Gender Reveal Watercolor Cake with Surprise Centre

1. Instructions

Vanilla cake

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour four 8” cake rounds.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.
3. Add butter, and beat well with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, sour cream, vanilla, and oil until combined.
5. Pour wet ingredients into the flour and butter mixture, and beat on medium for 3-4 minutes. The mixture will be dry at this point.
6. Add in water and mix until just combined. Fold in the crushed Oreos. Do not overmix.
7. Spread batter evenly into prepared pans. Smooth the tops with a spatula.
8. Bake for approx. 20-25 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
Place cakes on a wire rack to cool for 20 mins then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely before removing from pan.

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

1. Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined. 
Place the bowl over a hot water bath on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch or until it reaches a temperature of 165 degrees F on a candy thermometer. 
Place the bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on medium-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
Switch to a paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth. Add vanilla and continue to whip until smooth.

Cake Assembly

1. Spread some buttercream on the cake board.
2. Place one layer of cake on a cake board and place it in the fridge for 5-10 minutes. This will help the cake stick to the cake board and not slip as you stack and frost.
3. In the meantime, carve out circles in the middle of 2 of the cake layers for the candy filling
4. Remove from the cake and cake board from the fridge.
5. Top with approximately 1/3 cup of frosting and spread evenly.
6. Add one of the cake layers with the holes on top. Top with buttercream and spread evenly.
7. Repeat with the next cake layer.
8. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on the inside of the cake, to crumb coat where you will be filling the candy.
9. Place the cake in the fridge for 5-10 minutes.
10. While the cake is chilling, prepare the candies as required.
11. Remove cake from the fridge and fill the cavity with the prepared candies, and sprinkles. Fill the cavity completely without overfilling it.
12. Finish stacking the cake - Top with approximately 1/3 cup of frosting and spread evenly, then stack the final layer to hide the candy surprise.
13. Apply a thin coat of frosting all over the cake for the crumb coat.
14. Place cake in the fridge for 30 minutes.
15. Apply final base layer of white buttercream. Smooth as needed. Chill again for 30 minutes again.
16. Prepare pink and blue frosting - about 1/4 cup each.
17. Remove chilled cake.
18. Using an offset spatula, spread alternating blobs of blue and pink frosting.
19. Smooth gently with the bench scraper, wiping the scraper after each swipe, until desired look is achieved.
20. Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1M tip, with white vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
21. Create swirls on the top of the cake to finish the look.
22. Enjoy!