An Easter Cake recipe that’s easy to make and so beautiful to serve! This spring layer cake is covered with fluffy vanilla bean frosting and topped with cake crumb sprinkles.
Easter is a month away! I love all of the pretty spring colors and gorgeous desserts to go along with the season. It has been a while since I’ve decorated a cake, so I decided to make an Easter cake.
I decorated this spring layer cake with rustic ruffles like I did when I made my sister’s wedding cake. The ruffles are super easy to make with this light, airy vanilla bean frosting!
How To Make A Layered Easter Cake
To make this Easter cake recipe, start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees. Next, prepare three 9-inch cake pans. Generously grease the pans with shortening.
A quick kitchen tip for greasing pans: put your hand in a plastic sandwich bag, use your plastic covered fingers to grease the pan, turn the bag inside out as you pull it off your hand and toss it in the garbage.
Then, sprinkle some flour in the cake pan. Tip the pan and turn it in circles, gently tapping the pan as needed to completely flour the pan bottom and sides. Turn the pan upside down, over the sink to remove any excess flour.
Finally, trace the bottom of the pans on parchment paper and cut out parchment circles to line the bottom of each pan.
Put two white cake mixes (I used Pillsbury Moist Supreme Classic White Cake Mix), vanilla yogurt, water, egg whites and oil in large mixer bowl. Mix for about 30 seconds until moistened. Then, beat for 2 minutes.
The batter will be thick. Measure three cups of batter into three separate bowls (3 cups of batter in each bowl). Tint the batter with your desired colors. I used Wilton Icing Gel in lemon yellow, teal, and pink.
Spread the batter into the prepared pans and firmly tap the pans on the counter a couple of times. Bake at 325 degrees for 35-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack.
Carefully remove the cakes from the pans and peel off the parchment circles. Cool the cakes completely on a wire rack.
Once the cakes the cooled, level the cakes by using a serrated knife to cut off the rounded tops. Set the cake tops aside for later.
When ready to frost the cakes, prepare the fluffy vanilla bean frosting. Use a mixer to beat a package of softened cream cheese. Mix in the powdered sugar.
Beat in the marshmallow cream and vanilla bean paste until smooth. Gently stir in the thawed whipped topping by hand.
Place the first cake layer on a cardboard cake round on a rotating cake stand or place it directly on your cake platter. Spread one cup of the frosting on the first layer.
Repeat with the two remaining layers.
Use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake. Then, use an offset spatula to make rustic ruffles around the sides and the top.
Hold the tip of the offset spatula in the frosting and turn the cake platter until you get back to where you started. Continue making ruffles, moving up the cake after each ruffle.
To make ruffles on the top of the cake, hold the tip of the spatula at an angle in the center of the cake, turn the cake platter while slowly moving the spatula to make bigger and bigger spirals.
I looked through my supply of sprinkles and I didn’t have any that matched the cake. So, I checked my local grocery store, but they didn’t have the right colors either. One of the joys of living in a small town!
So, I improvised and used cake crumbs instead. I still had the cake tops that I had cut off when leveling the cakes. Set the cake top on a piece of waxed paper and use a serrated knife to gently scrape crumbs off the cake onto the waxed paper. Repeat this with each of the cake tops.
Sprinkle the cake crumbs on the top of the Easter cake. Don’t the cake crumb sprinkles too adorable!
Store the pretty Easter cake in the fridge until ready to serve.
This Easter cake recipe was easy to make, pretty to look at and fun to eat. It could also be served at a spring party or a girl’s birthday party. The light, airy frosting, and the moist cake layers were fantastic!
Easter Cake Recipe
An Easter Cake recipe that’s easy to make and so beautiful to serve! This spring layer cake is covered with fluffy vanilla bean frosting and topped with cake crumb sprinkles.
Ingredients
- (2) 15.25 oz white cake mixes
- 1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt
- 1 cup water
- 8 egg whites
- 1/2 cup oil
Fluffy Vanilla Bean Frosting
- 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup marshmallow cream
- 3 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, (or substitute an equal amount of vanilla extract)
- 16 oz cool whip, thawed, (about 6 1/2 cups) or use whipped cream
Instructions
Cakes:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Generously grease and flour three 9 inch cake pans. Line them with parchment circles.
- Mix together cake mixes, vanilla yogurt, water, egg whites, and oil for about 30 seconds, until moistened. Beat for two minutes. Batter will be thick.
- Put three cups of batter in three separate bowls (3 cups of batter in each bowl). Tint the batter the colors you want.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pans and firmly tap the pans on the counter a couple of times.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 30 minutes on a wire rack.
- Carefully remove the cakes from the pans, peel off the parchment circles, and cool completely on wire racks.
Fluffy Vanilla Bean Frosting:
- Use a mixer to beat a package of softened cream cheese.
- Mix in the powdered sugar.
- Beat in the marshmallow cream and vanilla bean paste until smooth.
- Gently stir in the thawed whipped topping by hand.
Assembly:
- Once the cakes the cooled, level the cakes by using a serrated knife to cut off the rounded tops. Set the cake tops aside for later.
- Place the first cake layer on a cardboard cake round on a rotating cake stand or place it directly on your cake platter. Spread one cup of the frosting on the first layer and repeat with the two remaining layers.
- Use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake.
- Then, use an offset spatula to make rustic ruffles around the sides and the top.
- Sprinkle top of the cake with cake crumbs from the leftover cake tops.
- Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 461Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 482mgCarbohydrates: 75gFiber: 1gSugar: 50gProtein: 7g
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Karen says
I don’t have marshmallow cream..what can I use in lieu of?
Jeanne says
I baked the cake today. Can I frost it and put it in the refrigerator overnight to serve tomorrow or do I have to wait til tomorrow to do the frosting? Thanks, Jeanne
Tonia says
Yes, you can frost it tonight, store it in the fridge and serve it tomorrow. Happy Easter!
Jeanne says
Great, thank you. Happy Easter.
Karen says
Can I use vanilla extract in place of paste and how much
Tonia says
Yes, you can. Use the same amount of vanilla extract. Best of luck! ~Tonia
tmartens says
Why not a boys birthday?
Audrey says
Why not? You could use more boyish colors if “pink” is too girly.
Kristy says
Has anyone baked this cake using coconut oil? If so, how did it turn out?
Teresa says
I’m making this for Easter. Can I use liquid egg whites of the carton variety?
Tonia says
I’ve never tried baking with the liquid eggs whites, so I’m not sure what the results would be or how much you would need. From what I could see online, some of them are okay to use but others have flavoring like onion and pepper in them. Best of luck! ~Tonia
Amy says
This Cake is so cute! And the colors! They’re just lovely! I’ll definitely bake this for the Easter Egg hunt i’m setting up this coming Sunday! Thanks Tonia!
Angela says
Use Wilton cake release instead of greasing and flouring. When I use the cake release I never have to waste time cutting parchment paper. Wilton also has these awesome wraps for around the cake pan that you soak in water. Once soaked you wrap them around the cake pan and then bake. This keeps the cakes perfectly level. The sprinkles on top do not have to match perfectly…pastel Easter colors are perfect. So I did not slice off my cake as they were perfectly level and just used fun pastel sprinkles.
Amanda says
This is such a beautiful cake, I was wondering since the icing calls for the whipped topping (cool whip, correct?) Do you have to keep the cake refrigerated?
Tonia says
Yes, I would keep it refrigerated. Best of luck! ~Tonia
Rose says
Hi Tonia
What can I substitute for marshmallow cream with. I do have regular marshmallows. Also can I frost it next day I bake, the day I will serve it.
Tonia says
Hi Rose,
Yes, you can make marshmallow cream using marshmallows. Here is a recipe to try: https://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/12/make-marshmallow-fluff-from-marshmallows/ And yes, you can bake the cake and frost it the next day.
Happy Easter!
~Tonia
Laurie says
That is so pretty. I’m going to an Easter party next weekend and my friend sent me this link because I’m making the cake. I’m doing a bunny butt cake and I was wondering if you think the colors would run into each other as they bake. I have to bake the cake in a bowl for the round shape.
Tonia says
I think you could do it. The colors might not stay in perfect layers, but they would still look cool! Check out this recipe i featured on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheGunnySack/photos/a.346330415393838.102847.250426161650931/1286926181334252/?type=3&theater
Laurie says
I didn’t make the bunny butt cake, I ran out of time. I made the cakes according to the pkg directions and followed the rest of the recipe. It was so good!! The only problem I had, and wasn’t a big one, but my cream cheese, after setting out almost 4 hours didn’t really smooth out with the whipped cream. There were small chunks in the frosting. It was good though, and so pretty.
Angie says
This is the prettiest Easter cake!!
Bev says
I am so glad I found this recipe. I am totally making this for easter.
http://xobeverly.com/
Emily @ www.mommysnotperfect.com says
This is such a beautiful cake! I never would’ve thought to use the cake crumbs on top but its such a great idea!
Linda says
Such a pretty cake with beautiful colours.
Lori says
Made this cake for Easter lunch – what a great success! Used Wilton’s gel colours and it was fantastic – no impact on taste but the colours were incredible! Also, made four layers by using only two cups of batter for each layer. Decreased baking time to roughly 17 minutes and it worked like a charm. Could not be happier with this recipe! Thanks Tonia for sharing!
Andrea says
This cake will be served Easter Sunday. I can’t wait to cut this present and share it with family.
It was fun making it. Not difficult. The icing is great and I also used left over cake tops to make the “sprinkles” with.
Great and fun recipe.
Laura Kennedy says
Beautiful cake – The kids are making it today. I am sure that it won’t turn out as pretty as yours but we wil have fun making it!
Sharon says
Being from a small town as well, I have no idea what or where to get vanilla bean paste! Is there anything than can be sustituted?
Tonia says
Hi Sharon,
I live in a small town too, but luckily I have larger stores about 30 minutes away. You can order vanilla bean paste on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Nielsen-Massey-Madagascar-Bourbon-Vanilla/dp/B003L259AU/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=thgusa-20 or you can use 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract instead. Best of luck!
~Tonia
jade anderson says
This cake is so pretty! I love the burst of colour when you cut into it. Not sure mine is going to end up as elegant as this but I can’t resist having a go. Thanks for sharing, Jade.
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting says
This cake is gorgeous! And I LOVE that you used the cake crumbles instead of sprinkles!
Audrey says
I also love the idea of using the cake crumbs instead of sprinkles!
Catherine says
What a pretty and festive cake. I absolutely love this. You did a beautiful post…pinning. xo, Catherine
Melanie | Melanie Makes says
Such a pretty cake, Tonia – absolutely love the way you frosted the sides!
Becca @ Crumbs and Chaos says
So gorgeous and incredibly festive!! I love this!
Julie @ Julie's Eats & Treats says
Well hello there beautiful and happy spring cake! Well done Tonia!
Jocelyn @BruCrew Life says
I love how bright and pretty your layers are…and super genius idea to use the extra pieces to make matching “sprinkles”!!!! Also, how did I miss your blog redo…it looks great!!!
Melissa Falk says
I am not a baker but I love this! So colorful and delish looking’ Go Girl!
Kendra says
This is soooo pretty! You talented!!
Liz says
A lovely cake. Thanks Tonia.
Beth Holt says
This looks amazing! I am definitely going to have to make this for Easter! Thank you!
Anita says
Tonia, that cake is beautiful! It kind of remind me a bit of Dr. Seuss. The cake sprinkles were an awesome idea. They look great!
Janyce says
Can you use 4 eggs instead of 8 egg whites? Also how is the taste? Does it taste like a cake mix?