How to make a bright and bold tie dyed cake, frosted with creamy buttercream frosting. From the outside it looks like a regular vanilla cake, but inside it's anything but!
We called this cake a “surprise” cake because on the outside it looks like a plain white cake, but when you cut out a slice, you immediately see that the cake is brimming with bright, bold colors.
Tie Dyed Cake With Buttercream Frosting
Tips and Tricks
You can use any cake recipe you'd like. I like using boxed cake mixes and doctoring them up. Have you tried adding 1 c. of sour cream to your cake batter? It's an easy way to create a super moist cake! Just mix it into your batter. To get the vivid colors I recommend using concentrated gel food coloring. Divide the batter into 6 bowls and color each bowl any color you'd like. How to get the tie dyed effect with your batter: Start by pouring ¾ of a bowl into the bottom of a prepared cake pan. Then add less of the second color, even less of the third color, and so on until you only add a tiny bit of the 6th color. Then repeat for the second cake starting with the last color that you used for the first cake.
Example:
My first pan: a lot of red, less orange, less yellow, less green, less blue, then a small amount of purple.
My second pan: a lot of purple, less blue, less green, less yellow, less orange, then a small amount of red.
Tie Dyed Cake With Buttercream Frosting
How to make a bright and bold tie dyed cake, frosted with creamy buttercream frosting. From the outside it looks like a regular vanilla cake, but inside it’s anything but!
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Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 530kcal
Equipment
- 2 (9") cake pans
- small bowls to divide batter
- hand or electric mixer
- baking spray or shortening to grease pans
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 boxed cake mix plus eggs and oil needed to make it
- Food Coloring
- sprinkles
Frosting
- ½ cup solid vegetable shortening
- ½ cup 1 stick butter, softened
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar approximately 1 lb.
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Make cake batter according to directions on the box.
- Divide batter into 6 bowls and tint each bowl a different color with food coloring.
- Grease 2 9-inch cake pans.
- Pour ¾ of a bowl of colored cake batter into the bottom of one cake pan. Then pour a litle less of the second color, even less of the third color, and so on until you've added just a small amount of the 6th color.
- Pour batter directly into the center of the pan and it will spread out on its own. The reason for this is to create a larger solid base for the first batter color in each pan.
- Repeat process for the second pan, this time starting with the color that you ended with in the first pan. Pour the rest of that bowl as your base, then continue backwads until you finish witht the color that you started with in the first pan.
- Bake at according to the cake mix packaging. Let cool 5-10 minutes then remove from pans to a cooling rack.
Frosting
- In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add more milk until you reach desired consistency. Makes 3 cups.
- Frost cake and add sprinkles.
Notes
You can use 1 c. of butter if you prefer to not use shortening.
For an extra moist cake, mix in 1 c. of sour cream to the cake batter before coloring the batter with food coloring.
Nutrition
Calories: 530kcal
Gay Delaney says
I have bought the nicest glassware and plates..email used is [email protected]
Thanks
Wild Orchid says
What a cool cake! My favorite item is their new washi craft tape!
Thanks for the chance to win! SIgned up with the email below:
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Harmony B says
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I am signed up under Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
I like the baskets, such as the Round Woven Bamboo Baskets and also the floral supplies and candles. They have good deals on food items quite often, too!
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I am signed up with the email attached to this comment.
rayraycartucci says
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Bert says
Signed up - [email protected]
Seasonal products are my favorite
MichelleC says
Forgot email address michelle _ cuevas @ ymail . com (remove spaces)
MichelleC says
My favorite items are the trinkets and candies that are unique to Dollar Tree and not sold in other stores that I can package together and make cute gifts or mail to friends, etc. I always hit the dollar tree for gifts, it's my go to gift store!
Terry says
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I signed up for the Value Seekers Club! I like the chocolate overload brownies as a project.
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Love their elastic plastic wrap to cover bowls!
lindseyjwinn at gmail dot com
Tiffany Drew says
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Heather zeh says
Id love to do the magnetic clothespins. My email I signed up is [email protected]
Melanie Johsnon says
I signed up with [email protected]. Love the Platter Wall Hangings project!
amweeks says
I love that I can buy Men’s Speed Stick Fresh-Scent Antiperspirant and other name brand products there at great prices! I signed up for the Value Seekers Club. What great ideas and this cake looks awesome!
@SensiblySara says
I like SO many things at the Dollar Tree! I guess I'd have to say their party supplies are my favorite, though!
Becky VanGinkel says
I love buying Holiday decorations and fun treats for the kids at the Dollar Tree!! Having 3 kids it can get expensive when each one wants to buy something, but if I take them to the Dollar Tree I can afford to buy them each a few things lol. And it's great for Holiday items because the kids love to pick out their own decorations.. they each have different tastes 🙂 Thank you so much for this awesome giveaway and good luck to all!
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Paper Fortune Cookies [email protected]
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My favorite product...oh man, too many to narrow it down! Hmm, I'm very happy with the plastic sandwich box I bought recently to take sandwiches to work. 🙂
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I would buy toys for Operation Christmas Child! I love going there because everything comes in smaller sizes 🙂
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I like their party and decoration supplies. I like the Round Glass
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I go there for greeting cards and gift wrapping supplies.
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Love the candles and frames:)
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[email protected] is my email I signed up with. What's my favorite product at the Dollar Tree? The Pregnancy Tests 🙂
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Mailing supplies, sounds dumb but saves me a ton of money since Im always mailing things out.
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i signed up with "kai love 07 @ gmail , com"
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my boys love the camillo's pizza crust. they are dairy and egg free, so my son with allergies can eat them too! love dollar tree!
*kelly
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Ashley Suzanne says
These look great and I love the baby shower ideas, such as the bottle drinks!
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Jessica Wyatt says
They have great deals on party supplies and kitchen stuff....and of course crafty items (which is mostly what I get!) [email protected]
Tracy Heyer says
I love the dollar tree!! The have some cool kitchen stuff and crafts too!! I signed up too!!!
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Adriane says
I save big with their trash bags and foil. I also buy their reading glasses - I tend to lose them, but at $1 a pair it's not critical 😉
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Stickers are my favorite product, the kids love them! I signed up. Thanks for the chance to win
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We love the Dollar Tree! My favorite there are all the seasonal/holiday products... like the big fridge magnets! I am signed up using hiwendyhi at yahoo dot com.
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I love the Dollar Tree. I love the home decor and crafting sections. I am a me member [email protected]
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I buy mu Mom those beaded glasses chains. vera khule at gmail dot com
DESIREE H says
I love the presents/gift wrapping section. They have a lot of cards, gift wrap, and bags for a great price!!
Thank you for the giveaway. I used my email in this comment form box to sign up for the Dollar Tree Value Seekers Club!
Thanks
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I love their baskets....I think I have an addiction!
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i love the cleaning products you can buy there! cant beat a dollar! i signed up with daniellex at gmail dot com
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Kari S. says
I always buy throwaway foil containers when I bring a dish somewhere so I don't have to think about bringing it home with me. My favorite thing I found was a tinted moisturizer that I ended up loving!! I went back and bought the remaining ones and I'll be very sad when they run out.
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realsungirlSunny C says
Cleaning supplies are Wonderful to purchase there!!!!!
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I buy paper towels and cleaning supplies.
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silverhairmadam11965 says
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I love to get my cleaning supplies from Dollar Tree!
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their pregnancy tests....
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I love to buy crafts supplies at the Dollar Tree!
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Myeshia U. says
This looks like so much fun. I am going there today to get craft supplies. Thank you so much for the giveaway.
Brenda says
Who knew there was a club?! I sure didn't, but you can bet I will be joining! lol I love the $ store, and I love everything there, but if I had to pick...glassware and gift wrapping/bags supplies or an anything crafty! lol I know, I know, that was more than one, but how can you pick just one thing?!!! lol Keeping my fingers crossed!
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Spices! Great choices and prices.
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Kathy Sawyer says
This seems silly, but I always know I can pick up the individual tissue packs year-round.
Jennifer Schomer-Glatts says
I love ALL of the fun craft supplies they always have and my faves have to be the "as seen on tv" stuff they always seem to have, why pay 19.99?!?, wait a week and its at DollarTree!! 🙂 And like Amy, I did not know about the value seekers club!! I am a member now!! ([email protected]) Thanks for all of your always creative posts! Love your blog! Oh what I could do with $100 gift card to DollarTree!!! Fingers crossed!!
Aimee C says
I love buying little vases and gift wrapping supplies at the dollar tree! It's always fun to look for craft supplies there.
Wendi R says
ohhhh that cake looks soooo yummy!!!! my fave thing to get at dollar tree is gift wrapping supplies!!
Whitney says
I buy foil pans a lot to make freezer meals!
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Amy says
OMG I love Dollar Tree!! I am so glad that I saw your post, I did not even know about the Dollar Tree Value Seekers Club!! My favorite products of theirs are the craft supplies, and the obscure items they carry that can become craft supplies, I could not pick just one product, sorry:)!
I have become very creative and frugal since cutting my hours at work due to Fibro. But, I LOVE decorating our house, and I am very proud to have made the decor myself, it is a very fulfilling feeling.
So, imagine my excitement when I started seeing lots and lots of Dollar Tree home decor items to DIY on Pinterest!! Oh yeah...the things that I could do with that $100...
Amy says
Oh, the e-mail address I signed on with for the Club is [email protected]