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Sri Lankan ribbon cake
Pink, green and yellow butter cake layers with buttercream
Pink, green and yellow stripes of butter cake, held together with thin lines of vanilla buttercream: a slice of ribbon cake is the picture of a Colombo bakery counter and of Sri Lankan birthday parties, where it is cut into fingers and wrapped in greaseproof paper for guests. It's also in Christmas cake boxes and on wedding tea tables. The cake itself is a classic butter cake, soft and sweet, with a little vanilla; the colours are what make it. Overbaking the thin layers is the common slip; the edges brown and the colours turn dull, so check them early. Chef's tip: trim a thin slice off every edge after layering; the bright, clean stripes only show once the browned crust is gone.
- Total time
- 115 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the cake
- 9 oz buttersoftened, plus a little for the tins
- 9 oz caster sugar
- 5 eggsat room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 9 oz plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ tsp pink food colouringgel or paste
- ¼ tsp green food colouringgel or paste
- ¼ tsp yellow food colouringgel or paste
For the buttercream
- 5 ½ oz buttersoftened
- 10 ½ oz icing sugarsifted
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
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What you'll need
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Method
0/11 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Butter three 20 cm square tins and line them with baking paper. (With one tin, bake the layers one after another.)
Step 2: Beat 9 oz butter and 9 oz caster sugar for 5 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
5 minStep 3: Beat in 5 eggs one at a time, then 2 tsp vanilla extract.
Step 4: Sift 9 oz plain flour with 2 tsp baking powder and fold in alternately with ¼ cup milk until smooth.
Step 5: Weigh the batter and divide it equally between three bowls. Stir ¼ tsp pink food colouring into one, ¼ tsp green food colouring into another and ¼ tsp yellow food colouring into the third, adding just enough for strong, even colours.
Step 6: Spread each colour into a tin and level the tops.
Step 7: Bake for 18–22 minutes, until just firm, springy when pressed and a skewer comes out clean, but not browned. Check at 18 minutes.
20 minStep 8: Cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn out onto racks and cool completely, about 30 minutes.
30 minStep 9: Beat 5 ½ oz butter until soft, then beat in 10 ½ oz icing sugar, 1 tbsp milk and 1 tsp vanilla extract for 3 minutes until fluffy.
3 minStep 10: Lay the pink layer on a board and spread with half the buttercream. Top with the green layer, the rest of the buttercream and then the yellow layer.
Step 11: Wrap and chill for 30 minutes to firm, then trim off all the edges with a sharp knife and cut into fingers. Keeps for 4 days in an airtight tin.
30 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 350 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sri Lankan ribbon cake take?
- About 115 minutes in total: 90 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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