Simple Pink Birthday Cake
A vibrant, fluffy Simple Pink Birthday Cake with a fun hue from gel coloring or beet juice. Perfect for themed parties, this easy recipe is a kid's favorite and endlessly customizable.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: 2 ½ cups 300g
- Baking powder: 2 tsp
- Salt: ½ tsp
- Unsalted butter: ¾ cup 170g, softened
- Granulated sugar: 1 ¾ cups 350g
- Large eggs: 3 room temperature
- Pure vanilla extract: 1 tbsp
- Whole milk: 1 cup 240ml, room temperature
- Pink gel food coloring: 1-2 tsp or natural beet juice: ¼ cup
- For Pink American Buttercream Frosting:
- Unsalted butter: 1 cup 225g, softened
- Powdered sugar: 4 cups 480g
- Vanilla extract: 1 tsp
- Milk: 2-3 tbsp
- Pink gel food coloring: ½-1 tsp
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C); grease and line two 8-inch pans.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla.
- Alternate dry ingredients and milk (with beet juice if using), mix until combined; add gel coloring.
- Divide batter; bake 25-30 minutes until toothpick clean.
- Cool 10 minutes in pans, then on rack.
- For frosting: Beat butter, add powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, and coloring; frost cake.
Equipment
- Two 8-inch round cake pans
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowl
- Electric mixer or whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Cooling rack
- Cake leveler (optional)