This easy to make Jelly Bean Cake offers a fun surprise in the center. This pinata style cake is a moist vanilla cake that is filled with jelly beans. Topped with jelly beans, kids are going to be amazed when they see you cut this cake open.
Jelly Bean Cake
This cake is going to have everyone oohing and ahhing over how neat it is. Since the jelly beans come pouring out as you cut the cake open, this cake will resemble a pinata and everyone will want to know how you got them inside the cake.
Ingredients
- Vanilla cake mix – Using a store bought cake mix helps to save time when making this Jelly Bean Cake. You can use your favorite vanilla or white cake recipe is you prefer
- Eggs
- Water
- Canola oil
- Light Pink, Red, and Yellow Gel food coloring – Gel food color works best because you can get a bright color without adding a lot of coloring and it does not thin out your frosting
- Unsalted butter – I always recommend using unsalted butter. This lets you control how much salt is in the recipe.
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Heavy whipping cream
- White premade icing
- Jelly beans – Your favorite flavors of jelly beans can be used.
How to Make a Jelly Bean Cake
Preheat the oven and prepare the cake pans.
Mix together the cake batter ingredients using a mixer.
Mix in a few drops of the pink food color and mix it in well.
Divide the cake batter between the cake pans.
Bake the cake for 28-32 minutes. the cake is done when the toothpick comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool completely before moving it onto the cake board.
Use a cake leveler to remove the dome from the cakes to make them even.
Beat the frosting ingredients together until it is smooth and has stiff peaks.
Assemble The Cake
Place the first cake layer on the cake board and then use a 3 inch round cookie cutter and use it to cut out the center of the cake. Place the cut center aside.
Frost the cake layer including the wall of the center of the cake.
Cut out the center of the second cake layer and then carefully place it on top of the first layer.
Frost the layer of cake including the walls of the center.
Fill the center of the cake with up to 2 cups of jelly beans.
Place the 3rd layer of cake on top.
Set aside on cup of frosting in a piping bag and then frost the entire cake with the remaining frosting.
Next, divide the premade frosting into 3 bowls and mix a few drops of each color into its own bowl of frosting.
Microwave each bowl for 15 seconds to soften the frosting.
Scoop the colored frosting into their own disposable piping bag
Then, Decorate the cake
Slowly drip the pink frosting along the top of the cake. Repeat this with the red and then the pink frosting.
Use the large piping bag with white frosting and pipe white dollops around the top of the cake.
Then sprinkle some jelly beans onto the cake and place jelly beans along the bottom of the cake.
Do Jelly Beans Melt in This Cake?
Because this is a triple layer cake, you are not adding the jelly beans into the cake batter you are cutting small sections into the center of the baked cake and hiding the jelly beans in there for when the cake is cut.
Tips for Decorating an Easter Cake
Because this cake leaves the decorating focus on the jelly beans, it is extremely easy to decorate this cake. Using a drip technique, you are adding the different colors of frosting to the top. This technique gives it a fun look without much effort. Adding the jelly beans finishes off the cake.
More Easter Recipes
- Coconut Macaroons Recipe – Easter Birds Nests
- Mini Easter Cheesecakes
- Deviled Egg Chicks for Easter
- Carrot Shaped Easter Cheese Ball
- Easter Cupcake Ideas
Jelly Bean Cake
Ingredients
- 2 boxes Vanilla cake mix
- 6 large egg
- 2 C water
- 1 C Canola oil
- Light Pink gel food coloring
- Pam baking spray
Vanilla frosting
- 2 C unsalted butter softened
- 5 C powdered sugar
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3-6 TBSP heavy whipping cream
- Light Pink, Red and Yellow Gel food coloring
- 1 small container white premade icing
- 1 8 oz jelly beans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray the 3 cake pans with pam baking spray
- Combine all cake ingredients into a standing mixer or large mixing bowl and beat until combined
- Mix in a few drops of pink gel frosting until combined
- Divide the batter between the 3 pans and bake in the oven for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
- Allow to cool completely before moving onto the cake board
- Using a cake leveler, remove the dome from the cakes to make even
- Using a standing mixer, beat together the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and heavy whipping cream until combined, smooth and stiff with peaks
- Building the cake directions
- Place one cake round onto the cake board.
- Using a 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut out the center of the cake
- Carefully remove the center. Cut the center round in half and gently place the new cut half back into the center of the cake to create a bottom to the cake
- Frost the bottom layer and the walls of the center of the cake
- Cut out the center of the second cake layer and gently place it on top of the first
- Frost second layer and inside walls of the center
- Fill the center of the cake with about 1 ½-2 C of jelly beans
- Place the third layer of the cake on top
- Scoop 1 C of frosting into the piping bag
- Frost entire cake with remaining frosting
- Divide the premade frosting into 3 bowls
- Mix in a few drops of each color into their own bowl
- Place each bowl, 1 at a time into the microwave for 15 seconds to soften the frosting
- Scoop the colored frosting into their own disposable piping bag
- Decorating the cake :
- Cut the tip off the pink piping bag and pipe drips around the top of the cake
- Cut the tip off the red piping bag and pipe over the pink drips
- Repeat the same with the yellow piping bag
- Using the large piping bag, pipe white dollops around the top of the cake
- Sprinkle some jelly beans onto the frosting and place jelly beans around the bottom of the cake
- Cut and enjoy!
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.Equipment
- 3 disposable piping bags
- 1 mini angled spatula
- 1 medium ice cream scooper
- 1 large piping bag with star tip
- 3 9inch round cake pans
- 3 10inch round cake board
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