Fall Stripe Sprinkle Buttercream Cascade Cake
Steps involved
Make cake layers
Make buttercream (no color)
Split and color buttercream
Frost and stripe the cake
Chill cake
Pipe on design
Add sprinkles
READ BEFORE CONTINUING: The following recipes are scaled to make the cake pictured above -- a 4 layer cake made with 6-inch round cake layers. If you wish to make a smaller cake, please scale down these recipes.
recipes used
1 - 1.5 batches Italian meringue buttercream
I made this buttercream vanilla flavored by adding 1 tablespoon of vanilla to my 1.5x batch (can add less or more to taste)
Colors used
To get these colors, I used Wilton's Color Right Food Coloring System* to match the Sprinkle Pop sprinkle mix in Pumpkin Carriage I'll be using.
For the icing:
The colors may differ depending on how much icing you're coloring and the starting color of your buttercream (certain butter brands are more white or yellow which can make the buttercream whiter or more yellow).
Red/Brown Icing:
Brown: 13 drops
Red: 7 drops
Yellow: 7 drops
Crimson: 4 drops
Pink: 5 drops
Blue Icing:
Blue: 2 drops
Orange Icing:
Orange: 8 drops
Red: 1 drop
Dark Brown Icing:
Brown: 45 drops
Blue: 5 drops
Black: 1 drop
Red: 2 drops
Crimson: 18 drops
Light Orange/Yellow:
Equal parts yellow and orange. This is what I colored a large quantity of icing so I could have this be the main color of the cake. I used 3 drops of yellow and 3 drops of orange in total.
For the cake layers: *for tips on how to get vibrant cake layers, click here.
Blue layer:
Blue: 1-2 drops
Orange layers:
Orange: 1-2 drops for each layer (or 3-6 drops total)
Supplies/tools
To find the tools I use for almost every cake I make and decorate (including pans, cake boards, icing smoothers, etc.), click here.
The supplies/tools below are specifically for decorating this cake, which I used in addition to the ones in the link above.*
Evil Cake Genius 1/2 inch stripe icing comb (here's a similar one on amazon.com)
You can use any piping tips you like, but below are the ones I used:
Optional: Thick-walled cake pans (to prevent the sides of the cake from browning too much and taking away from the color of the cake)
*Some of these links may be affiliate. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I earn a small amount from some purchases, however, this does not affect my recommendations.
Decorating the cake
After the cake has been assembled and crumb coated:
Ice the cake with the light orangle/yellow icing and smooth with an icing smoother or the smooth side of the icing comb.
Use the stripe side of the icing comb to create grooves in the icing, which will become the colored stripes. With the first pass of the icing comb, press lightly to remove a small amount of icing. Continue using the stripe comb, taking off more icing with each pass. You'll have to do several passes with the stripe comb until the "raised" buttercream is smooth.
Next, place the cake in the fridge until the icing is firm to the touch.
Using a piping bag, fill each of the grooves with the each of your colors of buttercream. I chose to make the top and bottom stripe the same color as the rest of the cake in order to make the 3 middle stripes stand out.
Using the smooth side of the icing comb, smooth the cake. With the first pass of the comb, press lightly to remove a small amount of icing. Continue smoothing until the stripes start to "appear". Once the stripes are pretty clean, run the icing comb under hot water to heat up the metal slightly. Dry off the icing comb, then use the warm comb to smooth the stripes further.
Put each one of your colored buttercreams into thier own piping bag fitted with a piping tip. I used the following tips for each color: Ateco 46 (light orange/yellow), Ateco 21 (blue), Ateco 32 (red/brown), Ateco 199 (orange), Wilton 8B (orange), Ateco 18 (dark brown).
Start by piping a big blob of icing with the Wilton 8B to create a pumpkin shape. Then take the dark brown and create a little stem on the pumpkin.
Using the other piping bags, start piping designs around the pumpkin you've just created.
Continue piping designs on the cake until you like the look of it.
Once you're satisfied with the look of the cake, take the sprinkles and place them on the cake on top of the newly piped designs. This will add some sparkle and fun to the cake.
Slice and enjoy :)
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