Pink Ombre Cakes for Valentine's Day

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, pinks and reds rule the air. Everywhere you look there is something in the color of love that catches the eye. I love me some pink and red, elegant and bold. 

I had long set my mind on trying an Ombre Cake. An Ombre cake is basically layers of cake in different shades of one color.Visually stunning. 

It was only fitting that I did an Ombre cake in the shape of mini hearts. I used a light and airy vanilla cake recipe with a fine moist crumb paired with a very easy and simple buttercream. 

You will need:

4 cake pans of same size or two 8” and two 9” round cake pans

Electric stand or hand-held mixer

4 mixing bowls
2 ½ -inch Heart shaped cookie cutter

Pink food color gel

Yields: 5 cups batter
Makes: Two 8-inch or 9-inch cakes

2 ½  cups cake flour
2 ½  tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½  tsp salt
4 eggs at room temp
1 ½  cups sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk at room temp

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare baking pans by greasing and flouting them. Set aside.
Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the eggs on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat for another 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and oil, beat until combined.

Turn the mixer to low speed and add half the flour, beat until combined followed by half the buttermilk. Repeat with remaining flour mix and buttermilk. Scrape down sides and beat only until combined. The batter will be thin.

Divide batter into 4 mixing bowls. A cup of batter each in two bowls and a cup and a half in the other two. Color the batter starting for the lightest. The key here is to get differentiating shades going from light to dark. I started with a tiny drop of gel on a toothpick and added more until I got the shade I liked.

Pour the batter into prepared cake pans and bake for 15-17 minutes until springy to the touch and the cake begins to leave the sides of the pan. Cool layers in pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Once cooled, using a sharp knife trim the top part of the cake. You need an even layer. Do the same for all 4 cakes. Using the cookie cutter cut out hearts from each layer. I was able to get around 5 from each. Save the scraps to make cake truffles or just eat them as is!

Easy Buttercream:
This is the easiest icing I've come across and has become my go-to recipe. It's a commonly used icing too. Whenever mom made it during her baking classes, I remember my bro and I used to fight over the icing bowl. Good enough to eat with a spoon!

You will need:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted*
2-3 tbsp Milk

1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla extract

*Note: Sift the powdered sugar and then measure out 4 cups. This ensures the icing is smooth and not gritty and also gives you the right amount needed for the recipe. Powdered sugar tends to settle in the bag, sifting aerates it.

Cream the butter, vanilla and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Turn the mixer to low and add the powdered sugar, a cup at a time. Now add the milk and beat for 3 minutes on medium until combined well and icing is smooth. Add more or less milk to achieve desired consistency. Thin icing is good for spreading on cakes and cupcakes. A firmer icing is ideal for decorating using tips.

I used Wilton Tip #18 to make flat shells at an angle to fill the heart and added a few silver dragees. The decoration part is left to your imagination.

Assemble the hearts:
Starting with the lightest shade on the bottom, apply icing in between the layers and assemble the hearts to form 4 layers of cake. Decorate the top. I went very light on the icing in between since the cakes are small and the layers thin.

The cakes can be stored in an air-right container for a day on the counter top and upto 3 days in the refrigerator.

Wishing all of you a love-filled Valentine’s Day :)