Description
This Vanilla Almond Rainbow Petal Cake is a visually stunning and delicious layered cake featuring moist vanilla almond-flavored cake layers frosted with a creamy almond-infused buttercream. The cake is decorated with colorful buttercream petals in rainbow hues, creating a beautiful floral pattern that makes it perfect for celebrations and special occasions. The combination of vanilla bean paste, almond extract, and smooth frosting delivers a delightful flavor with a tender texture that is sure to impress.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/3 cups buttermilk, room temperature
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 7 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Food coloring gel (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet)
Instructions
- Prepare Cake Pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper and sides well to prevent sticking, then set aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set this mixture aside.
- Cream Butter, Oil, and Sugar: Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the softened butter, vegetable oil, and granulated sugar until well combined and creamy.
- Add Eggs and Extracts: Add the eggs one at a time to the butter-sugar mixture, beating well after each addition. Then add the vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract, and almond extract, mixing well.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients and Buttermilk: With the mixer on the lowest speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until combined but do not overmix, the batter should be smooth.
- Divide and Bake: Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cake pans (using a kitchen scale for accuracy if available). Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool Cakes: Let the cakes cool completely in the pans before inverting them onto a cooling rack.
- Make Buttercream Frosting: In the stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar cup by cup on the lowest speed. Add vanilla extract and almond extract. Increase speed to high and add heavy cream, mixing until smooth and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Assemble Cake: Place a spoonful of frosting on a cake board and spread it to help prevent slipping. Place one cake layer down and spread about one cup of frosting evenly on top with an offset spatula.
- Add Second Layer and Crumb Coat: Add the second cake layer on top. Apply a thin layer of frosting all over the cake to seal in crumbs. Smooth the frosting on sides and top. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Color Frosting: Divide about 3 tablespoons of frosting into separate small bowls. Add 1-2 drops of food coloring gel to each bowl to create red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet colors. Mix until the colors are uniform.
- Pipe and Create Petals: Fill small piping bags with an open tip with each colored frosting. Starting at the outer edge on top of the cake, pipe small dots in a ring using the first color. Press each dot with an offset spatula and swipe gently to create petals. Repeat with each color in rows toward the center of the cake.
- Decorate Center and Chill: Cover the center with sprinkles or your choice of decoration. Place the cake back into the refrigerator and chill for another 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients for the best cake texture and mix.
- Greasing and lining the cake pans with parchment helps ensure the cakes come out easily.
- Use a kitchen scale to evenly divide batter for uniform layers.
- Do not overmix the batter to keep the cake light and tender.
- The crumb coat helps prevent crumbs from mixing into the final frosting layer.
- Food coloring gel is preferred over liquid to prevent thinning the frosting.
- Chilling the cake solidifies the frosting for easier petal creation.
- This cake keeps well covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: vanilla almond cake, rainbow cake, petal cake, layered cake, buttercream frosting, celebration cake, colorful cake
