OMBRE LAYER CAKE RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease 4 Layer Cake Pans with oil or butter, and dust with flour; set them aside.For the cake, combine all the cake ingredients (except the food coloring) according to the package directions, adding the almond extract at the same time as the water.Transfer 1 cup (250 mL) of the batter to a cake pan. Place the remaining batter in 3 separate bowls (about 1 cup/250 mL per bowl). Select your color palette. Carefully add the desired food coloring to make 3 different shades of the same color (Aim for light, medium, and dark; see Cook’s Tips.) Stir the batter until the color is completely blended.Pour each of the colored batters into the remaining cake pans. Bake for 19–22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Remove the pans from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto a cooling rack, then turn them over so the cakes are right-side up; cool completely.Divide the frosting ingredients into two batches. Beat 1½ cups (375 mL) of the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until it's light and fluffy; about 1 minute. Add ¼ cup (50 mL) of the: milk and ½ tsp (2 mL) of extract and beat on low speed. Gradually add 1½ lbs (700 g) of the powdered sugar. Continue beating on medium speed for 3 minutes, adding more milk if needed. Place the finished frosting in another bowl and repeat with the remaining ingredients.Reserve 1½ cups (375 mL) of the frosting for the crumb coat. Place about  1? cups (325 mL) of the frosting in separate medium bowls. Carefully add food coloring to each bowl to make 4 different shades. (see Cook's Tips).Use an 8" Bread Knife to trim the crowns off of each cake layer.To assemble the cake, place the darkest cake layer, cut- side down, on a serving plate. Frost with ¼ cup (50 mL) of the reserved white frosting, then top with the second-darkest cake layer, pressing down slightly. Repeat with the remaining cake layers. Spread a very thin layer of the remaining white frosting on the sides and top of the cake to create a crumb coat.Place the Large Closed Star Tip on the Large Decorating Bag and fill the bag with the darkest frosting color. Starting at the bottom of the cake, pipe a single row of rosettes (see Cook's Tips). Squeeze any remaining frosting out of the bag. Repeat with the next frosting color, pipe a single row of rosettes in the middle of the cake. Repeat with the remaining colors, using the lightest shade for the top of the cake.Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve, but remove it from the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for one hour before serving.

Steps:

• Prepare a double batch of cake batter. Divide the batter evenly among five or six bowls. Using gel food coloring, tint each bowl of batter, shading the colors from light to dark (this type of shading is called ombre). Bake and cool cakes as directed, using an 8x1-1/2-inch round cake pan for each color.
• Fill cake layers with Creamy White Frosting. (To ensure that the frosting is even between layers and to avoid breaking the thin cake layers, use a decorating bag fitted with a closed star tip to pipe the frosting onto the top of one cake layer. Carefully spread and smooth frosting evenly; top with another cake layer. Repeat with the remaining cake layers and additional frosting.) Frost cake top and sides, spreading frosting as smoothly as possible over the top and sides of cake.
• Using gel food coloring, tint several balls of white fondant,** shading the colors from light to dark. Roll the darkest color of fondant according to package directions until about 1/8 inch thick. Using a mini cookie cutter (or a large round decorating tip), cut shapes from fondant. Quickly press fondant shapes onto cake sides, aligning shapes evenly around bottom edge of cake.
• Once you finish the first row, roll out the next shade of fondant and repeat cutting and placing fondant shapes onto cake sides, evenly aligning shapes above previous row of shapes. Repeat until cake sides are covered with fondant shapes. (If the frosting starts to crust, carefully spritz the back of each fondant shape with water before placing the shape on cake.)