This is the original Neapolitan Rose Cake… everything else is just a copy! 🙂 This cake is always a showstopper. Not only are people in love with how it looks, but who can resist vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate? Don’t miss my 50 Best Cake Recipes if you love baking!
Neapolitan Cake (Box Mix Version)
There is a lot going on with this cake so I recommend starting out with cake mix. Meaning, bake 1 box of white cake in two 8-inch round cake pans, 1 box of strawberry cake in two 8-inch round cake pans, then 1 box of chocolate cake in two 8-inch round cake pans. You will only need one layer of each (1 white, 1 strawberry, 1 chocolate) so be sure to wrap up the other layers tight and freeze until the next time you want to make this amazing cake!
Neapolitan Cake (From-Scratch Version)
If you happen to want to make this cake from scratch I recommend baking one day then assembling and decorating the next.
I made my perfect chocolate cake, a strawberry cake, and a white cake in 8-in round cake pans. I added pink food color to my from-scratch strawberry cake to ensure it was a gorgeous shade that matched the buttercream.
Neapolitan Buttercream
I used the basic buttercream recipe below for the white and strawberry layers. Prepare your buttercream as directed and then divide into 2 bowls. One will stay white (vanilla) and the other will be tinted pink. I also added strawberry extract to the pink buttercream so it would taste like it looks!
For the chocolate, I made a 1/2 batch of my favorite Chocolate Buttercream. You can make a full batch and freeze it with your other chocolate cake layer to save steps for the next time you prepare this cake! When freezing buttercream I place it in an airtight pastry bag, seal it, then drop that into a plastic bag. Allow it to come to room temperature before piping.
Rosette Cake
To pipe this cake I started by placing my remaining buttercream (after you have added frosting between the layers and done a light crumb coat) into pastry bags fitted with 1M or 2D tips. Start and the bottom of the cake with chocolate and begin by piping a rosette. I like to end the rosette on top, leaving the “tail” where it will be hidden by the next row. Try to begin and end each flower in the same way to have a consistent overall look. You can find detailed information on a Rose Cake Tutorial here.
Next time I make this cake I will start by placing my chocolate cake on the cake stand and covering it with chocolate buttercream, not the strawberry as I did for the pictures.
Basic Vanilla Buttercream
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
- 32 ounces confectioners' sugar sifted
- 2 tablespoons whole milk, up to ½ cup
- pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- Beat butter in bowl of stand mixer with whisk attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. (about 3 minutes)
- Add vanilla extract.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add in confectioners' sugar, milk, and salt; frequently scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Once incorporated, whip frosting for at least 3 minutes on medium-high to high. (My mixer went for 7 minutes)
- If frosting is too thick to spread, gradually beat in additional milk.
Did you make this recipe?
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Hi, I was just wondering which layer of roses you ice first, and do you just ice them into a swirl? It is stunning. I think I may even try this. I am a total cake virgin! LOL.
You are seriously amazing. Wow. I am having a pink and brown cowgirl theme party for my daughter’s 2nd bday and I want to make a strawberry cake and a chocolate cake and decorate with roses. I hope the frostings I am using will hold up as I am using a different recipe than yours. My frosting for the chocolate cake has butter, powder sugar, milk, vanilla and cocoa powder. The one for the strawberry cake has cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powder sugar. I would like to make it pink so do you think adding fresh strawberry puree will make it too runny? Maybe I should use the AmeriColor you suggest in this post.
Thanks for the tutorial. Love love love!
I am not sure Vanessa, but its definitely worth trying. The addition of that puree sounds like it would taste divine! Hope your daughter has a wonderful 2nd birthday! Many blessings to you~
This looks amazing! I’m going to attempt it for my mother’s 50th in a couple of weeks!
I was wandering which recipes you used for the strawberry and chocolate cakes??
Thank you!
This looks delicious! I can’t wait to make it for my birthday in a few weeks. I was wondering if you use salted or unsalted butter for the icing? Thanks!
I always use unsalted. 🙂
Thanks! 🙂
Thanks for the inspiration! I’ve just made this cake and it was delicious!! I love the rose piping too and will be using it again and again. I’ve added a link back to your blog from mine. http://themorethanoccasionalbaker.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/neapolitan-rose-cake.html
i love this keep doing it as a hobby
I think I am going to make this cake for my MIL’s birthday in a couple of weeks. It’s so beautiful. Your roses technique made me look good at my daughter’s 5th fairy birthday party in the park last week. I made a pink and white marble cake and covered it in white roses piped from a white chocolate and meringue mixture. It held up perfectly and my husband said other mothers in the park ooohhhed and aaaahhhed as he carried it past the playground. It looked so beautiful all I needed to do was top it with a simple Tinkerbell candle. Thanks for sharing your beautiful creations.
What a great testimony! Love to hear that your cake was a huge success! Best of luck on the MIL cake too! 🙂
that cake is sooo… , thank you.
Just tried this out! Unfortunately my roses ended up a disaster on the cake! They looked fine when I practiced them flat on parchment, but on the cake it didn’t work out.
Oh well, practice makes perfect!
i really want to try this cake. Please send me the full recipe……..please…! Thank you.