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Pinata Cake Recipe

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★★★★★

4.7 from 106 reviews

This vibrant Pinata Cake features layers of colorful sponge filled with a surprising cavity of confetti sprinkles. A soft, pastel-hued buttercream coats the exterior, creating a visually stunning and festive dessert that’s perfect for celebrations or special occasions. Each bite offers a delightful pop of color and sweetness, combining classic vanilla sponge with a playful hidden center.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Sponge

  • 330 g Margarine
  • 330 g Caster Sugar
  • 6 Medium Eggs (beaten)
  • 15 ml Dr. Oetker Madagascan Vanilla Extract (1 tbsp)
  • 330 g Self-Raising Flour
  • 1/2 tsp Dr. Oetker Pink Food Colour Gel
  • 1/2 tsp Dr. Oetker Yellow Food Colour Gel
  • 1/2 tsp Dr. Oetker Green Food Colour Gel
  • 1/2 tsp Dr. Oetker Blue Food Colour Gel
  • 1/2 tsp Dr. Oetker Violet Food Colour Gel

For the Buttercream

  • 500 g Unsalted Butter
  • 1000 g Icing Sugar
  • 30 ml Dr. Oetker Madagascan Vanilla Extract (2 tbsp)
  • 60 ml Whole Milk (4 tbsp)
  • 1 1/2 tsp Dr. Oetker Pink Food Colour Gel
  • 1 1/2 tsp Dr. Oetker Yellow Food Colour Gel
  • 1 1/2 tsp Dr. Oetker Green Food Colour Gel
  • 1 1/2 tsp Dr. Oetker Blue Food Colour Gel
  • 1 1/2 tsp Dr. Oetker Violet Food Colour Gel

To Decorate

  • 1.5 jars Dr. Oetker Unicorn Confetti Sprinkles

Instructions

  1. Preheat and Prepare Tins: Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven, Gas Mark 4). Grease and line five 7-inch cake tins. If you lack enough tins, plan to bake the sponges in batches to ensure even baking.
  2. Cream Margarine and Sugar: Using a freestanding or handheld mixer, cream together the margarine and caster sugar until light and fluffy to create the batter base.
  3. Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in the eggs and Madagascan Vanilla Extract until the mixture is smooth. If the mix curdles, add a spoonful of self-raising flour to correct the texture.
  4. Fold in Flour: Sieve the self-raising flour over the mixture and gently fold it in until fully combined, ensuring a light sponge batter.
  5. Color the Batter: Divide the batter evenly into five separate bowls. Add a different color of food gel (pink, yellow, green, blue, violet) to each bowl and mix well to achieve vibrant, even colors.
  6. Bake the Sponge Layers: Pour each colored batter into the prepared cake tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until risen and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  7. Make the Buttercream: Beat the unsalted butter in a bowl until smooth and glossy. Gradually add the icing sugar in four stages, mixing well between additions. Add the whole milk one tablespoon at a time until the buttercream is light and fluffy.
  8. Color the Buttercream: Divide the buttercream into six bowls. Leave one bowl white and color the other five with the different food gels to create soft pastel shades matching the sponge layers.
  9. Level the Sponge Layers: Using a sharp knife, level each cake layer by trimming off any domed tops for an even stacking surface.
  10. Create the Pinata Holes: Using an 8cm round cutter, cut out the centers of the blue, green, and yellow sponge layers to form cavities for the sprinkle filling.
  11. Assemble the Base Layers: Place a small dollop of buttercream on the cake board or serving plate to secure the bottom purple sponge layer. Spread an even layer of white buttercream over this sponge with a palette knife.
  12. Stack Colored Layers with Buttercream: Place the blue sponge on top and spread buttercream evenly. Repeat by stacking the green and yellow sponges, each coated with buttercream.
  13. Fill the Pinata Cavity: Pour the Unicorn Confetti Sprinkles into the hollow centers of the stacked blue, green, and yellow layers to create the pinata surprise inside the cake.
  14. Top with Pink Sponge and Crumb Coat: Place the pink sponge layer on top of the filled layers and apply a thin crumb coat of white buttercream around the entire cake. Chill the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes to set.
  15. Apply Colored Buttercream Bands: Remove the cake from the fridge. Using a palette knife, apply bands of purple, blue, green, and yellow buttercream around the sides of the cake from bottom to near the top. Cover the top surface with pink buttercream, leaving some pink around the upper edge.
  16. Smooth the Buttercream: Use a cake scraper to gently smooth the sides, blending the buttercream colors so they softly merge while retaining defined rainbow bands.
  17. Pipe Buttercream Decorations: Fill piping bags with leftover colored buttercream, using star nozzles or trimmed bag ends to pipe swirls or kisses alternating colors around the top edge of the cake.
  18. Finish with Sprinkles: Scatter additional Unicorn Confetti Sprinkles over the piped buttercream decorations to complete your festive pinata cake ready to enjoy!

Notes

  • You can bake sponges in batches if you don’t have enough tins, but ensure layers are completely cooled before assembling.
  • To avoid mixing bright colors in the buttercream, use only enough color gel for pastel shades.
  • If the batter curdles when adding eggs, adding a spoonful of flour helps to stabilize it.
  • Allow the crumb coat to chill well to make decorating easier and cleaner.
  • Use a sharp serrated knife for levelling the cakes to minimize crumbling.
  • Adjust milk quantity to achieve desired buttercream consistency, adding slowly.

Keywords: pinata cake, colorful cake, rainbow cake, buttercream cake, celebration cake, festive dessert

Find it online: https://tastybynova.com/pinata-cake-recipe/