Learn how to make a pink vintage cake with simple steps! It's perfect for special occasions, such as a birthday party, Mother's Day, Baby shower, and more!
The other day, my daughter turned 7, and we celebrated her birthday with this vintage cake! So I filmed the entire process so you can learn how to make it step by step!
There is something about vintage-style cakes that draws us in so much - the festive yet simple decorations look so elegant. The fun part is that there are so many variations - a vintage heart cake, a rectangle sheet cake, classic round cakes in many vintage designs, and different shades of colors... and I especially love the ones with ribbons! They are perfectly dressed for special events.💃🏻
I packed this tutorial with many cake-decorating tips that you can use for other types of vintage cakes! I hope you'll enjoy!
📌 How To Make A Pink Vintage Cake
Cake & Filling
Today, I used a red velvet cake recipe to make the vintage cake. I baked it with 3 6-inch pans to make 1 6-inch whole cake. You'll need half a batch of the red velvet cake recipe or one batch of red velvet cupcakes recipe. You can also use any cake you like!
Once cooled, trim the top of the cake to level the surface if needed.
I also made strawberry jam this time to use as the filling. It's totally optional!
Frosting
I used a Swiss meringue buttercream recipe to frost the pink vintage cake. I love using Swiss meringue buttercream or Italian meringue buttercream for detailed piping decorations since they are very stiff and stable. You can also use American buttercream or any of your favorite frosting.
💬 Check out the section toward the end of the post to see the list of cake and frosting recipes you can pair with!
Tips for coloring the buttercream
Color the buttercream with pink or red coloring to make pink buttercream. I recommend using gel paste food coloring to prevent the buttercream from getting looser.
Crumb coat
- Place the first cake layer in the middle of a turning table and pipe a ring on the top edge to make a dum. (Place the layer on a cake board first and move it on a turning table if you are transferring the cake for an order or bringing it to someone.)
- Spread strawberry jam inside the dam.
- Pipe a little bit of buttercream on top of the jam and place the second layer on top of it.
- Repeat the process again to stack up 3 layers.
- Drop a big scoop of frosting on top and spread it with a small offset spatula.
- Coat the side of the cake and seal all the crumbs with frosting. Add more frosting if needed.
- Clean off the top edge with an offset cake spatula to make it sharp. Chill it in the fridge to set the frosting. It'll be easier to finish the final coat by chilling it.
Final Coat
- Drop a big scoop frosting on top of the cake and spread it with an offset spatula.
- Spread more frosting and coat the side of the cake evenly.
- Set a tall dough scraper at 4-5 o'clock position (7-8 o'clock if you are left-handed.) and turn the turning table to smooth out the surface. Swish off the scraper to fade it out. Add more frosting if you see any holes or gaps, and repeat the process!
- Clean off the excess buttercream on the bottom edge with a cake spatula.
- Clean off the corner edge with an offset spatula again to create a sharp edge. As an option, chill the cake in the fridge before decorating it with piping tips to avoid scraping off the surface accidentally.
Decorate the cake!
Pipe ruffles
- Pipe the ruffle patterns on the bottom edge using a rose petal tip.
- Pipe them on the sides on well. I recommend marking the length with a toothpick before piping it so that you can pipe with the same intervals.
- Pipe the ruffle patterns on top of the cake.
- Repeat the same thing to make it 2 layers and add more volume.
Pipe shells on the bottom edge.
- Pipe the ammonite shell border above the ruffles on the bottom edge using a star tip.
- Pipe 3 smaller shells on top of the long shell.
Make petal patterns with a cake spatula.
Sometimes... simple is the best!
I piped a lot of buttercream in the beginning, but that tuned into kind of a messy look:
So I took them off with a scissor and restarted! I like the second design I'm introducing in the next section much better.
Simple is the best sometimes, and it is often the case for classic vintage cakes!
- Push the edge of the ruffles on top with an offset spatula and pull inward. Repeat it to create the petal-like patterns.
Pipe flowers, leaves, and dots.
- Add more pink or red coloring to the base pink buttercream to make a darker pink color. This time, I also added a little bit of brown to give it a vintage vibe. Pipe small flowers between the ruffles on top and the side using a small star tip.
- To the leftover pink buttercream, add green and brown coloring to make the earthy green color. Pipe leaves around the piped flowers using a small leaf tip.
- Pipe small dots on the side of the cake using a small circle tip.
Attach ribbons
- Finally, attach pink ribbons on the frosting to complete the cake!
Tips for attaching the ribbons
Attach them before chilling the cake in the fridge, as the soft buttercream can glue them easily. Or you can leave the cold cake at room temperature for some time to make it soft again!
And that is it!🙌🏻
Store the cake in the fridge until the time of the event. Check out the recipes for each cake and frosting to see the shelf life.
📌 Watch How To Make It!
Check out the video tutorial to watch the steps visually and have a better understanding of each movement!
Don't forget to subscribe if you liked it 😉
📌 More Ways To Pipe With Tips
The most exciting thing about vintage cakes is that you can try various types of piping techniques to create a unique look!
Check out 30 ways to pipe with star tips and 32 ways to pipe with round tips to get more cake-decorating ideas.
📌 Cakes & Frostings To Pair With A Pink Vintage Cake
Here is the list of cakes and frostings you can pick from to make the pink vintage cake! You can also use any of your favorite cake and frosting recipes.
Cake
Frosting
- Swiss meringue buttercream
- Italian meringue buttercream
- French buttercream
- Cream cheese frosting
- Lemon buttercream
📌 Uses For A Pink Vintage Cake
A pink vintage cake is perfect for many occasions, such as:
- Birthday Cake
- Mother's Day
- Baby Showers
- Bridal Showers
- Wedding Cake
You can also change the shape, size, or color to make a different version. I think it'll look very pretty as a teal cake for a baby shower, a lavender cake for Mother's Day, or a red Christmas cake with mistletoes using green and gold colors as accents.
I so enjoyed making this vintage cake this time, I would love to share more series in the future!
Happy Baking,
- Aya xx
📌 Printable Recipe
💬 If you loved this pink vintage recipe, please share your feedback! I always love hearing how you enjoyed it with your friends and family.
Also, if you have a question about the tutorial, leave it in the comment section below, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!
Pink Vintage Cake
Equipment
- Turning table
- Rose petal piping tip for ruffles
- Star piping tips for flowers and shell borders
- Leaf piping tip for flower leave
- small circle piping tip for dots
Ingredients
NOTE: For best results, measure ingredients with a scale. All recipes are designed with weighed ingredients using grams/ounces. Cup measurements (US customary units) are provided for your convenience.
Instructions
Cake & Filling
- Today, I used a red velvet cake recipe to pair with the vintage cake. I baked it with 3 6-inch pans to make 1 6-inch cake. You'll need half a batch of the red velvet cake recipe or one batch of red velvet cupcakes recipe. You can use any cake you like!Once cooled, trim the top of the cake to level the surface if needed.I also filled strawberry jam as the filling today. This is optional.
Frosting
- I used a Swiss meringue buttercream recipe to frost the pink vintage cake. I love using Swiss meringue buttercream or Italian meringue buttercream for detailed piping decorations since they are very stiff and stable. You can also use American buttercream or any of your favorite frosting. Color the buttercream with pink or red coloring to make pink buttercream for the base color of the cake.
Crumb coat
- Place the first cake layer in the middle of a turning table and pipe a ring on the top edge to make a dum. (Place the layer on a cake board first and move it on a turning table if you are transferring the cake for an order or bringing it to someone.)
- Spread strawberry jam inside the dam.
- Pipe a little bit of buttercream on top of the jam and place the second layer on top of it.
- Repeat the process again to stack up 3 layers.
- Drop a big scoop of frosting on top and spread it with a small offset spatula.
- Frost the side of the cake thinly and seal all the crumbs.
- Clean off the top edge with an offset cake spatula to make it sharp. Chill it in the fridge to set the frosting. It'll be easier to finish the final coat by chilling it.
Final Coat
- Drop a big scoop frosting on top of the cake and spread it with an offset spatula.
- Spread more frosting and coat the side of the cake evenly.
- Set a tall dough scraper at 4-5 o'clock position (7-8 o'clock if you are left-handed.) and turn the turning table to smooth out the surface. Swish off the scraper to fade it out. Add more frosting if you see any holes or gaps, and repeat the process until you are happy with the look!
- Clean off the excess buttercream on the bottom edge with a cake spatula.
- Clean off the corner edge with an offset spatula again to create a sharp edge. As an option, chill the cake in the fridge before decorating it with piping tips to avoid scraping off the surface accidentally.
Decorate the cake!
- Pipe ruffles - Pipe the ruffle patterns on the bottom edge using a rose petal tip. Pipe them on the sides on well. I recommend marking the length with a toothpick before piping it so that you can pipe with the same intervals.Pipe the ruffle patterns on top of the cake. Repeat the same thing to make it 2 layers and add more volume.
- Pipe shells on the bottom edge - Pipe the ammonite shell border above the ruffles on the bottom edge using a star tip. Pipe 3 smaller shells on top of the long shell.
- Make petal patterns with a cake spatula - Push the edge of the ruffles on top with an offset spatula and pull inward. Repeat it to create the petal-like patterns.
- Pipe flowers, leaves, and dots - Add more pink or red coloring to the base pink buttercream to make a darker pink color. This time, I also added a little bit of brown to give it a vintage vibe. Pipe small flowers between the ruffles on top and the side using a small star tip. To the leftover pink buttercream, add green and brown coloring to make the earthy green color. Pipe leaves around the piped flowers using a small leaf tip. Pipe small dots on the side of the cake.
- Attach ribbons - Finally, attach pink ribbons on the frosting to complete the cake!
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