Purple Ombre Cake
For obvious reasons, this Purple Ombre Cake was the centerpiece of the entire 1000th Post Party last weekend. It stole the show. I kept it in the fridge while all the savory treats were being consumed so that it wouldn’t distract everyone from the awesome food they were eating. But that didn’t work. Inevitably, someone had to open the fridge to get a new bottle of champagne, and then the exclamations of amazement started.
I have to admit, I’m very proud of how this cake turned out. I wasn’t really sure how it would go. I knew I could do it, but I was worried I’d be frustrated with the decorating. As I have mentioned many times before, decorating a cake is not my strongest skill. Hubby even admitted later that when he saw the inspiration behind the cake, he didn’t think I had it in me. He honestly thought I was being over ambitious.
Don’t get me wrong, this is an ambitious cake. Four layers of cake, all a different gradient of purple, covered in roses, again piped in varying shades of purple. But believe me, with a little planning, and some practice, anyone can make this cake. I have a few tips on some things not to do, and some things to do when considering making this cake.
1. Don’t forget the sugar in two of the cake layers. This cake method is a bit different than most. Most cakes start with creaming butter and sugar. Not this one. It’s more like mixing biscuits. You add the butter to the dry ingredients before adding the liquid ingredients. So when your brain goes into autopilot and you mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, don’t make the mistake I made and assume that’s all that goes in there! Add the sugar. FYI, I tried stirring in the sugar at the end and baking them because I hate wasting ingredients. The cake looked like cake when it came out of the oven. But it tasted… well, like the sugar was mixed in at the end. It was really sweet. And a little gummy.
So I had to re-bake two of the cake layers. Which means I have 18 egg yolks in my fridge right now. I see a lot of creme brulee in our future.
2. Don’t change your mind about the color of your frosting at the end. My original plan was to have the lightest shade of frosting be white. After piping the bottom two rows, I piped the first white rose and decided it was too big of a difference from the previous color. So I scraped that rose off, stirred in some purple food coloring and mixed up the lightest shade that you see in the finished cake. I’m sure you all think it looks fine, but I wish I had done that up front so I could have done the crumb coat in the lightest color. It annoyed the perfectionist in me that you could see specs of white peaking through between the roses.
3. Do mix up the cake batter in two batches. Trust me, you mixer can’t handle a double batch of that batter. To make your life easier, measure everything out for both batches at once. So when you put the flour in the bowl of your mixer, measure the same amount out and put it into another bowl. Then when it’s time to make the second batch, everything is measured and ready to go.
4. Do invest in a cake decorating turn table. Hubby is always on my case about the amount of baking gadgets I have. I have been eyeing one of these bad boys for quite some time but I didn’t know where I’d store it. I finally decided to just get one and figure it out later. I’m SO glad I did that. Applying the crumb coat took about 1/3 of the time that it takes without one and it helped when I was piping the roses too. Believe me, it’s worth the $18.
5. Do make this fruit passion curd. I don’t care if you’re intimidated by this cake, if you do nothing else, make the filling. Eat it with a spoon, on a graham cracker, or stuffed into a cupcake. It’s seriously delicious. Goya makes great frozen fruit purees in a variety of flavors. I want to make this curd in every possible flavor available (you can find the purees in the frozen food aisle near the other Hispanic foods). It’s SO simple and delicious.
6. Do as much ahead of time as you can. I feel like a broken record here, but the key with layer cakes not becoming too overwhelming is to break things up. I made the curd on Thursday night, baked the cakes on Friday, and made the frosting on Saturday. Then I just had to stack and decorate it before the party.
And last but not least, don’t be intimidated by the roses! They’re very simple to do and with a little practice, you’ll be a pro in no time. Just remember that to pipe roses, you start in the center and make one big swirl from the inside to the outside.
UPDATE: Click here for the Video Tutorial on How to Pipe a Rose
Hubby was shocked to watch me decorate the cake because it honestly took about 15 minutes total. The biggest pain was washing the tip between colors of frosting. And, to convince you guys even further, I’ve recorded a video of how to pipe roses! It needs a smidge of editing over the weekend, and I’m hoping to post it first thing Monday. So be sure to come back for that!
One Year Ago: Hot Cross Buns
Two Years Ago: Raspberry Curd
Three Years Ago: Raspberry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies
Purple Ombre Cake
Such an impressive cake for any special occasion
Yield: Serves 16-20
Ingredients:
For the Cake Layers
Double batch of White Cupcakes, baked into four 9-inch layers
Food coloring of your choice
For the Passion Fruit Curd
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup passion fruit nectar or puree - Look in the hispanic aisle in your grocery store - Goya makes all sorts of fruit purees
4 egg yolks
1 vanilla bean - split, seeds scraped
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
For the White Chocolate Buttercream
2 cups unsalted butter, softened
5 cups powdered sugar (or more, depending on desired consistency)
Pinch of salt
12 oz. good quality white chocolate, chopped (not white chocolate chips or candy melts!)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
Food coloring of your choice
Directions:
For the Cake Layers
I recommend making the cake twice instead of doubling the recipe. While you're measuring out the ingredients for the cake, just measure out enough for the second batch at the same time so it's easier the second time around.
The first time through, leave one layer white. Add a few drops food coloring to the second layer prior to baking (I used 5 drops in my lightest layer).
When making the third and fourth layers, add a bit more food coloring to each layer such that you'll have gradually darker layers (I used 9 and 18 drops for my darker layers).
Allow all layers to cool completely.
For the Passion Fruit Curd
In a saucepan, whisk the sugar and cornstarch.
Whisk in the passion fruit nectar, egg yolks and vanilla seeds and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until thick, 6 minutes.
Remove from the heat; whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated.
Scrape the filling into a glass bowl, press a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
For the Frosting
Put the chopped white chocolate into a small bowl. Heat the chocolate in 30 second increments in the microwave set to 60% power. Stir after each increment, and continue to heat 30 seconds at a time, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside and allow to completely cool.
Once white chocolate has cooled, sift the salt and powdered sugar over the butter, in a large bowl. Cream the butter and sugar mixture together until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Measure the whipping cream into a cup, and stir in the vanilla extract.
With the mixer running on low speed, gradually pour the cream mixture the bowl.
Once the cream mixture has been incorporated into the frosting, fold on the melted (but cooled) white chocolate until incorporated.
Increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and beat frosting for an additional 3 minutes.
To Assemble the Cake
Once all of the cake layers have cooled, level each of the layers except the white layer.
Place a small amount of frosting on a cake board to stabilize the cake. Center the darkest layer on the cake board. Pipe a small ring around the edge of the cake layer. This will ensure the filling doesn't spill out between the layers.
Spoon a heaping 1/3 cup filling into center of cake and spread to the edges.
Stack the next lighter cake on top and continue the process until all layers are stacked and the white layer is on top.
Frost the cake with a crumb coat and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
To Decorate the Cake
Place ~3/4 cup of frosting into two separate bowls (you'll have three bowls of frosting at this point, two with 3/4 cup, and one with the rest, which will be more than 3/4 cup).
The bowl with the most frosting will be your lightest color. Add food coloring to that bowl first until the desired color is reached. Color the other two bowls of frosting such that you have three shades of frosting.
Alternatively, leave all of the frosting one color.
Place the cake on a rotating cake stand. Starting at the bottom, pipe a row of roses along the cake using the darkest frosting color. You're going to pipe three rows of roses, so make sure they cover about 1/3 the height of the cake.
Continue with a second row of roses in the next lighter shade of frosting. Place the roses directly above the bottom layer.
Finish with one last row of roses in the lightest color. Next, decorate the top of the cake by piping a rose in the center of the top of the cake. Work your way around from there piping three circles of roses on the top of the cake.
If there are any large spaces between roses, you can pipe small stars into them to fill the space.
Filling recipe from Kaitlyn in the Kitchen, Frosting recipe from Country Cleaver
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
CRAVING Lofthouse now! Haha. Well, now I know how to make my own 😉 Thanks, this will definitely be one I try out soon!
beantownbaker — July 3rd, 2013 @ 5:06 pm
Sorry about that. These are seriously so good. My frosting was a bit runnier than the Lofthouse frosting, so be careful when you’re adding the milk so the same thing doesn’t happen to you!
Could I halve the recipe?
beantownbaker — July 3rd, 2013 @ 5:07 pm
I don’t see why you couldn’t. Halving an egg can be difficult sometimes though…
Ohhh nononono. This is a problem. This type of cookie is one of my all-time biggest weaknesses. Apparently this recipe needs to happen immediately.
beantownbaker — July 3rd, 2013 @ 5:07 pm
It definitely does. Trust me, they’re so good!
Just made these. I cannot say thank you enough. The Loft cookies have always been a weakness of mine and I honestly think these came out better than them. Now to figure out how to make the Key Lime frosting my friend wants hers frosted with.
beantownbaker — July 7th, 2013 @ 11:54 am
OOhhh key lime frosting is a great idea. I’m sure you could find key lime extract online? I want to try to make these with lemon flavoring next.
I made some today and it has turned out great. I halved the recipe and used two eggs! Thank you so much for such an easy and yummy recipe!
beantownbaker — July 30th, 2013 @ 5:49 pm
So glad it worked out for you to cut the recipe in half! Glad you enjoyed them.
These sound delicious. I have 2 questions as I would like to make for a bday party. Does regular food coloring work or does it need to be a special kind? Will they hold up well if made 2-3 days in advance?
beantownbaker — September 25th, 2013 @ 4:17 pm
Since I didn’t use any, I’m not sure. I tend to prefer the gel food coloring instead of the liquid kind just because it’s more concentrated.
They do stay fresh for a couple days in an air-tight container.
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Do you think the dough is the right consistency to roll out for cookie cutters?
beantownbaker — November 24th, 2013 @ 6:04 pm
It probably could be rolled out. I don’t think it would hold shapes very well though. But you could roll it out and make round cookies without any issues.
Thanks for the recipe – these turned out great! So simple and yummy. I’m taking some to a cookie exchange tonight. 🙂 Cheers!
beantownbaker — December 9th, 2013 @ 5:47 pm
I’m sure they’ll be a hit at your cookie exchange! I love how soft they are.
Hey there! How would these be afterthought a batch in the freezer?
beantownbaker — December 17th, 2013 @ 10:53 am
I haven’t tried freezing them. I think you could probably freeze the dough, or even the baked (but unfrosted) cookies. I wouldn’t freeze them after frosting them though.
Can I leave the dough in the fridge over night?
beantownbaker — December 17th, 2013 @ 10:57 am
I think the dough would be fine sitting in the fridge overnight.
My mixer doesn’t have a paddle attachment. Is it necessary?
beantownbaker — December 18th, 2013 @ 1:02 pm
Use whichever attachment you usually use. I assume you have something that isn’t a dough hook?
Do you think the cookies taste better the next day……taste like bread. They look pretty though.
beantownbaker — December 26th, 2013 @ 11:28 am
The cookies themselves are not very sweet. The combination of the cookies and the frosting is what makes these so great. Hope you enjoyed them.
these cookies are awesome…for the first couple of days…then not so much….they become very dry and kind of bland on the cookie end….great for bake and eat affairs,….they do not store well beyond day 2
beantownbaker — January 10th, 2014 @ 10:44 am
Thanks for the feedback, I’ll update the recipe to reflect this. They never last that long in our house…
My dough came out VERY thick. Is that normal?
Ah, please disregard my last comment. The cookies came out fine!
beantownbaker — February 3rd, 2014 @ 4:55 pm
Glad they worked out. I was sitting here thinking for a few minutes if that dough was thick or not…
When I tried my dough it was kind of salty is this okay?
beantownbaker — March 9th, 2014 @ 10:18 am
It shouldn’t be overly salty… Did you use table salt or kosher salt?
Does the taste get better when you let them cool?
I am not very impressed. I made these for my friends but they crumpled EVERYWHERE every time I I would touch one it would fall apart! How am I supposed to ice? The batter is good but I’m really mad that they crumpled and I even doubled and made around 60. I ended up tossing all of them because you couldn’t eat them unless you used a spoon :/ not the
best recipie..,,
These are the best cookies I’ve ever made. I still can’t even believe they came out of my kitchen (she said, her words muffled by cookie…)
I wanted mint chocolate cookies, so I switched it up a bit by substituting 1/2 cup of the flour with cocoa, and 2 tsp of the vanilla with mint extract, and used 1/2 vanilla 1/2 mint for the frosting.
They’re soft and cakey and melting in my damn mouth. I’ll be making these again for sure!!
beantownbaker — April 16th, 2014 @ 5:58 pm
Wow – that sounds great with those substitutions. I’m going to have to try that out.
Since I was eight my parents would leave me home alone and they would come home to a batch of cookies, cupcakes, pies, and turnovers. I am eleven now and i still love baking and want to be a baker when I grow up. These are my favorite cookies in the world ,but i didn’t know the name of them so i couldn’t cook it. I finally learned the name last week and i have been searching all over the internet for a good recipe and I think the best one i saw is your. I am going to make the tomorrow ,because my parents are going out and i work best when my parents are gone. I think my parents an my two younger and one older brother are going to LOVE this. Thank you for the recipe i hope it works.
beantownbaker — September 2nd, 2014 @ 6:59 pm
Hope these cookies worked well for you. We love this recipe!
How many serving does this make?
beantownbaker — September 2nd, 2014 @ 7:31 pm
About a dozen cookies.
How would you make these into Pumpkin cookies? I made these a few times and loved them and would like to make a pumpkin version. I made a different recipe last night that were pumpkin lofthouse style and was a little dissapointed because I was hoping they would have been more like these cookies. Any insight would be great. I love Fall!!!
I just made these and for some reason the cookies didn’t bake well…this made about 15 cookies (a batch of 9 and a batch of 6). I put the batch of 9 in the oven for 10 minutes, they weren’t cooked all the way through, so I put them on for 2 more minutes, still weren’t cooked completely, so I put them on for 5 more minutes and I’m still not convinced they’re completely cooked…they’re extremely doughy…Any idea what I could have done wrong?
family are big chocolate lovers so I made these and then I made my homemade chocolate frosting to top IG . They turned out great ! I think these are better than Lofthouse thanks so much for the recipe !
I eat the Walmart frosted sugar cookies about 1 a day. Are these cookies the same as Walmart’s? I would love to make them at home.