This pink cake features layers of tender pink velvet cake filled and frosted with Swiss meringue buttercream, then finished with festive pink sprinkles. It’s an elegant yet playful dessert that works beautifully for birthdays, baby showers, Valentine’s Day, or any celebration.
When I want a show-stopping dessert, I often reach for favorites like black forest cupcakes, strawberry lemon cake, Nutella cake, a heart-shaped cake, or a berry chantilly cake — and this pink velvet cake fits right in among those special treats.
Bright, pretty, and full of flavor, this cake is fun to bake and decorate. The layers are moist and tender thanks to a combination of buttermilk, melted butter, and a bit of oil, while the Swiss meringue buttercream gives a silky, not-too-sweet finish. Adjust the shade of pink to your liking by adding more or less gel coloring.
Table of Contents
- Pink Cake Ingredients
- How Do You Make A Pink Cake?
- Tips For The Perfect Pink Velvet Cake
- Quick Tip
- Recipe FAQs
- Flavor Variations
- More Dessert Recipes
- Love This Recipe?
- Pink Cake Recipe
Pink Cake Ingredients
You’ll need basic baking pantry staples plus a few extras for color and texture. The main components are all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, buttermilk, melted unsalted butter, vegetable oil, whole eggs, vanilla extract, distilled white vinegar, pink gel food coloring, egg whites for the Swiss meringue frosting, and pink sprinkles for decorating.
How Do You Make A Pink Cake?
Start by preparing the pans: preheat the oven, coat three 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray, line them with parchment, and soak baking strips. Sift the dry ingredients into the mixer bowl and stir in the sugar. Whisk the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl, then fold them into the dry ingredients and mix just until combined to avoid overworking the batter.
Divide the batter evenly between the three pans and secure the baking strips. Bake until the cakes are springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs. Cool in the pans briefly, then invert onto racks and cool completely before leveling and assembling.
For the Swiss meringue buttercream, gently heat the egg whites and sugar over simmering water until the mixture reaches 160°F and the sugar dissolves. Whisk the warm mixture in a stand mixer until it forms a glossy meringue with soft peaks. Switch to the paddle attachment and add softened cubed butter a little at a time. The mixture may look curdled at first; continue mixing until it becomes smooth and silky. Tint the frosting lightly with gel color so the buttercream remains a paler shade than the cake layers.
Assemble the cake by trimming each layer for even surfaces, placing the first layer on a cake board, and spreading a thin layer of frosting between layers. Apply a light crumb coat, chill until set, then add a final smooth layer of buttercream. Press sprinkles onto the lower half of the sides, pipe rosettes around the top edge with reserved frosting, dust them with a few sprinkles, and transfer the cake to a stand to serve.
Tips For The Perfect Pink Velvet Cake
- Storage: Store the cake at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate. For best flavor and texture, bring refrigerated cake to room temperature 1–2 hours before serving. You can also wrap individual slices and freeze up to 3 months.
- Baking strips: These help prevent doming and create even layers; you can buy them online or at craft stores.
- Kitchen scale: Weighing batter ensures each pan gets the same amount for uniform layers.
- Leveling: Trim the crust with a serrated knife before using a cake leveler to avoid tearing the crumb.
- Piping guides: For evenly spaced rosettes, cut a parchment guide from an 8-inch pan, fold and mark points with a toothpick, then use those marks to pipe.
Quick Tip
Add food coloring gradually; a toothpick-sized amount at a time helps you reach a pale, even pink without over-coloring.
Recipe FAQs
Pink cake uses standard cake ingredients—flour, butter, sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla—plus buttermilk, leaveners (baking powder and baking soda), a touch of vinegar, and pink gel food coloring for the hue.
Red velvet typically contains a small amount of cocoa, which affects flavor and color. Pink velvet omits cocoa to preserve a bright pink color, and the shade is achieved with food coloring instead.
FOLLOW ME
Flavor Variations
You can easily adapt this recipe to suit different tastes.
- Frosting swap: If you prefer not to make Swiss meringue, use a cream cheese buttercream: beat softened cream cheese with unsalted butter until fluffy, then add powdered sugar and vanilla to taste.
- Color options: Change the gel food coloring to any hue you like and match sprinkles accordingly. A deeper red will give you a red velvet-style appearance, while pastel shades make a soft, elegant cake.
Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or simply want a cheerful dessert, this pink cake is a crowd-pleaser that looks as good as it tastes.
More Dessert Recipes
Brownie Pizza
50 mins
Red Velvet Brownies
3 hrs
Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
21 mins
Pear Custard Pie
1 hr
Funfetti Cookies
15 mins
Love This Recipe?
If you make this cake, please leave a rating and share your feedback in the comments — it helps others find and enjoy the recipe.
Pink Cake
Pin
Time
Equipment
-
3 8 inch round cake pans
-
3 cake baking strips
-
stand mixer
-
cake leveler
-
cake turntable
-
cake scraper
-
8 inch and 10 inch cake boards
-
piping bags
-
large round and large closed star piping tips
Ingredients
For the cake
- 3¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 1¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 2⅔ cups granulated sugar
- 1¾ cups buttermilk
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1¼ teaspoons distilled white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon pink gel food coloring
- cooking spray
For the frosting
- 12 egg whites
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 30 ounces unsalted butter cubed and softened
- 1/8 teaspoon pink gel food coloring
For assembly
- 1/2 cup pink sprinkles
Instructions
For the cake
-
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Coat three 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray, line with parchment, and soak baking strips in water.
-
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the mixer bowl, then stir in the sugar.
-
Whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, oil, eggs, vanilla, vinegar, and pink food coloring in a separate bowl.
-
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry on low to medium speed until just combined; avoid overmixing.
-
Divide batter evenly among the pans, squeeze excess water from the baking strips and secure them around the pans.
-
Bake 50–55 minutes, or until cakes are springy and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
-
Cool in pans 20 minutes, then invert onto racks, remove parchment, and cool completely.
For the frosting
-
Bring a pot of water to a simmer. In a heatproof bowl over the pot, whisk egg whites and sugar until the mixture reaches 160°F and the sugar dissolves; whisk an additional 2 minutes.
-
Transfer to a stand mixer and whisk on high about 10 minutes until glossy soft peaks form.
-
Switch to the paddle and add cubed butter a few pieces at a time on low speed, increasing as the mixture comes together.
-
Continue mixing until the buttercream turns silky; tint with a small amount of gel coloring until you reach a pale pink. Reserve 1 cup for piping rosettes.
For assembly
-
Level the cakes by trimming the top and bottom crusts to create flat layers.
-
Attach an 8-inch cake board to a 10-inch board with buttercream, place the first layer, pipe a thin layer of frosting, then stack the second and third layers, adding frosting between each.
-
Trim the sides for a smooth surface, apply a thin crumb coat and chill 15–20 minutes.
-
Finish with a final smooth coat of buttercream, pressing sprinkles onto the lower sides about halfway up. Chill until firm.
-
Fill a piping bag with the reserved buttercream fitted with a large closed star tip and pipe 12 rosettes around the top edge. Add a few sprinkles to each rosette and serve.
Notes
- Pink velvet cake keeps at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerated; bring to room temperature before serving for the best texture. Freeze individual portions up to 3 months.
- Baking strips reduce doming and produce even layers; available online or at craft stores.
- Weighing batter with a kitchen scale ensures consistent layers.
- Trimming the cake edge with a serrated knife before leveling can help prevent tearing.
- Make a parchment guide to mark evenly spaced piping points for consistent rosettes.