What is Mardi Gras without an elaborate cake? This is the Best Ever Mardi Gras cake that looks like it is hard to make but is actually incredibly simple. This moist white cake features all the traditional colors Mardi Gras in a 3 tier cake. Don’t forget to add the plastic baby.
If you are looking for a great tasting Cajun dinner to enjoy before your Mardi Gras cake, try Cajun Chicken Avocado Salad
Best Ever Mardi Gras Cake Recipe
This Mardi Gras cake is actually very easy to make although, looking at the cake, it looks difficult. The 3 colored frosting paired with the design makes this cake look amazing. The cake is fluffy and moist and perfect for any Mardi Gras celebration.
Ingredients You Will Need:
- White cake mix
- Egg
- Water
- Canola oil
- Unsalted butter
- Powdered sugar
- Heavy whipping cream
- Vanilla extract
- Purple, Gold, and Leaf Green Gel Food coloring
How to Make a Mardi Gras Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare the cake pans with baking spray.
Using a mixer, beat all the cake ingredients together until it is smooth.
Divide the cake batter between the 3 pans.
Place the cake pans into the oven and bake for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
Allow the cakes to cool completely
Once the cakes are cooled, make the frosting
Building the Cake
Using a standing mixer, beat together all ingredients until smooth and
stiff peaks form, about 5-7 minutes
Cut the domes off of each cake.
Place the first cake layer down on the cake board.
Scoop 3 cups of frosting into a bowl and add a few drops of purple. Repeat for gold and green.
Scoop 1 cup of purple frosting onto the first layer of cake and spread it evenly.
Place the 2nd layer of cake on top.
Next, place 1 cup of green frosting on top of the cake and smooth evenly.
Then, place the last layer of cake on top.
Smooth evenly any frosting that is sticking out of the sides.
How to Decorate:
Scoop the remaining frostings into their own bags.
Start with the purple frosting and pipe a row of dots from the top to the bottom of the cake over your crumb coated cake.
Try to keep the dots similar in size and in a straight line.
Using an angled spatula, smush the dots.
Hold the spatula horizontally and apply pressure to the first dot.
Press hard enough so that the dot smushes down but you do not want to press so hard that it loses its shape.
When you reach the crumb coat, pull the spatula away to the side, smearing the dot across the surface of the cake.
Repeat down the line until all of the dots have been smeared.
Pipe another row of dots using the green frosting so that they overlap the first row of smeared dots, then repeat the smearing technique
Repeat the dots and smearing technique with the gold frosting.
Repeat around the cake.
For the final row, you can leave off at your last smear, or pipe a row of dots and leave them un-smeared.
Place in the fridge overnight to allow frosting to harden before enjoying it!
Why do They Put a Baby in a Mardi Gras Cake?
When the baby in the Mardi Gras cake it was to represent Jesus, but over the years it has come to represent luck. Now whoever gets the piece of cake with the baby in it gets luck and prosperity for the year. They are also responsible for throwing the next Mardi Gras party.
Is a Plastic Baby Safe to Cook in a King Cake?
The plastic baby in the Mardi Gras King Cake is a tradition. It is safe to cook the cake with the plastic baby inside, although it is considered a choking hazard so make sure that people are aware that the baby is in the cake and that it is not given to children.
Best Ever Mardi Gras Cake Recipe
Ingredients
White cake
- 2 boxes white cake mix
- 8 large Egg whites
- 2 ½ C water
- 1 C canola oil
Vanilla Frosting
- 3 C unsalted butter softened
- 6 C powdered sugar
- 5 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Purple, Gold, and Leaf Green Gel Food coloring
Instructions
Cake directions
- Preheat oven to 350 and spray cake pans with pam baking spray
- Using a hand mixer and large bowl, beat all cake ingredients until combined and smooth
- Divide the cake batter into the three cake pans
- Place into the oven and back for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
- Allow to cool completely
- Using a standing mixer, beat together all ingredients until smooth and stiff peaks form, about 5-7 minutes
Building the Cake directions :
- Place one cake layer onto the cake board and cut the dome off the cake to make an even layer
- Repeat step with other two layers
- Scoop 3 C of frosting into one bowl and add in a few drops of purple.
- Mix until combined
- Scoop 3 C of frosting into the second bowl and add in a few drops of green, mix until combined
- Using the remaining frosting, mix in a few drops of gold gel food coloring and mix until combined
- Scoop 1 C of purple frosting onto the bottom layer and spread evenly
- Place the second cake layer on top
- Spread 1 C of green frosting on top and smooth evenly
- Place the last layer of cake on top
- Smooth evenly any frosting sticking out of the sides
- Scoop remaining frostings into their own bags
Decorating directions
- Using the Purple frosting, pipe a row going from top to bottom of dots onto the side of your crumb coated cake. Try and keep the dots similar in size and in a straight line.
- Use the angled spatula to smush the dots.
- Hold the spatula horizontally and apply pressure to the first dot.
- Press hard enough so that the dot smushes down, but not so hard that it loses its shape.
- When you reach the crumb coat, pull the spatula away to the side, smearing the dot across the surface of the cake.
- Repeat down the line until all of the dots have been smeared.
- Pipe another row of dots using the green frosting so that they overlap the first row of smeared dots.
- Repeat the smearing technique with the gold frosting
- For the final row, you can leave off at your last smear, or pipe a row of dots and leave them un-smeared.
- Repeat steps going in a circular pattern on the top of the cake
- Place in the fridge overnight to allow frosting to harden before enjoying!
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.
Leave a Review!
We LOVE hearing from you! Submit your question or comment here.
Your email address will not be published.