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
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
Nutrition
3 More Cake Recipes To Try!
Moist and Delicious Carrot Cake
Buckeye Peanut Butter and Chocolate Sheet Cake
This is a refresh of a post originally shared in 2014.
Vica says
I love to buy crafts supplies at the Dollar Tree!
Danielle says
I love the plain plates & cups to decorate with vinyl!
Diana Huffer says
I love the Dollar Tree! Aside from all the items I can use for crafting, I love the seasonal items they carry. I love just going through the store to see what's available. I never know when I'll see something I really need or when inspiration will hit! 🙂
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!
Michele Schiegner says
Almost anything I need, I will look for first at Dollar Tree. I buy craft supplies, garden supplies gift bags, rugs, chips & dips, drinks, etc. I could go on and on.
Betty Baez says
I love to buy kitchen items at the dollar tree like glasses & bowls for parties, foil, to go containers! Love their big selection and all for $1
Carol says
Spices! Great choices and prices.
Lydia says
I love to get tissue paper, balloons, and goodie bag type toys at the dollar tree.
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!
[email protected]
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]