# What You Need:
→ Cake Batter
01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon salt
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
05 - 2 cups granulated sugar
06 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
08 - 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
→ Food Coloring
09 - Pink gel food coloring
10 - Yellow gel food coloring
→ Buttercream Frosting
11 - 1½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
12 - 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
13 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
14 - 3 to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
15 - Pinch of salt
16 - Pink and yellow gel food coloring
# How-To:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract until fully combined.
05 - Alternately add flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until combined, avoiding overmixing.
06 - Divide batter evenly into three bowls. Add a small amount of pink gel coloring to one bowl for pale pink. Add a small amount of yellow gel coloring to the second bowl for pale yellow. Leave the third bowl plain or add a drop of both colorings for pastel peach if desired.
07 - Pour each colored batter into prepared pans and smooth tops evenly. Bake for 22 to 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
08 - Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
09 - Beat butter on medium-high speed until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and 3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream. Beat until fluffy. Add additional milk if needed to achieve desired consistency.
10 - Divide frosting into three bowls. Tint one bowl pastel pink, one pastel yellow, and leave one plain or uncolored.
11 - Level cake layers if necessary. Place yellow cake layer on serving plate and spread with yellow buttercream. Top with peach or uncolored layer and frost with plain buttercream. Top with pink layer and frost with pink buttercream.
12 - Use remaining frosting to coat the sides of the cake, blending from yellow at the base to pink at the top to create a gradient effect. Smooth with a cake scraper or offset spatula for a polished finish.
13 - Decorate cake with pastel sprinkles, edible flowers, or additional embellishments as desired. Chill for 30 minutes before slicing for cleaner cuts.
