Print

Flavorful Mardi Gras Sheet Cake Recipe with Easy Frosting Swirls

Mardi Gras sheet cake - featured image
Print Recipe

A moist and spiced Mardi Gras sheet cake featuring vibrant purple, green, and gold frosting swirls. Perfect for celebrations, this easy-to-make cake combines warm spices with rich vanilla frosting for a festive treat.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ½ cups (312 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, room temperature (or dairy-free milk + 1 tbsp vinegar)
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened (for frosting)
  • 4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract (for frosting)
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream or milk (use almond milk if dairy-free)
  • Gel food coloring: purple, green, and gold (yellow)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch sheet pan with butter or non-stick spray and line with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until evenly mixed.
  3. In a separate bowl, beat softened butter until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
  4. Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Mix just until combined.
  5. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Tap pan gently to release air bubbles.
  6. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Tent with foil if edges brown too quickly.
  7. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes.
  8. Prepare frosting by beating softened butter until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, alternating with heavy cream, beating until smooth and spreadable.
  9. Divide frosting into three bowls and tint each with purple, green, and gold gel food coloring.
  10. Spread a thin layer of plain or white frosting over cooled cake as a base.
  11. Dollop stripes or blobs of each colored frosting on top and gently swirl with a butter knife or offset spatula to create festive swirls.
  12. Let frosting set for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients for best results. Do not overmix batter to keep cake tender. Use gel food coloring for vibrant frosting without thinning. Cake freezes well unfrosted; frost on day of serving. Swirl frosting gently to keep colors distinct.

Nutrition

Keywords: Mardi Gras cake, sheet cake, spiced cake, colorful frosting, easy dessert, festive cake, vanilla frosting, cinnamon nutmeg cake

Find it online: https://lunafeast.com/flavorful-mardi-gras-sheet-cake-recipe-with-easy-frosting-swirls/