Here you’ll find a full recipe and cake decorating video tutorial for a DIY homemade wedding cake. This simply decorated and elegant vanilla wedding cake has 2 tiers and comes with full assembly instructions. With the help of this carefully detailed post, this wedding cake recipe is perfectly manageable for any home baker.
By the request of many readers, let me present you with a homemade 2 tier wedding cake recipe. Adapted from my trusted vanilla cake and 6 inch cake recipes, this from-scratch wedding dessert is not only beautiful– it tastes remarkable, too.
(Isn’t that what counts?)
Fully equipped with complete details and recipe instructions to make this one-of-a-kind dessert, you will wow the happy couple and wedding guests alike. This post has it all.
This DIY Homemade Wedding Cake Is:
- Completely from-scratch
- Manageable for any home baker
- Simple, yet elegant– rustic chic meets traditional
- Complete with a full list of helpful kitchen tools
- Perfect for a small wedding (approximately 30-35 people)
- Wonderful for a larger wedding if other dessert options are available
How to Make a DIY Homemade Wedding Cake
This is a 2 tier wedding cake. Both tiers are buttery, soft, and moist. In lieu of traditional fondant, this homemade wedding cake recipe uses my vanilla buttercream, but in a higher quantity. To avoid (1) overwhelming your mixer with excess cake batter and (2) over-mixing or under-mixing the batter, make each cake separately.
- Make each batch of frosting separately too.
Unless you have extra oven(s) or oven space, prepare the cake batters and bake the layer cakes one at a time. Cool the cakes completely before assembling and decorating, which I cover in a separate section below.
Same Ingredients for Both Tiers
Both cakes use the same exact ingredients and each has a special job, so I do not recommend substitutions. Use sugar, cake flour, egg(s), extra egg whites, sour cream, whole milk, and proper room temperature butter. (Among a few other ingredients.) If needed, use this cake flour substitute. Here are recipes that use leftover egg yolks.
- 2-3 batches of lemon curd, which uses egg yolks, would be fantastic as a filling between these cake layers.
The bottom cake is my vanilla cake recipe, but I swap buttermilk for whole milk and sour cream. I do this so you don’t need any varying ingredients for both tiers. (Because the top tier uses whole milk and sour cream.) Sure, you could use buttermilk to replace both the whole milk and sour cream in the 6 inch cake, but whole milk and sour cream are more readily available to most than buttermilk.
Other Flavor Options
This is vanilla flavored, which is a classic choice to please a variety of wedding guests. You can have fun with frostings, fillings, and flavorings. Here are 5 other cake flavor options:
- Carrot Cake: Use my carrot cake recipe for the bottom tier and make a half batch of the batter for the top tier. Use the same 6 inch cake baking instructions described below.
- Red Velvet Cake: Use my red velvet cake recipe for the bottom tier. You can divide between 3 9-inch cake pans as instructed in the recipe notes. Use my red velvet cupcakes batter for the 6 inch cake. Use the same 6 inch cake baking instructions described below.
- Lemon Cake: Use my lemon cake recipe for the bottom tier. Use my lemon cupcakes batter for the 6 inch cake. Use the same 6 inch cake baking instructions described below.
- Marble Cake: Use my zebra cake for the bottom tier. Use my smaller zebra cake recipe (see this 1st birthday cake) for the 6 inch cake on top.
- Chocolate Chip: After adding the milk in both batters, fold 1 and 1/2 cups (270g) mini chocolate chips into the 9-inch vanilla cake batter and 1 cup (180g) of mini chocolate chips into the 6-inch vanilla cake batter. Regular size chocolate chips would be fine, but mini chocolate chips mean more in each bite.
*These are the only flavors I’ve tested with tiers. At this time, I don’t have a sturdy enough chocolate version to use as the bottom tier.
Want to mix and match flavors? Stick with the vanilla cake on the bottom (or other flavors listed above) and use any cupcake recipes listed in my 6 inch cake recipes post for the top tier. As explained in that post, cupcake batter yielding between 12-15 cupcakes makes the perfect 3 layer 6 inch cake.
Filling ideas: The filling in my cake is vanilla buttercream, but feel free to use other frosting flavors if desired. You can add extracts to the frosting such as almond, lemon, orange, or coconut. (Start with 1 teaspoon, taste, then add more to taste.) You can even mix a few Tablespoons of raspberry jam into the vanilla buttercream for the filling or use raspberry cake filling.
The 6-inch cake batter (left above) is light and creamy. The 9-inch cake batter (right above) is thicker because the bottom tier is a bit denser (for extra support).
Prepare the Wedding Cake Pans
Always line your round pans with parchment paper rounds before adding the batter. Begin by lightly spraying the bottoms and sides of each with nonstick spray or greasing with butter. Add a parchment paper round, then grease the round as well. Parchment paper rounds aren’t something special you need to buy. Simply trace the bottom of your cake pan on regular parchment paper and cut into rounds. Parchment paper rounds guarantee the cooled cakes will seamlessly release from the pans.
See my 10 Cake Baking Tips post for all my advice on baking the BEST cakes.
Other Cake Pan Sizes
This recipe uses one 9-inch 3 layer cake and one 6-inch 3 layer cake. The 9-inch cake is 8-9 cups of batter and the 6-inch cake is 4 cups of batter. If you need to substitute other size cake pans, see my Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions post to determine the appropriate amount of batter you need for your desired cake pans.
Wedding Cake Video Tutorial (Decorating)
Give the video a few seconds to load right below this text. It’s a faded horizontal image of the cake. Click on the play button in the center to play it. Make sure any ad blockers are temporarily paused on your browser.
How to Assemble & Decorate a Homemade Wedding Cake
Assembling
You are literally making 2 completely separate cakes and placing one on top of the other. For guaranteed support and stability, place 4 cake dowels in the bottom tier. Cake dowels are sticks that will support the top tier. You’ll have to measure and cut the dowels so they are flush with the surface of the bottom cake. Place the small tier on top. A 6 inch cake board, which I describe next, is crucial between the tiers for added support.
*As shown in the video tutorial, crumb coat and decorate both cakes separately before layering the tiers. Decorating instructions are next.
Decorating
Decorate both tiers on cake boards. You can remove the cake board from the bottom tier, if desired, before placing the cake onto a serving platter or cake stand. (This can be tricky!) However, I usually just leave it. A piped frosting border around the bottom of the cake hides it. Do not remove the cake board from the bottom of the top tier. The cake board sits between both tiers for added support and stability and ensures that when you cut into the top tier, the whole cake doesn’t sink down.
A wedding cake is literally the dessert of a lifetime, so it shouldn’t only taste great– it should look stunning, too. To reduce the possibility of flaws or mistakes, stick with simple decorating. A crumb coat on both tiers is necessary to protect the outer layer of frosting from catching any crumbs.
- What is a crumb coat? It’s basically a very thin layer of frosting around the cake before the beautiful exterior frosting is applied. You can see me crumb coating the cakes (as shown in the video tutorial, photos, and described in the recipe below), refrigerate the cakes to help “set” the crumb coat.
As you can see in the video tutorial above, it’s helpful to use a bench scraper to apply the crumb coat and exterior frosting layer. In fact, I use a bench scraper for decorating all layer cakes. I also like to use an icing spatula for the top of the cakes. (I use a small icing spatula for the small cake and a large icing spatula for the large cake.)
After crumb coating the cakes, they must be refrigerated to help “set” the crumb coat. This is another reason why cake boards are necessary– to help transfer/transport the cakes around.
The textured look of the exterior frosting is very easy. (A big shoutout to my assistant, Stephanie, for suggesting this look!) As shown in my video, use a small icing spatula and run it around the cakes while spinning with the cake turner. You will love this look because it’s very easy, but resembles beautiful ruffles.
Piping
After placing the small tier on top, you can pipe frosting around the bottom of it. This covers up any spaces or smears that may have appeared when arranging the top tier. I pipe dots of frosting with a round piping tip between the tiers as well as around the bottom of the whole cake. They resemble pretty pearls. To smooth any peaks on these “pearls,” moisten your fingertip with water and gently press down on the peak.
More Decorating Inspiration
- Naked Cake style with flowers and berries
- Buttercream Flowers
- Two-Toned Frosting Roses
We’ll use my vanilla buttercream recipe (an increased amount, of course) for the decoration. Make two separate batches of frosting, 1 batch for each tier. There’s too much frosting for 1 batch– it will overwhelm your mixer.
You need at least 8-9 cups of frosting total which includes the filling, crumb coat, exterior ruffled frosting, and piping. If you desire other flavors of frosting, be sure to find a recipe that yields or adjust to yield 8-9 cups.
How to Keep Air Bubbles Out of Your Buttercream
Over-whipping vanilla buttercream creates air bubbles. The taste is no different, but the buttercream is no longer smooth and velvety.
Here’s how to get rid of air bubbles in your frosting: Ditch the mixer. Grab a wooden or metal spoon and begin stirring the buttercream by hand. Mash the frosting up against the side of the bowl to “pop” the bubbles. Do this until most of the air bubbles pop, about 1-2 minutes. This trick requires a lot of arm muscle!
Recommended Special Tools
(Affiliate links)
- Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer )
- Egg Separator
- 3 9×2 inch Cake Pans
- 3 6×2 inch Cake Pans
- Cake Boards (I use 1 6 inch and 1 10 inch. 9 inch works for the bottom cake, too. Or purchase this set which also includes cake dowels.)
- Cake Dowels (You need 4. You can use plastic cake dowels too. Plastic dowels are easier to cut.)
- Large Icing Spatula (for large cake)
- Small Icing Spatula (for small cake and for ruffled edge)
- Bench Scraper
- Cake Turner
- Piping Bag (disposable or reusable)
- Round Piping Tip
- Artificial Flower Decor (I used “Cozy Blush” color. Love these!)
- Large Serving Platter or Cake Stand (Pictured is a wooden cake stand I found at Target last year.)
Simple Homemade Wedding Cake Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 hours (includes baking, cooling, decorating)
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Yield: 30-35 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is a recipe for a completely homemade 2 tier wedding cake. For best taste and texture, and to avoid overwhelming your mixer, make each tier (cake) and each batch of frosting separately.
Ingredients
9-Inch Bottom Tier
- 3 and 2/3 cups (433g) cake flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 cups (3 sticks; 345g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs + 2 additional egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract (yes, Tbsp!)
- 3/4 cup (180g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk, at room temperature
6-Inch Top Tier
- 1 and 3/4 cups (207g) cake flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup (1 stick; 115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 additional egg white, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk, at room temperature
Frosting for 9 inch cake & piping
- 2 cups (4 sticks; 460g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 8 cups (960g) confectioners’ sugar
- 6 Tablespoons (90ml) whole milk or heavy cream
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Frosting for 6 inch cake
- 1 cup (2 sticks; 230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 – 5 cups (480-600g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream or whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Before beginning this recipe, watch the video tutorial above, read the entire blog post, read the recipe instructions, and review the recipe notes. Make sure you’re prepared with the recommended special tools, which are listed right above this recipe.
- Make each cake separately. Start with the bottom tier (9-inch cake). Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 9×2 inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Whisk the cake flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together. Set aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the 3 eggs, 2 egg whites, and vanilla extract on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. (Mixture will look curdled as a result of the egg liquid and solid butter combining.) Beat in the sour cream. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk until combined. Do not over-mix. Whisk it all by hand a few times to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick. You’ll have 8-9 cups of cake batter. Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Weigh them to ensure accuracy, if desired. Bake for around 23-26 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- Keep the oven on.
- For the top tier (6-inch cake) prepare three 6×2 inch cake pans just as you did with the 9-inch cake pans in step 2. (Greasing with parchment paper rounds.)
- Prepare the 6-inch cake batter the same exact way as the bottom tier. You’ll have about 4 cups of cake batter. The batter will be thinner than the bottom tier’s cake batter. Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Weigh them to ensure accuracy, if desired. Bake for around 18-22 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of all the cakes to create a flat surface. This is called leveling off the cakes. Discard the leveled off piece (or crumble over ice cream!).
- Make the frosting for the 9 inch cake (which is enough for the piping detail, too): In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin, more milk if frosting is too thick, or an extra pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
- You can prepare the rest of the frosting now (step 11), if desired, or begin decorating the 9-inch tier. Place your 9-10 inch cake board on your cake turner. Place 1 cake layer on your cake board. Using a large icing spatula, evenly cover the top with a scant 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with 2nd cake layer and evenly cover the top with a scant 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with the third cake layer. Using about 1-1 and 1/4 cups of frosting, spread it all over the top and sides in a thin layer, also called a crumb coat. A large icing spatula and bench scraper are helpful for applying the crumb coat. Set leftover frosting aside at room temperature. If you are decorating this cake in stages over 1-2 days, cover and refrigerate this leftover frosting.
- Using the cake board to pick up the cake (be careful, it’s heavy), place the cake in the refrigerator to help set the crumb coat as you work on the top tier.
- Make the frosting for the 6 inch cake, just as you prepared the 1st batch of frosting. (Step 8.) Before adding any salt, taste the frosting, then add a pinch if desired. I always add a small pinch.
- Place your 6-inch cake board on your cake turner. Place 1 6-inch cake layer on your cake board. Using a small icing spatula, evenly cover the top with a scant 3/4 cup of frosting. Top with 2nd cake layer and evenly cover the top with a scant 3/4 cup of frosting. Top with the third cake layer. Using about 3/4 cup of frosting, spread it all over the top and sides in a thin layer, also called a crumb coat. A small icing spatula and bench scraper are helpful for applying the crumb coat. Set leftover frosting aside at room temperature. If you are decorating this cake in stages over 1-2 days, cover and refrigerate this leftover frosting.
- Using the cake board to pick up the 6-inch cake, carefully place the cake in the refrigerator to help set the crumb coat as you work on the exterior frosting on the top tier.
- Remove the bottom tier from the refrigerator (along with the cake board) and place on the cake turner. Apply the remaining frosting for the bottom tier on the cake, reserving about 6-8 Tablespoons for piping detail. I recommend a large icing spatula and bench scraper to apply the outer layer of frosting. For the decorative textured frosting as pictured, see my video above. As shown in the video, use a small icing spatula and run it around the cake while spinning with the cake turner. You will love this look because it’s very easy, but resembles beautiful ruffles. Carefully lift the cake (with the cake board) and place on your serving platter or cake stand.
- Wash and dry 4 cake dowels. Measure the height of the bottom cake. Measure and cut the cake dowels to match. Staying within a 6 inch circle diameter (you can use another 6 inch cake board to “imprint” a 6-inch circle in the very center of the top of the 9-inch cake), insert the dowels into the cake, spacing them about 2 inches apart to form 4 corners of a square. Push the dowels straight down until each touches the bottom cake board. Set aside.
- Remove the top tier from the refrigerator (along with the cake board) and place on the cake turner. Decorate just as you did the bottom tier, including the ruffled textured frosting. I also turn the cake on the cake turner and apply this ruffled look on top of the 6-inch cake, too. This is optional. Along with the cake board, carefully lift the small cake and gently place it in the very center of the bottom tier.
- Piping: After placing the small tier on top, you can pipe leftover frosting around the bottom of it. This covers up any spaces or smears that may have appeared when arranging the top tier. I pipe dots of frosting with Wilton piping tip #12 between the tiers as well as around the bottom of the whole cake. They resemble pretty pearls. To smooth down pointy peaks on these “pearls,” moisten your fingertip with water and gently press down on the peak.
- Add any decorative pieces, such as artificial flowers.
- Cake is best enjoyed within 3 days. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. After a few hours, the frosting will “set” and you can lightly cover with plastic wrap.
- Cover any leftover cake tightly and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Assembled cake is best enjoyed within 3 days. Refrigerate assembled cake until ready to serve. After a few hours, the frosting will “set” and you can lightly cover with plastic wrap until ready to display and serve. You can make the cake ahead of time before assembling it, too. The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared then covered and refrigerated overnight. Let the frosting sit at room temperature to slightly soften for 20 minutes before assembling and frosting. (You may need to beat the refrigerated frosting in the mixer for 1-2 minutes if it’s particularly solid. Feel free to add a Tablespoon of milk or heavy cream to soften it up as it mixes, too.) Crumb-coated cakes can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Cover with 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil. Freeze. When ready, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Unfrosted cake layers can also be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating/serving. See how to freeze cakes for detailed instructions on freezing cake layers.
- Cake Flour: If you can’t get your hands on cake flour, use this cake flour substitute.
- More flavors, fillings, sizes, decoration ideas, and special tools: See blog post above.
- Why is everything at room temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batters mix together easily and evenly. Read here for more information about the importance of room temperature ingredients.
Keywords: wedding cake, layer cake, tiered cake, vanilla cake
I have a question about the quantity of batter. This recipe says that it produces 8-9 cups of batter to be distributed amongst 3 9-inch pans. However, the cake pan size information would suggest that a 9-inch pan should have 8 cups of batter. What makes the difference? Thanks!
Hi Ellie! The amount listed in the cake pan sizes and conversions guide is the total amount of batter each pan holds, but you usually only fill cake pans halfway (unless otherwise noted in the recipe you are using). So for this recipe, you’ll evenly distribute the batter among the three pans. This ensures there is plenty of room for the cake to rise without overflowing. Hope this helps!
Thank you! That is very helpful!
Cake is delicious but we prefer a denser cake. Any suggestions on how to accomplish this?
I just got an idea and I’m gonna share it here in case someone else has the same problem.
I think you can bake the whole batter (of 9″) in a large oven sheet, 14 ⁴⁹/₆₄ x 12 ⁶³/₆₄ inch (approximately), and then cut 9″ round cakes out of it. But I would recommend making a bit more batter and baking in a larger sheet so you won’t risk not having enough; personally I’m gonna add another 1/2 of one cake batter, which means dividing the amounts in the recipe by 6, adding that to the original batter and baking in a 16 ¹⁷/₃₂ x 13 ²⁵/₆₄ inch sheet. Hope this helps.
Hi Sally, I’d like to try this recipe, but I have only one 9″ tall pan. can I bake the whole batter in one pan? I though of making it in thirds but it would be easier just to cut the cake into three… what do you think? does baking the whole batter in one pan affect the cake texture?
Thank you so much for your time and effort.
Hi Sher, you can simply follow our vanilla cake recipe that this recipe is based on. You should not put all of the batter into one pan. You can bake a third of the batter at a time. Enjoy!
I am so happy to have found this recipe. I need to make a three tier wedding cake with a three layer, 12″ tier in addition to the 6″ and 9″ 3 layer tiers. How would I adjust the recipe to get a 3 layer, 12-inch cake?
Hi Rachel, we don’t have a recipe written for a 3 layer, 12 inch round cake, but here is everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions. Happy baking!
I made the 9” 3 layer portion of this cake for my dil’s 30th birthday this past week. It turned out great! I used your Vanilla Buttercream and then added a layer lemon curd between the layers. It was delicious and I received several compliments.
★★★★★
Hi Sally, Can I use this two tier cake recipe for my daughter’s 5th birthday party. And can I use the mermaid theme colors as frosting? I have around 30 people total. Also, can I use a piñata for the top layer? Just need your advice!
Thank you so much!
Hi Saira, Yes, that sounds like a wonderful birthday cake. Hope she has a great 5th birthday!
Hi Saira, feel free to tint the frosting different colors with gel food coloring. A pinata cake would be fun on the top layer! Let us know how it turns out for you.
Would it be possible to freeze the cake, defrost, and assemble without compromising the outcome?
Hi Nita, you can absolutely freeze the baked cake layers before assembling. Here’s everything you need to know about how to freeze cakes.
How tall is this 2 tier cake?
Thanks!
Hi! I haven’t measured its height before. When I make it again, I will be sure to add it in the recipe notes.
Hi Sally, I made this cake and it turned out to look beautiful but I was disappointed with the denseness of the cake I live at 7,000 ft and did not make any altitude adjustments in the recipe. Do you have any particular recommendations on what I can do to make it fluffier?
Hi Paula, unfortunately we don’t have experience with baking at high altitude, so we can’t offer any specific recipe modifications for that. But we do have some tips on how to prevent a dense cake you can try! Hope it turns out better next time!
i just watched the tutorial for this cake, and my jaw dropped! it is BEAUTIFUL!
Thank you so much for this sweet comment, Clare! Let us know if you give this recipe a try 🙂
I used this recipe to make a cake for a baby shower. This is the second time I’ve made it and it was delicious. I changed it to a “Naked Cake” and the expecting mother loved it!
★★★★★
Just pulled the 9-inch layers out of the oven, It didn’t raise much. How tall are the baked 9-inch layers?
Hi I will be baking my daughter ‘s wedding cakes and your recipes and methods have inpsired me. I would like to make a traditional fruit cake as the bottom layer and a carrot one as the top layer . What icing would you recommend for both cake s? It is a small wedding for 30 guests
Hi Monica, the best frosting for a homemade tiered wedding cake is a sturdy buttercream like the vanilla buttercream in the recipe. Instead, you could make two batches of Swiss meringue buttercream. I mention 2 batches because doubling that recipe isn’t ideal.
I am looking for a cake recipe to mimic the cake my husband and I had at our wedding. It was more like a pound cake texture. Is this similar on the bottom layer?
Hi Anna, this cake is wonderfully light and soft, not like a pound cake. We do have this cream cheese pound cake recipe that you might be interested in instead!
Can you put 3 6” cakes on top of each other with out support? Or will it sink? Just need a very small cake.
Yes, absolutely. Here’s our guide to making 6 inch cakes.
Hi there!
Do you think I could add blueberries into the cake batter?
Hi Maddy, I’m sure that would be just fine.
Perfection! I’ve made this cake multiple times for a couple of my nieces bridal showers and it was a delight each time. Following the instructions as-is and paring with the recommended buttercream icing/frosting was a total hit. Love this website!
★★★★★
Is this a “moist” cake? I am looking for a true moist cake. Thank you.
Hi Lauren, if followed closely, this recipe will produce a moist cake. (Here is a post on how to prevent dry and dense cakes, if you’re interested in further reading). Let us know if you give it a try!
I made this for a graduation party this past summer. I made the confetti cake for the top tier. It was a huge hit. I had a ton of compliments on it.
★★★★★
Hi I am looking at using this recipe as a base for a wedding cake (rainbow colours) 6 layers. It needs to serve 80 people. I was thinking 12 inch cake for the bottom tier and 10 inch for the top tier. Any tips for how to upscale the cake ingredients? I guess the layers don’t need to be as thick.
Hi Megan! Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
Dear Sally, can I use fondant to cover them, intending to it to 3 tier wedding cake
Yes, absolutely.
About how long would you say this recipe takes start to finish? Have a newborn at home and have to plan accordingly! Thanks
Hi No001g, We plan for 6 hours total. 45 minutes of cook time, with 5 hours of prep time (includes baking, cooling, decorating).
Hi,
Would this cake be ok covered in fondant or is it too light for that?
Thanks
It should hold up just fine!
Hi Sally, Im planning to make this cake for my daughters wedding . would the granulated sugar be best white or Billingtons golden granulated?
Hi Manda, white granulated sugar would be best here.
Hi Sally, I am planning to make this for a friend’s wedding but would like to substitute your Not so Sweet Whipped Frosting for the vanilla buttercream ONLY as the filling between cake layers. To be clear, I am still planning to use the buttercream for the crumb coat and exterior decorating. Is there any reason why using the whipped frosting as a cake filling would be a bad idea? Thank you very much for your guidance!
Hi Jessi, for a tall and tiered cake, I don’t think the whipped frosting is a great choice as a filling because it’s so light and fluffy. Instead, I recommend using Swiss Meringue Buttercream which is much sturdier and not nearly as sweet as regular buttercream.
Thank you for the reply! I have been planning to use the SMBC instead of the vanilla buttercream for the exterior of the cakes. Do you have guidance for quantities, if I am to use it for filling, as well?
what would be the amount of guess this cake should cover?
Hi Mari, this cake yields 30–35 servings, but will really depend on how large/small the cake is sliced.
Planning to make this next week! Any suggestions for how to transport this cake?
Hi Imani, many bakers will transport the cake tiers separately in cake carrier or cake boxes, then stack/assemble the tiers on location if that is a possibility. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
It was a hit! I made this cake for a birthday/engagement party. I made the vanilla bottom layer and used Sally’s pumpkin cupcakes recipe for the top tier. I also made a separate tuxedo cake using Sally’s recipe because the birthday girl loves chocolate. The guests devoured all of the cakes. Sally’s recipes never fail me!
★★★★★
I love this recipe so much, it’s my go-to!
Sally, I’m planning to use it for a 10in bottom tier of a 3 tier wedding cake. I was going to do 1.5 times this recipe, but worry if that’s the right thing given the eggs. (i.e. it would mean 4 1/2 whole eggs plus 3 egg whites). What do you recommend?
★★★★★
Hi Cassie! Our general rule for halving an egg is to crack it open, beat the yolk and white together with a fork, measure the volume (should be a few Tbsp), then use half.
Wondering if one could substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream?
(I love love love your recipes and am super excited to try this one!!)
Hi Julie, in a pinch, plain, full-fat Greek yogurt will work as a substitute for the sour cream. Hope you enjoy the cake!
I followed the instructions, without any substitutions. I made this as a trial run to determine if my future daughter-in-law would find it acceptable as a ‘cutting cake’. Not only did it impress her, the flavor was far superior to most wedding cakes. I am going to make another before the wedding – this time will freeze the cake layers and then defrost and see if there is any change if the ease of decorating.
I describe myself as a very accomplished cook and a competent baker. I did not find this intimidating at all.
★★★★★
Can I make this a chocolate cake?