We live for that feeling of awe when we see a decorated cake. There’s so much beauty: all of the intricate details—from the choice of sprinkles to the way the frosting swoops across the surface.
With a surprise cake, you get two of those “wow” moments: First, when you present the cake, and again when you cut into it and all of the colorful candies come spilling out.
When you want to make a cake that’s just as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside, a surprise cake is just the thing. We’ve got all the tips and tricks so you can nail this bombshell dessert the first time you make it.
What is a surprise cake?
Surprise cakes are layer cakes filled with candies that spill out when you cut into them. Just like pinatas, breaking that outer “shell” gets you to the goodies—which is why they’re sometimes also referred to as pinata cakes. But no matter what you call them, these cakes definitely create a moment of surprise for anyone watching!
Surprise Cake Ingredients
Cake:
- White cake mix
- Eggs
- Buttermilk
- Vegetable oil
- Blue, green, pink and yellow gel food coloring
Frosting:
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Butter
- Vanilla extract
- Heavy whipping cream
- Assorted candy, sprinkles and mini white chocolate chips
Directions
Step 1: Make the cake batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of four greased 8-inch round baking pans with parchment, then grease the paper too.
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, buttermilk and oil and mix until well combined, about 2 minutes.
Step 2: Color the cake batter
Divide the cake batter between four bowls. Tint the first portion blue, the second portion green, the third portion pink and remaining portion with yellow food coloring. Transfer each of the different colored batters to their own greased cake pans.
Step 3: Bake the cakes
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to wire racks, removing the parchment paper. Cool completely.
Step 4: Trim each cake layer
Using a serrated knife or cake leveler, trim the tops of each cake to be level.
Editor’s Tip: Save cake scraps for another use, like cake balls or another one of our ideas in our guide to what to do with broken cake.
Step 5: Make the frosting
In a large bowl, beat the confectioners’ sugar, butter, vanilla and enough cream to reach your desired consistency.
Step 6: Cut out the center of two cake layers
Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut a circle out of the center of the blue cake layer and the pink cake layer. (Save these cake scraps, too!)
Step 7: Assemble the layer cake
Place the green cake layer on a serving plate and spread with 1 cup of frosting. Place the pink layer on top, and cover with another 3/4 cup of frosting. Repeat with the blue layer and another 3/4 cup of frosting.
Step 8: Fill the cake with candies and sprinkles
Fill the center of the cake with assorted candies and sprinkles. Top with the yellow cake layer.
Step 9: Decorate the cake
Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. If desired, use additional frosting and sprinkles to decorate. Store in the refrigerator until serving.
Step 10: Serve and surprise!
Make sure everyone is watching when you cut the first wedge out of the cake, and wait for the collective gasp!
Surprise Cake Variations
Feel free to get creative! Use whatever flavors of cake and frosting you like. Go with a yellow cake mix brand to keep it simple, or use your favorite from-scratch cake recipe to make your dessert even more impressive. We used food coloring to make yellow, blue, green and pink layers of cake, but any colors will work. Or, go the chocolate cake route.
Can you make a surprise cake ahead of time?
Yes—in fact, it would be much easier if you planned ahead. Make and bake the cake layers a day ahead to give them time to cool. That way, you can take your time to assemble and decorate the cake without having to rush to finish the entire project in the same afternoon or evening.
Surprise Cake Tips
What else can you fill a surprise cake with besides sprinkles?
We filled ours with M&Ms, sprinkles and mini chocolate chips, which are fairly common fillers for surprise cakes. However, there are other options. A few mini Oreos would be fun. Sixlets or malted milk balls would work just as well. Feel free to get creative, but remember that you want the candies to fall out of the cake easily. Candies like Sour Patch Kids or other gummy varieties might not come tumbling out of the cake on their own.
Finally, particularly flavorful candies like Red Hots may impart some flavor on the cake itself, depending on how far in advance you make the surprise cake—so be mindful of the candies you choose, and how they might mix with the other flavors.
When can you serve a surprise cake?
Surprise cakes is a wonderful choice for birthday parties, bridal and baby showers, anniversaries, graduation and engagement parties and more. Match the colors of the candies, cake layers and frosting to the theme of your gathering for an extra “wow” factor.
