Pink Champagne Buttercream Cake

More About This Recipe

• Yes, there's really pink champagne in this gorgeously delicious cake!Perfect for New Year's or any celebration that requires a showstopper of a centerpiece dessert. So break out the bubbly – and use it to make this pink poke cake. It all starts with a simple box of white cake mix. Bake according to package directions and allow to cool completely. Then transfer your cake rounds to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and poke 12-15 holes into each round with a straw. A little splash of champagne-spiked strawberry gelatin, and you’re nearly there. Now, let’s take a moment for a Poke Cake PSA. It's very important to take the cakes out of the cake pans before pouring on the gelatin mixture. Sure, keeping them in the pan would keep the the gelatin from spilling all over the world. But, it also makes it plum impossible to get the cakes out of the pan, on account of the supermoist stuckedness of the gelatin. That's why we like to do this part on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet to contain the mess. Follow these instructions to a “T” and you’ll be a-ok, with two purty cakes ready for frosting. And speaking of frosting, how about we just pipe pink boozy buttercream in bubbly little rounds all over the outside of our cake? A zip-top bag or icing bag makes this a snap. Just cut the top to create a 1/2-inch hole, and then pipe the icing round and round. We like the effect of frosting "bubbles" to match the bubbly-spiked cake, but you can also frost the cake normally. It will taste just as delicious! Finally, sprinkle with edible pink pearl dust. You can find this stuff in the cake decorating section of most craft stores. To get giant, perfect slices, this cake works best when refrigerated all along the way. Keep it in the fridge to keep the moist and tender cake from melting underneath the weight of your buttercream. Slice the pieces with a super-sharp knife to ensure a gorgeous cut. Then, grab a fork.