Neon Ruffle Cake
Steps involved
Make cake layers
Make buttercream (no color)
Split and color buttercream
Assemble and ice cake
Pipe ruffles onto cake
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.
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).
Green Icing:
Yellow: 25 drops
Blue: 3 drops
Pink Icing:
Pink: Add as many pink drops as you'd like until you're satisfied with the color.
Blue Icing:
Blue: Add as many blue drops as you'd like until you're satisfied with the color.
Yellow Icing:
Yellow: Add as many yellow drops as you'd like until you're satisfied with the color.
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.*
Rose petal tip (Wilton 104 tip) [I recommend getting 4 -- it's much easier that way]
*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 iced:
Refrigerate the cake until the icing is firm to the touch.
Add each color icing to it's own piping bag fitted with a rose petal (104) piping tip).
Taking your first piping bag, hold it vertically with the wide end of the piping tip lightly touching the base of the cake.
Begin to squeeze the piping bag and with consistent pressure on the bag move your wrist to the left left, raise your arm slightly to move the tip slightly up the cake, and move your wrist to the right to complete one piece of the ruffle. NOTE: Keep the wide end of the piping tip against the side of the cake the whole time. Continue doing this back and forth motion until you reach the top of the cake.
Switch colors and pipe a ruffle directly next to the one you just piped. Continue piping ruffles around the cake, switching between colors as you go, until the side of the cake is entirely covered in ruffles.
Next, take a toothpick and mark the center point of the top of the cake.
Starting at the point where a ruffle meets the top of the cake, pipe a ruffle towards the center of the cake. When you pipe the ruffles on the top, start off with the same back and forth motion that you used on the side of the cake and then as you get closer to the center, create smaller movements back and forth with your wrist to decrease the width of the ruffle as it gets closer to the center.
Continue all around the top of the cake until it's covered in ruffles.
Slice and enjoy :)
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