilk, vanilla, lemon extract, lemon zest, and food coloring if desired, and mix at a low speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
    • Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans (I find a kitchen scale helpful for this part). This guarantees your layers will bake to be the same height.
    • Bake for 35-37 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans – it helps to run an offset spatula or knife around the perimeter of the pan first. Cool completely. (Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired.)
    • Once the layers have fully cooled, use a serrated knife or cake leveler to cut each horizontally into 2 layers. Be sure the layers are completely cooled or chilled first; if cut while still warm, they’ll tend to crumble and break.
    • In the meantime – start your frosting!

    Frosting

    • Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with lemon extract until frosting reaches an easily spreadable consistency. Add salt if needed and beat until well combined.
    • (Filling (optional) – I used Preppy Kitchen’s Lemon Curd recipe + Lemon pudding mix combined with 1 ½ cups of milk to fill the cake in the photos / video. Optional – and more work – but definitely delicious! If you’d like to skip the extra steps, you can purchase pre-made lemon curd or just fill the cake with frosting.)

    Assembly

    • Place a smear of frosting on your cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center your first cake layer in the center of the circle.
    • Pipe a rim of white frosting around the edge, and fill with lemon pudding/curd. (Or if you’re not using a lemon filling, spread the layer with frosting). Sprinkle with a chopped Lemon Oreo, and add your next cake layer on top. Repeat the process with your remaining cake layers.
    • Now you’re ready to frost – here’s a video tutorial if you could use help at this step. https://youtu.be/Lwd6VE2SeVo
    • If you’d like more detail on the cake ring I used in the video, I cover that in this post. https://youtu.be/wKrTu2g-iHs
    • (If you plan to add a drip, place the cake into the freezer for about 20 minutes to set the frosting and get the cake cold enough to set the drip.)

    Cake drip & Decorating

    • Place heavy cream and white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on 50% power in 30-second intervals until smooth, stirring in between.
    • When your ganache has cooled to a moderate temperature – it should feel slightly warm but still be fairly liquid – add drips to the top edge of the cake using a piping bag or spoon.

    Video

    Notes

    (Please note nutrition information is an estimate, and may not be exactly accurate. Counts will be lower in some fields if the entire batch of frosting is not used.) 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servings | Calories: 748kcal | Carbohydrates: 101g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 37g

    Did you make this Lemon Oreo cake? 

    Please consider leaving a recipe rating and / or comment at the bottom of the page! This really helps other bakers find recipes they’ll love! Appreciate it! 🙂 

    Send me an email and let me know how it went – or make my day and find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo!

     

    Other recipes you may love…

    (Click / tap any photo to be taken to the recipe page!) 

    Lemon Drop Cupcakes pinterest pinLemon Raspberry Cake - cut slice
    Raspberry Lemon Drop Cake pinterest pinLemon Oreo Cheesecake (no-bake) thumbnail image - slice cut from cheesecake in foreground, yellow lemon cheesecake decorated with lemon spirals, lemon Oreos, and whipped cream in the background
    Lemon Drop Cake pinterest pin
  • No bake Creme Brulee Cheesecake

    No bake Creme Brulee Cheesecake

    Creme Brulee Cheesecake; slice cut from cheesecake in foreground with remainder of cheesecake in background

    Don’t want to turn on your oven this summer?

    Try this this 6-ingredient no bake Crème brûlée cheesecake! 

    Continuing my no-bake cheesecake kick this summer! Don’t get me wrong; I’d love to be experimenting with regular cheesecakes. More options, and not much beats them for texture.

    BUT I also don’t want to kill myself or my family with the heat this summer. I’ve covered my issues adjusting to the heat + humidity in the south before, so I’ll spare you the details now.

    But suffice to say I’m NOT TURNING ON MY OVEN UNLESS I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO OTHER CHOICE. 

    Until about November. 

    Anyway- WHY try this recipe? 

    Crème brûlée cheesecakes are hard to beat – this one in particular I’ve actually made several times. Brûléed cheesecakes are easily my favorite cheesecakes to make. The top isn’t just gorgeous – and delicious – it is SO FUN to do!! Something about firing up my torch and watching all that sugar melt and caramelize is just SO  intensely satisfying. 

    The other intensely satisfying thing about this cheesecake? It’s a dessert my whole family likes! Not an issue I ever thought I’d have, but – well – here we are.

    My husband’s just not a big fan of cake. Figures. He’ll take a few bites – mostly to humor me, I think – and he’s done. 
    My daughter avoids the cake layers, picking out the frosting + filling. 
    My son has thrown every piece of cake I’ve ever given him on the ground. 

    So I made a non-bruleed version of this cheesecake for his 2nd birthday. I made cookies as a backup because I wasn’t sure the kids would go for the cheesecake – and I was wrong! We had a full table of kids all eating cheesecake. It was wild. And felt like a big win to me. 😉 

    The snag I hit recipe-testing this one?

    Cheesecake consistency. (Read: melted cheesecake is NOT the business.) 

    Not that melty cheesecake is the worst thing in the world – it’s just as delicious even if it gets melty – but holy moly is it MESSY. Maybe one of the messiest desserts I’ve ever cut and tried to serve. Figures that would be my first turn-out – cause we had extra company in town the night I road-tested round one. Curse you AND your law, Murphy. 

    I’ll admit it; baked cheesecakes have a leg up here. their consistency is more solid and they don’t soften or melt under the heat of the torch so easily. 

     BUT! Persistence paid off – and you CAN make an amazing no-bake cheesecake that won’t turn into a puddle on you. 

    Here are the 2 things that can save you here – the freezer, and (optional) a bit of gelatin. (I used a few tablespoons of pudding mix.) 

    1. The freezer will set the cheesecake more firmly, so that it can hold up and not melt so badly under the torch. My best success has been freezing it about an hour. Please note cream cheese can get weird if frozen solid and then thawed though. I don’t recommend freezing the cheesecake longer than about an hour. 
    2. The gelatin – though it can eventually also melt – doesn’t melt as quickly, so it gives the cheesecake more structure and makes it less prone to turn to goo before it’s served. 😉  One of my happiest moments all summer was cutting into my third test run and NOT seeing a melty mess. Score!! 
    “Do I actually need a brûlée torch?” 

    Short answer is no! You CAN do this with a flamethrower if you don’t have a brûlée torch! Make sure you have a good amount of fuel though. It’ll take a bit to torch the whole cheesecake top.

    I will say a brûlée torch does make things easier. I bought my torch in 2017 and it’s going strong 8+ years later. I paid less than $15 for it on Amazon, and my last price check (2025) it’s still the same price.

    You can also use the broil setting in your oven – though I feel like that does a bit defeat the purpose of a no-bake cheesecake. 

    “Do I need superfine sugar?”

    Again –  you CAN do this with regular granulated sugar. Just be aware it’ll take a bit longer to melt, and so it’s a little easier to burn it. (Reportedly) – If you have a blender or food processor, you can pulse the sugar in one of those for 20-30 seconds (disclaimer: this is according to the America’s Test Kitchen gurus. I’ve not personally tried it yet as I don’t own a food processor.) Either way, finer crystals will melt more easily under the torch. 

    Quick note on torching time versus serving time!! 

    BE AWARE the brûléed top doesn’t stay crunchy forever! Sugar – even caramelized sugar – does re-dissolve after some time in moisture. And this caramelized sugar is sitting on top of a no-bake cheesecake – which tend to hold more moisture than a baked one. 

    You can torch the cheesecake maybe an hour or so ahead of time. But I wouldn’t torch it much further ahead than that. The sugar sitting on top of the cheesecake will start to re-dissolve – the flavor will still be there but you’ll start to lose that crack + crunch. Which is – in my opinion – the best part. 😉 

    Okay! On to the recipe! 

    (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

    Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later! 

    Creme Brulee Cheesecake; slice cut from cheesecake in foreground with remainder of cheesecake in background
    Creme Brulee Cheesecake; slice cut from cheesecake in foreground with remainder of cheesecake in background
    Print Recipe

    No-Bake Creme Brulee Cheesecake

    Looking for the deliciousness of Creme Bruleed cheesecake – without turning on the oven? Look no further than this decadent no-bake Creme Brulee cheesecake!
    Prep Time20 minutes
    Cook Time0 minutes
    Decorating time1 hour 10 minutes
    Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Creme brulee, creme brulee cheesecake, Nilla wafer crust, No-bake cheesecake, No-bake desserts, No-bake recipes
    Servings: 16 servings
    Calories: 296kcal
    Author: Sarah H

    Equipment

    • 9- or 10-inch springform pan (I usually use a 10-inch springform – more room for bruleed sugar on top!)
    • Hand or stand mixer
    • Brulee torch or flamethrower (+ fuel; maybe I’m just slow but torching a whole cheesecake usually takes me 5-6 minutes)

    Ingredients

    Crust

    • 2 cups Nilla wafer crumbs (60 regular or 90 mini cookies – 180g or about 6.5 ounces)
    • 6 Tablespoons Butter
    • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar (optional)

    Cheesecake layer

    • 2 cups heavy whipping cream (about 4 cups whipped)
    • 16 ounces cream cheese softened
    • ¾ cup sugar (superfine or granulated both work)
    • 1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste
    • ¼ cup instant vanilla pudding mix (optional: JUST the powdered mix. You can leave this out and just freeze the cheesecake 10min longer. ¼ cup is about half a 3.4oz package.)

    Decorations

    • ¼ cup superfine sugar (granulated will work also; it just takes a little longer to melt.)
    • FIRE!! (Kidding. kinda. 😉 )

    Instructions

    Crust

    • Crush or blend Nilla wafers to a crumb consistency – the finer they’re crushed the easier your crust will be to press into the pan, and to cut cleanly later. Pour in melted butter (and sugar if using) and stir until well combined. Press into a springform pan and chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.

    Cheesecake

    • In another bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, vanilla bean paste, and pudding mix if using. Beat until well-combined and set aside.
    • Whip 2 cups of heavy cream until stiff peaks form. (Fine to substitute pre-made whipped topping if you prefer!)
    • Gently fold in whipped cream – continue folding until the mixture is even in color and consistency, but try not to overmix or the whipped cream will lose too much volume.) Transfer to springform pan on top of crust and smooth. Chill until you're ready to transfer it to the freezer before torching – see the next step for details.
    • Freeze time!! My best success so far has been putting the cheesecake in the freezer AN HOUR AHEAD of when I plan to torch + serve it. This keeps the top of the cheesecake from melting.

    Bruleed top

    • This is the FUN PART!! Time to break out the brulee torch! Sprinkle a layer of sugar over the top of the cake. It should be enough to cover the top of the cheesecake so the cheesecake doesn’t show through. (Also though- worth noting the thicker the sugar is, the longer it will take to melt and the more likely it can be to burn (in my experience).
    • Start the torch – and start caramelizing that sugar! (I usually work in small sections and move on to a new section if I notice sugar starting to burn. If there’s any un-dissolved sugar left in the prior section I come back to it when it’s had a minute to cool down.)
    • High-five yourself on your INCREDIBLE CHEESECAKE – and enjoy! I hope you love this recipe like we do!!

    Video

    Notes

    (Please note nutrition information is a rough estimate, and may not be exactly accurate. Optional ingredients have been included.) 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 21g

    Did you make this no bake Creme Brulee cheesecake? 

    Please consider leaving a recipe rating and / or comment at the bottom of the page! This really helps other bakers find the recipe. Appreciate you! 🙂 

    Send me an email and let me know how it went – or make my day and find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo!

    Other recipes you may love…

    (Click / tap the photos to be taken to the recipe pages!)

     
    Lemon Oreo Cheesecake (no-bake) thumbnail image - slice cut from cheesecake in foreground, yellow lemon cheesecake decorated with lemon spirals, lemon Oreos, and whipped cream in the backgroundVanilla Sourdough Discard Cake frosted with cream cheese frosting. Slice cut from cake.
    No-Bake Oreo Confetti Cheesecake: slice cut on a plate in front of cheesecakeFilled Cake mix donuts - cake mix donuts with cream cheese filling
    Malibu rum-infused no bake Coconut Rum cheesecake - slice cut and on a plate in the foreground; cheesecake and Malibu rum bottle in the backgroundBiscoff parfaits with layers of Biscoff cake, crumbled cookies, Biscoff cookie butter and cream cheese, and whipped cream.
  • No-bake Lemon Oreo Cheesecake

    No-bake Lemon Oreo Cheesecake

    Lemon Oreo Cheesecake (no-bake) thumbnail image - slice cut from cheesecake in foreground, yellow lemon cheesecake decorated with lemon spirals, lemon Oreos, and whipped cream in the background

    Looking for a simple but elegant summer dessert? 

    I’ve got you covered with this No-bake Lemon Oreo Cheesecake! 

    It’s made with just a handful of simple ingredients – and it’s no-bake, ridiculously easy, and it screams ‘summer!’

    Backstory: Not long ago, I posted an Oreo Confetti cheesecake recipe. Along with the recipe, I posted a YouTube short. One of my YouTube comment-ers suggested another version – with Lemon Oreos! I thought that idea was genius, and started work on this no-bake Lemon Oreo cheesecake. (Because summer’s in full swing as I write this, and I’m not turning on my oven unless I have NO other choice.)

    Quick story as an aside – I am a little bit new to grocery pick-up orders, and I’m still learning to read the product descriptions. It sounds obvious, but… man. Suffice to say I’ve had issues with it. Cause sometimes I’m just an idiot.
    Anyway,     this particular pick-up order was when I realized that Oreos come in *many* sized packages. I was familiar with the regular and family size packs… And in my clicking away in the Kroger app I missed that ‘party size’ was one of the options. Lol… Yikes. Literally had DOUBLE the number of Oreos I needed!)  

    That aside – I *really* loved what the lemon Oreos added to this cheesecake crust! Nilla wafers are my usual go-to for lighter cheesecakes, but the lemon cookie and filling really adds another dimension to this crust.

    (And don’t worry – you crush or blend the whole cookie; none of that fiddley separating-cookies-and-scraping-out-the-filling.  Because who the heck has time for that?)

    The filling is pretty simple – cream cheese, lemon, pudding, mix, lemon extract, and the juice and zest of two lemons. Round one was done with the juice and zest of just one lemon…which is an option, but for my taste-testers was not enough lemon. 

    Quick note on the lemon zest!

    Round one when I tested this recipe, I used a zester and channel tool. (Because that was what I had on hand.) After a round of taste testing, the consensus was that the flavor was good, but the texture of the zest was weird. Almost like coconut. So then I got a microplaner – this produces much smaller pieces of lemon zest –  providing plenty of flavor from the zest without leaving long zest ‘strings’ in the cheesecake. 

    Other recipe options: 

    I opted to not include crushed Oreos in the cheesecake layer in the photos – just for a smoother texture and ease of cutting. That said – I’ve included crushed Oreo pieces in other cheesecakes, and it’s definitely an awesome option! Honestly it’s up to your tastes and preferences.

    Less Oreos = less jagged-ey edges when cutting the cheesecake.
    Equally, if you ask most people – more Oreos = more better . 😉 

    “How much time do I need to chill the cheesecake?”

    As far as timeline -I like to make cheesecakes the day before, so that they have plenty of time to set in the fridge. More chill time makes for a more well-set, easier-to-cut cheesecake – with more well-infused flavors. That said – a couple hours will do if you’re short on time. 🙂 

    I like to decorate day-of-serving though. Mostly because I like decorating with whipped cream, and it tends not to hold it shape very well for more than about 4-6 hours, even whipped stiff and in the fridge. 

    That said – you have some options. If you’d rather get the whole thing done at once, you could use whipped topping like Cool Whip, or add a bit of dissolved gelatin to your whipped cream to stabilize it. But the easiest option is probably just to decorate close to serving time. 😉 

    I think that’s everything! On to the recipe! 

    (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

    Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later! 

    Lemon Oreo Cheesecake (no-bake) thumbnail image - slice cut from cheesecake in foreground, yellow lemon cheesecake decorated with lemon spirals, lemon Oreos, and whipped cream in the background
    Lemon Oreo Cheesecake (no-bake) thumbnail image - slice cut from cheesecake in foreground, yellow lemon cheesecake decorated with lemon spirals, lemon Oreos, and whipped cream in the background
    Print Recipe

    No-bake Lemon Oreo Cheesecake

    Need a simple but elegant no-bake dessert that screams ‘summer!’? I’ve got you covered with this easy no-bake Lemon Oreo Cheesecake!
    Prep Time20 minutes
    Cook Time0 minutes
    Chill time2 hours
    Total Time2 hours 20 minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Lemon cheesecake, Lemon Oreo cheesecake, No-bake cheesecake, No-bake desserts, No-bake recipes, Summer recipes
    Servings: 16 servings
    Calories: 293kcal
    Author: Sarah H

    Equipment

    Ingredients

    Crust

    • 22 Lemon Oreo cookies (whole cookies; well-crushed or blended)
    • 4 Tablespoons Butter

    Cheesecake

    • 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream (about 3 cups whipped – you'll need 2 ¼ cups total; save the last ¾ cup to whip to decorate)
    • 24 ounces cream cheese (3 blocks, softened)
    • 3.4 ounces Lemon pudding mix (one package; JUST the mix-no milk)
    • Juice of 2 lemons (5-6 Tablespoons – you’ll need 3 lemons total; juice + zest 2 for the cheesecake & slice the last one to decorate)
    • Zest of 2 lemons
    • 1 teaspoon lemon extract (1 ½ teaspoons total; save last ½ teaspoon for whipped cream topping)

    Topping

    • ¾ cup heavy whipping cream (about 1 ½ cups whipped)
    • ¼ cup granulated sugar
    • ½ teaspoon lemon extract
    • 4 Lemon Oreos
    • 4 lemon slice spirals

    Instructions

    Crust

    • Crush or blend Oreos to a crumb consistency – the finer they’re crushed the easier your crust will be to press into the pan, and to cut cleanly later. Pour in melted butter and stir until well combined. Press into 9-inch springform pan and chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.

    Cheesecake

    • Whip 1 ½ cups of heavy cream until stiff peaks form; place in the fridge. (Absolutely okay to sub in pre-made whipped topping if you prefer!)
    • In another bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add lemon pudding mix – gradually if you can so it doesn’t clump – and beat until well-mixed. Add juice and zest of 2 lemons and 1 teaspoon lemon extract, and beat until well-combined.
    • Gently fold in whipped cream (the mixture will be thick – mix until well-combined and uniform in color and consistency, but don’t overmix or the whipped cream will lose volume.)
    • Transfer to springform pan on top of the Lemon Oreo crust and smooth. Chill at least 2-3 hours; preferable overnight.

    Decorating

    • Combine remaining ¾ cup of heavy cream with sugar and remaining lemon extract; whip until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping or plastic bag; top cheesecake with whipped cream, Oreos, and spiraled lemon slices. (See video for lemon spirals.) No limits here; decorate to your heart’s content! 😉
    • High-five yourself on your awesome Lemon Oreo cheesecake – and enjoy!

    Video

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 293kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 22g

    Did you make this no-bake Lemon Oreo Cheesecake? 

    Please leave a recipe rating and / or comment at the bottom of the page! 
    This really helps other bakers find recipes they’ll love! 

    You can also send me an email and let me know how it went – or make my day and find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo!

     

    Other recipes you may love…
    (Click / tap the photos to be taken to the recipe pages!)
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  • No-bake Coconut Rum Cheesecake

    No-bake Coconut Rum Cheesecake

    Malibu rum-infused no bake Coconut Rum cheesecake - slice cut and on a plate in the foreground; cheesecake and Malibu rum bottle in the background

    If it’s too hot to turn on the oven…

    ~ I’ve got you covered with the perfect Malibu Rum-infused no-bake Coconut Rum Cheesecake! ~
    Just layer, chill, and serve! 

    When I tell you summer gets hot where I live now – I say that as a pasty-white kid that didn’t grow up anywhere near the south. I’m not just talking temperature.

    I grew up on the west coast but have since moved to the north-ish part of the south. I’m used to 90+ degrees in the summer – but here’s what I’m NOT used to.

    90+ degrees along with 80-90% HUMIDITY. 

    When I tell you that that type of heat hits different – man. It hits. different. Some of y’all know exactly what I’m talking about.  

    (Probably my favorite comedy bit on the south – “I think that’s why there’s so many Christians in the south; it’s easy to believe in hell there. ‘What’s hell like?’ ‘…August.'”) 

    My desire to be in the kitchen baking?  – completely unchanged. 

    …but my desire to turn on my oven and super-heat the house…? Absolute ZERO. (Actually – probably a negative number.)

    So!

    As a result – I’m on a big no-bake dessert kick right now. Tbh I’m mad I didn’t do this earlier! I promise I’ll branch out and do something new soon, but right now I’m having the best time re-creating my favorite cakes as no-bake cheesecakes! 

    (For example…here’s my Oreo Confetti Cake – and here’s my Oreo Confetti Cheesecake. 😉 Cool, right? 

    Pun not intended, but now that it’s in there…Imma leave it. 😉 

    Oreo Confetti Cake
    No-Bake Oreo Confetti Cheesecake: slice cut on a plate in front of cheesecake

    ANYway. 

    Next up was the Coconut Rum cake ( – which always surprises me with its monthly pageviews). I love that cake recipe – but now I’ve re-invented it as a no-bake cheesecake and MAN am I a bit impressed with myself! 

    The nilla wafer crust has some coconut mixed in and I have NO regrets about trying that one out! It even has a touch of Malibu rum in it for cohesion since I didn’t want to bake it. Mix it up and throw it in the fridge to set. 

    The cheesecake layer is rich – but with whipped cream folded in it’s not quite the thick ‘slab’ that cheesecakes can sometimes be. It’s got ALL the coconut flavor I could pack into it! From  (1) Malibu white coconut rum, (2) shredded coconut, (3) coconut pudding mix, and (4) from a touch of coconut extract – I’ve not come up with a way to get any more coconut flavor in there! 😉  And I’m still pumped about the *amount* of coconut rum I can add because of the pudding mix! 2/3 cup so far – and counting. 😉 

    The whipped cream topping is – well – the icing on the cake…? Literally and figuratively (lol). I flavored it with just a touch of coconut extract and added a rim of toasted coconut.

    Okay, and speaking of toasting coconut – I discovered you can do this on the stovetop or even the microwave if you’re feeling adventurous! (insert wide-eyed emoji)  – Man alive. I’ve been doing this in the oven and almost always frickin burning some of it for YEARS. Learning something new every day over here -and getting annoyed I didn’t know this stuff sooner! 😉 

     

    Toasting coconut - stovetop
    Stovetop-toasted coconut
    So gather up some Nilla wafers, coconut, pudding mix, cream cheese, whipping cream, and a bottle of Malibu rum! Let’s get to it! 

    (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

    Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later! 🙂 

    No-bake Malibu coconut rum cheesecake recipe pin image
    Malibu rum-infused no bake Coconut Rum cheesecake - slice cut and on a plate in the foreground; cheesecake and Malibu rum bottle in the background
    Print Recipe

    Coconut Rum Cheesecake (no-bake)

    If it’s too hot to turn on the oven – I’ve got you covered with the perfect Malibu Rum-infused no-bake Coconut Rum Cheesecake! Just layer, chill, and serve!
    Prep Time20 minutes
    Cook Time0 minutes
    Chill time2 hours
    Total Time2 hours 20 minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Coconut cheesecake, Coconut Rum cheesecake, Malibu rum cheesecake, Nilla wafer crust, No-bake cheesecake, No-bake desserts
    Servings: 16 servings
    Calories: 302kcal
    Author: Sarah H

    Equipment

    • 9-inch springform pan
    • Hand or stand mixer
    • Piping bag with large star tip (optional; you could also use a sandwich bag or even some plastic wrap)
    • Cake turntable (100% optional, just makes decorating easier)

    Ingredients

    Crust:

    • 1 ½ cups crushed Nilla Wafers 60 regular / 90 mini wafers
    • ¼ cup shredded coconut I used sweetened
    • ¼ cup melted butter
    • 1 Tablespoon Malibu Coconut Rum

    Cheesecake

    • 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream about 3 cups whipped
    • 24 ounces cream cheese 3 blocks, softened
    • 3.4 ounces coconut cream pudding mix one package; JUST the mix-no milk
    • 1 cup chopped shredded coconut I used sweetened
    • ½ teaspoon coconut extract
    • ⅔ cup Malibu Coconut Rum

    Topping

    • ¾ cup heavy whipping cream about 1 ½ cups whipped
    • ¼ cup granulated sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon coconut extract
    • ½ cup shredded coconut toasted (I did this on the stovetop; reportedly this can also be done in the microwave!)

    Instructions

    Crust

    • Combine Nilla Wafer crumbs, coconut, melted butter, and 1 Tablespoon Malibu Coconut rum in a mixing bowl; mix until well-combined and even. Transfer to a 9-inch springform pan and place in the fridge to set.

    Cheesecake

    • Meanwhile,
    • Whip 1 ½ cups of heavy cream until stiff peaks form; place in the fridge. (Absolutely fine to substitute pre-made whipped topping if you prefer – maybe also sub in unsweetened coconut so this layer doesn’t get overly-sweet.)
    • In another bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pudding mix and coconut extract, and beat until combined. Add ½ of the shredded coconut, ½ of the coconut rum, the remaining ½ of the coconut, then the rest of the rum (this ensures the mixture doesn’t get too thin too fast and cause the cream cheese to clump). Gently fold in whipped cream until well-combined. Transfer to springform pan and smooth; place in the fridge.

    Topping

    • Combine ¾ cup whipping cream with ¼ granulated sugar; whip until stiff peaks form. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then beat in coconut extract until well-combined. Top the cheesecake with whipped cream – either with an offset spatula or with a piping bag.
    • Toast ½ cup shredded coconut, and decorate the outer rim of the cheesecake (or the whole thing if you’d like! 😉 )
    • And you’re done! Chill at least 2 hours; preferably overnight. High-five yourself on your amazing Coconut Rum cheesecake – and cut in and enjoy!

    Video

    Notes

    (Please note nutrition information is an estimate only and may not be exactly accurate.) 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 23g

    Did you make this no-bake Coconut Rum Cheesecake? 

    Please consider leaving a recipe rating and / or comment at the bottom of the page! This really helps other bakers find the recipe. Much appreciated!

    Send me an email and let me know how it went – or make my day and find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo!

    Other recipes you may love…

    (Click / tap the photos to be taken to the recipe pages!)

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  • Strawberry Sourdough Discard Cake

    Strawberry Sourdough Discard Cake

    Strawberry cake frosted with freeze-dried strawberry buttercream and topped with frosting swirls and strawberry slices

    Need an easy, delicious way to use up sourdough discard (and some strawberries)?

    I tweaked my classic Sourdough Discard layer cake recipe to include strawberries- and it made my favorite strawberry cake to date! 😉 

    My latest baking kick has admittedly been a touch off-brand for me. (I’ve detailed this in prior ‘sourdough layer cake recipe’ posts (vanilla and chocolate) – so I won’t elaborate here.) But I’ve stuck a toe into the massive OCEAN of the sourdough recipe world! 

     A friend gave me some starter and instructions on how to feed it a handful of months ago. And goodness. Has it been an adventure! 

    I’ve been in a nonstop spin of recipe-trying, recipe ideas, new recipe-testing, recipe-successes, recipe-nasty-flops… (insert sigh)… and recipe-do-overs. Lol. It’s maybe a touch out of control – but in the best way. It’s been really fun, and now I understand why sourdough addicts are the way they are! 

    All that said, I’m not going to lie – biggest problem of the whole thing has been figuring out what to do with all the discard.

    I’m still getting my feet under me – so quite possibly feeding too much starter at a time. – but man. I don’t want to accidentally underfeed it or run out! 

    Then I found out it can function similarly to buttermilk in recipes. (More details here.) 

    Right?? ::blink and stare:: (literally my reaction)  … “Well NOW I know what to try with all this sourdough discard!!” And then when strawberries came back in season – 

    Yet another round of recipe testing began! 😉

    I knew I wanted to add crushed and freeze-dried strawberries, almond extract, and a touch of pink food color (100% optional). A few tweaks to my go-to sourdough layer cake recipe, and – out came my newest favorite strawberry cake layer! 

    And OH man.

    Definitely one I’d make again!

     

    If you’re nervous about the strength of the ‘sourdough flavor’ – it’s not very strong.

    My husband’s take – “I couldn’t quite put words to the tang before you told me what it was. Once I knew what it was – I could definitely recognize it as sourdough. Before that – I thought it was just a good strawberry cake.”

    (If you’re a sourdough junkie and you want a super strong flavor – use discard that’s had a bit of fridge time to ferment, I guess.  I’ve used 1- and 2-day-old discard so far. The sourdough flavor’s there but it’s light and not overpowering – which I prefer.) 

    It’s a little difficult to fit into words, but the sourdough discard adds a bit of tang and maybe just a touch of bitterness that’s balanced out by the sweetness of the cake really well. Once I added some strawberry cream cheese frosting it was even better!

    “Do I need a full cup of sourdough discard? That’s…sort of a lot.”

    That’s what I’ve used in all my trial runs so far – so obviously I’d recommend it. If you don’t have that much discard on hand though, just use what you have! If you have less than ½ cup on hand, I’d use what you have and substitute buttermilk for the remaining amount.

    (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!)

    Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later!

    Strawberry cake frosted with freeze-dried strawberry buttercream in background; cake slice cut and on plate in foreground
    Strawberry cake frosted with freeze-dried strawberry buttercream in background; cake slice cut and on plate in foreground
    Print Recipe

    Strawberry Sourdough Discard Cake

    The perfect summer treat – this Strawberry cake uses 250g of sourdough discard to make a fruit- and sourdough-rich dessert!
    Prep Time45 minutes
    Cook Time37 minutes
    Decorating time30 minutes
    Total Time1 hour 52 minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Easy sourdough discard recipes, Sourdough cake, Sourdough discard cake, Sourdough discard layer cake, Strawberry sourdough discard cake
    Servings: 16 servings
    Calories: 796kcal
    Author: Sarah H

    Equipment

    Ingredients

    Strawberry Sourdough Discard Cake layers

    Strawberry Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting:

    • 8 ounces cream cheese (one package; softened)
    • 1 cup butter (2 sticks; softened (+¼ teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter))
    • 5 + cups powdered sugar
    • 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
    • 1 cup crushed freeze-dried strawberries
    • 1-2 Tablespoons milk (if needed to reach a spreadable consistency)

    Decorations

    • Sliced strawberries I used 16 slices / 5-6 strawberries
    • Sprinkles of your choice I just used Wilton sugar pearls

    Instructions

    • Instructions

    Strawberry Sourdough Discard Cake layers

    • Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (180C) or 325 F (160C) for a convection oven. Grease 3 8-inch cake pans with baker’s floured spray (or line with parchment rounds).
    • Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined.
    • Mix chunks of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture becomes crumbly.
    • Pour in eggs and mix on low until just combined. Whisk together sourdough discard and milk until well-combined. Add the sourdough discard/milk mixture in 2 parts, mixing until combined.
    • Add vanilla, almond extract, and strawberries (both), and mix at a low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
    • Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans (I find a kitchen scale helpful for this part). This guarantees your layers will bake to be the same height.
    • Bake for 35-37 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans – it helps to run an offset spatula or knife around the perimeter of the pan first. Cool completely before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired.
    • Once the layers have fully cooled, the caramelized bits can be trimmed from the sides / top of the cake using a serrated knife if desired. (Be sure the layers are completely cooled or chilled before trimming – or they’ll crumble or break.) This is a great time to make your frosting!

    Strawberry Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

    • (Optional: if you want a finer consistency to your frosting, process strawberries in a blender or food processor, or use powdered freeze-dried strawberries. If you don’t mind the freeze-dried strawberry pieces in the frosting, skip this step! If you’d like the strawberries to have time to soften a bit in the frosting, you can make it several hours or up to a day ahead.)
    • Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with flavoring and strawberries until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add vanilla and salt/milk if needed and beat until well combined.

    Assembly

    • If needed, once cake layers are cooled, level them (I don’t generally trim much from the tops of mine). This can be done with a cake leveler or a large serrated knife and a ruler if needed.
    • Place a smear of frosting on a cake circle or flat plate (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center your first cake layer in the center of the circle.
    • Spread the first layer with frosting. (Add some sliced/crushed/preserved strawberries if you’d like.) Add your next cake layer on top, and repeat the process with your remaining cake layers.
    • Now you’re ready to crumb-coat. If you’re unfamiliar with crumb-coating, it’s just what it sounds like – spreading a thin layer of frosting over the entire outside of the cake to keep crumbs out of your final layer.
    • Once your crumb coat has set (this takes about 5-10 minutes in the fridge), add your final layer of frosting and smooth (or texture). (More details in this post on frosting cakes. See 'Cake ring hack' for my cheater method.) 😉

    Decorating

    • Smoothing the cake sides will probably result in a small ‘lip’ or ‘ridge’ of frosting at the top – this is a good thing. 😉 Wipe off the offset spatula again, and use it to pull in that ‘lip,’ keeping the spatula even with the top of the cake. Work your way around the cake until the top edge is smooth. Smooth-ish. Whatever. 😉
    • Decorate as you like – I used sliced strawberries, frosting swirls, and sprinkles! Annnd you’re done! Cut in and enjoy!

    Video

    Notes

    (Please note nutrition information is a rough estimate, and may not be exactly accurate. Counts will vary in all fields if not all the frosting is used, or if the cake is cut into more than 16 pieces.) 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 796kcal | Carbohydrates: 105g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 38g

    Did you make this Strawberry Sourdough Discard cake? 

    Let me know how it went – or find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo! 

    Please consider leaving a comment / recipe rating (bottom of the page); this really helps other bakers find recipes they love! 

     

    Other recipes you may enjoy – 

    (Click / tap the photos to be taken to the recipe pages!) 

    Chocolate Sourdough Discard cake recipe; slice cut from cake to show texture
    Vanilla Sourdough Discard Cake frosted with cream cheese frosting. Slice cut from cake.
    fruit-sweetened 'Berry First Birthday' cake frosted with whipped cream. Topped with a 'One' strawberry cake topper and decorated with strawberries.Biscoff parfaits with layers of Biscoff cake, crumbled cookies, Biscoff cookie butter and cream cheese, and whipped cream.
  • No-Bake Oreo Confetti Cheesecake

    No-Bake Oreo Confetti Cheesecake

    No-Bake Oreo Confetti Cheesecake, Oreo crust decorated with whipped cream swirls and Oreo cookies

    So you want to make a no-bake Oreo Confetti Cheesecake? 

     (Okay, or an Oreo Funfetti Cheesecake?) Either way – got you covered! 🙂 A handful of simple ingredients to make the BEST Oreo Confetti cheesecake you’ve ever eaten – and it’s done in no time without turning on the oven! 

    It’s definitely getting to be the time of year when I DON’T want to be turning on my oven all the time. Lately it’s not dropping below 70 degrees F (about 21C) even in the middle of the night, so there’s NO time that turning my oven on doesn’t tax the air conditioner.

    (And absolutely no one appreciates the sauna our kitchen turns into when the oven’s on.) 

    Soo a no-bake dessert is the way to go – and IMHO there’s no better no-bake dessert than a cheesecake! 

    For the longest time I thought that I didn’t like no-bake cheesecakes – becaaause I tried one ‘meh’ recipe in my 20s. And then assumed they were all like that. And gave up. 

    Well. Lol; joke’s on me. (Guess this is why we don’t operate on assumptions, kids.) Turns out I’ve been doing cheesecakes the hard (hot) way for years! 

    (Now – that said – there are at least 15 baked cheesecakes I’m never taking out of my recipe book because they’re AMAZING. If you’re a cheesecake purist, don’t come at me. 😉 Just saying I was wrong about no-bake cheesecakes!) 

    Anyway, if you live somewhere hot – or somewhere hot right now – here’s a FABULOUS easy dessert that doesn’t need an oven! I’m newly addicted and so is my husband. 🙂 Posting this in hopes you’ll be too!

    So how does it come together?  

    First – crust. 2 ingredients. 😉 

    This is the easiest thing in the world, seriously, Oreos + butter. That’s it. Whole Oreos; no need to be opening them up and scraping out the filling because WHO has time for that. (?) That said, be prepared to whip out a blender or food processor, OR spend a bit of time whacking with a rolling pin or the back of a wooden spoon. The finer the crumbs the better it’ll blend with the butter and press into the pan. It’ll cut cleaner too. 

    Next – cheesecake layer! 

    Hands down the best part. IMHO. Start by whipping some (unsweetened) cream; set this in the fridge. Beat the cream cheese, then add in sugar, powdered instant vanilla pudding mix, vanilla, a bit of salt, and then fold in the whipped cream + sprinkles and chopped Oreos. Pour it into your crust; pop it in the fridge. Fastest cake layer I’ve ever made. 

    This cheesecake will behave the best in terms of cutting – and result in the best texture – if left to chill several hours. I left mine in the fridge overnight. 

    Next – whipped cream + decorations!  

    Decorating process. 

    NOW whip more cream, but sweeten it this time 😉 

    (Quick note – if you’re decorating more than a few hours before serving – I was – whip in a teaspoon or so of gelatin dissolved in 3 Tablespoons of warm water. If you’re decorating close to serving time, no worries. Skip that step. 😉 ) 

    Now decorate to your heart’s content! I kept it super simple and low-profile; 8 whipped cream swirls + 8 Oreos. 

    That said, I’ve decorated many cakes with more swirls and Oreos – you can fit more if you put the Oreos straight up and down on their edges rather than on a slant. 100% up to you! I’m currently taking votes on which look looks better – whipped cream with just sprinkles or with sprinkles + Oreo crumbs. Jury’s out right now. But whatever they come back with – do whatever you prefer! 😉  

    Result –

    Quick note – if you want a whiter cheesecake, leave out the pudding mix. It does turn the cheesecake layer a bit more yellow than it would be without it. I liked the extra touch of gelatin to thicken the cheesecake layer and a bit of extra vanilla, so it seemed worth it to me – but to each their own. 

    Annnd that’s everything! Tips are above and the recipe’s below – happy baking! If you try out the recipe let me know what you think! 

    (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

    No-Bake Oreo Confetti Cheesecake: slice cut on a plate in front of cheesecake
    No-Bake Oreo Confetti Cheesecake, Oreo crust decorated with whipped cream swirls and Oreo cookies
    Print Recipe

    No-Bake Oreo Confetti Cheesecake

    8 ingredients to make the BEST Oreo Confetti cheesecake you’ve ever eaten – and it’s done in no time and no-bake!
    Prep Time15 minutes
    Cook Time0 minutes
    Decorating time5 minutes
    Total Time20 minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Cheesecake, No-bake cheesecake, No-bake desserts, Oreo Confetti, Oreo crust, Oreo Funfetti, Summer desserts
    Servings: 16 servings
    Calories: 288kcal
    Author: Sarah H

    Equipment

    • 9-inch springform pan
    • Hand or stand mixer
    • Piping bag with large star tip (optional; you could also use a sandwich bag or even some plastic wrap)
    • Cake turntable (100% optional, just makes decorating easier)

    Ingredients

    Crust

    Cheesecake layer

    • 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream (about 3 cups whipped)
    • 16 ounces cream cheese softened
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • ¼ cup instant vanilla pudding mix about half a 3.4oz package; JUST the powdered mix
    • 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup coarsely chopped Oreos 10-12 cookies; I chopped these pretty coarse so they wouldn’t turn the cheesecake too brown when stirred in
    • ½ cup Rainbow jimmies sprinkles (Do NOT use nonpareils; their color coating will dissolve and turn the cheesecake a nasty greenish-brown!)

    Decorations

    Instructions

    Crust

    • Crush or blend Oreos to a crumb consistency – the finer they’re crushed the easier your crust will be to press into the pan, and to cut cleanly later. Pour in melted butter and stir until well combined. Press into 9-inch springform pan and chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.

    Cheesecake

    • Whip 1 ½ cups of heavy cream until stiff peaks form; place in the fridge. (Absolutely fine to substitute pre-made whipped topping if you prefer!)
    • In another bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, pudding mix, vanilla, and salt and beat until combined.
    • Gently fold in whipped cream, chopped Oreos, and rainbow sprinkles. the mixture will be thick. (Don’t overmix or the whipped cream will lose too much volume.) Transfer to springform pan on top of Oreo crust and smooth. Chill at least 3-4 hours; preferable overnight.

    Decorating

    • Combine remaining 1 cup of heavy cream with remaining 3 Tablespoons of sugar; whip until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping or plastic bag; top cheesecake with whipped cream, Oreos, and sprinkles. No limits here; decorate to your heart’s content. 😉
    • High-five yourself on your awesome cake – and enjoy!

    Video

    Notes

    (Please note nutrition information is an estimate, and may not be exactly accurate.) 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 21g

    Did you make this no-bake Oreo Confetti Cheesecake? 

    Please consider leaving a recipe rating and / or comment at the bottom of the page! This really helps other bakers find the recipe. Much appreciated!

    Send me an email and let me know how it went – or make my day and find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo!

    Other recipes you may love…

    (Click / tap the photos to be taken to the recipe pages!)

    Oreo Overload Cake top (with a chocolate ganache drip and pile of Oreos on top)Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cupcakes - caramel cupcake with cream cheese frosting, salted caramel drizzle, and a caramel square on top
    Salted Caramel Cheesecake (topped with meringue buttercream and caramel squares)Teal Oreo Birthday Cake with gold decorations
    Vegan Oreo Confetti CakeGraduation cupcakes (chocolate cupcakes w confetti frosting & chocolate hat toppers)
  • Tennis Ball Cake

    Tennis Ball Cake

    Tennis Ball Cake; round sphere cake decorated with fluorescent yellow and white frosting to look like a tennis ball with green 'grass' frosting at the base

    So you want to make a Tennis ball cake? 

    I’ve got you covered! 🙂

    Whether you need a Tennis ball cake for a birthday party, competition, or just a fun event, this is a simple but really fun effective design!

    (As an aside, I’ve also seen these made for dogs, lol. This isn’t a dog-friendly recipe, but if you have a dog-friendly cake recipe you want to use – I can help you get it decorated! 😉 ) 

    As conceptually simple as they look, sports-themed cakes can be a touch tricky to pull off convincingly.

    Backstory to this cake – I’ve been really surprised at the attention the Golf Ball cake recipe I posted has gotten. The other internet recipe ‘hole’ I noticed was the 3D tennis ball cake – I couldn’t find many recipes as I was researching the best way to go about making one. So I post this in hopes I can help someone! If that’s you, I’m glad you found this page and I hope it’s helpful to you!

    Design snags I had to contend with – 

    Cake shape.

    This was my first go at a full-sphere cake – and I was worried about stability. (Who wouldn’t be??) That said – a central dowel (coffee straw) really saved me here. Even though I noticed that the base cake layer took on some ‘smushing’ as I was stacking on the next 3 layers, the dowel gave me an easy way to keep the whole thing from tipping. And it sure tried to tip. >< 

    Now. It wasn’t enough smushing to be a big problem, but it’s worth noting – if you’re wanting a perfect sphere, you’ll need a more sturdy cake layer than the glorified-cake-mix-layers I’ve posted below. (A half-recipe of my favorite Vanilla Cake recipe should work, though my road test of that theory is still pending results.) 

    If you’re tempted to stack up regular layers and sculpt a sphere by hand, one quick word of warning. I once tried sculpting a half-sphere from 3 8” cake layers – and it went…less than well. Ha. The shape wasn’t what I’d wanted, and I wasted a ton of cake in the process. It was the ugliest igloo ever and I’m still bugged at how it turned out. I’m not saying you can’t do it, I’m just saying it might be harder than you think. (Do with that information what you will. I maintain the <$10 I spent on my half-sphere pan was worth it.)

    So that said, I opted for the half-sphere pan – with one hesitation. I tend to dislike large cake pans because the edges often get dry before the center is baked through. Meh. Here’s the hint that saved me here – put a flower nail upside-down inside the pan base. This helps conduct heat into the center of the cake, helping it bake more easily so the edges don’t dry out so much. 

    Flower nail cake pan - shows how to use a flower nail to help the cake bake evenly
    (how to use a flower nail to help your cake bake more evenly)

    (Also – don’t over-fill your pan(s); I overflowed one all over my oven once and it was a disaster. Leave a good ½ inch (centimeter or so) of space at the top of the pan so it doesn’t overflow as it rises in the oven. ) 

    Frosting color.

    My other worry was the frosting. Buttercream with some added cream cheese is my go-to frosting. It’s delicious, but it’s not the bright white that would match that white line in a tennis ball. This was my first go at buttercream with shortening added, and I added some frosting whitener that worked really well. (Only add the whitener to a bit of the frosting if you use it though; it keeps the other colors from deepening. Which will really bum your decorating flow.)

    Decorating process. 

    In hindsight, I might chill my cake layers before stacking a spherical cake up next time. It might help with the ‘smushing’ I noticed in the base layer. 

    I’m normally ‘meh’ on dowels unless a cake needs to be transported in a car. BUT. I 100% recommend a dowel for this one. Unless you have a really good eye and light hand for balance as you decorate. I don’t, so having that dowel to press a finger down on and keep the cake steady was a godsend in the frosting process. 

    Also – just be aware if you use the tiny star tip to decorate like I did…you’ll probably have a bit of a sore hand + arm. It’s just a lot of piping. :/ Sorry I don’t have a fix for that. :/ 

    Result –

    I was SO glad I did the tester, because I was happy with how the real thing came out! Picture above, and the video’s at the end of the recipe card – 

    If you’re looking to make a tennis ball cake, tips are above and the recipe’s below – happy baking! If you try out the recipe let me know what you think! 

    (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

    Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later! 

    Tennis Ball Cake; round sphere cake decorated with fluorescent yellow and white frosting to look like a tennis ball. Cake cut to show inside.
    Tennis Ball Cake; round sphere cake decorated with fluorescent yellow and white frosting to look like a tennis ball with green 'grass' frosting at the base
    Print Recipe

    Tennis Ball Cake

    Need an easy-to-make Tennis ball cake? Got you covered! This one comes together easily with a half-sphere pan and two frosting colors!
    Prep Time40 minutes
    Cook Time45 minutes
    Decorating time1 hour
    Total Time2 hours 25 minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: 3D tennis ball cake, Shaped Tennis ball cake, Sports cake, Tennis ball cake, Tennis cake
    Servings: 14 servings
    Calories: 655kcal
    Author: Sarah H

    Equipment

    • 6-inch half sphere cake pan (I just used 1; 2 would save some baking time)
    • large flower nail (optional but highly recommended; helps the cake bake evenly)
    • Cake dowel or straw (for stability; optional but recommended)
    • Cake turntable (optional, but makes decorating much easier)
    • 2×2 acetate sheet (100% optional, but I used it to smooth the frosting before piping)
    • 3 piping bags
    • small slotted tip (like the Ateco 44)
    • Small star tip (like the Ateco 14)
    • grass tip (like the Ateco 234)

    Ingredients

    Cake layers

    • 1 box cake mix (Flavor's up to you; I used vanilla with 1/2 cup of added sourdough discard)
    • ½ cup butter (melted and cooled)
    • 4 eggs
    • 1 cup buttermilk (room temperature, or use 1 cup milk mixed with with 2 tsp lemon juice)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Frosting

    • 6 ounces cream cheese (softened)
    • ¾ cup butter (1 ½ sticks; room temperature)
    • 4-5 cups powdered sugar
    • 1 Tablespoon clear vanilla extract
    • 1-3 Tablespoons milk (if needed to reach a spreadable consistency)
    • 2 Tablespoons frosting whitener (optional)
    • 2-3 drops yellow gel food coloring
    • 2-3 drops electric green gel food coloring
    • 2-3 large drops green gel food coloring

    Instructions

    Cake layers

    • Preheat oven to 350°F (177℃). Prepare a 6-inch half sphere pan with baker’s floured cooking spray (or grease and flour pan well). Place flower nail in the base of cake pan.
    • Combine melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl and mix until combined. Add in cake mix and stir until moistened (about 30 seconds), then beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
    • Pour half of the batter into prepared pan. (Place remaining batter into the fridge.) Batter level should be at least a half-inch below the cake pan rim. (Might not hurt to place a baking sheet in the oven under the pan just in case.)
    • Bake for 35-45 minutes, (or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean). Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing cake from pan. Repeat with remaining cake batter.
    • Chill before stacking/decorating. (Place in the fridge to accelerate the cooling process if desired.) While you’re waiting…make your frosting!

    Frosting

    • Beat together cream cheese and butter; beat in powdered sugar and vanilla until well combined. Add milk if needed until frosting reaches an easily spreadable consistency.
    • Remove ⅓ cup of frosting into each of 2 bowls – add whitener to one for the white ‘line’ if you’d like. Color the other bowl green for the ‘grass’ border. Color remaining frosting ‘tennis ball’ yellow – I used 3 drops each yellow and electric green.

    Assembly & Decorating

    • (If desired, use a cake leveler or large serrated knife to slice cake into 2 layers to fill with frosting).
    • Place a smear of frosting on a plate or cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center the top of one half-shere in the center of the circle. Spread with frosting and repeat with the base of that half-sphere. Insert a straw or dowel in the center for stability (optional but recommended). Repeat in reverse with the other half-sphere (so it looks like a ball when you’re done. 😉 )
    • Add a crumb coat (thin layer of frosting) to the outside, and chill for 20-30 minutes in the fridge or 10-15 minutes in the freezer to set.

    Decorating: the ‘line’

    • Transfer white frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small slotted tip.
    • All y’all more artistic than me could probably eyeball this part – but I tried free-hand piping this and it was messy, lol. So I grabbed a 2-foot piece of string and used it to create the ‘line’ I wanted – then pressed it into the frosting to make a guideline to follow as I piped (removing the string as I was piping). Whatever method you use, pipe a white line of frosting to the outside of the cake to resemble a tennis ball. Mine was about 3 inches apart at the top expanding to roughly 6 inches at the widest part near the cake base.

    Decorating: the rest of the tennis ball

    • (This will be the most time-consuming step-) transfer the yellow-green frosting to a piping bag and pipe small stars covering the rest of the cake. My hand got tired during this step; rotate positions and take breaks if you need to. 🙂 You can probably see in the video – I even laid sideways on the table to pipe near the base of the cake. Go with what works. 😉
    • Once the cake is covered, set it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to semi-set the frosting. Then I took a paper towel and gently pressed into the ‘pointy’ parts of the frosting to mute the points a bit – this was the closest I could get to resembling the textured look of a tennis ball.
    • Transfer green frosting to a piping bag fitted with a grass tip, and pipe a rim of grass around the cake base. High-five yourself on your awesome cake – and enjoy!

    Video

    Notes

    (Please note nutrition information is an estimate, and may not be exactly accurate. Counts will be lower in all fields if not all the frosting is used.) 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 655kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 35g

    Did you make this Tennis ball cake? 

    If you loved the recipe, please help other people find it! Add a comment or a recipe rating at the bottom of the page! 🙂

    Send me an email and let me know how it went – please let me know if you have any questions or had any issues! Emails go straight to my inbox and I’m happy to help 🙂 
    Or make my day and find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo!

     

    Other recipes you may love…

    (Click/tap the images to be taken to the recipe pages!) 

    6 inch Golf ball smash cake photoPickleball Cake made with bright yellow cream cheese frosting and cut-outs with gray in the base to resemble a pickleball
    Basketball CakeBalloon Cake
    Baseball cake - 6 inch half sphere buttercream cake shaped and decorated like a baseballFootball Cake - two tiered
  • Chocolate Sourdough Discard Cake

    Chocolate Sourdough Discard Cake

    Chocolate Sourdough Discard cake recipe; slice cut from cake to show texture

    Chocolate Sourdough Discard Cake 

    Need a delicious (easy) way to use up sourdough discard?

    This Chocolate Sourdough Discard layer cake uses 250g (about 1 cup) of discard -and makes one AMAZING layer cake!

    This post (Vanilla Sourdough Discard Cake) details my years of waiting before finally getting brave enough to begin dabbling in the world of sourdough, lol. A friend gifted me some sourdough starter – and it’s been an adventure ever since! 😉 And in many many months since receiving my starter I’ve yet to run out of sourdough discard. I hate throwing it away, so the volume sometimes gets a little overwhelming before I catch back up!! 

    More details in the above post, but once I read online that sourdough discard can function similarly to buttermilk – THEN I knew I had a great place to funnel all that extra sourdough discard! 

    I worked out a vanilla sourdough discard cake fairly quickly – only took a few minor tweaks. Then I turned my attention to a chocolate layer cake recipe. And oh man. Working out a vanilla cake recipe was so easy. Chocolate though – chocolate turned out to be a bit more challenging. 

    Challenge 1 – texture. 

    First – the texture gave me fits my first couple tries. I’ve found it somehow more difficult to keep chocolate cakes from getting dry. :/ And man. Dry chocolate cakes aren’t good. They suck all the moisture out of your mouth, and decorating them is a nightmare because they crack and crumble. I ended up doing some tweaking with the discard amount, and then replacing about half of the butter with oil. This kept the rich butter flavor, but also resulted in a more moist, cohesive cake! 

    Challenge 2 – flavor. 

    The challenge here was getting that ‘sourdough’ tang into the cake – because chocolate is a much stronger flavor compared to vanilla. And sourdough’s not a super strong flavor competitor when you’re trying to balance it with chocolate. When I tried adding more than 250g of sourdough discard, I ended up with a cake that was pretty dry, crumbly, and broke easily. Annoying. Once I backed the amount back down and cut it with more oil and milk, the texture came back to a rich moist layer cake. 

    Will it satisfy the craziest of sourdough addicts? Maybe (I hope so?). The sourdough flavor to the cake layers is probably a 1 or 2 out of 10 – maybe up to a 3 or 4 if your discard has had a lot of time to ferment and has a stronger flavor.

    That said though – it does have a sourdough tang that goes SO well with the rich chocolate flavor, and it’s ABSOLUTELY a recipe that I love now! It’s replaced my prior standby chocolate cake recipe – and it’s really been the workhorse of keeping my sourdough discard in check the last 2 months!  

    Like I said in my other post – I’m a sprinkle addict with no interest in quitting, so more sprinkles went on to this one. 😉 Nothing too crazy though; I wanted the cake to be the star of the pictures 😉 

    The cake in the videos was decorated with chocolate buttercream because I was trying a new frosting technique – still a work in progress – but I actually prefer my favorite Chocolate Cream Cheese buttercream recipe.

    Going to cover a quick couple of questions, then on to the recipe!

    “Do I need a full cup of sourdough discard? That’s kind of a lot.”

    That’s what I’ve used in all my trial runs so far – so obviously I’d recommend it. If you don’t have that much discard on hand though, just use what you have! Substitute buttermilk for the remaining amount to make 1 cup. 

    “How strong is the sourdough taste?” 

    With regular sourdough bread being a 10/10, I’d give the strength of the sourdough flavor in the cake layers maybe a 1- to 4/10. It kind of depends on how long your discard has had to ferment as well. The cake I made with the 2-week-old discard in my fridge had a stronger sourdough flavor compared with the 3-day-old discard. It’s there, but not strong enough that the cake tastes like a sourdough loaf. (My husband’s a much bigger fan of sourdough than I am, so for me – that’s perfect.) 

    “Can I use active starter?”

    Technically – yes. There’s a trade-off though. The sourdough flavor might suffer a bit. I did one trial run with starter that I’d fed the day before and then put into the fridge, so it was still fairly bubbly. It didn’t mess with the texture of the cake; it still baked the same way – but the sourdough tang didn’t seem as strong to me. Options! 

    (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!)

    Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later! 

    Chocolate Sourdough Discard cake (placeholder for pinterest pin)
    Chocolate Sourdough Discard cake recipe; slice cut from cake to show texture
    Print Recipe

    Chocolate Sourdough Discard Cake

    Need a way to use up sourdough discard? This Chocolate Sourdough discard Cake uses 250g of discard and makes a KILLER delicious sourdough chocolate cake!
    Prep Time30 minutes
    Cook Time37 minutes
    Decorating time30 minutes
    Total Time1 hour 37 minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: chocolate sourdough cake, chocolate sourdough discard cake, Easy sourdough discard recipes, Sourdough cake, Sourdough discard cake, Sourdough discard layer cake
    Servings: 16 servings
    Calories: 460kcal
    Author: Sarah H

    Equipment

    Ingredients

    Chocolate Sourdough Discard Cake

    • 2 ½ cups flour
    • 2 ½ cups brown sugar (granulated sugar works as well; I liked brown sugar a bit better)
    • 1 cup cocoa powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
    • ½ cup softened butter
    • ¾ cup oil (I used vegetable oil)
    • 4 eggs
    • 250 g about 1 cup sourdough discard
    • 1 cup milk
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla

    Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting:

    • 8 ounces cream cheese (one package; softened)
    • 1 cup butter (2 sticks; softened)
    • 1 cup cocoa powder
    • 4-5 cups powdered sugar
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • ¼ teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
    • 1-2 Tablespoons milk (if needed to reach a spreadable consistency)

    Sprinkle mix of your choice (optional; I used Wilton gold sanding sugar)

    Instructions

    Instructions

      Chocolate Sourdough Discard Cake layers

      • Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (180C) or 325 F (160C) for a convection oven. Grease 3 8-inch cake pans with baker's floured spray (or line with silicone or parchment rounds).
      • Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined.
      • Mix chunks of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture becomes crumbly. Add oil and mix until well combined.
      • Pour in eggs and mix on low until just combined (the mixture will be thick at this stage; this is normal). Whisk together sourdough discard, milk, and vanilla until well-combined. Add the sourdough discard mixture in 2 parts, mixing until combined.
      • Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
      • Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. (I find a kitchen scale helpful for this part, and had about 650g in each pan; this guarantees your layers will bake to be the same height.)
      • Bake for 32-37 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans – it helps to run an offset spatula or knife around the perimeter of the pan first. Cool completely before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired.
      • This is a great time to make your frosting!

      Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

      • Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with flavoring until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add vanilla and salt/milk if needed and beat until well combined.

      Assembly

      • If needed, once cake layers are cooled, level them (These generally bake pretty flat and I don’t trim much from the tops). This can be done with a cake leveler or a large serrated knife and a ruler.
      • Place a smear of frosting on your cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center your first cake layer in the center of the circle.
      • Spread the first layer with frosting. Add your next cake layer on top, and repeat the process with your remaining cake layers.
      • Now you're ready to frost – I’ve started using a cake ring at this stage – more in this video or this post. Otherwise – if using the traditional method you’re ready to crumb-coat. If you're unfamiliar with crumb-coating, it's just what it sounds like – spreading a thin layer of frosting over the entire outside of the cake to keep crumbs out of your final layer.
      • Once your crumb coat has set (this takes about 5-10 minutes in the fridge), add your final layer of frosting and smooth. (See this post for help if needed.)

      Decorating

      • The smoothing motion around the sides will probably result in a small ‘lip’ or ‘ridge’ of frosting at the top – this is a good thing. 😉 Wipe off the offset spatula, and use it to pull in that ‘lip,’ keeping the spatula even with the top of the cake. Work your way around the cake until the top edge is smooth. Smooth-ish. Whatever. 😉
      • Feel free to decorate however you'd like – sprinkles and frosting swirls like I did, or berries or even edible flowers 😉
        Annnd you’re done! Cut in and enjoy! Congrats on your killer sourdough discard cake!

      Video

      Notes

      (Please note nutrition information is an estimate and may not be exactly accurate. Counts will vary in all fields with any recipe alterations or if not all the frosting is used.) 

      Nutrition

      Serving: 1serving | Calories: 460kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g

      Did you make this chocolate sourdough discard cake? 

      Please leave a comment and let me know how it went for you! 🙂 

      Also, please shoot me an email with any questions! 

       

      Other recipes you may love…

      (Click / tap any of the photos to be taken to the recipe page!) 

      Vanilla Sourdough Discard Cake frosted with cream cheese frosting. Slice cut from cake.
      Reese's candy filled cake thumbnail
      fruit-sweetened 'Berry First Birthday' cake frosted with whipped cream. Topped with a 'One' strawberry cake topper and decorated with strawberries.
    • Birds Nest Macaroons

      Birds Nest Macaroons

      angled view of coconut bird's nest macaroon cookies filled with cadbury mini chocolate eggs

      On the hunt for an Easter egg dessert that’s easy to make, adorable, and full of delicious flavors?

      Flavored with almond and orange, stuffed full of coconut and topped with mini chocolate eggs – these Birds Nest Macaroons are a sure-to-please Easter dessert!

      The dough comes together in just 15 minutes – then after an hour of chill time, bake these tiny ‘nests’ of deliciousness, press a hole in the centers, and fill them with mini chocolate eggs! This is also a fantastic recipe to make with kids. Depending on their ages, they can help with anything from pressing holes in the centers and decorating with eggs to rolling the cookies in coconut to making the dough!

      What makes this recipe special?

      The first thing I love about this recipe is that the cookie comes out soft, not crunchy or crumbly. Maybe I’ve only ever tried over-baked macaroons, but that’s been my biggest complaint about them in general. These baked for 10-12 minutes max in my oven, and even the 12-minute pan of cookies with more toasty coconut were still soft in the centers and didn’t crumble apart. Since I’m not a fan of crumbly cookies this was a big plus for me!

      Many macaroon recipes are flavored predominantly (or exclusively) with coconut – not a bad thing, especially for coconut lovers! But this recipe also features almond and orange extracts (or orange juice concentrate) to add extra dimensions to the flavor. All three flavors pair AMAZINGLY with the chocolate eggs on top – and they look absolutely adorable to boot!

      “Can I make these gluten-free?”

      Absolutely! Check labels on your ingredients, but I love making recipes gluten-free for my sisters by subbing out regular all-purpose flour for Pamela’s 1:1 gluten free flour substitute! Especially in a cookie like this one, where the texture comes more from the coconut than from the flour, it’s REALLY hard to tell the difference between a regular and a gluten-free macaroon!

      As an Amazon affiliate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts sometimes contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you! 

      Birds Nest macaroons- inside

      Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later! 😉 

      overhead view of coconut bird's nest macaroon cookies filled with cadbury mini chocolate eggs
      angled view of coconut bird's nest macaroon cookies filled with cadbury mini chocolate eggs
      Print Recipe

      Bird’s Nest Macaroons

      Flavored with almond and orange, filled with coconut and topped with mini chocolate eggs – these Bird’s Nest Macaroons are a sure-to-please Easter dessert!
      Prep Time15 minutes
      Cook Time12 minutes
      Chill time1 hour
      Total Time1 hour 27 minutes
      Course: Dessert
      Cuisine: American
      Keyword: Bird’s nest cookies, coconut desserts, Coconut Easter desserts, Easter cookies, Easter egg cookies, Easy Easter Desserts
      Servings: 36 cookies
      Calories: 141.4kcal
      Author: Sarah H

      Equipment

      • 1-2 cookie sheets + liners or parchment paper
      • 1 cookie scoop (optional, but makes uniform cookies easier)

      Ingredients

      • ⅓ cup butter (softened)
      • 4 ounces cream cheese (softened)
      • ¾ cup granulated sugar
      • 2 egg yolks
      • 2 teaspoons almond extract
      • 1 teaspoon orange extract (or 2 teaspoons orange juice concentrate)
      • 1 ¼ cup flour
      • 2 teaspoons baking powder
      • ¼ teaspoon salt
      • 14 ounces coconut, shredded (divided)
      • 1 bag Cadbury mini eggs (or other Easter eggs or M&Ms)

      Instructions

      Make & chill the dough

      • Cream softened butter and cream cheese together until combined. Beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, almond extract, and orange extract (or concentrate); beat well.
      • Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to butter/cream cheese mixture. Measure and mix in 3 cups coconut (save remaining coconut to roll cookies in before baking.) Cover and chill 1 hour.

      Bake

      • Shape into 1-inch balls (I used a small cookie scoop). Roll in remaining coconut. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.
        Remove from oven and cool 1-2 minutes; then press a small 'bird's-nest-hole' into the center of each cookie. I used the back of a vegetable peeler; any blunt-ended kitchen utensil will do.
        Fill with 2-3 Cadbury eggs per cookie. Carefully remove from cookie sheet and cool completely on wire rack.

      Video

      Notes

      (Please note nutrition information is an estimate, and may not be exactly accurate. Counts per cookie will also vary if the entire bag of coconut (or chocolate eggs) is not used.) 

      Nutrition

      Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 141.4kcal | Carbohydrates: 11.5g | Protein: 1.6g | Fat: 10.7g

      Did you make these Birds Nest Macaroons? 

      Please consider leaving a star rating and/or review at the bottom of the page – this really helps other coconut-lovers find this page! 😉 

      Please email me with any questions/comments/concerns/etc- emails through my contact form go straight to my inbox and I can see them on my phone! 

      Other recipes you may love…

      Easter Basket Cupcakes
      Fault Line Cake (tutorial, sprinkle fault line with gold edges)Coconut Rum Cake (cut slice)
      Easter Egg Samoas Cupcakes
    • Cake Ring Hack for frosting

      Cake Ring Hack for frosting

      Process collage showing how to use acetate and an expandable cake ring to frost a cake

      Cake Ring Hack for smooth frosting!  

      After *6 years* on the smooth-frosting-struggle-bus – I finally found a method that I don’t hate! I initially figured I was probably one of just a few, and posted a YouTube video demo thinking maybe 5-10 people would care. But after several thousand views more than I’d ever anticipated – here’s more on frosting with the ‘Cake Ring hack’! 

      Late 2024 I (finally) posted on frosting smooth cakes – mostly the classic method + tips involving the freezer for stubborn sides. (I use mostly cream cheese frosting, which is difficult to smooth.) 

      Since writing that post though – I’ve learned a GAME CHANGER cake frosting hack. Credit to ‘CravingAlishasCupcakes‘ on Instagram – I’m still amazed how much an acetate sheet and a metal cake ring speed up frosting for me! 

      Use the purple buttons below to jump to any specific section. I hope this helps you like it did me!

      And please email me with any questions/comments/concerns/complaints; emails through my contact page go straight to my inbox and I can view them on my phone! 

       

      Two Disclaimers First!
      Method
      Video links + Supplies
      Addendum – Using a cake ring as a ‘DIY FrostForm’
      FAQs

      Disclaimers!! 

      1) If you’re a professional baker and frosting cakes is easy for you – this probably isn’t the method for you!

      I have an awful time getting frosting smooth and it takes me forever, so this method has been super helpful for me. If you don’t have my problem – I envy the heck out of you – but this won’t help you. 

      2) If you’re opposed to using the freezer, this is also not the method for you! While you won’t need to freeze the cake solid – just the frosting – the fridge is NOT sufficient. I’ve tried. If the frosting is not set hard enough it will stick to the acetate. Huge-o mess. I’ve never found freezing properly wrapped / frosted layers to alter my cake layer quality – but some people object to it like Italians reacting to broken spaghetti noodles. If that’s you…love ya, but do yourself a favor and just close this page. 😉 Cool? 

      IF however, you’re like me –

      chronically on the smooth-cake-frosting-struggle bus and looking for an easier way – please read on! 🙂 

      (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts sometimes contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

      Cake ring method + video links

      I made a quick tutorial video here – it’s a YouTube short for now; I’m working on a more in-depth tutorial and will link it here when it’s done and posted. 

      Step 1: Stack.
      Stack / fill your cake layers (just like you normally would.) Hopefully we’re on familiar ground so far. 😉 
      Step 2: Pipe. 
       Pipe on a layer of frosting (as evenly as you can, but if it’s fairly uneven it’s not a big deal. You can see what I piped in the video wasn’t super even – meant I had some more smoothing to do after the acetate came off, but that’s not the end of the world.) I also spread a layer of frosting over the top. (Reserve some frosting in case you need to fill gaps in the sides later.) 
      Step 3: Wrap.
      Wrap the cake in a layer of acetate, keeping the bottom edge even with the cake board. (The acetate sheet should be long enough to wrap around the cake with a bit of overhang.) The entire perimeter of the cake should be touching the acetate, but you don’t need to pull it tight. Now… 
      Step 4: Squeeze! 
      Place the cake ring around the outside of the cake+acetate – and then SQUEEZE! The harder you squeeze, the better. (I’ve had the ring handles leave dents in my hands). It takes some compression to press the frosting hard enough to force it against the acetate to smooth it. If you notice a big ‘lip’ of excess frosting at the top cake edge, even it out as much as you can with the top of the cake. 
      Step 5: Freeze! 
      Now the whole thing goes in the freezer, and I generally leave mine for at       least an hour if the cake layers were at room temperature. The frosting HAS to feel very firm to the touch before you try taking the acetate off or the frosting will stick.  
      Step 6: Release 
      Remove the cake ring and the acetate, and smooth any holes out with remaining frosting. If the top edge was even-ish going into the freezer, it shouldn’t take much to get the top edge sharp and smooth, but a hot knife can make quick work of any uneven spots. 

      Here are two quick links to the acetate sheet and the metal cake ring I used in the above ‘cake ring frosting hack’ video! 

       

      Supplies:

      Cake ring - https://amzn.to/4e0hHZA

      Acetate - (the sheet I used was cut from an 8-inch roll) - https://amzn.to/3ABqnHI

      Videos: 

      (YouTube short - quick overview of the process) 

      Videos: 

      (Longer video detailing this method versus the classic frosting method)

      Addendum #2 - How to use a cake ring as a DIY FrostForm®

      To be PERFECTLY clear here - I'm 0% knocking FrostForm® in any way. But I got some sticker shock from their website and wondered if there's another way to do what they do! 

      I looked at one of my acrylic cake discs one day and wondered if I'd be able to place it at the bottom of my cake ring + acetate to leak-proof it - and then pour frosting or ganache over the top.

      Testing commenced!

      Round 1 - with mostly-melted buttercream - was a bit of a wash time-wise. About 2/3 of the cake was covered by the frosting pour, but the remaining 1/3 had to be done by hand after the cake came out of the freezer.  I mean it kinda worked...but it didn't work THAT well.

      (Round 3- When I re-tried with fully melted buttercream, the frosting split. Once the acetate came off I had to scrape and re-smooth the cake to get rid of the melted butter pockets. Nuisance.) 

      Fast forward to round 2 - same method with butter ganache. (I merged the 'milk chocolate' and 'dark chocolate' recipes from FrostForm's site since I was working with semisweet chocolate chips. 1.7:1 ratio of semisweet chocolate to butter in grams.)

      This recipe covered the cake flawlessly, though I learned a couple lessons about preventing and stopping leaks at the base. (Hint: check your acetate before pouring if you bump it!!)

      I'm including a video link below showing exactly how I did this and how it went - in case you want to try it! 

      FAQs: 

      "Doesn't this method waste a lot of acetate?" 

      • Not if you re-use the acetate sheet! I've yet to throw one away. I've washed the same sheet at least 15 times with no apparent ill effects. (Probably 10 by hand and 5 in the dishwasher; it doesn't seem to make a difference.) 

      "Does the cake sweat?" 

      • Depends. If you frost this way and then decorate at room temp - especially on a warm/humid day - it might. (More on that in section 5 of this post.)
        I've avoided this by leaving cakes I frosted this way in the fridge for a couple hours to let the frosting warm up before decorating, and haven't had a problem. I've yet to try it in the middle of a Tennessee summer though, so if I run into trouble I'll update here. 

      "Does this *actually* speed up the process?" 

      • First - see the first disclaimer. If you're quick at frosting and it's not a difficult process for you - then it might not save you time.
        But I used to spent literal hours of hands-on time trying to get my cake sides / top / top edge smooth and even and it was awful. Because of the time for the frosting to freeze and then come to fridge temp, the total time is still a few hours - but my HANDS-ON time to frost a cake is a fraction of what it used to be. And with 2 little kids at home that is a LIFESAVER. 
      how to frost a cake smoothly using a cake ring and acetate
      Print Recipe

      Cake Ring Hack for frosting

      Is smoothing cake frosting an aggravation-inducing nuisance every time? The cake ring hack has been a game changer for this home baker!
      Prep Time15 minutes
      Cook Time0 minutes
      Decorating time1 hour
      Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
      Course: Dessert
      Cuisine: American
      Keyword: Cake frosting hacks, Cake ring hack, Cake ring hack for frosting, Frost a Cake with smooth frosting, How to get cake frosting smooth
      Servings: 16 (variable)
      Calories: 753kcal
      Author: Sarah H

      Equipment

      • 1 Adjustable Cake Ring (linked is the one I use in the video/photos; it's 15cm/5.9inches tall and expands in diameter from 6-12". A 20cm/7.87" ring is also available for taller cakes.)
      • 1 Acetate sheet (I cut my sheet from an 8-inch roll; the sheet I use is 8 inches by about 30 inches)

      Ingredients

      • 1 6-, 7-, or 8-inch cake (make sure the cake height doesn't exceed the width of your acetate)
      • 1 batch frosting of your choice (I usually use cream cheese buttercream, but any butter-based frosting should work. So does using whipped cream.)

      Instructions

      Stack

      • Stack / fill your cake layers (like you normally would.) We should be on familiar ground so far. 😉

      Pipe

      • Pipe on a layer of frosting (as evenly as you can, but don't stress about it.) Spread a layer of frosting over the top. (Reserve some frosting in case you need to fill gaps in the sides later.)

      Wrap

      • Wrap the cake in a layer of acetate, keeping the bottom edge even with the cake board. (The acetate sheet should be long enough to wrap around the cake with a bit of overhang.) The entire perimeter of the cake should be touching the acetate, but you don’t need to pull it tight. Now…

      Squeeze

      • Place the cake ring around the outside of the cake+acetate - and then SQUEEZE! The harder you squeeze, the better. (I’ve had the ring handles leave dents in my hands). It takes some compression to press the frosting hard enough to force it against the acetate to smooth it. If you notice a big ‘lip’ of excess frosting at the top cake edge, even it out as much as you can with the top of the cake.

      Freeze

      • Now the whole thing goes in the freezer, and I generally leave mine for at least an hour if the cake layers were at room temperature. The frosting HAS to feel very firm to the touch before you try taking the acetate off or the frosting will stick.

      Release

      • Remove the cake ring and the acetate, and smooth any holes out with remaining frosting. If the top edge was even-ish going into the freezer, it hopefully won't take much to get the top edge sharp and smooth - a hot knife can make quick work of any uneven spots.
        Refrigerate until no longer solid; if using a butter-based frosting remove from the fridge an hour or two before serving. If using whipped cream refrigerate until ready to serve.

      Video

      Notes

      (Calories listed correspond to an 8-inch chocolate cake frosted with cream cheese buttercream) 

      Nutrition

      Serving: 1serving | Calories: 753kcal | Carbohydrates: 97g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 37g
    • Cosmopolitan Cupcakes

      Cosmopolitan Cupcakes

      Cosmopolitan Cupcakes; 3 with cocktail-filled 'Shot toppers' and 3 topped with just lime wedges

      Looking for a great Cosmopolitan Cupcake recipe? 

      Cranberry, orange, lime, and vodka - honestly, what’s not to love? And in my often-repeated experience, if the flavor’s great in a cocktail it’s even better in a cupcake. So I went looking for a beautiful and flavor-forward recipe for Cosmopolitan cupcakes - preferably with real vodka! 😉 

      The backstory: 

      If I’m honest - I was a bit less than thrilled with what I found in all of my poking around online. (As a brief aside, googling “Cosmo Cupcakes” is unhelpful if you’re looking for a cupcake recipe - because apparently that’s a type of flower. Just an FYI.) I found recipes with cake mixes, some with real cranberries - don’t get me wrong: neither of those things are bad. But sometimes that ‘cake mix’ flavor is hard to override with any other flavors, and the Cosmopolitan cocktail doesn’t (usually) have any real cranberries in it. Others flavored the cupcakes with citrus juices - which in my experience don’t pack a lot of flavor punch and tend to fizz out my leavening agents. Annoying as heck. Since I just didn’t find one I was really super super excited about…I decided to take a stab at writing my own recipe! 

      The plan + process: 

      I didn’t want it to just look reminiscent of a Cosmo cupcake - I wanted it to taste like one too! Since citrus juices tend to react with the rising agents in cupcakes, I went for after my flavor goals with cranberry, lime, and orange extracts and a healthy dose of lime zest. (To make piping easier I left the zest out of the frosting though.) For color contrast I added some green food coloring to the cupcake batter - and I liked the way the overall look came out. That said, pink would be a great option too. The cocktail, after all - is more pink than green. 

      Each cupcake got a swirl of ‘Cosmopolitan frosting’ AND - about half of them got a cocktail-filled shot topper! The ratios in the shot topper filling maybe don’t exactly match the ratios of a Cosmopolitan cocktail, but I wanted the vodka flavor to carry through to the cupcake. (If that’s not your jam, just leave the toppers off! The cupcakes still have plenty of cranberry/lime/orange flavor and were good without the extra alcohol. I still like the toppers though. 😉 ) 

      (After some recipe testing…I’m a touch torn on whether I added too much lime. But I - and most of my taste-testers -  love that flavor so I wrote the recipe accordingly. Something to bear in mind if you’re not a lime-lover!) 

      It doesn’t look like a large volume in that shot topper - and really it’s not - but it’s enough to add a really good kick of cosmopolitan flavor to the cupcake! 

      Annnd that’s everything! Recipe’s below - enjoy! 

      (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 



      Don't forget to pin this recipe for later! 

      Cosmopolitan Cupcakes; 3 with cocktail-filled 'Shot toppers' and 3 topped with just lime wedges
      Print Recipe

      Cosmopolitan Cupcakes

      Looking for a Cosmopolitan Cupcake recipe with real vodka that tastes like the cocktail? Look no further! Cranberry, orange, lime, and vodka come together to make one killer Cosmo cupcake!
      Prep Time45 minutes
      Cook Time15 minutes
      Decorating time20 minutes
      Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
      Course: Dessert
      Cuisine: American
      Keyword: Cosmo cupcake recipe, Cosmopolitan Cupcakes, Cosmopolitan Cupcakes with real vodka, Cranberry lime and orange
      Servings: 24 cupcakes
      Calories: 501kcal
      Author: Sarah H

      Equipment

      Ingredients

      Cosmo Cupcakes:

      • 1 cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
      • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
      • 1 teaspoon baking powder
      • ½ teaspoon baking soda
      • 2 cups granulated sugar
      • 3 large eggs
      • 1 Tablespoon lime extract
      • ½ Tablespoon orange extract
      • ½ Tablespoon cranberry extract (I usually have to buy this online)
      • 2 Tablespoons lime zest (about 1 small lime - I recommend fresh but you can also buy it dried)
      • 1 cup buttermilk (or substitute whole milk)
      • ¼ cup sour cream
      • ¼ cup vodka
      • 1-2 drops green food coloring if desired

      Cosmopolitan Cream Cheese Frosting:

      • 8 ounces cream cheese (one package, softened)
      • 1 cup butter (16 tablespoons or two sticks, softened)
      • 5-6 cups powdered sugar
      • 2-3 Tablespoons vodka
      • 1 teaspoon lime extract
      • 1 teaspoon orange extract
      • ¼ teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter (if using unsalted butter)
      • 1-2 small drops pink food coloring

      Cosmopolitan pipette filling + Decorations

      • ¼ cup cranberry juice
      • ¼ cup vodka
      • ⅛ cup triple sec (or Cointreau; 1/8 cup = 2 Tablespoons)
      • 24 lime slices (halves or quarters; whichever you prefer)

      Instructions

      Cosmopolitan Cupcakes

      • Preheat your oven to 350℉ (180℃), and prepare 24 muffin tins with cupcake liners. Set aside. (Melt and cool butter; you don’t want it to cook your eggs!)
      • Combine all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar) in a large bowl, then combine cooled butter, eggs, flavor extracts & lime zest, milk, sour cream, and vodka in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients and stir to combine. Blend in food coloring if using.
      • Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 full. (Thick batter is normal! Using a large cookie scoop makes this an easy process.)
      • Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until set in the centers and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
      • Allow to cool completely before decorating. (This is a great time to make your frosting and pipette filling!)

      Cosmopolitan Cream Cheese Frosting:

      • Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with vodka and lime/orange extracts until frosting reaches a pipeable consistency. (I recommend making the frosting on the thick side, so that the swirls hold their shape and the pipettes stay put.) Add food coloring and salt if needed and beat until well combined.

      ‘Shot Top’ pipette filling

      • Combine cranberry juice, vodka, and triple sec in a small glass, and stir to mix well.

      Noooow – onto the fun part!! Decorating!

      • Transfer frosting to a large piping bag fitted with a star tip (I used a closed star similar to the Wilton jumbo 1B). Pipe frosting in large swirls onto your cupcakes.
      • Squeeze the air out of your pipettes, then submerge the open end into the pipette mix and allow them to fill. (I tipped mine back and forth a few times to get the air bubbles out so they'd be completely full.) Press a pipette into the frosting on each cupcake.
      • Slice 24 lime wedges and press one into the frosting on top of each cupcake.
      • Step back, give yourself a high-five, and admire your amazing cupcakes! When they’re ready to be eaten, squeeze the pipette to infuse the cupcake with your Costmopolitan cocktail mix – and enjoy!

      Video

      Notes

      Note - a bit of recipe credit! I've modified significantly, but Two Sugar Bugs’ ‘Simply Vanilla Cupcakes’ was the inspiration for this cupcake base! Do yourself a favor and check out Tasia’s site; she is an amazing lady with a beautiful blog! 

      Nutrition

      Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 501kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 24g

      Did you make these Cosmopolitan Cupcakes?

      Please add a comment or a recipe rating at the bottom of the page - this really helps other people find the recipe! 🙂 

      Let me know how it went - or find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo! Send me an email if you have any questions or had any issues - these go straight to my inbox! 

      Other 'cocktail cake / cupcake' recipes...

      (Click / tap the photos to be taken to the recipe pages!) 

      Strawberry Margarita Cake (cut slice)Raspberry Lemon Drop Cake - slice cut
      Lemon Drop CupcakesLemon Drop cake with slice cutMargarita cake - slice cut to show the inside of the cake
      Chocolate Strawberry Martini Cake - slice cut to show insideGrasshopper Martini Cake - two tiered chocolate mint cake topped with a martini glassPeach Bellini Cake, topped with peach slices, raspberries, and cocktail glasses
    • Vintage Wedding Cake

      Vintage Wedding Cake

      Vintage Wedding Cake - 2 tiered white cake decorated with multiple decorative swags, borders, and frosting floral accents

      Wanting to decorate a Vintage Wedding Cake?

      If you’re giving any thought to decorating a vintage wedding cake - whether it’s a single or multi-tier cake - I learned a TON decorating this one - and I’ll walk you through how to do it yourself!

      FIRST thing I want to tell you is that if you’re intimidated by the look of it, don’t be. This style is shockingly forgiving; your piping does not have to be flawless to look perfect and gorgeous!

      Backstory:

      So last month I got a request from a friend for a white vintage (or Lambeth whatever-style-you-want-to-call-it) cake for a wedding. I told her I’d do a practice run before booking the order. Really I’d be lying to say I wasn’t worried. This style isn’t one of my go-to decorating styles, and the amount of piping involved looked a little intense.

      But! One test run was all it took to feel like I have my feet under me - and she was happy with the look of the practice cake. I’m calling it a win!

      Considerations:

      If you’re considering making a cake like this for a large event like a wedding – or even a larger anniversary celebration, graduation, or Quinceanera – I have a different post (and almost identical content in video form)  covering a few things to consider before making a cake for a big event like a wedding. There are a lot of factors involved to make sure everything goes to plan (e.g. recipe/ingredients, considering a ‘practice cake,’ planning for the time involved, transport/storage at the venue, how to cut it, who will cut and serve it, etc). 

       
      3 Tier Vintage Lambeth Wedding cake; decorated with 3-layered ruffled swags, sugar pearl and petal designs, and scalloped borders
      (the real wedding cake!)

      So - let’s get into it!

      Since this style can look complicated (it’s not, but it looks like it is) – I broke this process down into 8 steps.

      I’ll put full details here up top in the post, and more condensed instructions in the recipe card. (I’m doing this so you have something easier to work from if you like to print recipe cards. Like I do.) The supply list with piping tip numbers (and links) is down in the recipe card as well.

      (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

      Said 8 steps in brief: (click to jump to each section)
      1. Frost + smooth cake(s); dowel (if needed)
      2. Mark and pipe the bottom swags (small star tip)
      3. Pipe 2 'ruffley' swags (petal tip)
      4. Large borders (base/middle/top; large French star tip)
      5. Small borders (middle/top) with small star tip
      6. Teardrops at the top of each swag (small star tip)
      7. Small rosette at the top of each teardrop (small star tip)
      8. Flower + Sugar pearl designs in the open spaces (small round tip)

      ALSO, before I forget to mention this - the cake in the videos on this page is a practice cake. For the real thing I’ll definitely use a thicker cake board / cake drum. Buying these in-person is ideal - I’ve ordered online and had them show up warped. I can tell you from assembly-day experience that that’s super annoying if you don’t have time to get a new one.

      1. Frost + smooth cake(s); dowel if needed
      First things first. Get the cake frosted. 😉

      So there are about a thousand video tutorials and classes available online that cover frosting a cake and getting the sides straight. (I’ll be honest: my assumption is that if you’re looking into making a cake like this one, you probably have at least some basic knowledge of how to get a cake frosted.)

      But in case you’re on shaky ground where frosting is concerned – here’s a post + embedded video on getting your cake tiers frosted and smooth. Plus a couple other posts with parts that were helpful to me when I was first getting started frosting cakes.

      https://intensivecakeunit.com/frost-a-cake-with-smooth-buttercream/

      https://chelsweets.com/how-to-frost-a-cake-smoothly/

      https://sugarandsparrow.com/smooth-buttercream-cake-tutorial/

      Next – if you’re decorating more than one tier – time to get the whole thing supported.

      Think of a multi-tiered cake as a block tower – but with soft, squishy blocks. What happens when you put something heavy on something soft and squishy…? You got it; it deforms or collapses completely. No bueno. So to prevent this – we add ‘dowels,’ (I use straws) for internal support. 

      (Seriously. Do NOT skip this step. I say this as the idiot that tried it once. My top tier sank into the base tier and almost tipped completely over.)

      You can see in the video here I used milkshake straws cut to the height of the base tier, and then one regular straw in the center to help keep the top tier centered. This is helpful for assembly and really helpful for transport. See this post and / or this quick video if you need more details than the video provides! 

      Okaaay! So now with the tiers frosted and stacked - we’re ready to decorate!

      Vintage Wedding cake - assembly photo 1
      2) Mark and pipe the bottom swags (small star tip)
      2) Mark and pipe the bottom swags (swags meaning the little swoopy things around the cake. Start with the star tip zig-zag one)

      Mark the bottom swags: You can see in the video - I got lucky and a plastic cup I cut in half matched the 3.1” measurement I needed to mark out my swags. I doubt everyone will be lucky enough to have a Dollar Tree cup laying around that matches their cake size – so a parchment paper round or ring creased in sixths or eights and placed on top of the cake is a great way to ‘mark out’ the swag lines so they’re even.
      (If you get nerdy like me and want to do the math and use a ruler, an 8-inch circle has about a 25 inch diameter - if you divide that by 8 you end up with 3.1 inch swags. 2.4 inch for the 6-inch tier.) 

      Pipe the bottom swags: I used a Wilton #16 (a small star) tip for the bottom swags. Because of the multi-layer swags and the decorating I was going to do at the top of the cake, I left about an inch of space above the bottom ‘swag.’

      Also! You can see in the video that I propped my turntable up a bit with a measuring spoon. Put something sticky underneath the cake board if you do this.  You do not need the whole cake sliding off the turntable! That’d be a really bad day.

      This first swag was the most challenging to pipe - I did a quick practice on a paper plate and that was helpful. I started at the top edge of the swag and piped a really close up-and-down-zig-zag pattern following the line I’d marked with the cup. I made it a bit narrower at the top of the swags and a bit narrower at the bottom in the middle.

      (If you’re decorating more than one cake tier – save yourself some time and headache and do all the swags of this style now! I didn’t once and changing out all the piping tips again for the top tier was a pain.) If you’re feeling unsure or need a bit more guidance please refer to the YouTube video. 🙂

      On to step 3!

      3) Pipe 2 ‘ruffley’ swags (petal tip) 
      3. Pipe 2 ‘ruffley’ swags (petal tip) 

      Next pipe the 2 ‘ruffley’ swags. (I didn’t know what else to call them. 😉 ) Using the first swag as a guide, add another 2 layers of frosting ‘ruffle’ swags above the base swag. Repeat for each tier if needed.

      These are fairly straightforward - but the piping did take a little practice to get the hang of. I kept the narrow part of the petal tip toward the top of the cake. If your hand was zig-zagging up and down for the first swag, picture it zig-zagging up and down and in and out a bit as you pipe this one. That makes that ruffley look a little more pronounced.

      Bam. Done. Next!

      4. Large borders (base/middle/top; large french star tip)
      4. Large borders (base/middle/top) w large french star tip

      (This was probably the easiest step for me!)
      Now, with a large French star tip, add a border at the cake base, (between tiers if needed), and around the top. (If you watch the video closely you can see a bit of evolution in my piping technique here; I was trying to pipe it kind of continuously at first but eventually found it easier and cleaner to pipe just one bit at a time.)

      5. Small border (middle/top) with small star tip
      5. Small border with small star tip

      Okaaay! Making progress! Now time to bring the small star tip back for a second smaller border around the top edge of each tier. (Again, I used a paper plate back for a practice run first.) Place the piping tip gently against the cake edge, and pipe small ‘loops’ in a continuous pattern around the top edge of each cake tier (below the French star border).

      A lot of this piping you can kind of do in whatever order you want - but I’d leave this border until toward the end just because it’s positioned in a spot that’s easy to bump when you’re working on other parts of the piping.

      6. Teardrops at the top of each swag (small star tip)
      6. Pipe teardrops at the top of each swag

      Add a teardrop at the top point of each swag – place the piping tip gently against the mid-point of the top of the swag and pipe frosting until a large ‘drop’ forms.

      (Again - not a bad idea to practice on a paper plate if you're new to piping this shape. Mistakes at this stage are a little harder to pull off and correct because of all the frosting already on the cake!) 

      Gently pull the piping bag upwards and away from the cake, leaving a ‘teardrop’ shape behind.

      7. Pipe a small rosette at the top of each teardrop

      Now pipe a small rosette at the top of each teardrop. (Same piping tip; thank heaven. If you’re getting sick of switching piping tips at this point, you’re not alone!) That said though – this IS probably the easiest step of the detailing. (Also the reason I didn't include a photo at this step; I couldn't get a shot that showed the piping pattern better than the photo below this text.) 

      Almost there!

      8. Flower + sugar pearl designs in the open spaces (small round tip)
      8. Last step – add the flower petal + sugar pearl designs in the open spaces.

      In the open space underneath the swags, use a small round tip to decorate with a small 3-point flower petal + sugar pearl design. (See photo for details; I used a Wilton #3 tip.)

      I found it easiest to pipe one petal in the center and then the two on the right and left, and then press the sugar pearl into the center below the ‘petal’ design. I piped a small 3-point flower-petal-ish design with a #3 small round tip - and added a sugar pearl in the center. 

      And that’s everything! If you made it this far you are AMAZING; I know that was a lot of text!

      Any questions leave a comment or email me; either will go straight to my inbox.

      Because I’m at home with my kids most days, I leave the majority of my phone notifications off so I can be present for them. But once they’re in bed I’ll get back to you! I rarely take longer than 48 hours to respond to an email.

      If this post was helpful please consider leaving a rating and/or review – this really helps other people find the page! I wish you well on your cake decorating endeavors!

      Don't forget to pin this tutorial for later!

      Vintage Wedding Cake pinterest pin
      Vintage Wedding Cake - 2 tiered white cake decorated with multiple decorative swags, borders, and frosting floral accents
      Print Recipe

      Vintage Wedding Cake

      Looking for a Vintage Wedding Cake tutorial? I'll walk you through decorating this one with recipes, a video tutorial, and text guidelines! (See recipe notes for adding a third 10-inch base tier)
      Prep Time45 minutes
      Cook Time38 minutes
      Decorating time2 hours
      Total Time3 hours 23 minutes
      Course: Dessert
      Cuisine: American
      Keyword: DIY Vintage Wedding Cake, DIY Wedding Cake, Easy wedding cake, Lambeth Wedding Cake, Vintage wedding cake
      Servings: 32 servings
      Calories: 748kcal
      Author: Sarah H

      Equipment

      Ingredients

      Cake layers

      • 3 8-inch cake layers
      • 3 6-inch cake layers (I list these sizes/numbers since they're what I used for the cake in the photos/video - and this recipe makes enough batter to bake both sets at the same time. Absolutely feel free to substitute if you prefer different layer flavors / sizes / numbers.

      White Vanilla Cake layers

      • 5 cups all purpose flour
      • 4 ¾ cups granulated sugar
      • 4 teaspoons baking powder
      • 1 ½ teaspoons salt (if using unsalted butter)
      • 1 ½ cups unsalted butter (or 3 sticks, room temperature - I've used both unsalted butter & salted leaving out the extra salt and couldn't really tell a difference)
      • 1 ½ cup egg whites (About 10-12 eggs - or I usually use egg whites from a carton to avoid wasting the yolks)
      • 2 ¼ cups buttermilk (room temperature)
      • 2 ½ teaspoons clear vanilla extract
      • ⅓ cup vegetable oil

      Cream Cheese buttercream frosting

      • 16 ounces cream cheese (2 packages; softened)
      • 2 cups unsalted butter (4 sticks; softened)
      • 11-12 cups powdered sugar
      • 1 Tablespoon clear vanilla extract
      • 1 Tablespoon frosting whitener (optional, but recommend for brighter white frosting)
      • 1 Tablespoon corn syrup (optional, but helps keep frosting from 'crusting')
      • 2-3 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream (if needed)

      Instructions

      White Vanilla cake layers

      • Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare three 8-inch cake pans and three 6-inch round pans with baker's floured cooking spray, or grease and line with parchment rounds.
      • Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a mixing bowl (or stand mixer with a paddle) until fully combined. Mix chunks of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture looks crumbly.
      • Pour in eggs and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix in the buttermilk in two parts, on a low speed. Add in vanilla and oil, and mix on low until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
      • Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. (I recommend using a measuring cup or kitchen scale to keep the batter amounts even. I added 650 grams of batter to my 8” pans, and 325-350 grams in each of my smaller pans. Measuring the batter guarantees your layers will bake to be the same height.)
      • Bake for 34-37 minutes, (or until toothpicks comes out clean). Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans.
      • Regardless of what cake flavors / sizes you make - cool *completely* before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired. (This is a great time to make your frosting.)
      • Once the layers have fully cooled, they can be leveled and any caramelized bits can be trimmed from the sides / top of the cake using a serrated knife if desired. (Be sure the layers are completely cooled / chilled first; if cut while still warm they tend to crumble or break.)

      Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

      • Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with vanilla and whitener until frosting is even and lightened. Decease beater or mixer speed to low. Add whipping cream if needed for a thinner consistency, and beat until well combined.

      Assembly + Doweling & Stacking the tiers

      • Crumb coat + frost both cake tiers - see this post if you need any help at this step!
      • Here's a post and the 1-minute video guide I made on stacking cake tiers - once the cake tiers are frosted, stacking them is actually really simple!
      • With 4 straws cut to the base cake tier height and one taller straw, position and press the straws down into the base tier just over one inch from the cake edge, placing them evenly at quarter intervals around the cake. Place your last, tallest straw or dowel into the exact center of the cake, making sure to keep it straight up as you press down.
      • Now you’re ready – center the hole in the bottom of your top tier cake circle over the tallest dowel and let the top tier gently down onto the base tier. The dowel will poke into the center of the top tier to hold it in place. (Super helpful for transport!)

      Decorating

      • Now the fun part - alll the fancy piping! See the attached video and/or numbered gray buttons above if you need more detail on any of these steps - for the sake of space (if you choose to print this recipe card) I'll be a bit more brief here.

      (2) Mark and pipe the bottom swags (small star tip)

      • With a ruler, parchment round creased in 8 sections, or cup, mark 8 half circles about an inch below the top of each cake tier. (for a frosted 8-inch tier the half circles should be about 3.1 inches; for a frosted 6-inch tier the half circles should be about 2.4 inches.
      • With a small star tip, pipe swags in a close up/down zig-zag pattern, making the swag a touch wider at the center (base) than at the top. Repeat around the diameter of both tiers, following your guide lines.

      (3) Pipe 2 ‘ruffley’ swags (petal tip)

      • With a petal or flat basketweave tip, pipe two more swags above the bottom one, moving the piping tip up/down and in/out just a bit to accentuate the ruffled look. Repeat around the diameter of both tiers, using the bottom swag as a guide.

      (4) Large borders (base/middle/top; large french star tip)

      • With a large French star (close-ridged) tip, pipe a large 'scalloped' border around the base, between tiers, and around the top of the cake. Piping this in a continuous motion didn't work well for me; I found piping one scallop at a time to be easier.

      (5) Small border (middle/top) with small star tip

      • Almost done with the piping-tip-switching; I promise. With a small star tip, pipe a small 'looped' border around the top edge of the base tier and the top tier (just below the larger scalloped border).

      (6) Teardrops at the top of each swag (small star tip)

      • With the same small star tip, pipe a 'teardrop' shape between each swag. Place the piping tip against the swag and pipe until a large ‘drop’ shape forms. Gently pull upwards and away from the cake, leaving a ‘teardrop’ shape.

      (7) Small rosette at the top of each teardrop (small star tip)

      • Almost done! With the same star tip, pipe a small swirl (rosette) of frosting at the top of each teardrop shape (above the swags).

      (8) Flower + sugar pearl designs in the open spaces (small round tip)

      • Last step! These small designs help fill the remaining open space on the cake. With a small round tip, pipe a 3-petal design (one in the center and one to the right and left). Add a sugar pearl in the center of the petal design. Repeat around both tiers, staggering if needed depending on the cake height.

      And you're done! Congratulations on your killer awesome cake!!

        Video

        Notes

        (Please note nutrition information is an estimate, and will vary with the number of servings the cake is cut into. Estimate is based on my 'White Vanilla Cake' recipe. Counts will also be lower in all fields if the entire batch of frosting is not used.) 
        Double the cake + frosting recipes to make this cake with an added 10-inch base tier.
        I used one cake batter recipe divided between the 6-inch and 8-inch pans (about 300 / 600 grams per pan) and another recipe divided between the 3 10-inch pans. 

        Nutrition

        Serving: 1serving | Calories: 748kcal | Carbohydrates: 98g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 36g

        Did you make this Vintage Cake?

        Please consider leaving a recipe rating and / or comment at the bottom of the page! This really helps other bakers find the recipe. Much appreciated!

        Send me an email and let me know how it went – or make my day and find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo!

         

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      • Vanilla Sourdough Discard Cake

        Vanilla Sourdough Discard Cake

        Vanilla Sourdough Discard Cake frosted with cream cheese frosting. Slice cut from cake.

        Need a delicious (easy) way to use up sourdough discard?

        This Vanilla Sourdough Discard layer cake uses 250g of discard -and makes one KILLER cake!

        So after years of waiting, I finally got brave - and stuck my toe into the OCEAN that is the world of sourdough! A friend gave me some starter and instructions on how to feed it a couple of months ago. And man has it been an adventure! 

        Y’all wouldn’t believe the literal avalanche of recipes I’ve been sent by friends and family and the way it’s overwhelmed my Pinterest feed. It’s maybe a touch out of control - but in the best way. It's been super fun. And now I understand why sourdough addicts are the way they are! 

        All that said, I’m not going to lie - biggest problem has been figuring out what to do with all the discard.

        I’m still getting my feet under me and maybe (probably?) over-feeding my starter a bit – but man. I don't want to accidentally underfeed it or run out! 

        So the net effect - lots of sourdough discard. And I hate throwing it away; there’s so much I *could* use it for. But it was on its way to taking over my fridge!

        THEN I was doing some reading online and apparently sourdough discard can function kiiind of similarly to buttermilk. (More details here.) 

        Right?? ::blink blink:: … “Well NOW I know what to try with all this discard!!”

        I was also reading that sourdough starter can inhibit gluten development in the cake batter (?) Don’t quote me on that because I can’t remember my source. (Spoiler alert: after some testing this seems believable to me! The texture of the cake layers was rich but not super dense or dry. Highly recommend!) 

        So testing began.

        I cut some starter by about 1/3 with milk, so that the consistency was thinner and a little closer to buttermilk. Then I tweaked a couple of other ingredients around to accommodate that change – and tried my hand at my first Vanilla Sourdough Discard layer cake.

        And OH man.

        I’ll definitely be making this one again and again! So SO good. The sourdough flavor is there but it’s light and not overpowering. It’s a little difficult to fit into words, but the sourdough discard adds a bit of tang and maybe just a touch of bitterness that’s balanced out by the sweetness of the cake really well. Once I added some cream cheese frosting it was even better!

        I covered the cake in the photos / video in sprinkles because I’m a sprinkle addict. ::shrug:: Not ready to quit, either. 😉

        So with that...going to cover a quick couple of questions, then on to the recipe!
        “Do I need a full cup of sourdough discard? That’s kind of a lot.”

        That’s what I’ve used in all my trial runs so far – so obviously I’d recommend it. If you don’t have that much discard on hand though, just use what you have! If you have less than ½ cup on hand, I’d use what you have and substitute buttermilk for the remaining amount.

        “How strong is the sourdough taste?" 

        With regular sourdough bread being a 10/10, I'd give the strength of the sourdough flavor in the cake layers maybe a 3 or 4/10. It's there, but not strong enough that the cake tastes like a sourdough loaf. (My husband's a much bigger fan of sourdough than I am, so for me - that's perfect.) 

        “Can I use active starter?”

        I think so! I did one trial run with starter that I’d fed the day before and then put into the fridge, so it was still fairly bubbly. I’ll do some more testing and update this section if that changes though.

        (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

        Don't forget to pin this recipe for later! 

        Vanilla Sourdough Discard cake pinterest pin
        Vanilla Sourdough Discard Cake frosted with cream cheese frosting. Slice cut from cake.
        Print Recipe

        Vanilla Sourdough Discard Cake

        Need a delicious way to use up sourdough discard? This Vanilla Sourdough Discard layer cake uses 250g of discard to make one KILLER cake!
        Prep Time45 minutes
        Cook Time37 minutes
        Decorating time30 minutes
        Total Time1 hour 52 minutes
        Course: Dessert
        Cuisine: American
        Keyword: Easy sourdough discard recipes, Sourdough cake, Sourdough discard cake, Sourdough discard layer cake, Vanilla sourdough cake, Vanilla sourdough discard cake
        Servings: 16 servings
        Calories: 778kcal
        Author: Sarah H

        Equipment

        Ingredients

        Vanilla Sourdough Discard Cake layers

        • 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
        • 3 cups granulated sugar
        • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
        • 1 teaspoon salt
        • 1 cup unsalted butter (or 2 sticks, room temperature)
        • 5 eggs
        • 1 cup sourdough discard (250g)
        • ½ cup milk
        • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
        • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

        Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting:

        • 8 ounces cream cheese (one package; softened)
        • 1 cup butter (2 sticks; softened)
        • 5-6 cups powdered sugar
        • 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
        • ¼ teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
        • 1-2 Tablespoons milk (if needed to reach a spreadable consistency)

        Decorations

        Instructions

        Vanilla Sourdough Discard Cake layers

        • Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (180C) or 325 F (160C) for a convection oven. Grease 3 8-inch cake pans with baker's floured spray (or line with parchment rounds).
        • Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined.
          Mix chunks of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture becomes crumbly.
        • Pour in eggs and mix on low until just combined. Whisk together sourdough discard and milk until well-combined. Add the sourdough discard/milk mixture in 2 parts, mixing until combined.
        • Add vanilla and oil, and mix at a low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
        • Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans (I find a kitchen scale helpful for this part). This guarantees your layers will bake to be the same height.
        • Bake for 35-37 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans – it helps to run an offset spatula or knife around the perimeter of the pan first. Cool completely before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired.
        • Once the layers have fully cooled, the caramelized bits can be trimmed from the sides / top of the cake using a serrated knife if desired. (Be sure the layers are completely cooled or chilled before trimming. If you try to trim the layers while they’re still warm, they will crumble apart.) This is a great time to make your frosting!

        Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

        • Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with flavoring until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add vanilla and salt/milk if needed and beat until well combined.

        Assembly

        • If needed, once cake layers are cooled, level them (I don’t generally trim much from the tops of mine). This can be done with a cake leveler or a large serrated knife and a ruler if needed.
        • Place a smear of frosting on your cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center your first cake layer in the center of the circle.
        • Spread the first layer with frosting. Add your next cake layer on top, and repeat the process with your remaining cake layers.
        • Now you're ready to crumb-coat. If you're unfamiliar with crumb-coating, it's just what it sounds like – spreading a thin layer of frosting over the entire outside of the cake to keep crumbs out of your final layer.
        • Once your crumb coat has set (this takes about 5-10 minutes in the fridge), add your final layer of frosting and smooth. I didn’t worry about smoothing too much since I wanted to texture the frosting with the offset spatula.

        Decorating

        • Wipe off a small offset spatula, and press the back of the tip gently into the frosting at the base of the cake. As you spin the turntable, gradually move the spatula up the side of the cake, adding a ridged texture to the frosting as you go.
        • This motion along the top of the cake edge will probably result in a small ‘lip’ or ‘ridge’ of frosting at the top – this is a good thing. 😉 Wipe off the offset spatula again, and use it to pull in that ‘lip,’ keeping the spatula even with the top of the cake. Work your way around the cake until the top edge is smooth. Smooth-ish. Whatever. 😉
        • Feel free to decorate with flowers or berries at this point – or sprinkles like I did! Annnd you’re done! Cut in and enjoy!

        Video

        Nutrition

        Serving: 1serving | Calories: 778kcal | Carbohydrates: 100g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 38g

        Did you make this Vanilla Sourdough Discard cake? 

        Let me know how it went - or find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo!

         

        Other recipes you may enjoy - 

        (Click / tap the photos to be taken to the recipe pages!) 

        fruit-sweetened 'Berry First Birthday' cake frosted with whipped cream. Topped with a 'One' strawberry cake topper and decorated with strawberries.Mozart Liqueur Mudslide cake - Kahlua mudslide cake made with Mozart chocolate liqueur. Slice cut from cake to show layers inside.
        Kahlua Coffee Cupcakes - thumbnail image
        Biscoff Stuffed Donuts - vanilla donuts filled with Biscoff cookie butterEasy Textured Buttercream Cake (decorated with artificial roses)
      • Biscoff Parfaits

        Biscoff Parfaits

        Biscoff parfaits with layers of Biscoff cake, crumbled cookies, Biscoff cookie butter and cream cheese, and whipped cream.

        I had 90 minutes. At *best.* 

        At the end of that time, rest / reading time would be over. And as happy as I’d be to see my 3-year-old, uninterrupted baking time would be at an end. And once my 18-month-old was up from his nap, baking time would REALLY be at an end. What could I pull together in that timeframe? (Also, bear in mind cleaning up the mess counts as part of that time unless I want to make dinner prep way more stressful for myself.) I had Biscoff cookies and cookie butter on hand, and I love making cakes. But I also knew by the time I had the layers done and cooled most of that time would be up. Then it hit me - what if I made Biscoff parfaits? 

        There's the backstory...enter these easy Biscoff Parfaits!  

        (OR if you double the recipe below - you can make an incredible trifle!
        Have done exactly that and it was easier, faster, and just as delicious. And holy moly were my coworkers thrilled. 😉 )

        The supplies - 

        All I used was one vanilla cake mix and the 4 ingredients for the cake layer - plus cream cheese and heavy whipping cream. Okay, and a bit of powdered sugar to beat into the whipped cream. I layered them all up in cocktail glasses - and man did they look delicious! I even got to take a few pictures before the little guy was up (early) from his nap. (Score!) 

        And the best part? 

        Best part about this recipe - and the reason it can be done so quickly - is that the cake doesn’t technically HAVE to be cold. Try a layer cake with slightly-warm cake layers...? Ha. It's a surefire guarantee for a lot of frustration, and probably a decorating disaster. But when you’re adding cake to parfaits? You’re just cutting up the cake into cubes anyway – and layering it with cream cheese and whipped cream in a glass! Granted the cake cubes can’t still be hot. Unless you like runny whipped cream, anyway. But it won’t cause you a problem if they’re still a touch warm during the layering!

        And the other best part? 

        Obviously, this is optional - but since I was layering into cocktail glasses I poked around in our liquor cabinet for a minute to see if there was anything in there I could use. Sailor Jerry spiced rum ended up being an AWESOME addition to the cake / cookie crumble layer! It added some extra spice and a bit of unique flavor punch that I really liked. Obviously, it won't be for everyone, but adding some spiced rum comes highly recommended by me! 😉 

        (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

        Also of note...

        You can also double the filling / topping section of the recipe and make a pretty awesome Biscoff Trifle! 

        I don't make a lot of Trifles, and I don't own an actual Trifle bowl. But one of these days I'll get one, and then this trifle will be up for a re-do! Maybe with whole Biscoff cookies around the sides of the bowl cause I've seen people do it with cakes and it looks cool. 😉 

        But I digress. Anyway, if you could use a recipe that serves more than 4, this is a super easy way to do it! 

        An easy Biscoff trifle - layered biscoff cake cubes, Biscoff cream cheese, whipped cream, and crushed Biscoff cookies and cookie butter!

        Don't forget to pin this recipe for later! 

        Biscoff Parfait pinterest pin
        Biscoff parfaits with layers of Biscoff cake, crumbled cookies, Biscoff cookie butter and cream cheese, and whipped cream.
        Print Recipe

        Biscoff Parfaits

        Need a simple but insanely delicious Biscoff dessert? These Biscoff parfaits have all the flavor of a cake - in a fraction of the time!
        Prep Time30 minutes
        Cook Time20 minutes
        Assembly time30 minutes
        Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
        Course: Dessert
        Cuisine: American
        Keyword: Biscoff desserts, Biscoff Trifle, Layered desserts, Trifles
        Servings: 4 servings
        Calories: 534kcal
        Author: Sarah H

        Equipment

        • 10x15 sheet pan
        • 4 cocktail / clear glasses (really, you can use whatever you want, but clear glasses let the layers show ;) )

        Ingredients

        Cake layer

        Filling / topping

        • 6 ounces cream cheese
        • ¾ cup cookie butter (divided; see instructions)
        • 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
        • ¼ cup powdered sugar
        • ¼ cup spiced rum (Optional but recommended; I used Sailor Jerry’s)

        Instructions

        Cake

        • Preheat oven to 350F.
        • In a microwaveable bowl, combine oil and ½ cup of cookie butter. Microwave in 30-second intervals until the cookie butter is melted. Add room temperature eggs and buttermilk and whisk. Add vanilla cake mix and mix until moistened, then beat with a mixer or whisk for 2 minutes. Fold in ½ cup crushed Biscoff cookies.
        • Pour into a 10x15 pan prepared with oil / flour or Baker’s floured cooking spray. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until set in the center and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature (ish). Set in the fridge or freezer (or outside covered with a towel if it’s cold) to accelerate the cooling process if desired.
        • When cake has cooled, cut into 1-inch cubes (for some reason, I always have an easier time doing this with a plastic knife). Or crumble it up if that seems easier; it doesn't exactly matter since it's getting layered into a parfait.

        Filling(s)

        • Soften cream cheese and beat together with ½ cup of melted cookie butter. (Reserve remaining ¼ cup to melt and drizzle between layers / on top of parfaits.)
        • Beat whipping cream until stiff; scrape down the bowl and add powdered sugar. Beat until combined.

        In each of 4 glasses, layer:

        • (1) 1-2 inches of cake cubes + sprinkle of cookie crumbs
        • (optional step 1.5) 1-2 Tablespoons spiced rum
        • (2) cream cheese filling
        • (3) whipped cream
        • (4) crushed Biscoff cookies + drizzle of melted cookie butter (optional)
        • (Repeat until filling runs out – this took 2 sets of layers for me. Finish with step 5 so the top looks decorated!)
        • Refrigerate until ready to serve – and enjoy!

        Video

        Notes

        (Please note nutrition information was generated by an online calculator and may not be completely accurate. Counts will also vary if not all ingredients are used - e.g. I didn't use the entire pan of cake.) 

        Nutrition

        Serving: 1parfait | Calories: 534kcal | Carbohydrates: 15.5g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 46.9g

        Did you make these Biscoff parfaits? 

        Send me an email and let me know how it went – or make my day and find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo!

        You can also add a comment or a recipe rating at the bottom of the page! :) This really helps other people find the recipe! 

        Other recipes you may love…

        (Click / tap the photos to be taken to the recipe pages!)

        Biscoff Stuffed Donuts - vanilla donuts filled with Biscoff cookie butter
        Banana Biscoff CakeBiscoff Cookie Butter Drip Cake (6'')
        Bourbon Biscoff CakeCauldron Pudding Parfaits
      • Easy Pickleball Cake

        Easy Pickleball Cake

        Pickleball Cake made with bright yellow cream cheese frosting and cut-outs with gray in the base to resemble a pickleball

        Need a pickleball cake for a birthday?
        (or pickleball tournament or whatever? 😉 )

        If you’re not looking for anything too big or elaborate, I've got you covered!

        The Backstory:

        Having been recently introduced to the game of pickleball, I got curious when I saw looking at the shape / design of the ball. I’ve made a golf ball, baseball, and football cake...could I do a pickleball? I’d been looking around for cake ideas – and in all my poking around online, I never saw one that actually *looked* like a pickleball. Which honestly, is fair – the holes in the ball make it a bit tricky to pull off convincingly.

        Even though I couldn’t find the faintest blueprint to follow online, I had an idea. Could some gray frosting in the base of a shallow hole create the illusion of an actual hole?

        I decided to give this one a go – and while it doesn’t look perfect (go figure), I thought it turned out pretty good!

        Soo I post the recipe (along with a short assembly video) in hopes it’ll be helpful to someone else. If that’s you, I’m glad you found this recipe - and I hope this is helpful!

        Design hang-ups I had to work out- 

        Frosting color.

        What the heck color are most pickleballs?? I thought that would be a question with a really straightforward answer. But Google didn’t seem to have a straight answer as I went down the rabbit hole trying to answer that question. Some are yellow, some are neon yellow, some are orange, some are more of a neon green. And which one to use seems to vary with whether they’re for casual or tournament play and whether the court is indoors or outdoors.

        Fortunately, frosting color is pretty easy to change up with the gel color you choose. I went with 3 drops of lemon yellow and 1 drop of electric green (think neon green) gel color and ended up with a color that matched the most common color I found online.

        Buttercream with some added cream cheese is my go-to frosting, and it colors and smooths well. So that's what I went with! 

        The dang ‘holes’ in the ball.

        My other worry was the actual design of the frosting! Pickleballs are full of holes, and making the cake actually look that way I anticipated to be a challenge.

        Well, holes make shadows, and shadows are gray. So I opted for a layer of gray frosting, stuffed it into the freezer for 10 minutes, and then added a layer of bright yellow frosting. Then I took the back end of a piping tip – and with a twisting motion – took a ‘cookie cutter’ cut out of the outer frosting at regular intervals around the cake. This let the gray underneath show through.

        Weird technique? Yup.

        Did the ‘cut-outs’ occasionally not work? Yup. (Fortunately, an easy fix with a small palette knife or toothpick.)

        Did said technique work surprisingly well – and actually give the effect I was after? Also yes! 😉

        One quick note on Cake shape.

        I’ve only done a small handful of half-sphere cakes. To date I’ve not been brave enough to attempt a full sphere cake. My biggest struggle with my half-sphere pan though, is getting the center baked before the edges dry out.

        My saving grace getting half-sphere cakes (or really any cake in a large pan) baked is a flower nail (or a flower pin). I put the nail flat-side-down inside the cake pan, and pour the batter in on top. The metal helps conduct heat from the oven to the batter in the center of the cake, helping it bake more evenly. Then the nail lifts out easily once you flip the cake over to take it out of the pan!

        One last note – don’t over-fill the pan; it can overflow all over your oven. Ask me how I know, lol. HUGE mess. (Hint: keep the batter level a good centimeter below the edge of the pan!)

        Result -

        For someone who knows only the bare basics of Pickleball, I was actually really happy with how the cake came out! Picture above, and the video’s at the end of the recipe card.

        If you’re looking to make a pickleball cake, tips are above and the recipe’s below – happy baking! If you try out the recipe let me know what you think! 

        (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

        FAQS:

        "I'm having trouble with the little cut-outs in the ball - tips?" 

        -A few! Putting this section in bullet points for clarity.

        -First - I just need to emphasize - make sure you ROTATE the piping tip out of the frosting. You can actually see this in the video – the first time I tried pulling it straight out most of the yellow stuck and stayed behind. Rotating got it the rest of the way out – most of the time. 

        -Second! I rarely have an easy time working with plastic-anything with this frosting, so I definitely recommend a metal piping tip. WHY it makes a difference I haven’t the foggiest idea, but it made a world of difference in the golf ball cake I made with the exact same frosting.

        - Next – as an added plus – a metal piping tip will retain heat better than a plastic one. If you’re having trouble with the cut-outs, try running the piping tip under hot water before making the cut-out if it’s really giving you grief.

        - One last hail-Mary idea – if doing the cut-outs with a piping tip is really giving you grief, one other idea would be to try a small metal measuring spoon instead to ‘scoop’ out the cut-outs instead of punching them out. I’ve not personally tried it but I’ve seen other cake-makers do it in other cake designs.

        Cake mix option -

        So obviously nothing beats a scratch cake for taste. But sometimes – like lately when I’m baking with my 1- and 3-year-old kids underfoot – sometimes I need to simplify as much as I can. I’ve doctored up cake mixes by replacing oil with butter, water with buttermilk, and adding a bit of extra vanilla and sometimes a splash of liqueur like spiced rum or flavored schnapps. Options if you’re looking to save some steps, time, and clean-up!

        "Help me out; what am I actually supposed to do with the flower nail?" ( / flower pin?) 

        • So - concepts first. The whole point of the flower nail is to conduct heat from the oven into the center of the cake batter. Cakes this thick can be difficult to bake all the way through without over-baking the edges. So you put the flower nail flat-side-down into the base of the pan, and then pour the batter in. I sprayed the pan and the nail together with baker's floured spray once the nail was in the pan. 

        Here's where a picture's really worth a thousand words - photo below! 

         

        Flower nail cake pan - shows how to use a flower nail to help the cake bake evenly

        Don't forget to pin this recipe for later! 

        Pickleball cake - image 2
        Pickleball Cake made with bright yellow cream cheese frosting and cut-outs with gray in the base to resemble a pickleball
        Print Recipe

        Easy Pickleball Cake

        Looking to make a Pickleball cake? Here's the recipe and all the tips I picked up making this fun easy pickleball cake! Happy baking!
        Prep Time45 minutes
        Cook Time40 minutes
        Decorating time1 hour
        Total Time2 hours 25 minutes
        Course: Dessert
        Cuisine: American
        Keyword: Easy pickleball cake, Easy vanilla half sphere cake, Pickleball cake
        Servings: 1 6-inch cake
        Calories: 516kcal
        Author: Sarah H

        Equipment

        • 6-inch half sphere cake pan
        • Baker's floured cooking spray (optional) (optional but recommended)
        • large flower nail (optional but highly recommended; helps the cake bake evenly)
        • Cake turntable (optional, but makes smoothing the frosting much easier)
        • small piping tip (you’ll be using the back end to make the cut-outs in the frosting so the front end doesn’t matter too much – but you DO want one that will be easy-ish to clean out. I also recommend a metal rather than a plastic tip.)
        • Small acetate sheet (or small flexible piece of plastic; to smooth frosting. A folded piece of parchment or wax paper works, but will tend to leave lines in the frosting.)
        • small piping bag + grass tip

        Ingredients

        Cake

        • 1 ½ cups cup all-purpose flour
        • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
        • 1 teaspoon baking powder
        • ½ teaspoon salt
        • ½ cup unsalted butter or 1 stick room temperature
        • 3 eggs
        • ¾ cup buttermilk room temperature
        • 1 teaspoons clear vanilla extract

        Frosting

        Instructions

        Cake

        • Preheat oven to 350°F (177℃). Prepare a 6-inch half sphere pan with baker's floured cooking spray (or grease and flour pan well). Place flower nail in the base of cake pan.
        • Mix together dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a mixing or stand mixer bowl until combined. Mix chunks of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture becomes crumbly.
        • Pour in eggs and mix on low until just incorporated.  Mix in the buttermilk and vanilla extract in two installments, on a low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
        • Pour batter into prepared pan (I didn't quite use all of the batter; an overfilled sphere pan can overflow and make a mess in your oven). Batter level should be about a centimeter (not quite half an inch) below the cake pan rim. (Might not hurt to place a baking sheet in the oven below the pan just in case.)
        • Bake for 35-45 minutes, (or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean). Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing cake from pan and removing the flower nail.
        • Cool to room temperature before decorating. (Place in the fridge to accelerate the cooling process if desired.) While you’re waiting…make your frosting!

        Frosting

        • Beat together cream cheese and butter; beat in powdered sugar and vanilla until well combined.
        • Add milk if needed until frosting reaches an easily spreadable consistency. Divide frosting in half – color one half gray (with a small amount of black gel color) and the other half yellow / yellow-green.

        Assembly & Decorating

        • (If desired, use a cake leveler or large serrated knife to slice cake into 2 or 3 layers to fill with frosting. I didn’t bother with that step this time around).
        • Place a smear of frosting on a plate or cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center cake on the circle. Spread a layer of gray frosting over the cake and smooth with an offset spatula and acetate. (You’ll need to be able to punch into this layer to make the ‘holes’ in the top frosting layer, so I put it on fairly thick – thicker than a crumb coat.) Freeze for 10 minutes.
        • Add a yellow layer of frosting over the gray frosting and smooth with an offset spatula and acetate.
        • (This will be the most time-consuming step-) Make the pickleball cut-outs! With the back of a small piping tip, press and rotate the tip through the green frosting layer into the gray one. (Don’t go all the way through the gray one.) As you rotate the tip back out, it should pull the green frosting away, leaving a gray base to the cut-out.
        • Wipe the frosting out of the tip, and repeat! If you're having any trouble at this step - first, make sure you twist/rotate the tip out of the frosting. Pulling it straight out will usually just leave the frosting in the base of the cut-out. Next, I found a metal piping tip worked better than a plastic one. You can try heating it or wetting it if just the oil isn't working well enough. Chilling the cake may also help.
        • (More details in the post intro if you're having trouble - and please leave a comment or shoot me an email if you’re still having trouble.)
        • Transfer green frosting to a piping bag fitted with a grass tip, and pipe a rim of grass around the cake base. High-five yourself on your awesome cake - and enjoy!

        Video

        Nutrition

        Serving: 1cake | Calories: 516kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 24g

        Did you make this Pickleball cake? 

        Send me an email and let me know how it went – please let me know if you had any issues! Or make my day and find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo!

        If you loved the recipe, please help other people find it! Add a comment or a recipe rating at the bottom of the page! 🙂

        Other recipes you may enjoy - 

        Baseball Birthday cake - Pinterest pin image
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      • Nightmare Before Christmas Cake

        Nightmare Before Christmas Cake

        Nightmare Before Christmas Cake decorated with black frosting, cupcake toppers, and a white Jack Skellington face buttercream transfer

        "Twas a long time ago,
        longer now than it seems,
        in a place perhaps
        you've seen in your dreams."
        (Nightmare Before Christmas: Narrator)

        The Backstory:

        Several stars aligned to prompt the making of this cake - because I’ll be honest and say I’m definitely not your average die-hard Nightmare Before Christmas fan! (I don’t dislike it; I just have other Halloween / Christmas movies I prefer and man there’s only so much extra time during the holiday season!) 

        First - I’d massively over-estimated the amount of black frosting I’d need leading up to Halloween. So I had a decent (cough:: impressive ::cough::) amount of black frosting I’d had to package and store in the freezer. 

        I’m grateful frosting can be stored that way…it just takes up space that I needed for other things! 

        Second, my daughter had been asking for weeks to make a purple cake. I never got out of her exactly why she wanted to make said purple cake or what it would be for, but the requests continued nonetheless. 

        Finally, I’d been seeing tons of buttercream transfer videos on Instagram/Pinterest/etc - and had been looking for a cake design I could try one out on! 

        The Process: 

        My rolls of parchment paper have been in storage long enough that they’re permanently curled and difficult to work with, so I wasn’t really enthused about that idea. I didn’t think I’d be able to get the transfer smooth. But what I DO have now are silicone cake pan liners. (And - spoiler alert - one of those turned out to work like a dream for said transfer!) 

        A Jack Skellington cake was my husband’s suggestion when I complained about having too much black frosting and not knowing what to do with it. And after a bit of thought - I realized that idea was perfect! 

        The Details: 

        I definitely wasn’t looking for anything too fancy for my first buttercream transfer - so this is one of the simplest cake designs you’ll probably ever see out there. (Only time will tell if Google or Pinterest ever send anyone to this page, lol.) But I thought it turned out okay! It was immediately recognizable and kinda cute (imho). 

        Cake recipe is an easy vanilla cake that pairs well with the oreo-flavored Black Cocoa cream cheese frosting - but that said, feel free to switch it up if you’d like! 

        You can even sub in a couple of cake mixes to save yourself some ingredients, time, and clean-up. Don’t tell the scratch-cake-purists I said that though. 

        Cake + frosting recipes and assembly + decorating instructions are below! Please leave a comment / rating if you give it a try, and send me an email if you have any questions / comments / concerns / complaints! 😉  All emails through my contact form go straight to my inbox and are viewable on my phone. 🙂  Enjoy! 

        (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

        Don't forget to pin this recipe for later! 

        Nightmare Before Christmas cake pinterest pin
        Nightmare Before Christmas Cake decorated with black frosting, and a white Jack Skellington face buttercream transfer
        Nightmare Before Christmas Cake decorated with black frosting, cupcake toppers, and a white Jack Skellington face buttercream transfer
        Print Recipe

        Nightmare Before Christmas Cake

        Decorate a Nightmare Before Christmas cake in 30 minutes (or less) - with cupcake toppers and a super-simple Jack Skellington buttercream transfer!
        Prep Time30 minutes
        Cook Time35 minutes
        Decorating time30 minutes
        Total Time1 hour 35 minutes
        Course: Dessert
        Cuisine: American
        Keyword: Halloween Cake, Halloween cake recipe, Jack Skellington cake, Nightmare Before Christmas cake
        Servings: 16 servings
        Calories: 748kcal
        Author: Sarah H

        Equipment

        Ingredients

        Vanilla Cake Layers

        • 3 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
        • 3 cup granulated sugar
        • 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
        • 1 teaspoon salt
        • 1 cup unsalted butter (or 2 sticks, room temperature)
        • 1 cup egg whites (about 7 eggs; or use carton egg whites to avoid wasting yolks! If you don't mind a slight yellow tint to the cake layers you can substitute 5 whole eggs.)
        • 1 ½ cups buttermilk (room temperature)
        • 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
        • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
        • 15-20 drops purple gel food coloring (optional, and you don’t have to use as much as I did!)

        Black Cocoa Cream Cheese frosting

        • 8 oz one package cream cheese (softened)
        • 16 Tablespoons two sticks butter (softened)
        • 5 ½ -6 cups powdered sugar
        • 1 cup black cocoa powder (See instructions before adding! Linked is one of my favorite brands on Amazon)
        • 2-3 Tablespoons milk
        • 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
        • 1/4 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
        • 3 large drops black gel food color (optional, but will make your frosting a deeper black more quickly)

        Instructions

        Instructions- Vanilla Cake Layers

        • Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare three 8-inch round pans with baker's floured spray (or grease and line with parchment rounds).
        • Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle (or mixing bowl with a hand mixer or whisk) until fully combined.
        • Mix room-temperature butter into the dry mix a tablespoon at a time on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large lumps of butter remain, and the mixture looks crumbly.
        • Pour in eggs and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix in the buttermilk on low speed. Add in vanilla and oil, and mix at a low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
        • Divide batter evenly between 3 bowls (I often use a kitchen scale to keep the amount even so the layers bake to the same height). Add 5 drops, 10 drops, and 15 drops of purple gel color to the first, second, and third bowls respectively, and stir to combine. Transfer to the prepared cake pans.
        • Bake for 34-37 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans. Cool completely before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired.
        • Once the layers have fully cooled, they can be leveled and any caramelized bits can be trimmed from the sides / top of the cake using a serrated knife if desired. (Be sure the layers are completely cooled or chilled first - if these layers are cut while still warm, they may crumble or break!)

        Black Cocoa Cream Cheese Frosting

        • Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with milk and vanilla until frosting reaches a pipeable consistency. Reserve about ½ cup of frosting for the Jack Skellington transfer before adding cocoa powder.
        • Add cocoa powder alternating with milk if needed until the frosting is smooth and easy to spread. Add black gel color (if desired), and salt if needed and beat until well combined.

        Assembly

        • Place a smear of frosting on your cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center your first cake layer in the center of the circle. Spread the layer with frosting, and add the next layer on top. Repeat the process with your remaining cake layers. (Here's where I sometimes use the Cake Ring hack to frost - I've linked the post for details. If your frosting is on the thick side like mine was, continue to the directions below.)
        • Now you're ready to crumb-coat - if you're unfamiliar with crumb-coating, it's just what it sounds like – spreading a thin layer of frosting over the entire outside of the cake to keep crumbs out of your final layer.
        • Once your crumb coat has set (this takes about 5-10 minutes in the fridge), add your final layer of frosting and smooth. I like to use an offset spatula and bench scraper for this part. Once your cake is covered, place it into the fridge to set the frosting.

        Now the fun part! Decorating!

        • On either a silicone cake pan liner or an 8-inch parchment paper round, pipe two large circles to make Jack's eyes, two lines for his nose, and a smile with 'stitches' through it for his smile. (I placed the transfer into the refrigerator for 5 minutes to semi-set the frosting, but I'm not sure that step was necessary.)
        • Carefully flip the transfer over onto the cake top, and press down very gently to make sure the transfer adheres. Gently peel the silicone liner or parchment paper away. (Easy peasy!)
        • If using, gently bend the cupcake toppers so they're rounded to fit the cake side shape, and press into the frosting until they adhere. Easy as that!
        • Annnd you're through! Congrats on your killer Nightmare Before Christmas cake, high-five if that was your first buttercream transfer, and enjoy!!

        Video

        Notes

        (Please note nutrition information is a rough estimate, and may not be exactly accurate. Counts will be lower in all fields if not all the frosting is used to decorate.) 

        Nutrition

        Serving: 1serving | Calories: 748kcal | Carbohydrates: 99g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 38g

        Did you make this recipe? 

        Please leave a rating / review - just below this text box! This really helps other people find the recipe! :) 

        Send me an email if you have any questions / comments / concerns! :) 

      • Berry First Birthday Cake

        Berry First Birthday Cake

        fruit-sweetened 'Berry First Birthday' cake frosted with whipped cream. Topped with a 'One' strawberry cake topper and decorated with strawberries.

        A "Berry First Birthday" cake recipe
        (made with low- to no-sugar!)

        If you're looking for ideas for a 'berry first' cake that's refined-sugar-free (or almost-free)...

        I've got you covered! 🙂 
        (Modifications are below!)

        The ‘Berry First Birthday’ theme is adorable, so versatile, and SO fun. You can even adapt it for baby showers (“A ‘berry’ sweet baby is coming soon!” or “We are ‘berry’ excited to meet our sweet baby!’ etc.)

        THE BACKSTORY

        I received a request for a ‘Berry First Birthday’ smash cake for a coworker's kiddo's first birthday. I was so excited! I'd wanted to try a cake like this one for a long time. 

        Working on a cake recipe that would be tasty but not full of added sugars was a challenge. Fun, but still a challenge. Fruit sugars are definitely the way to go – this cake recipe gets its sweetness from applesauce, bananas, and crushed freeze-dried strawberries! It does make for a bit more of a dense muffin-like cake – but if baby hasn’t had sugar-filled-cake before she won’t know the difference, and she’ll love it!

        Decorating ideas & challenges

        Decoration ideas were so much fun to sort through. I threw a few different design ideas up on my Instagram page and asked for votes – the design I went with here was the top-voted design from that poll. That said – there are SO many options even within that vein!

        Wanting to keep the recipe low-to-no-sugar, whipped cream definitely took the top spot for low or no-sugar frostings. Cause y'all. I cannot stomach plain yogurt. ><  And stevia-sweetened cream cheese frosting is almost equally gross. 

        I didn’t want to add freeze-dried strawberries, because they make the whipped cream chunky and difficult to smooth – that said, if that doesn’t bother you, go for it! It’ll be delicious 🙂

        MODIFICATIONS: No-sugar

        So the recipe - as written - is ALMOST refined-sugar-free. With one tiny exception. 

        Personally - I won't lie - I found unsweetened whipped cream less than palatable. I went ahead and added a bit of sugar to the whipped cream recipe because that's what I used - but you can absolutely leave it out! Maybe I'm used to sweetened whipped cream, but baby won't care 🙂 

        MODIFICATIONS: Low-sugar

        I had wanted to decorate with fresh strawberries, and maybe even strawberry flowers. ...But...the only strawberries in my area (late fall) were imported, half-green, and golf-ball sized. (And some of them were starting to grow fuzzes.) Just too ugly and way too big to use to decorate a smash cake!

        That left ‘fake’ strawberries – and my options were fondant, candy melts, buttercream, or trying to color / pipe whipped cream.

        I opted to decorate with bits of red, green, and white buttercream. (Here’s my reasoning – fondant or candy melts seemed like they could turn into a potential choking hazard. And trying to color whipped cream knocked all the air out of it and made it unmanageable in the molds.)

        MODIFICATIONS: More sugar

        The recipe below was put together with the tiniest amount of sugar that I could manage – if that’s not your thing here’s an insanely-simple more standard smash cake recipe!

        I sometimes mix about ½ a cup of blended strawberries into a cake mix for smash cakes to keep costs down when I’m filling orders (provided the client is okay with that. So far they all have been.) I also add a touch of pink food coloring because strawberries go kind of gray in the oven (ask me how I know, lol).

        Anyway, there are a couple of options if you want more of a ‘cake’ smash cake than a ‘muffin’ smash cake!

        And that’s it! On to the recipe!

        (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

        Don't forget to pin this recipe for later! 

        Berry First Birthday smash cake - pinterest pin
        fruit-sweetened 'Berry First Birthday' cake frosted with whipped cream. Topped with a 'One' strawberry cake topper and decorated with strawberries.
        Print Recipe

        Berry First Birthday Cake (low- or no-addded-sugar!)

        Looking for a low- to no-sugar-added Berry First Birthday cake recipe? Here's a fruit-sweetened cake recipe frosted with whipped cream!
        Prep Time45 minutes
        Cook Time20 minutes
        Decorating time1 hour
        Total Time2 hours 5 minutes
        Course: Dessert
        Cuisine: American
        Keyword: Baby's First Birthday, Berry First Birthday cake, low-sugar smash cake, Smash cake recipe, Strawberry smash cake, Sweet One cake
        Servings: 1 6-inch smash cake
        Calories: 2153kcal
        Author: Sarah H

        Equipment

        Ingredients

        Cake ingredients

        • 2 cups flour (I used all-purpose; didn't find cake flour made any difference)
        • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
        • 1 teaspoon baking soda
        • 1 ½ cups mashed bananas (3-4 bananas; I recommend overripe bananas)
        • ½ cup crushed freeze-dried strawberries
        • ⅓ cup oil
        • ½ cup applesauce
        • 2 eggs
        • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

        Whipped Cream frosting + Decorations

        • 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
        • 1 Tablespoon sugar (optional)
        • 1-2 drops pink food color (optional)
        • 8-10 small fresh strawberries (to decorate - apparently strawberry flowers are also edible if you want to use those too!)

        Instructions

        Cake

        • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 6-inch pans with baker's floured cooking spray or grease and line with parchment paper.
        • Combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a mixing bowl and stir until well mixed. Set aside.
        • In a separate mixing bowl, mash bananas and stir in remaining ingredients (strawberries, oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla).
        • Add flour mixture to wet ingredients; stir until combined. Transfer batter to prepared pans (I had about 11 ounces/300g per pan).
        • Bake 18-22 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean).
        • Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans. Cool completely before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired.
          Once cooled, the cake layers can be leveled by trimming down any 'domed' spots on the tops of the cake layers until they're flat.

        Whipped cream frosting

        • Pour heavy whipping cream into a mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer). Add sugar and food coloring if using. Beat until stiff peaks form. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat about 30 seconds more.

        Assembly + Decorating

        • Place a smear of whipped cream on a plate or cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center your first cake layer in the center of the circle. Spread the layer with whipped cream, and add the next layer on top. Repeat with your remaining layers.
        • To get smooth whipped cream, I use a sheet of acetate and a cake ring - the video gives a quick overview of the process, and this post gives more details.
          Otherwise (if you'd rather not bother with all that) - an offset spatula will suffice to smooth whipped cream over the sides and top of the cake. 🙂
        • Decorate with halved fresh strawberries and flowers if desired - and add the topper!
          (In the video, you'll see I used buttercream strawberries and marshmallow flowers - I was too late in the season to find fresh berries/flowers. Backup option if you're baking in the late fall like I was!)

        Video

        Notes

        (Please note nutrition information is an estimate and may not be exactly accurate. Counts will also vary if not all the whipped cream is used to frost/decorate.) 

        Nutrition

        Serving: 1smash cake | Calories: 2153kcal | Carbohydrates: 259g | Protein: 41.8g | Fat: 111g
        Wild One Smash cake - dark green, light green, and white layered frosting with 'Wild One' cake topperLadybug smash cake, with 'One' ladybug cake topper and fondant ladybugs
        Unicorn Smash Cake (cake only)
        6 inch Golf ball smash cake photoHawaiian Island Smash Cake
      • Kahlua Mudslide Cake

        Kahlua Mudslide Cake

        Kahlua Mudslide Cake - chocolate kahlua cake filled with kahlua ganache and covered with chocolate whipped cream

        A delicious cake-take on the 'Kahlua mudslide' cocktail!

         (or use another chocolate-friendly liqueur if you like 🙂 ) 

        My initial idea for this cake came from the ‘Kahlua Mudslide’ cocktail – which has MASSIVE amounts of variation as I was paging through recipes online.

        But there were a few parts I knew I wanted to incorporate into a cake!

        • + creaminess of the ice cream / whipped cream that’s usually included
        • + plenty of chocolate (hence the ‘mudslide’ name)
        • + intense flavor of Kahlua liqueur – I wanted to really taste it in the entire cake!

        Back-story: 

        My 'Kahlua Mudslide Cake' idea lived on the back burner for probably more than a couple of years. (In fairness, it was a super busy couple of years.)

        But then I discovered the cake ring hack – and was dying to know how well it would work (read: 'whether it would work') with whipped cream frosting!

        I also wanted to try stabilized whipped cream – a bit of gelatin helps whipped cream hold its shape, and I really wanted to try the cake ring hack with stabilized whipped cream and see how it would behave after a bit of time at room temperature.

        Then I received a bottle of Mozart’s Chocolate cream liqueur – (non-affiliate link) so I had another liqueur to experiment and recipe-test with!

         

        So - now that I've done my experimenting - here's the recipe! 

        Liqueur substitutions -

        I wrote the recipe card with Kahlua, but you can absolutely a different liqueur if you prefer!

        Any of your favorite liqueurs in the chocolate / coffee (or citrus or even mint) vein would pair beautifully with this cake. 

        I did another rendition of this cake using Mozart’s chocolate liqueur. (Not an affiliate mention, but they did send me a bottle of their chocolate liqueur to try.)

        The cake was even more creamy with Mozart's chocolate liqueur added! I loved the rich taste in the cake layers especially, but also in the ganache and frosting. I did miss the coffee flavor a bit, but it was even more creamy than my first go-round and I'd 100% recommend it! Picture below cause I was proud of it, lol. Short video link here. 

        Mozart Liqueur Mudslide cake - Kahlua mudslide cake made with Mozart chocolate liqueur. Slice cut from cake to show layers inside.
        Cake mix hack - 

        If you'd like to super-simplify the recipe, you can substitute 2 chocolate cake mixes for the cake recipe below. It won't be as rich, but it'll save you some steps, mess, groceries, and time. 

        Substitute 1/2 cup Kahlua, 1/2 cup cold coffee, and 1 cup milk for the liquid called for on the cake mix box; add eggs and oil as instructed. 

        Follow the rest of the instructions as written below. 

        One slightly questionable and very odd thing I did with one recipe test of this cake –

        I hate wasting cake scraps. So I saved and cake-pop-mix-ed the cake tops after I leveled the cakes, and used the mix as part of the filling between the layers.
        This gave an easy way to re-purpose them, give a bit of height back to the cake, and add more chocolate flavor to the filling. 
        It’s an extra step, and I’ll give you it’s a bit weird, but whatever. Take it or leave it; I thought it was good and I’d do it again. :)

        (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

        Don't forget to pin this recipe for later! 

        Kahlua Mudslide cake with kahlua ganache drip (uncut)
        Kahlua Mudslide Cake - chocolate kahlua cake filled with kahlua ganache and covered with chocolate whipped cream
        Print Recipe

        Kahlua Mudslide Cake

        The 'Kahlua Mudslide' cocktail in cake form! Kahlua-infused chocolate flavors the cake layers, whipped cream frosting, and the ganache filling and drip!
        Prep Time45 minutes
        Cook Time37 minutes
        Decorating time45 minutes
        Total Time2 hours 7 minutes
        Course: Dessert
        Cuisine: American
        Keyword: Chocolate cake with kahlua, Chocolate Liqueur Cake, Kahlua cake, Kahlua Chocolate cake, Kahlua ganache, Whipped cream frosting
        Servings: 16 servings
        Calories: 446kcal
        Author: Sarah H

        Equipment

        Ingredients

        Chocolate Kahlua cake layers

        • 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour (350g)
        • 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar (450g)
        • 1 ¼ cup cocoa powder (100g)
        • 1 tsp baking soda (5g)
        • ¾ tsp salt (4g)
        • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks/250g; room temperature)
        • 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
        • 1 ½ cups buttermilk (350mL)
        • ½ cup Kahlua

        Cake drizzle (optional but recommended)

        • ¼ cup Kahlua
        • ¼ cup heavy whipping cream

        Kahlua Ganache filling & drip

        • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (+ additional ¼ cup to chop for decorating)
        • 5 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
        • 5 Tablespoons Kahlua

        Whipped cream frosting

        • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
        • ¼ cup powdered sugar
        • ½ cup cocoa powder
        • ½ cup cold water (to stabilize whipped cream if desired)
        • 2 teaspoons powdered gelatin (to stabilize whipped cream if desired)

        Instructions

        Chocolate Kahlua Cake layers

        • Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (180C). Grease 3 8-inch cake pans with baker's floured spray, or grease and line pans with parchment paper.
        • Mix together dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt) in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle (or hand mixer or whisk) until well combined. Add in bits of softened butter, mixing until no lumps of butter are visible and the mixture looks crumbly.
        • Whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and Kahlua. Add to dry ingredients and mix until no dry ingredients are visible. Scrape down the bowl and beat for another 20 seconds.
        • Fill the three pans evenly - I find a kitchen scale helpful for this part, and each of mine weighed out to about 550g. Bake for 30-35 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans, and cool completely before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired. (This is a great time to make the whipped cream and ganache!)

        Chocolate whipped cream

        • (To improve stability at room temperature, you can stabilize your whipped cream with gelatin. If just using regular whipped cream, skip this step and step 3.) Sprinkle gelatin over water; allow to sit 5 minutes. Microwave 30-60 seconds, until the gelatin has completely dissolved. Allow to cool to just above room temp - gelatin must be dissolved but not hot when added to whipped cream.)
        • In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat whipping cream until semi-whipped and beater lines begin to show. Add in powdered sugar and cocoa powder (with the mixer off or it'll spray EVERYWHERE). Beat until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and beat until well-set.
        • (If using stabilized whipped cream, slowly add the gelatin mixture - beating on medium continuously - until well-incorporated.)
          Refrigerate until ready to use.

        Kahlua chocolate ganache

        • Combine chocolate chips, whipping cream, and kahlua in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on half power in 30-second intervals; stirring in between until chocolate is fully melted and ganache appears smooth. Refrigerate until semi-set and thick enough to form cake filling. (I kept 1/2 cup out of the fridge for decorating - but it can always be re-warmed. Refrigerate the whole batch if that's easier.) 🙂

        Assembly

        • Once your cake layers have cooled, level them (if needed/desired). This can be done with a cake leveler or a large serrated knife and a ruler. Place a smear of ganache on your cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center your first cake layer in the center of the circle.
        • Cake drizzle (optional) - combine ¼ cup each Kahlua and heavy whipping cream and drizzle over each cake layer as you stack them. (The layers will be a bit softer after the drizzle is added, so I prefer to do it when they're already stacked.)
        • Spread the layer with Kahlua ganache, and add the next layer on top. Repeat the process with your remaining ganache and cake layer - I often add the last layer upside down to make frosting easier.

        Now - frosting + decorating!

        • A quick watch of the video could be really helpful here if you've never seen the 'cake ring hack.' I'm honestly garbage at frosting with whipped cream, so I piped on a layer of whipped cream and then used a sheet of acetate and the cake ring to compress + smooth it. Set the 'squeezed' cake in the freezer to set the whipped cream, and once it's frozen (took about an hour for me) - peel the acetate off and fill in any gaps.
          If that's not your speed, then now's the time to add a crumb coat and second layer of whipped cream. 🙂
        • Once your frosting is on, you're ready to add the drip!
          (Quick note - if you've used the cake ring and your cake is still cold from the freezer, allow it to thaw for a couple of hours in the fridge or be ready to spread the ganache quickly so it doesn't set too fast to drip.)
          Re-warm ganache until it's liquid but not hot (or it'll melt the whipping cream). Slowly drizzle ganache around the upper edge of your cake, pausing every inch or so to let more ganache fall in a drip down the side of the cake.
        • Transfer remaining whipped cream to a piping bag, and pipe swirls around the top of the cake. Chop 1/4 remaining chocolate chips and sprinkle around the cake top and cake base.
        • Annnd you're done! High-five on your killer Kahlua Mudslide cake!!

        Video

        Notes

        Please note nutrition information is an estimate and may not be exactly accurate. 

        Nutrition

        Serving: 1serving | Calories: 446kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 17g

        Other recipes you may love...

        (Click / tap any of the photos below to be taken to the recipe page!) 

        Coffee and Bailey's Cake - topped with espresso frosting and a Bailey's white chocolate drip
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      • Halloween Hot Cocoa Bombs

        Halloween Hot Cocoa Bombs

        Halloween Hot Cocoa Bombs. Decorated with white candy melt spiderwebs and a black chocolate skull
        Halloween Hot Cocoa Bombs. Decorated with white candy melt spiderwebs and a black chocolate skull.
        Halloween Hot Cocoa bombs - prepared with milk

        It's time for Halloween Hot Cocoa bombs!

        I don’t even know if hot cocoa bombs are still an ‘in’ thing at the moment; I’ve been seeing them make the rounds on Pinterest for a bit now and maybe they’re going out of style.

        But this year I didn’t care.

        As we roll get into mid-October the weather’s FINALLY taking a cooler turn where I live (Tennessee). It was time to finally try out making Halloween hot cocoa bombs! It’s been a million years coming – and I’m SO ready for hot cocoa weather again!

        I grew up in the Pacific northwest - where it rarely tops 90 degrees and rains most of the time. So summers in the south are just a new ball game for me. Don’t get me wrong; I love that I can take my kids outside every day. But keeping heat exhaustion, sunburns, and mosquitos at bay has been a learning curve. Buuut I'm getting off topic. :/ 

        Anyway. Suffice to say –
        I’m beyond ready for ALL the cold-weather food. Especially hot cocoa.

        Cue these Halloween hot cocoa bombs!

        Why you'll love them - 

        • These Hot Cocoa Bombs are  SUPER easy to make, and they'd make fantastic gifts, look amazing on a Halloween party table - you could even give them out to trick-or-treaters if you're feeling ambitious! 
        • The dark cocoa candy melts didn't give me any trouble with that whitish 'bloom' look that chocolate chips can get - AND the dark color is perfect for Halloween! 
        • Plus also...if you want it...an excuse to buy more Halloween sprinkles. Or maybe I'm the only one with that addiction...? 

        Hot Cocoa Bomb assembly notes - 

        I filled my skull ice cube molds with dark cocoa candy melts – I was bracing for some cocoa ‘bloom’ that sometimes comes from untempered chocolate, but never saw it! I just used one 12-ounce bag for both the skulls and the cocoa bomb shells. (They’re kind of obnoxiously expensive to buy online, but if there’s a Michael’s near you I’ve found their prices are usually better.)

        My ‘skull’ ice cube molds are finally getting some kitchen time in this year! I think I bought them sometime in 2020, and maybe used them once. Then -

        October of ‘21 we were moving - cross country - with a 5-month old.

        October of ‘22 I was vomiting constantly (trimester 1 with baby #2).

        October of ‘23 I was slowly re-surfacing from a brutal bout with postpartum depression – functional enough to take care of my kids, but couldn’t handle much else.

        Soo this year it’s finally their time to shine!

        Tip / hack #1 for assembling  hot cocoa bombs – strategic use of hot water!

        I melted the candy melts in a 2-cup container over hot water, and had zero trouble with overheating or seizing.

        Of note - make sure no water gets into the candy melt mixture though. Moisture will cause them to seize (harden + crumble.) Not the business. 

        When putting the shell halves together, I poured hot water into a bowl and put a plate over it. After one minute, the plate was the perfect temperature to melt + flatten the candy melt shell edges and get them to stick together! I’d tried heating a frying pan over low heat and using that before – suffice to say I ended up with a pretty good amount of burnt chocolate in my frying pan, because getting it warm enough but not too hot is difficult.

        Hot cocoa bomb tip / hack #2 - be smarter than me and use a brush instead of spoon! 

        I also realized my prior attempts at smoothing the chocolate into the shells with the back of a spoon was...dumb.

        I always ended up with thin/weak spots, and those thin spots can crack as you assemble the hot cocoa bombs. It’s a big mess and a bigger pain in the...backside. Take your advice from the idiot who tried – the spoon’s probably not your friend, I’d recommend a brush!

        I tried two different kinds – a large pastry brush and a smaller slanted food-safe brush.

        Short story – they both work pretty well.

        With the large pastry brush, spreading the chocolate went really quickly, but I had to put on two coats because I didn’t have great control and ended up with some thin spots. (See above.)

        With the smaller brush, spreading the chocolate took more time, but I was able to layer it on thicker. So I only had to coat the mold one time – 5 minutes in the fridge later I was ready to un-mold the shells.

        So – probably go with whatever brush you have! Or whichever brush sounds better to you.

        I think I’ve probably rambled enough now – on to the recipe!
        Happy cocoa-bomb-making – and Happy Halloween!!

        (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

        Don't forget to pin this recipe for later! 

        Halloween Hot Cocoa bombs - prepared with milk
        Halloween Hot Cocoa Bombs. Decorated with white candy melt spiderwebs and a black chocolate skull.
        Print Recipe

        Halloween Hot Cocoa Bombs

        Make these deliciously spooky Halloween hot cocoa bombs with spiderwebs and skulls! Fantastic for Halloween parties - or even for trick-or-treaters!
        Prep Time20 minutes
        Cook Time0 minutes
        Decorating time15 minutes
        Total Time35 minutes
        Course: Dessert
        Cuisine: American
        Keyword: dark chocolate hot cocoa bombs, Halloween drinks, Halloween hot cocoa, Halloween hot cocoa bombs, Hot Cocoa Bombs
        Servings: 6 hot cocoa bombs
        Calories: 470kcal
        Author: Sarah H

        Equipment

        Ingredients

        • 12 ounces dark cocoa candy melts (you could use chocolate or dark chocolate; it just may have a bit of a whitish look unless you want to temper it first)
        • 6 Tablespoons hot cocoa mix
        • 1 ½ cups mini marshmallows (or 6 large marshmallows)
        • ½ cup white candy melts (to decorate)
        • Sprinkles (optional)

        Instructions

        • Melt candy melts in a heat-safe container - I used a DIY double boiler involving a 2-cup and a 4-cup Pyrex container. (You can 100% do this in the microwave, but you may need to re-melt if you’re doing more than one set of shells. Also use caution; candy melts will seize (harden+crumble) if overheated.
        • Spread 1 - 2 tablespoon of melted chocolate in each hot cocoa bomb mold. (Oddly, 1 was all I could spread evenly with my large basting brush, but I could manage 2 pretty well with a smaller brush.)
        • Chill 5 minutes (or leave at room temp for 15-20 minutes) until hardened and set. Remove gently from molds. (Bend the silicone back and remove in a peeling motion so the shells don’t crack.)
        • Repeat above steps if you’re only using 1 mold. (You need 12 shells to make 6 bombs. I know, math.) Transfer remaining chocolate to 6 skull molds, and refrigerate.
        • Pour very hot (near-boiling) water into a heat-safe bowl, and place a heat-safe plate over the top. Wait 1-2 minutes for the plate to warm up.
        • Gently place a shell half edge-down onto the plate, and turn it until the edges are smooth and even. Repeat with half of the shells.
        • To each of the ‘smoothed’ shells add 1 Tablespoon of cocoa powder, as many marshmallows as will fit, and sprinkles if using.
        • Repeat the ‘smoothing’ process on each of the remaining shells - one at a time - and when a shell is smoothed + slightly melted adhere to a filled shell with gentle pressure. I used a bit of the leftover melted chocolate to help the shells adhere where there were any gaps.
        • Melt the white candy melts and transfer to a piping bag. Pipe a ‘+’ shape and then an ‘X’ shape onto a bomb, followed by a large circular ‘swirl’ shape to mimic a spider web.
        • De-mold skulls and adhere one to the top of each hot cocoa bomb.
        • Serve by placing into a glass and pouring hot milk over the top - I recommend placing them in sideways and aiming your ‘pour’ at the seam since it’ll melt and come apart the easiest. Looks more like an ‘bomb’ that way. Enjoy!

        Notes

        (Please note nutrition information is an estimate, and may not be exactly accurate. Counts will vary if entire bag of candy melts is not used.) 

        Nutrition

        Serving: 1serving | Calories: 470kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 18g

        Send me an email and let me know how it went – or make my day and find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo!

        If you enjoyed the recipe, please add a comment / recipe rating at the bottom of the page! 🙂 This really helps other people find it too! 

        Other recipes you may love…

        (Click / tap the photos to be taken to the recipe pages!)

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      • Easy Homemade Wedding Cake

        Easy Homemade Wedding Cake

        Can I make my own wedding cake?

        Should I make my own wedding cake?

        (What are the pros and cons?) 

        (And what are my options if I don’t want to pay a bakery $300-700 for a cake?)

        (average price per Weddingwire.com)

        Those are all awesome questions! And I'll do my absolute best to answer all of them. 

        Short answer - it depends! On several things. 

        I’ll make a quick list here, and get into more details on all of these points below. 

        If you'd prefer to watch / listen rather than read, here's a Youtube link to a super-fast overview of the 'pros/cons' and a tutorial for the cake assembly! 

        •  

        A homemade wedding cake could work really well for you IF... 

        • Your wedding day (and the week or so prior) will be low-key & not very busy

        • You have some time to do a ‘practice run’ cake ahead of time

        • You already have some cake decorating supplies and / or cake decorating experience

        • You don’t have a large cake budget (or a wedding budget in general)

        • Your ideal cake style is a bit on the not-perfectly-polished or rustic side (unless you have a lot of decorating experience!)

        • (You don’t have small children – or DO have people to help with childcare)

        • Or – and this might be the most ideal scenario – you have someone who can take on some or all of the work for you!

        So on the flip side – making your own cake might NOT be a great idea if -

        • Your wedding day (and the week before) are going to be very full and busy, without much unscheduled time.

        • You don’t have time to do a ‘practice run’ cake ahead of time

        • You don’t have cake decorating supplies or experience

        • You have a large enough budget to include a wedding cake – or are flexible on what type of dessert to serve (https://www.bpl.org/blogs/post/the-thrifty-wedding-cake/)

        • Your ideal cake style is very professional and polished

        • (You have small children at home – and don’t have people available to help with childcare)

        • You don’t have anyone who can take on any of the work if you start to run out of time.

        So let’s break these down one at a time and get into more details.

        A DIY wedding cake might be a great fit for you IF...

        • Your wedding day (and the week or so prior) is going to be low-key / not very busy.

        If you have a very simple, low-frills wedding planned, this will help to allow you the time that you’ll need to make a homemade wedding cake. If you’ve never made a wedding cake / tiered cake before, they can be time-consuming. This is especially true if you have a specific design you really want to nail!

        In addition to the hands-on time involved (making cake layers, frosting, and any fillings, layering the cakes, crumb-coating / frosting, doweling and stacking the tiers if you make a tiered cake, decorating, boxing the cake for transport) – there’s also some hands-off time for things like allowing the cake layers to cool / chill, letting the crumb coat sit, etc. If you have plenty of time available – not a big deal. If your wedding day / week looks busy already – adding a cake to the list could be super stressful.

        • You have some time to do a ‘practice run’ cake ahead of time.

        This doesn’t necessarily need to be EXACTLY like what you plan to do for the wedding cake – but having your recipes ‘road-tested’ and an idea of how much time baking + assembling is going to take will be SO helpful when you go to tackle the real thing. Obviously you can’t plan for every variable, but making sure the whole thing doesn’t fall apart as you go to assemble it can save you the stress of having to come up with a last-minute wedding dessert plan.

        • You already have some cake decorating supplies and / or cake decorating experience.

        Cake decorating supplies can be expensive – this is especially true in the last few years. You might be surprised at the supplies you need to make and stack a structurally sound tiered cake – and the costs can add up, eating into the budget margin you’d gain by making your own cake while still costing you time, effort, and possibly stress. But if you already have all the supplies – like I did when I made my most recent wedding cake – my supply cost was only about $65. It was amazing.

        On the decorating experience side – it definitely helps if you already have some cake decorating experience. Cakes can also be finicky. As a hobby baker for 6+ years as I draft this post, I’ve had more cakes than I care to count NOT turn out the way I wanted them to. To a hobby baker this isn’t a big deal, but a wedding cake involves a little bit more pressure. I can give you recipes that have a good change of holding up to the stability demands of a wedding cake, and it helps if you have baking experience or will have some time to recipe-test and practice ahead of time.

        • You don’t have a large cake budget (or a wedding budget in general)

        While I do need to briefly reference the above bit on cake decorating supplies, making a cake yourself (or having a friend make it for you) can save you a TON of money. I charged about $90 for the last wedding cake I made, and I did charge for my time. Home bakers don’t need to cover the overhead costs that professional bakeries do, and our prices (often) reflect that.

        • Your ideal cake style is a bit on the not-perfectly-polished or rustic side (unless you have a lot of decorating experience!)

        It hasn’t happened yet, but the day I have someone come to me requesting an elaborate perfectly-done immaculately-assembled cake I will probably send them on to a professional who can reliably pull that look off. I’ll attach pictures of the wedding cakes I’ve done at the bottom of this post and you can see for yourself – they’re almost all done with textured icing that doesn’t show small flaws or irregularities. Most home bakers just don’t have the hands-on time to develop the skills to get perfectly smooth flawless finishes on our cakes – and that’s okay, as long as you’re okay with it.

        • (You don’t have small children – or DO have people to help with childcare)

        CAN you DIY your cake if you have small kiddos? Absolutely. But it helps to be aware of the limitations and liabilities. I did 5 of my 6 wedding cakes before I had kids. My most recent wedding cake prep and assembly had to be planned around the schedules of my 1- and 3-year-old kids. It was many times more stressful than the other five cakes! I had many unplanned interruptions. I had some less-than-helpful 'help' from my 3-year-old. My 1-year-old almost knocked a display board I was using to take photos over onto the finished cake. I just put this out there as food for thought – line up some help with childcare if you can!

        • Or – and this might be the most ideal scenario – you have someone who can take on some or all of the work for you!

        As the ‘friend’ who has made several wedding cakes for friends / family, it is a HUGE blessing to them! Homemade wedding cakes are massive budget-savers and it’s such a special touch to have a wedding cake hand-made by a friend or family member!

        So – now that we’ve covered all that –

        if a homemade wedding cake sounds like a good fit for you, read on!

        My favorite cake and frosting recipes that I used for the cake in the photos + video are below, along with full assembly instructions and a video tutorial! 

        (One quick final disclaimer! I did NOT personally make my own wedding cake, since I didn’t know a thing about cake decorating at the time. (I paid a friend of mine to make ours.) 

        That said, I HAVE made 6 wedding cakes for friends and family, including weddings I was involved in – so I've learned a couple things about what to do and what not to do!)

        Below is a recipe for an Easy Homemade Wedding Cake - one that's simple to make and decorate whether you have cake experience or not! 

        The vanilla cake recipe below makes enough for both an 8-inch and a 6-inch tier. It's rich and delicious, and has a close enough texture to withstand the demands of being a wedding cake (transportation and sitting at room temperature for several hours).

        My standard-size Kitchen-aid mixer bowl was large enough to make the batter for both tiers in one batch, so that’s the recipe I’ve included below!

        I made a double batch of frosting to ensure I’d have enough. A 1.5x recipe might have been enough – I had frosting left over – but I’d recommend the recipe below to be on the safe side. (12 oz cream cheese, 3 sticks of butter, and 8-9 cups of powdered sugar would be the quantities for a 1.5x recipe.) 

        Congratulations if you made it this far into the post! Read on for the recipe! 

        Don't forget to pin this post and recipe for later! 

        (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

        Homemade wedding cake, on display with the cupcakes at the wedding venue
        Easy homemade wedding cake. 2 tier vanilla cake with Mr & Mrs topper and silk florals.
        Print Recipe

        Easy Homemade Wedding Cake

        Homemade wedding cakes taste AMAZING, look beautiful - and can be HUGE budget-savers! Here's an easy 2-tier vanilla cake that tastes delicious - and is easy to make, stack and to decorate!
        Prep Time45 minutes
        Cook Time38 minutes
        Decorating time1 hour 30 minutes
        Total Time2 hours 53 minutes
        Course: Dessert
        Cuisine: American
        Keyword: DIY Wedding Cake, Easy wedding cake, Floral Wedding Cake, Simple wedding cake
        Servings: 30 servings
        Calories: 748kcal
        Author: Sarah H

        Equipment

        Ingredients

        White Vanilla Cake Layers

        • 5 cups all-purpose flour
        • 4 ¾ cups granulated sugar
        • 3 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
        • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
        • 1 ½ cups unsalted butter or 3 sticks, room temperature
        • 8 eggs
        • 2 ¼ cups buttermilk (room temperature)
        • 2 ½ teaspoons clear vanilla extract
        • ⅓ cup vegetable oil

        Cream cheese buttercream frosting

        • 16 ounces cream cheese (2 packages; softened)
        • 2 cups unsalted butter (4 sticks; softened)
        • 11-12 cups powdered sugar
        • 1 Tablespoon clear vanilla extract
        • 1 Tablespoon frosting whitener (optional)
        • 1 Tablespoon corn syrup (optional, but helps keep frosting from 'crusting' which will help when texturing)
        • 2-3 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream (if needed)

        Instructions

        White Vanilla Cake Layers

        • Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare three 8-inch cake pans and three 6-inch round pans with baker's floured cooking spray, or grease and line with parchment rounds.
        • Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a mixing bowl (or stand mixer with a paddle) until fully combined. Mix chunks of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture looks crumbly.
        • Pour in eggs and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix in the buttermilk in two parts, on a low speed. Add in vanilla and oil, and mix on low until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
        • Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. (I recommend using a measuring cup or kitchen scale to keep the batter amounts even. I added 650 grams of batter to my 8” pans, and 325-350 grams in each of my smaller pans. Measuring the batter guarantees your layers will bake to be the same height.)
        • Bake for 34-37 minutes, (or until toothpicks comes out clean). Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans. Cool completely before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired. (This is a great time to make your frosting.)
        • Once the layers have fully cooled, they can be leveled and any caramelized bits can be trimmed from the sides / top of the cake using a serrated knife if desired. (Be sure the layers are completely cooled or chilled before trimming; if layers are cut while still warm they may crumble or break.)

        Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

        • Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with vanilla and whitener until frosting is even and lightened. Decease beater or mixer speed to low. Add whipping cream if needed for a thinner consistency, and beat until well combined.

        Assembly

        • Place a smear of frosting on your large cake circle or cake drum (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it). Center the first 8-inch cake layer in the center of the circle. Spread the layer with frosting. Add your next cake layer on top, and repeat the process with your remaining 8-inch cake layers.
        • Next, repeat the same process with your smaller cardboard circle and cake layers. Of note – if your 6-inch circle isn't pre-center-punched, be sure to grab a dowel or straw and knife and make your own hole in the exact center of the circle! This will allow you to center the tier on the base tier later on.
        • Now you're ready to crumb-coat . If you're unfamiliar with crumb-coating, it's just what it sounds like – spreading a thin layer of frosting over the entire outside of the cake tiers to keep crumbs out of your final layer.
        • Once your crumb coats have set (this takes about 10-15 minutes in the fridge), add a final layer of frosting to the 6-inch cake tier and smooth. Since I was texturing the frosting, I didn't worry too much about getting the sides perfectly smooth. (For the 6-inch cake, I find trimming the layers just smaller than the cake circle and using the cardboard as a guide for my cake scraper to work well.) Chill in the fridge 10-15 minutes before texturing the frosting.

        Texturing the frosting

        • (I was a bit over-cautious with how I approached this step - I probably didn't *need* to mark the angle of the texturing with my bench scraper before I started texturing - but it's a quick step that ensures your texturing will all follow roughly the same line.) If you're feeling cautious, hold a cake scraper steady and press it lightly into the frosting at 2-3 inch intervals around the cake to mark the line to follow when texturing with an offset spatula.
        • Gently press the end of a small offset spatula into the frosting - beginning from either the base or the top - and drag the spatula toward the center of the cake tier. Repeat around the tier until the frosting looks

        Stacking the tiers

        • Here's the 1-minute video guide I made for this part - once the cake tiers are frosted, stacking them is actually really simple!
        • ‘How to Make a Tiered Cake’ by Chelsweets is a bit longer video tutorial – we do things a touch differently, but sometimes seeing the process can be very helpful!
        • (Basically, doweling a tiered cake is done to ensure that the top tier doesn’t crush the lower tier, as well as keeping it centered. I used four shorter cut-to-height plastic straws for my base tier dowels, and one taller one cut at an angle in the center to hold my top tier in place.)
        • Grab your ruler for this next part! To center a 6-inch cake on top of an 8-inch cake, push the straws down into the base tier just over one inch from the cake edge, placing them evenly at quarter intervals around the cake. Place your last, tallest straw or dowel into the exact center of the cake, making sure to keep it straight up as you press down.
        • Now you’re ready – center the hole in the bottom of your top tier cake circle over the tallest dowel and let the top tier gently down onto the base tier. The dowel will poke into the center of the top tier to hold it in place.

        Decorating

        • Not much left to do! Decorate with food-safe or artificial flowers - (per request) I used two pink roses, a spray of eucalyptus leaves, and small bunches of baby's breath between the top and base tiers. Scroll to the bottom of the post for a few other decorating ideas if you'd like!
        • And that's it - you're DONE! Find someone to give you a high-five, and congrats on your amazing cake!

        Video

        Notes

        (Please note nutrition information is an estimate, and will vary with the number of servings the cake is cut into. Counts will also be lower in all fields if the entire batch of frosting is not used.) 

        Nutrition

        Serving: 1serving | Calories: 748kcal | Carbohydrates: 98g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 36g

        If you enjoyed this post and recipe - 

        Please consider leaving a recipe rating or a comment below - this really helps other people find it too! 

        If you have any questions or information you think I should add to this post, please email me! 

         

        Other wedding cake recipes / ideas you may love... 

        (Click / tap the photos to be taken to the recipe pages!) 

        3-tier wedding cakeBirch Tree Wedding Cake (3 tiers)
        Vanilla Lavender Wedding Cake - pinterest pin
        Draped Wedding Cake (gold and ivory, decorated with fondant drapes and black and ivory flowers and feathers)Navy Silver wedding cake pinterest pin
      • Halloween Skull Cake

        Halloween Skull Cake

        Halloween Skull cake (green cake decorated with black skulls)

        Halloween cakes are *still* the most fun! 

        I've been making Halloween cakes for I think 6 years now - and it just NEVER gets old! I bought a simple skull mold online a couple of years ago - thank you @Sheri.wilson and Amazon! And this year I was getting it out just feeling like I hadn't used it up to its potential yet. 

        That situation needed a fix! 

        Honestly, this one started out rough. I knew I wanted to decorate the cake with black skulls. So I melted some chocolate chips and gave it a shot...with some black gel color mixed with whipping cream. Lol go figure. It seized hard and fast. MEH. 

        (It was maybe going to work in theory; I routinely color chocolate ganache black with gel color and haven't had a problem. Apparently I didn't use enough whipping cream though.) 

        Not going to lie - I was running low on chocolate, and really wanted to use that batch for these skulls. So I took the still-warm seized-up mixture and I stuffed it into the skull molds. It still worked!

        I definitely recommend either using an oil-based gel color or just using a cake spray once your skulls are molded and set - but if you end up with seized chocolate you can still make it work! 

        Halloween skull cake - green cake decorated with black skulls

        So why make this Halloween Skull Cake? 

        • Variety of reasons! 😉 Second to maybe my Halloween Slime Cake - this is still one of the EASIEST Halloween cakes I’ve ever posted. 
        • Since I had all the ingredients on hand, I made scratch cake layers for the cake in the photos / video. That said though - if you want to make this whole cake insanely-easy to make, just doctor up a couple of boxed cake mixes! It works great too! 
        • EVERYONE loves the look and taste of black chocolate ganache!  It disappeared SO fast during taste testing! 
        • If you're unsure about your cake decorating abilities, this is a great one to start with!! Ain't no one going to care if your Halloween skull cake happens to look a touch messy; just adds to the spooky flair. 

        FAQs: 

        "Idk about the cake drip; never done one before. Any tips?" 
        • First off - I promise you can do it! It's really not any harder than it looks. But tips first! 
        • Tip #1 - this is my most important drip tip - make sure you measure your chocolate /cream accurately! Too much/little of either may affect your drip consistency. 
        • Tip #2 - my second most important tip - I verrry very highly *highly* recommend a test drip first! I almost made that mistake with this cake. I'd gotten my proportions wrong and the mix was WAY too thick. My test drip barely dripped at all. So save yourself the headache and make sure you're happy with the thickness / consistency of the mixture.  
        • Tip #3 - heat the drip mixture gently! I've over-cooked it in the microwave a couple times, and if it seizes it gets grainy and super weird. There are some tips online to try, buuut honestly I've never had good luck saving it past that point. Shorter time intervals and 30-50% power should save you that particular headache! 

        Recipe, tips, and links to everything I used are below!

        (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

        Don't forget to pin this Halloween Skull Cake recipe for later! 

        Halloween Skull cake (green cake decorated with black skulls)
        Halloween Skull cake (green cake decorated with black skulls)
        Print Recipe

        Halloween Skull Cake

        Frost a cake green, add a bit of black color to some chocolate ganache, mold some black skulls - done! A fabulous Halloween Skull cake!
        Prep Time20 minutes
        Cook Time30 minutes
        Decorating time15 minutes
        Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
        Course: Dessert
        Cuisine: American
        Keyword: black and green, Easy Halloween Desserts, Halloween Cake, Halloween cake recipe, Skull cake
        Servings: 16 servings
        Calories: 752kcal
        Author: Sarah H

        Equipment

        Ingredients

        Cake layers

        • 3 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
        • 3 cup granulated sugar
        • 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
        • 1 teaspoon salt
        • 1 cup unsalted butter (or 2 sticks, room temperature)
        • 5 eggs
        • 1 ½ cups buttermilk (room temperature)
        • 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
        • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

        Frosting

        Black drip + skulls

        • 4 ounces semisweet chocolate (or black candy melts & omit gel food color)
        • 2 ½ Tablespoons heavy whipping cream ( my favorite brand is incredibly thick; you may need a bit less depending on the thickness of your heavy cream)
        • 2-3 large drops Black oil-based food color
        • 8 ounces semisweet chocolate (for skulls; or use candy melts & omit food color)

        Instructions

        Cake

        • Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare three 8 inch round pans with baker's floured spray (or grease and line with parchment rounds).
        • Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle (or mixing bowl with a hand mixer or whisk) until fully combined. Mix room-temperature butter into the dry mix a tablespoon at at time on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large lumps of butter remain, and the mixture looks crumbly.
        • Pour in eggs and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix in the buttermilk on a low speed. Add in vanilla and oil, and mix at a low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
        • Divide batter evenly between three prepared cake pans (I find a kitchen scale helpful for this part). Bake for 34-37 minutes (or until a skewer comes out clean). Allow to cool for 10 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans. Cool completely before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired.
        • Once the layers have fully cooled, they can be leveled and any caramelized bits can be trimmed from the sides / top of the cake using a serrated knife if desired. Be sure the layers are completely cooled or chilled before trimming. If you try to trim the layers while they’re still warm, they will crumble apart. (This is a great time to make your frosting!)

        Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

        • Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with vanilla and milk if needed until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add gel color and salt if needed, and beat until well combined.

        Assembly

        • Place a smear of frosting on your cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center your first cake layer in the center of the circle. Spread the layer with frosting, and add the next layer on top. Repeat the process with your remaining cake layers.
        • My newest cake-frosting discovery is the cake ring hack - this is what I used in the video. It saves me SO much time and I love it. You'll need an acetate sheet + metal cake ring if you'd like to frost this way - otherwise spread on a crumb coat and chill, then spread on a final outer frosting layer. (Make sure to reserve enough frosting to decorate the top.)
        • Whichever method you use, finish smoothing with an offset spatula and a cake scraper. Once your cake is covered, place it into the fridge to set the frosting.

        Now - the fun part! Decorating!!

        • This is the ideal time to prep your skulls - so they have time to set. Melt 8oz of chocolate chips in 30-second intervals on 30-50% power in the microwave. Add black oil-based food coloring (or transfer plain melted chocolate to skull molds and use black cake spray to color them once they're set and out of the molds). Allow to set in the fridge for about 20 minutes; make sure chocolate is set before removing from molds. Set aside.
        • Place heavy cream and 4 oz chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl (don't add the color yet!) and microwave on 50% power in 30-second intervals until smooth, stirring in between. Once the mixture is completely melted and smooth, add in the black food color and mix until the color is even.
        • Once your ganache has cooled to a moderate temperature - it should be liquid but not hot so it doesn't melt your frosting - transfer it to a squeeze bottle or piping bag. You can use a spoon; it just won't give you quite as much control. Slowly drizzle candy melt ganache around the upper edge of your cake, pausing every inch or so to let more fall in a drip down the side of the cake. 
        • Now the REALLY fun part! Transfer remaining frosting to a piping bag, and add frosting swirls around the top of the cake. (I started with 6 skulls around the top - that didn't look like enough so I added another round of frosting swirls and 6 more skulls.) Add as many as looks good to you!
        • Done and done! Serve at room temperature (though I recommend the fridge if not serving for a few hours because of the cream cheese in the frosting.) Enjoy! Happy Halloween!

        Video

        Notes

        (Please note nutrition information is an estimate and may not be exactly accurate. Counts will be lower in all fields if not all the frosting or drip mixture is used.) 

        Nutrition

        Serving: 1slice | Calories: 752kcal | Carbohydrates: 98g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 38g

        Did you make this Halloween Skull cake? 

        Let me know how it went – or make my day and find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo!

         

        Other Halloween recipes you may love...

        Teal and Black Zombie Unicorn Cake with X eyes - slice cutBlack Spider web cake - orange cake covered with black marshmallow spiderweb
        Candy Corn CupcakesHalloween M&Ms Fault Line Cake
        Halloween Trick or Treat Cake (green, orange, and purple drip cake, candy in center)Black cocoa cream cheese buttercream covering a cake decorated with candy eyes
      • Black Marshmallow Spiderweb Cake

        Black Marshmallow Spiderweb Cake

        Black Spider web cake - orange cake covered with black marshmallow spiderweb

        "Can you make a BLACK marshmallow spiderweb cake?"

        We've all seen the black-frosted cakes covered in white melted-marshmallow spiderwebs.

        But what if you wanted to use a different color cake...? Could the marshmallow mix be colored black and still behave like it's supposed to...?

        That was the question that needed an answer this year! Not only are we headed into spooky season - but this year, I have a little kitchen helper! My now 3-year-old has become obsessed with helping mama in the kitchen. This cake design was right up her alley.  So it was time to recipe test our way to an answer! 

        The short answer - yes you can! 

        We melted down a bag of marshmallows, and added black cocoa powder and black food coloring in alternating small portions until the mixture was the deep black that I wanted. It behaved almost exactly like the regular white melted mixture. 

        That said, I learned a couple things! - 

        • Marshmallows don't have a super strong flavor of their own. So the melted down marshmallow mix will pick up the cocoa powder and food dye flavors pretty quickly. Use the food dye sparingly if you're not a fan of the bitter-black-dye-taste. 
        • The mixture doesn't actually stain (table / hands / clothes) the way that I thought it would. That said, it can discolor fabrics/surfaces if left too long. User beware - especially if you're like me and working with little kiddos! 

        Don't forget to pin this recipe for later! 

        Black Marshmallow spiderweb cake - pinterest pin
        my 3-year-old helping with a tester cake 🙂
        Black Spider web cake - orange cake covered with black marshmallow spiderweb
        Print Recipe

        Black Marshmallow Spiderweb Cake

        Want a super simple Halloween cake - or an EASY way to Halloween-ify a store-bought cake? The black marshmallow spiderweb is the way to go!
        Prep Time5 minutes
        Cook Time0 minutes
        Decorating time10 minutes
        Total Time15 minutes
        Course: Dessert
        Cuisine: American
        Keyword: Black Spiderweb cake, Easy Halloween Desserts, Halloween Cake, Halloween spiderweb cake, Marshmallow spiderweb cake
        Servings: 16 servings
        Calories: 156kcal
        Author: Sarah H

        Ingredients

        • 1 Frosted cake (size / color of your choice) - here's my favorite vanilla cake recipe and my favorite frosting recipe if you need ideas!
        • 5 ounces marshmallows Regular or mini marshmallows are both fine. (I melted down an entire 10oz bag and had more than enough mixture for 2 8-inch cakes.)
        • 2-4 Tablespoons black cocoa powder
        • 2-4 large drops Black gel food color (add as desired for color - just be aware the more you add the more 'food color' taste you'll get)

        Instructions

        • If not done already, stack cake layers + frost your cake - see this post if you could use any help at this stage! (You can also use this spiderweb mixture on a store-bought cake.)
        • Place cake into the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes - chilled frosting will be less likely to melt when the warm marshmallow touches it.
        • Place marshmallows into a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring in between until melted and smooth. (Be aware they'll probably puff up while they're melting - we almost overflowed the bowl!)
        • Add 2 Tablespoons of black cocoa powder and 2 large drops of black gel color, and stir until well blended and even. If you're happy with the color, perfect! If it still looks too light, add an addition 2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder + 2 drops of gel color until you're happy with the color. (Be aware the marshmallow doesn't have a lot of its own flavor and will pick up the 'food color' flavor fairly quickly. The cocoa powder will help, but taste as you go if you're worried about it getting too strong.)
        • Microwaves vary, so stir well and be careful at this step! Our mixture didn't have to cool long, but it was uncomfortable to touch for about 5 minutes after we'd finished mixing. Allow to cool until touch-able.
        • Remove cake from the fridge, and scoop some of the marshmallow mixture from the bowl. Spread and stretch the mixture until it's thin and spider-web-like, and stretch the web over the cake. Repeat this process until the web covers the entire cake!

        Video

        Notes

        Please note nutrition information just includes the marshmallow 'web,' as nutrition information will vary massively with size / type of cake decorated. Counts will also be lower in all fields if not all of the mixture is used. 

        Nutrition

        Serving: 1serving | Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g

        Other Halloween dessert recipes you might love...

        Halloween Eyes in the Fog Cake (with dry ice steam)Polyjuice Potion black cauldron cake (slice cut)
        Halloween M&Ms Fault Line CakeHalloween Trick or Treat Cake (green, orange, and purple drip cake, candy in center)
        Halloween Slime Cake (black cake with green candy melt slime and an Erlenmeyer flask)Cauldron Pudding Parfaits
      • Baseball Cake

        Baseball Cake

        Baseball cake - 6 inch half sphere buttercream cake shaped and decorated like a baseball

        Need to make a baseball cake? 

        Not too long ago I made a golf ball smash cake for a friend's kiddo's first birthday. It was a learning curve, but - IMHO - it actually turned out super cute! 

        After the design snags I had to get through to make that one - cake shape, how to work with a half-sphere pan, getting the frosting color right, etc - I felt decently armed to try a baseball cake. 

        Fortunately, I didn't have to wrestle with the indents or 'divots' that are part of decorating a golf ball cake. 

        That said though - this one came with a few of its own issues! Go figure, right? 

        Design issues I had to work out - 

        • HOW to get the frosting smooth?

        I didn't have to get super nuts about getting the frosting smooth for my last half sphere cake - I was just going to add the indents to the outside. NBD! That story changed with this cake. Baseballs *are* pretty smooth on the outside, so I had to figure out how to pull that off.

        I know not everyone has acetate sheets on hand, so I tried out folded pieces of wax paper and parchment paper. (A single sheet was too thin to shape the frosting.) If you're okay with a few lines left behind in the frosting, parchment or wax paper will work. They got the frosting decently smooth. But I didn't like those residual lines they left, so I went over it again with a small acetate square. Square-ish rectangle. Whatever. 😉 

        • HOW to mark the stitching lines? 

        I can't tell you how many photos I looked at - of baseballs and baseball cakes - to decide roughly where the stitching lines needed to go. Honestly, still think I might not have added enough of an arc, but hey. I know for next time now. Marking roughly where I wanted the stitch lines to go with toothpicks worked well. Two laid on top gave me rough guidelines, then using a third toothpick to draw a faint line in the frosting to follow with the piping bag. The actual stitching was a whole different story, but the line the stitching followed turned out okay! 

        • The dang red stitching. 

        Lord have mercy. I won't lie to you, I'm still not 100% happy with how the stitching turned out. I even scraped off and re-piped the really wonky lines and they still look a bit of a mess.

        But I gave it a solid college try - and my 3-year-old still recognized it as a baseball! Anyway, all that to say - if you're not sure your piping skills are up to snuff, neither are mine. And your cake will still be recognizable as a baseball!

        Recipe and supply links for everything I used are below - happy baseball-cake-baking! Have fun! 🙂 

        (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

        Don't forget to pin this recipe for later! 

        Baseball Birthday cake - Pinterest pin image
        Baseball cake - 6 inch half sphere buttercream cake shaped and decorated like a baseball
        Print Recipe

        Baseball Cake

        Need a simple baseball cake recipe? This one uses a half-sphere pan to make shaping and frosting the cake super simple - no sculpting - and just 2 piping tips to decorate!
        Prep Time30 minutes
        Cook Time40 minutes
        Decorating time1 hour
        Total Time2 hours 10 minutes
        Course: Dessert
        Cuisine: American
        Keyword: Baseball cake, Baseball smash cake, Sports cake
        Servings: 1 6-inch cake
        Calories: 516kcal
        Author: Sarah H

        Equipment

        Ingredients

        Cake

        • 1 box cake mix (Flavor's up to you; I used a french vanilla mix)
        • ½ cup butter (melted and cooled)
        • 3 eggs
        • 1 cup buttermilk (room temperature, or use 1 cup milk mixed with with 2 tsp lemon juice)
        • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

        Frosting

        Instructions

        Cake

        • Preheat oven to 350°F (177℃). Prepare a 6-inch half sphere pans with baker's floured cooking spray (or grease and flour pan well). Place flower nail in the base of cake pan (to help the cake bake more evenly).
        • Combine melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl and mix until combined. Add in cake mix and stir until moistened (about 30 seconds), then beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
        • Pour batter into prepared pan (I didn't use all of the batter; an overfilled sphere pan will overflow and make a mess in your oven). Batter level should be about a centimeter (not quite half an inch) below the cake pan rim. (Might not hurt to place a baking sheet in the oven below the pan just in case.)
        • Bake for 35-45 minutes, (or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean). Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing cake from pan.
        • Cool to room temperature before cutting / decorating. (Place in the fridge to accelerate the cooling process if desired.) While you’re waiting…make your frosting!

        Frosting

        • Beat together butter and shortening; beat in powdered sugar and vanilla until well combined.
        • (If using frosting whitener, remove 1 cup of frosting into another bowl - color half red for the stitching, and the rest deep green for the 'grass' frosting border. Add whitener to remaining frosting.) If not using whitener, remove 1 cup of frosting and color it red / green whenever you'd like 🙂
        • Add milk if needed until frosting reaches an easily spreadable consistency.

        Assembly & Decorating

        • (If desired, use a cake leveler or large serrated knife to slice cake into 2 or 3 layers to fill with frosting).
        • Place a smear of frosting on a plate or cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center cake in the center of the circle. Spread a thin coat (crumb coat) of frosting around the outside of the cake and chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
        • Once your crumb coat has set, add another thicker layer of frosting to the outside of the cake and smooth. I used a small offset spatula and credit-card-sized piece of acetate for this part. Set cake in the fridge for about 15-ish minutes to set the frosting - this helped me pipe the stitching without deforming the frosting.
        • (This will probably be the most time-consuming step-) Now for the stitching! I marked my 'stitching lines' with toothpicks, dragging them through the frosting to make a 'guide' line for the stitch marks.
          Transfer red frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, and pipe sequential shallow 'V' shapes across the guide lines to make the ball stitching. Turn the cake around, and repeat the process with the points of the 'V's going the other direction. (This is the other reason chilling the cake helped me- I had a couple 'V's get really wonky, and being able to pull them off with a toothpick and re-pipe them was really helpful.)
        • Transfer green frosting to a piping bag fitted with a grass tip, and pipe a rim of grass around the cake base. High-five yourself on your awesome cake - and enjoy!

        Video

        Notes

        (Please note nutrition information is an estimate and may not be exactly accurate.) 

        Nutrition

        Serving: 1cake | Calories: 516kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 24g

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