Fiesta Cake ~ easy white cake transitions into a Mexican themed party idea, creating an even more festive occasion with its use of brightly colored churro icing (a buttery cinnamon flavoring) and served in a simple deep glass bowl, that is like a windowpane of color, beckoning you to dig in, with a large serving spoon rather than a knife, as this fiesta cake is already cut and cubed and ready to party in your belly!
After all the margaritas on the rocks, with salt-rimmed glasses and baskets of freshly made tortilla chips with a rich and savory salsa, it’s time for the sweets to bring on this Mexican themed party cake and enjoy!!
Why You’ll Love Mexican Themed Party Cake
- It’s a very easy cake recipe to make
- The ingredients are readily available and not expensive
- Cubed replace traditional slices of cake
- It can be used as a side to any other Mexican Birthday Cake to add a pop of color
- This party cake is perfect for Cinco De Mayo parties
- The Mexican party cake is kid-friendly
- Best of all you can scoop this cake with a spoon!
- The buttery cinnamon icing is decadent and balanced
- Makes a great centerpiece on the decorated party table as its colors truly are fiesta-like
Equipment Needed To Make Fiesta Cake
Honestly, when it comes to making what I term a ‘Mexican’ recipe cake, for any party, you’ll find that it’s beyond easy and requires so few kitchen essentials, that you will probably make it more often than not and just change the icing color to reflect each holiday (it’s what I do!)
There is only 1 item that you’ll want to definitely have on hand and it makes or breaks the presentation I’ll share that in the equipment needed to make this fabulously easy Mexican-themed party recipe for a tasty cake!
- 2 round cake pans or 1 rectangular 9″ x 13″ baking pan
- Large mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon or a hand mixer
- Measuring cup
- Pastry Bags (3)
- 3 Small Mixing Bowls
- A Pedestal GLASS trifle bowl (the elevated bowl makes it stand out)
- Cocktail Firework party picks
- Colorful fiesta (party) napkins to keep the color poppin’!
- Colorful Straws (optional)
Ingredients For Your Fiesta Cake
The ingredients are easy to find and won’t cost you an arm and a leg because the party will!
- White Box Cake
- Butter
- Vanilla
- Milk (or water, or orange juice)
- Cinnamon
- Confectioner’s Sugar
- Red Food Coloring
- Yellow Food Coloring
- Blue Food Coloring
- Colorful Candy Sprinkles
Obviously, if you do not want to use a boxed cake you can make yours from scratch, but I do this as a timesaver because I am always short on time!
How To Make A Fiesta Cake
I promise you I was not sipping on Margaritas while I made this cake, but it might seem like it, because of how it all came together!
So, I was planning on making this party cake, but I had messed up the baked cake and it just kept cracking so I seized the moment and cut the cakes into cubes rather than dealing with the cracking (because I overbaked them)
However, I have no shame in sharing that story because I am human and we all have issues when we bake and cook and I am hardly exempt, I just moved through the issue and created a fun, color-popping fiesta with my new cake!
Step 1: Baking The Cakes For the Fiesta
Prepare your box cakes according to the instructions on the box.
Step 2 is super easy all you have to do is transfer the batter to your choice of the baking pan either 2 round pans or 1, 9″ x 13 pans.
Step 3 is just to bake the cakes according to the box instructions and then remove and allow them to cool completely.
Step 4: Cubes and Your Mexican Party Cake
Once cooled you will cut your Mexican cake for the fiesta into cubed pieces and set it aside.
Step 5: Prepare The Icing for Your Mexican Themed Party Cake
In a deep mixing bowl, combine butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and milk (or use a different substitute as listed above for the dairy if you can’t have dairy)
Next, add the confectioner’s sugar and stir and if the consistency is not right you will add more confectionary sugar.
Do not add too much confectioner’s sugar at one time or it will not work, just watch the consistency as you add it in little by little, this is very important!
Once it is thick enough to pipe through a zippered bag or pastry bag, stop adding confectioner’s sugar, and don’t add more milk (or whatever liquid you have chosen to use)
NOTE: your ideal icing needs to be looser than it would be for spreading, yet able to stick together when squeezed through the bag, and trust me, you’ll know it when you see it, as this recipe is not hard!
Step 6: Time To Introduce the Churro Flavor Icing Into Color
Start by dividing the icing evenly into portions into 3 separate bowls so you are basically 1/3’ing it per bowl.
To each bowl, you will add the special food coloring and then mix!
Next, add food coloring to each, stir and if it is not vibrant enough add more color, but work with the icing by combining before you add more color, ensuring have stirred it enough.
Step 6: Load The Churro Icing Into Pastry Bags
Fill your pastry bag or zippered bag with each respective color times 3 colors.
To make this easy, place a glass or a tall vessel on the counter, place the bag inside the glass and hang the open edges of the bag over the glass to easily fill the churro flavored colorful icing into each bag, then seal the top.
Step 7: Prepare The Glass Pedestal Trifle Dish That Will Share the Windowpane Of Mexican Fiesta Colors
First, you will add a tossed handful of colorful fiesta sprinkles to the base of the glass pedestal trifle which begins the coloring!
Add your first set of cake cubes to fill the first layer, just toss them in, without true placement.
Then you will choose whatever color of icing you want to start with and randomly stripe the cubes.
Repeat this with the remaining colors until you have striped the first layer with all 3 fiesta colors.
Follow this with a quick dash of light colorful fiesta sprinkles.
Repeat the same steps as above for the second layer, including the icing and sprinkles.
Step 8: The 3rd Layer Color Pop That Makes The Mexican Cake A True Party!
For the top layer, you will repeat all of the same things you did for layer 1 and layer 2, but we are going to add a true color burst.
It’s a burst of color created by using the interior of the glass bowl, and piping icing down the sides so it streaks and creates what looks like a window with colorful glass panes and this is why it is so important that the icing is not runny!
Next, add in the fake sparkler picks either inside of straws or just as they are into the Mexican-themed cake cubes.
To add even more of a Mexican theme to the party cake, you can add a few colorful napkins to pull the colors of the festive cake outward, and some small Mexican party toys.
Serve immediately.
What To Serve With Your Colorful Cake For A Mexican Themed Party Idea
Sides
You can add some flavorful homemade churro ice cream, on the side as it will be delicious mixed with some of these fabulous churro-iced cake cubes!
Cocktails
I suggest a margarita of any flavor alongside this cake, like Peach, Pear, Pink Lemonade, etc.
Popular Substitutions In This Recipe
- Use orange juice in the churro icing instead of milk if you are allergic or want an orange-flavored icing
- Change out the greens, red and yellow hues for more pastel Mexican hues
- Prepare the cake for a birthday instead of Cinco de Mayo or vice versa
- Use Chocolate Cake instead and then use pastel brilliant icing colors
- Serve in parfait glasses rather than a glass pedestal creating single servings
- Instead of Churro Icing, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and don’t add cinnamon to the icing mixture
How To Store Fiesta Cake?
If you are fortunate enough to have any leftovers of this party cake, then you will need to store it, here is how!
The Best Way To Store Leftover Mexican Party Cubed Cake
Refrigerate any leftovers by covering the glass pedestal trifle dish with a plastic wrap, since the icing has some butter in it.
How Long Will The Fiesta Cake Last In The Fridge?
The party cake will last for up to 7 days refrigerated.
Fiesta Cake FAQs
Should I Only Use Primary Colors For the Churro Icing?
No!
Have fun with the colors of this fiesta cake, personalize them to match the Mexican themed party you are hosting.
Look at the colors used for Día de Los Muertos, and any other holiday and use that as inspiration!
Can I Use A Sheet Cake Instead of Round Baking Pans?
Yes, you can use any mold you want to prepare this fiesta cake, just cut it into cubes, and do note that you may have thicker pieces, depending on the pan size used.
Do I Have To Use A Glass Trifle Bowl On A Pedestal?
No, you do not have to use a glass trifle bowl, but when it is in the glass trifle bowl and on a pedestal it does become the center focal point of your Fiesta table. You can use a large glass bowl instead or single-serve glass parfait cups as well.
Other Fiesta-Like Recipes You Will Love
Don’t Forget To Come Back and Tell me How Your Fiesta Cake Turned Out!
Tell me what you added to yours to make it different?
What color icing did you use?
Did you flavor your icing differently or did you use churro flavor?
How did you prepare your fiesta cake? Was it in a larger sheet pan or did you use baking rounds?
What Mexican themed occasion did you prepare this boldly colored cake for?
Color Gives The Fiesta Cake A Brilliant POP!
While I love the primary colors on this fiesta cake, I will say that I have done the same party cake in hot pink and black and it just snaps!
Since you are not icing the cake, but rather drizzling the cubes, it kind of soaks up the icing a bit. But, there are no holes to poke, it’s just easy!
Grab the recipe below, and make sure to save this post and print a copy so that you too can have a fabulous fiesta!
Enjoy ~ Dana XO
EASY Fiesta Cake
Ingredients
- 1 White Box Cake Prepaded in 2-Cake Rounds
- 1/2 C butter at room temperature
- 1 1/2 Tsp Vanilla
- 2-3 Tbsp Milk
- 2-3 Tsp Cinnamon
- 2 C Confectioner’s Sugar maybe up to 3- it depends on your butter and milk mixture
- Red Food Coloring 3-4 drops to create brilliant colors Purchase WILTON for the most brilliant colors
- Yellow Food Coloring 3-4 drops to create brilliant colors
- Blue Food Coloring 3-4 drops to create brilliant colors
- Colorful Candy Sprinkles
Instructions
- Bake the white cake cake according to instructions on the box, using round pans.
- Allow the cakes to completely cool before beginning preparation.
- Cut each prepared cake into cubes.
- Prepare Icing.
- In a deep mixing bowl, combine butter, vanilla, and milk.
- Next, add the confectioner's sugar, 1/4 cup at a time until you reach 2 cups.
- You may need more, but don't add more in until you see the consistency.
- Once it is thick enough to pipe through a zippered bag or pastry bag, stop adding confectioner’s sugar and don’t add more milk.
- The icing needs to be looser than it would be for spreading, yet able to stick together when squeezed through the bag.
- Divide the icing into 1/3’s each in its own bowl.
- Add food coloring to each.
- Mix.
- Fill your pastry bag or zippered bag with each respective color.
- Next, in a large trifle pedestal randomly add sprinkles.
- Then add cubes to fill the first layer, just toss them in, without true placement, but only for one layer I used about 14 cubes on layer one)
- Now, choose a pastry bag of icing and randomly stripe the cubes.
- Change pastry bag and repeat again with a different color.
- Again, change color with a few streaks of color three.
- Now, toss more candy sprinkles.
- Repeat all of the above again for layer 2.
- At layer 3, do everything the same, for the icing.
- Then, we are going to add a Color burst that almost looks like bleeding in a very colorful way!
- This time, add the icing as above, but, also, move to the exterior of the layers on the interior of the bowl (obviously) and squeeze icing down the sides around the bowl.
- Add in some fake sparkler picks, as well as a few fun Cinco de Mayo toys, napkins, and decor and you’ve got one tasty Cinco de Mayo Cake for a Fiesta filled with color and love!
- Serve immediately or cover and keep for up to 3 days.
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