Skittles Cake
Pack all the colors and flavors of Skittles candy into a showstopping multicolor Skittles Cake! Box topper optional but so fun!
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 710kcal
Equipment
- 1 long wood skewer (or cake dowel or straw)Â
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons 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!
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk room temperature
- 1/8 cup 28 grams vegetable oil
- 1-2 drops Red, orange, yellow, green, and purple gel colors - I used Americolor Super Red, Orange, Lemon Yellow, Leaf Green, and Regal Purple
- 1 teaspoon raspberry flavoring (for red/purple batter)
- 1 teaspoon orange extract (for orange batter)
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract (for yellow batter)
- 1 teaspoon lime extract (for green batter)
Frosting
- 8 oz one package cream cheese, softened
- 16 Tablespoons two sticks butter, softened (two sticks)
- 6-7 cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 Tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons Flavor extract(s) - I used lemon extract and lime extract
- 1/4 t. salt
Drip & Decorations
- 8 oz White Candy Melts I use the Wilton brand Bright White
- 5 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream (the brand I usually use comes from Costco and is incredibly thick; do a test drip with 4 T if your cream is on the thin side!)
- 1-2 drops Red, orange, yellow, green, and purple gel colors I used Americolor Super Red, Orange, Lemon Yellow, Leaf Green, and Regal Purple
Instructions
Skittles Cake layers
- Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined. Mix bits of room-temperature butter into the dry mix on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large lumps of butter are visible, and the mixture looks crumbly.
- Pour in egg whites, and mix on low until just incorporated. Â Mix in the buttermilk on a low speed. Add in 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.Â
- Divide batter evenly between 5 bowls, and add colors and flavors as described above. Transfer into the prepared cake pans (I find a kitchen scale helpful for this part). This guarantees your layers will bake to be the same height. Swirl the colors together a bit with a small knife or offset spatula.
- Bake for 34-38 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 browned edges 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 and break.
Frosting
- Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add flavor(s) and salt and beat until well combined.Â
Assembly
- Once your cakes are cool, level them (if needed). 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 layer with frosting. Repeat the process with your remaining cake layers.Â
- 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 cake scraper for this part. Once your cake is covered, place it into the fridge or freezer to set the frosting.
Drip & Decorations
- Place heavy cream and candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on 50% power in 30-second intervals until smooth, stirring in between. Divide into 5 bowls and add your gel colors.Â
- I usually find a squeeze bottle or piping bag work the best for this ganache, but spoons will work also. When your candy melt mix has cooled to a moderate temperature – it should feel slightly warm and still be fairly liquid – transfer each color to a squeeze bottle or piping or small ziplock bag. A spoon will work if you don’t have either of those; I’ve just found spoons to be a little bit more difficult to work with. Slowly drizzle ganache around the upper edge of your cake - remember you have 5 colors, so space accordingly! Return cake to the fridge or freezer to set the drips.
- Pipe frosting around the upper edge of your cake – this forms a rim to hold the pile of candy in place! You can add drizzles of ganache for a little more color.
- Open the box of Skittles and empty it, and then place your skewer into the open end of your Skittles box and close it – I cut a little of the edge of the box away to make room for the skewer. Push the skewer down into the cake, leaving the box on top of the cake at an angle. Add Skittles around the box to cover the top of the cake – and you’re done!Â
Video
Notes
Please note nutrition information is an estimate and may not be exactly accurate.
Nutrition
Calories: 710kcal | Carbohydrates: 103g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 37g
Did you make this Skittles Cake?
Let me know how it went - or find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo!
Related: Favorite Cream Cheese Buttercream Recipe
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What flavor is the orange icing?
When I made that cake, it was just vanilla frosting that I colored orange – buuuut I’ve since discovered how easy it is to order flavor extracts off Amazon, and if I had it to do over I’d TOTALLY flavor it orange! 🙂 🙂 🙂 One of these days I’ll re-do this cake and fix the recipe and links! 😉
Loved the design! Friend’s daughter saw it and I tried it. So fun! Made Ganache for the first time and so easy. Did use orange flavor in the orange icing and was very yummy. Also made Skittles flavored icing on sugar cookies. Thanks so much for the ideas and fun.
This comment made my day; thank you so much!! Skittles cookies sound like the BEST 🙂 Glad everything went so well, and thank you again!