B-52 Cake!
Originally posted January 27, 2012. Updated 2/21/2021
Who's up for the challenge of my B-52 Cake Recipe?
You'll probably recognize this cake as the cover shot of my second cookbook, Evil Cake Overlord.
It was actually a last-minute substitution for the original photo we'd planned for the cover... while our "Citrus Splendor" cake is gorgeous - and super delicious! - it just lacked the "ominous" and "evil!" look I was aiming for, for this cover.
B-52 cake, on the other hand, did NOT disappoint. Look at these photos. That cake is leering at you, just daring you to make it!
B-52 cake was a favorite from my cake flavors menu back in the day, and was actually a fairly popular choice for wedding and groom cakes.
B-52 Cake Recipe
It's something that anyone can make, but it definitely involves a bit more time, effort, and dirty dishes than many of the other cake recipes on this blog, and in Evil Cake Overlord.
The ambitious will be rewarded for their efforts, though - this cake is stunning both to the eyes AND the mouth!
Alternating layers of blood orange and mocha cake are filled with alternating layers of Irish cream buttercream and Blood Orange chocolate truffle ganache!
Give the B-52 Cake Recipe a go... and be sure to send us pictures!
Interested in making wickedly delicious cakes? You'll LOVE my second cookbook, Evil Cake Overlord!
We've long been known for our “ridiculously delicious” moist cakes and tasty, unique flavors. Now, you can have recipes for all of the amazing flavors on our former custom cake menu, and many more!
Bake your moist work of gastronomic art, then fill and frost your cake with any number of tasty possibilities. Milk chocolate cardamom pear, mango mojito.. even our famous Chai cake – the flavor that got us into “Every Day with Rachel Ray” magazine!
Feeling creative? Use our easy-to-follow recipe to make our yummy fondant. Forget everything you’ve heard about fondant – ours is made from marshmallows and powdered sugar, and is essentially candy – you can even flavor it!
Order your copy directly through my site, through Amazon, or through any major bookseller!
More Cake Recipes!
Looking for more ridiculously delicious cake recipes? As the "Evil Cake Overlord", I've got you covered! (Ps: Check out my instructions for making Marshmallow Fondant, as well!)
Tortes:
Bahama Mama Torte
Blood Orange Truffle Torte
Citrus Splendor Torte
Cookies N Cream Cake
Raspberry Tiramisu Torte
Schmoo Torte
Spumoni Cake
Tiger Tail Cake
Bundt, Sheet, & Upside Down Cakes
Bananas Foster Upside Down Cake
Brandied Apple Upside Down Cake
Deep N Delicious Cake
French Martini Bundt Cake
French Martini Upside Down Cake
Mango Mojito Upside Down Cake
Pina Colada Bundt Cake
Strawberry Mango Marble Cake
Cupcakes:
3D Monarch Butterfly Cupcakes
Black Velvet Cupcakes
Chai Cupcakes
Easy Butterfly Cupcakes
Fat Elvis Cupcakes
Lynchburg Lemonade Cupcakes
Pink Grapefruit Daiquiri Cupcakes
Fillings & Frostings
American Buttercream
Milk Chocolate Whipped Ganache
Stabilized Whipped Cream
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Also: I have Cake Decorating Tutorials, and posts about previous Decorated Cakes that I've made.
Share the Love!
Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you instagram it, be sure to tag me - @CelebrationGenerationCA - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!
Also, be sure to subscribe to my free monthly email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense.
Well, the published nonsense, anyway!
B-52 Cake
Equipment
- 2 x 8 inch cake pans
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups Cake Flour
- 2 ¼ cups Granulated Sugar
- 2 tablespoon Baking Powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Salt
- 3 ½ oz Box Instant vanilla pudding mix
- 6 Large Eggs
- 1 ½ cups Butter melted
- ¾ cup Water
- 2-3 teaspoon Blood Orange Extract
- Orange Food Coloring optional
- ¼ cup Cocoa Powder
- ¾ cup Strong brewed coffee
Ganache
- 1 recipe Milk Chocolate Whipped Ganache
- 2 teaspoon Blood Orange Extract
Frosting
- batch batch Swiss Meringue buttercream
- ¼ cup Bailey’s Irish Cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Liberally grease two 8″ round cake pans with vegetable shortening, and/or spray with baking spray.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pudding mix in a large mixing bowl. Add in eggs, beating just until smooth. Carefully add melted butter to the batter, mixing on medium speed until smooth.
- Divide batter evenly into two bowls. Add water and blood orange essential oil to one bowl, beating until well incorporated and smooth. Taste, adding more blood orange essential oil if desired. Tint orange, if desired.
- Add cocoa powder to second bowl, stirring until evenly distributed. Add coffee, beat once more until fully incorporated and smooth.
- Divide batter among prepared cake pans, one flavor per pan.
- Bake until golden and knife inserted into center of batter comes out clean and cake springs back – about 45-60 minutes.
- Allow to cool 10-15 minutes before turning cakes out onto baking rack to cool fully. Ideally, allow to cool to room temperature, wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
- Allow cake to sit overnight.
Fillings
- Prepare a batch of milk chocolate whipped ganache, flavoring the whipped cream – while heating – with blood orange extract
- Prepare Swiss meringue buttercream, flavoring it with Bailey’s instead of the vanilla.
To Assemble Cake
- Remove plastic wrap from cake layers. Carefully slice the domed top off each round, leveling the surface of the cake. Carefully cut each cake in half, horizontally, for 4 thin rounds of cake in all.
- Place one round of orange cake on cake plate, spread with ganache. Top with a round of mocha cake, spread with buttercream. Top with second round of orange cake. Spread with a final layer of ganache, and top with remaining layer of mocha cake. Frost sides and top of cake with remaining buttercream. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe comes from my first cookbook, The Spirited Baker. It’s FULL of fun, tasty recipes using spirits and liqueurs for flavour – you should check it out:
Combining liqueurs with more traditional baking ingredients can yield spectacular results.Try Mango Mojito Upside Down Cake, Candy Apple Flan, Jalapeno Beer Peanut Brittle, Lynchburg Lemonade Cupcakes, Pina Colada Rum Cake, Strawberry Daiquiri Chiffon Pie, and so much more.
To further add to your creative possibilities, the first chapter teaches how to infuse spirits to make both basic and cream liqueurs, as well as home made flavor extracts! This book contains over 160 easy to make recipes, with variation suggestions to help create hundreds more! Order your hard copy here on my website, through Amazon, or through any major bookseller.
Heidi
AWESOME! I couldn't figure out which cake was in the cover photo, and now I know!!