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    Home » Recipes » Dessert Recipes

    Easy Easter Cake Recipe

    Published: Feb 12, 2023 · Modified: Jul 4, 2023 by Karin and Ken · This post may contain affiliate links. Leave a Comment

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    This easy Easter cake recipe is perfect for your Easter holiday table. With its beautiful pastel layers in classic Easter colors and just the right amount of frosting, this pastel layer cake is one that even first time bakers can master.

    Slice of traditional Easter cake on plate with pastel layers and creamy frosting.

    Cake is a classic dessert that we love making it for almost any occasion. For Easter, we love making this pastel layer cake because it's so good, easy to make, and perfectly fits the holiday.

    This was inspired by my bright fun rainbow colored cake recipe. As I was making it for a baby shower, I realized that with just a little tweaking it would make the perfect Easter cake.

    If you're looking for more spring inspired recipes to bake for the holiday, you're going to love these Sugar Cookie Blossoms, Easter Chocolate Covered Oreos, and Easter Hot Cocoa Bombs.

    Why You Will Love This Recipe

    • It only uses a few basic baking ingredients.
    • It's completely homemade but so easy to make.
    • The gentle pastel Spring colors are perfect for the season.
    • Everyone loves cake with buttercream frosting!

    Ingredients

    You'll only need a few basic baking ingredients to make this recipe. Most of them are probably in your kitchen right now, in fact!

    The ingredients that give this cake its great flavor and colors are here, but you'll find the complete list of ingredients along with amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.

    Ingredients to make an easy Easter cake on the table before mixing up.
    • Butter: Unsalted butter adds rich flavor, and moistness to the cake. Salted butter makes up the base of the creamy buttercream frosting.
    • Sugar: Simple white sugar will make the batter a light color that will work best with the food coloring.
    • Vanilla: Adds depth of flavor to the cake and frosting.
    • Whole milk: Adds moisture to the cake but also thins out the buttercream frosting.
    • Food color: Use pink, green, yellow, and blue gel food coloring. Gel food coloring is the best for achieving great color without affecting the consistency of the cake.
    • Sprinkles: One of the easiest Easter cake decoration ideas! Keep it simple with some pastel sprinkles or choose something more elaborate.

    Substitutions

    Missing an ingredient? Here are some ideas of things we've experimented with when making this easy Easter cake recipe.

    • Frosting: Skip the homemade buttercream and use your favorite store bought frosting in any flavor instead.
    • Vanilla extract: For the cake or frosting, use peppermint, coconut, banana, almond, rum, or maple extract to alter the flavor of the cake a bit.
    • Gluten-free flour: Swap the all-purpose flour for your favorite 1-to-1 gluten-free flour.
    • Food coloring: Use your favorite colors but make sure to use gel food coloring for the best results.
    • Salted butter: Use unsalted butter plus one-quarter teaspoon of salt to replace the salted butter for the frosting.

    Variations

    Want to change it up a bit? Here are some ideas for inspiration.

    • Prefer butter and cream cheese frosting? Add an 8 oz brick of softened cream cheese to the frosting mixture while blending.
    • Love citrus flavor? Use orange juice instead of milk in the cake batter for a subtle hint of citrus flavor. Boost the citrus by adding some citrus zest or juice to your frosting as well.
    • For an extra moist cake, simply fold a tablespoon or two of sour cream into your batter before baking.

    Easter Cake Decoration Ideas

    • Make thicker layers. Instead of four layers and four 9-inch round cake pans use two 9 x 13-inch cake pans instead. You can make two different color or simply stick with one pastel color instead.
    • Add more layers: Instead of only four layers make two batches of round cakes and make a seven-layered cake or eight-layered cake instead, using each color twice or totally different colors in each cake pan.
    • Decorations: Consider adding some edible decorations like jelly beans, gummy worms, mini marshmallows, mini chocolate chips, dried fruits, edible flowers, mini chocolates like Turtles, or mini Easter eggs on top of the cake.
    • Color your frosting: You can also add food coloring to tint the frosting as well.

    How to Make This Simple Easter Cake

    This recipe is fully homemade, but it's not hard to make. It's just a basic cake and frosting recipe with some food coloring added.

    The overview is here, but you'll find the exact instructions in the recipe card at the end of the post.

    1. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
    2. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again.
    Overhead shot of butter and sugar in bowl.
    Creamed butter and sugar with eggs and vanilla in bowl.
    1. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and beat the cake batter again.
    2. Add the milk while beating.
    Flour mixture on top of wet cake ingredients in bowl.
    Milk being poured into cake ingredients in bowl.
    1. Divide the batter into four equal portions.
    2. Color each one with different colored food coloring gel.
    Easter cake batter in bowls.
    Pastel rainbow cake batter in bowls.
    1. Transfer each different colored batter to a prepared pan.
    2. Bake each cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, then flip out onto parchment paper and cool completely.

    TOP TIP: Allow cakes to totally cool for 15 minutes prior to flipping them onto parchment paper. The cakes must cool completely.

    Two pans with yellow and blue pastel cake batter.
    Green and pink easter cake layers after baking in the pans.
    1. Combine the butter and powdered sugar for the frosting.
    2. Add vanilla and milk to the bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.
    Butter and powdered sugar in bowl to make buttercream frosting.
    Adding milk to the bowl of frosting ingredients.
    1. Frost between each layer of cake.
    2. Top the cake with more frosting and sprinkles.
    Two layers of happy Easter cake with frosting.
    Frosted easy easter cake on the table ready to serve.
    1. Serve up this Easter birthday cake or easy Easter cake at the end of your Easter holiday dinner.

    TOP TIP: Chill finished cakes in the fridge for 20 minutes once decorated to help everything set into place prior to serving

    Pastel rainbow cake for Easter with slice removed.

    Storage

    Room Temperature: Store this in an airtight cake container in a cool place at room temperature for up to 3 days for the best flavor and texture.

    Refrigerator: Store in a covered container for up to a week.

    Freezer: Place the cake in the freezer without any covering to free until it's hard. Then, wrap tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap and another layer of foil. Store for up to 3 months.

    Make Ahead: You can make the layers of this cake in advance and store in the freezer for up to three months. Then when you're ready to assemble the cake, thaw them out on the counter, make the frosting and finish preparing the cake.

    MAKE AHEAD TIP: While the cake is still warm, wrap each layer with plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil, and put them in the freezer. The water created by the cake's residual heat will keep it moist (but not too moist) in the freezer.

    What to Serve with Easter Cake

    This delicious cake makes the perfect dessert to add to your Easter spread. Serve it alongside other favorite Easter desserts on your dessert table.

    Some of our favorites include:

    • Easter Candy Apples
    • Easter Chocolate Covered Oreos
    • Mini Easter Cheesecakes
    • Easter Fudge
    • Cadbury Egg Cookies

    Tips

    • Use room temperature ingredients. Room temperature eggs and butter make mixing them into the batter or frosting much easier and with better results.
    • Using a stand mixer? Be sure to use the paddle attachment and beat on low-medium speed to ensure that all ingredients are evenly incorporated and not over mixed.
    • The cakes must be fully cool before frosting and assembling the cake. Otherwise, the frosting will melt away and the cake layers won't stay together.
    • Don't over mix after combining the wet and dry ingredients together. Use low speed and mix only to combine everything.
    • Grease the cake pans thoroughly before adding batter to avoid sticking.
    • Use separate bowls and spoons or whisks when mixing each color of batter to prevent colors from blending together.
    • Filling the pans. Only fill them up three-quarters of the way and make sure the batter in each pan is as even as possible to get even layers that are stackable.
    • Don’t add too much frosting to your cake. Consider the cake-to-frosting ratio. Some cake layers are thicker or thinner than others and require a different amount of frosting so don't add too much.

    FAQ

    How to stack cake layers

    First, prepare all of the cake layers and allow them to cool completely. Next, prepare your frosting and filling so you can frost your cake. Using a cake platter I like to sprinkle a little sugar on top. Add the first layer upside down in the center of the platter and using a spatula, spread your frosting. Add the next cake layer upside down and repeat with the remaining layers until your cake is frosted.

    How do I know when my cake is done?

    Using toothpicks can prevent you from over baking your cakes and are cheap to purchase. Stick it into the center and as long as it comes out clean with maybe a crumb or two the cake is done. If it comes out with too many crumbs or batter, continue cooking the cake and check it again.

    Slice of pastel Easter layer cake on a plate.

    More Delicious Cake Recipes

    Do you like cakes? Here are some recipes you may also like to try

    • Banana pudding cake with icing, caramel and wafers on top.
      Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding Cake Recipe
    • Chocolate Fudge Brownie Cake
    • closeup slice of cake on white plate
      Drakes Coffee Cake - But Better
    • Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Sprinkles
    Slice of traditional Easter cake on plate with pastel layers and creamy frosting.

    Easy Easter Cake Recipe

    Karin and Ken
    This easy Easter cake recipe is perfect for your Easter holiday table. With its beautiful pastel layers in classic Easter colors and just the right amount of frosting, this pastel layer cake is one that even first time bakers can master.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 25 minutes mins
    Additional Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 16
    Calories 496 kcal

    Equipment

    • Measuring cups and spoons
    • 4 9 x 9 inch cake pan
    • large bowl
    • Hand mixer
    • Rubber spatula
    • 4 Bowls
    • toothpicks
    • Parchment paper

    Ingredients
      

    Cake Ingredients

    • 1 ½ cups unsalted butter softened
    • 2 cups sugar
    • 6 large eggs
    • 1 ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
    • 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 ½ tablespoon baking powder
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • 2 cups whole milk
    • food color gel pink, green, yellow, and blue
    • sprinkles of your choice

    Frosting Ingredients

    • ½ cup salted butter softened
    • 4 cups powdered sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2-3 tablespoon milk

    Optional

    • 1 brick (8 oz) cream cheese softened
    Get Recipe Ingredients

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350ºF.
    • Prepare four 9-inch round cake pans by spraying them with cooking spray. Set aside.
    • In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
    • Add eggs and vanilla. Beat again.
    • Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat again.
    • Slowly pour in milk while continuously beating. Beat until batter is smooth.
    • Divide batter equally into 4 bowls.
    • Add one color of each food coloring gel to each bowl. The amount you use will depend on the type of food coloring gel you are using.
    • Transfer each color of batter to a prepared cake pan.
    • Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool for 15 minutes prior to flipping them onto parchment paper. Allow the cakes to cool completely.
    • To prepare frosting, beat butter and powdered sugar together. Consistency will be crumbly.
    • Add vanilla and 2 tablespoons of milk. Beat again. Add more milk, as needed, to reach the desired consistency.
    • Assemble cake by alternating layers of cake and frosting.
    • Finish the cake off by adding a layer of frosting and sprinkles to the top.

    Notes

    Use room temperature ingredients. Room temperature eggs and butter make mixing them into the batter or frosting much easier and with better results.
    Using a stand mixer? Be sure to use the paddle attachment and beat on low-medium speed to ensure that all ingredients are evenly incorporated and not over mixed.
    The cakes must be fully cool before frosting and assembling the cake. Otherwise, the frosting will melt away and the cake layers won't stay together.
    Don't over mix after combining the wet and dry ingredients together. Use low speed and mix only to combine everything.
    Grease the cake pans thoroughly before adding batter to avoid sticking.
    Use separate bowls and spoons or whisks when mixing each color of batter to prevent colors from blending together.
    Filling the pans. Only fill them up three-quarters of the way and make sure the batter in each pan is as even as possible to get even layers that are stackable.
    Don’t add too much frosting to your cake. Consider the cake-to-frosting ratio. Some cake layers are thicker or thinner than others and require a different amount of frosting so don't add too much.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 496kcalCarbohydrates: 84gProtein: 7gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 452mgPotassium: 122mgFiber: 1gSugar: 56gVitamin A: 864IUCalcium: 129mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword easter birthday cake, easy easter cake recipe, traditional easter cake
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Close up photo of Easter cake, a slice is removed.
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    Welcome!

    We are the kitchen divas: Karin and my partner in life, Ken.

    We have been attached at the heart and hip since the first day we met, and we love to create new dishes to keep things interesting. Variety is definitely the spice of life!

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