How to Make an Ombre Cake

Ombre is a term that is used for a graduated changing of colour from dark to light within the same colour.  Normally, the darkest tone is at the cake base, and the colours rise upward to the lightest tone at the top of the cake, but in our cake, I start with the lightest cake at the bottom, and build to the darkest, so that I can finish the cake off with fresh fruit! 

For this cake, you will need some premade items- cake batter, and buttercream.  You can chose to use box mixes, and store bought icing, but if you want to do everything from scratch, see the links below to my recipes. 

Six Layer Blue Ombre Cake

Ingredients:

• One and a half batches of Vanilla cake batter (see recipe here)
• Two batches of Vanilla buttercream (see recipe)
• Americolor Gel paste of your desired colour
• White colouring
• Blueberries, blackberries

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F/180˚C. Grease four 8”(20 cm) cake pans.
2. Prepare batter for vanilla cake according to recipe, but do not bake. Separate batter into six equal portions, in six different bowls. 
3. Leave one bowl without colouring (or add white colouring to it) and set aside. In the second bowl, add one drop of gel paste and mix completely until no white streaks remain. In the third bowl, add two drops of gel paste and mix completely until no white streaks remain. In the fourth bowl, add three drops of gel paste and mix completely until no white streaks remain. In the fifth bowl, add four drops of gel paste and mix completely until no white streaks remain. In the sixth bowl, add six plus drops of gel paste and mix completely until no white streaks remain.
4. Pour the white batter into an 8” (20 cm) cake pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. 
5. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, remove from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack. Repeat for each of the portions of cake batter until all six layers are baked and cooled completely. 
6. Prepare vanilla buttercream according to recipe directions. Separate prepared buttercream into four equal portions into four different bowls. 
7. Leave one bowl without colouring (or add white colouring to it) and set aside. In the second bowl, add one drop of gel paste and mix completely until no white streaks remain. In the third bowl, add two drops of gel paste and mix completely until no white streaks remain. In the fourth bowl, add three drops of gel paste and mix completely until no white streaks remain. In the fifth bowl, add four drops of gel paste and mix completely until no white streaks remain. In the sixth bowl, add six plus drops of gel paste and mix completely until no white streaks remain. Put all buttercreams into separate piping bags.
8. Once cake layers are completely cooled, level each cake so the top of all six cakes are flat. Using a swipe of buttercream, attach the lightest layer to a cake board for the base. Using the lightest buttercream, apply a smooth layer of buttercream on top of the bottom cake layer using a metal spatula. 
9. Attach the next lightest layer on top of the bottom layer. Coat the top of the layer in the second most lightest buttercream. Repeat with the additional layers, working up to the darkest cake and buttercream layer.  Smooth the top of the cake with a cake spatula.
10. Using the lightest buttercream, pipe around the base of the cake completely, covering all of the white layer of cake. Switch to the next lightest colour of buttercream, and pipe around the cake, covering the next layer. Repeat until the buttercream has covered the entire cake.
11. Using an icing smoother, or straight cake spatula, “scrape” the icing off the cake until it is smooth. 
12. Top with blueberries and blackberries as desired.
13. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.