An easy Neapolitan Cake made using just one cake batter! Three layers of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry combine to make one stunning layer cake covered in creamy vanilla buttercream.
I’ve had Neapolitan Cake on my mind for the longest time.
Three colourful layers of soft, tender cake, combining the flavour of vanilla, strawberry and chocolate. Covered in vanilla buttercream and decorated with a boatload of candy, this Neapolitan Cake has ‘party’ written all over it.
If you want a stunning cake for your next celebration, this one’s for you!
When I started working on this Neapolitan Cake, I knew exactly what I wanted. For me, it was ALL about those gorgeous layers of chocolate, vanilla and hot pink..err..I mean strawberry.
I also wanted to make sure this cake recipe was e-a-s-y. Nobody wants to bake three different cakes and pile them together – can you imagine the dishes?
So this Neapolitan Cake is made using the ONE cake batter 💕
The perfect spin-off of my favourite Chocolate Chip Cake, this three layer beauty is essentially a vanilla cake made with butter, sugar, flour – and a little sour cream.
The cake batter is then divided into three. One stays as it is. That’s the vanilla layer, obvs. One layer gets a dash of strawberry extract and a little pink food colouring. And the final one, a touch of cocoa powder with a little extra milk.
What do you get? The ultimate Neapolitan Cake.
Because this cake has so much deliciousness ‘on top’ I wanted to make a simple vanilla buttercream. Of course, you could cover this beauty with chocolate frosting, but the vanilla is just perfect in my books.
It’s softly sweet and lets the cake shine. Plus I added a little bit of extra pizazz with all the candy that’s shoved on top.
I meant to decorate the cake nicely but I got SO excited by all the candy I bought, that I sort of just dived head-first into the cake, candy in hand. #storyofmylife
I covered the top of the cake in pieces of milk chocolate, white chocolate, Smarties, mini M&M’s and chocolate freckles. You, of course, can use whatever candy or chocolate you prefer.
My motto is more is more when it comes to candy and chocolate. #sorrynotsorry
So if you want a deliciously easy but totally stunning cake for your next celebration, birthday or family dinner, I’ve got you covered. Everyone will love this three layer Neapolitan Cake.
What is Neapolitan Cake?
- Neapolitan is a combination of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. My version uses one vanilla cake batter, that is then divided into three and flavoured to be vanilla, strawberry and chocolate.
Tips for making Neapolitan Cake
- My best tip for making a soft and tender cake is making sure your butter is at the right temperature. Start with room temperature butter – not fridge cold, and not melty by any means.
- When it comes to adding your milk to the cake batter, try not to overmix your batter. At this point, all you need to do is mix the cake batter on a low speed until all your ingredients are incorporated.
- It can be tricky to divide your cake batter into three. My advice? Weigh out the cake batter using a kitchen scale. This will ensure your layers are as even as possible.
- The key to perfect buttercream is also your butter temperature. If its too hard, it’ll be difficult to combine with your sugar. Room temperature will be perfect.
- My final tip is go crazy with the candy topping! #yolo
More layer cake recipes to try
- Chocolate Chip Cake
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Layer Cake
- White Chocolate Mud Cake
- Death By Chocolate Layer Cake
- Black Forest Cake
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Neapolitan Cake
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Description
A three layer Neapolitan Cake covered in vanilla buttercream.
Ingredients
Vanilla cake
- 230 grams (1 cup or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 200 grams (1 cup) caster sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 315 grams (2 and 1/4 cups) plain flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 240 ml (1 cup) milk
- 2 tablespoons full fat sour cream
Strawberry cake
- 1 teaspoon strawberry extract
- Pink food gel or food colouring
Chocolate cake
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon milk
Vanilla buttercream
- 230 grams (1 cup or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 625 grams (5 cups) icing or powdered sugar
- 3–4 tablespoons milk
To decorate
- Assorted candy and chocolate*
Instructions
- Grease and line three 6 inch round baking tins. Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. In a large mixing bowl, add the butter, sugar and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Sift in flour and baking powder. Add milk and sour cream and beat on a low speed until just combined. Don’t overmix.
- Divide batter evenly into three. To one batter, add strawberry extract and a few drops of pink food gel and stir. To another, add the cocoa powder and extra milk and stir until smooth. Leave the final batter as is (that’s the vanilla layer).
- Pour each batter into your three prepared cake tins. Bake cakes in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Carefully remove the cakes and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make frosting, beat butter with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, then add the vanilla. Add icing sugar, one cup at a time. Add a tablespoon of milk as needed. Continue until you have used all the icing sugar and milk and the frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Use a serrated knife or a cake trimmer to even the top of both cakes. Place one cake on a small cake board, then cover the top with buttercream. Place the second cake on top. Cover top with buttercream.
- Add third cake on top. Cover the entire cake, top and sides, with remaining buttercream. Use a cake scraper to remove excess buttercream on the sides.
- Cover the top of the cake with your favourite candy and chocolates.
Notes
I used pieces of milk chocolate, white chocolate, Smarties, mini M&M’s and Freckles.
Keywords: Neapolitan layer cake, Neapolitan cake
I would like to know how can I double this recipe and can I put it in a 8 inch pan instead of a 6 inch pan
Hi Carla, yes you can!
Hi Jess, can i use strawberry jam instead of strawberry extract. How much strawberry jam if it is possible?
Thanx 😊
Hi April, yes I’d say you can but I haven’t tested it myself so I don’t feel I can recommend the quantity.
and could i do this with freeze dried strawberry powder?
Yes!
Hi Jess!
What is the best way to store this cake so I can make the cake in advance and do the decorating and frosting in the next 2 days?
Hi, I recommend letting the cakes cool completely and then carefully wrapping them in plastic wrap and storing them at room temperature. They will be fine for a day or two, any longer than that, I would consider freezing the cake and then thawing and decorating later. Hope you enjoy it!
May i know what milk you used…tq..
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Hi Ju, I use regular full fat or whole milk. Hope that helps!
Hi, I only have bread flour and all purpose flour. Which would be better and should I adjust anything?
Hi Jessica, all purpose flour is the same as plain flour – so go with that!
Doubled the rent I’ve as I used 3x 8 inch tins However I think it’s the temp that’s the problem , cake did not cook at 160 even though I left it in nearly an hour , there were parts that we’re dense and parts dry and some with a sludgy feel. My oven is fan forced and I used the fan bake option . I put two layers on one rack and the other layer underneath .
Any suggestions ? I usually cook cakes at about 180c . Can’t seem to post pic to show result .
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Hi Mita, I’m not sure what you mean by doubled the rent? If you doubled the batter, it would definitely take much longer to cook. Feel free to email me at hello@sweetestmenu.com if you want to send a photo and troubleshoot further.
Hi. I baked this cake, its tasty and soft. I doubled the recipe but on each layer the bottoms did not bake fully and i left it in the oven for quite some time. Please advise why this could have happened
Hi Preshnee, I’m not sure what you mean about the bottoms of the cakes not baking. If you doubled the recipe, did you use 6 cake tins?
I used 3 8 inch cake tins. I put a toothpick in each and it came out clear. It looked well baked all round but after slicing into the cake i noticed that on each layer towards the bottom it didnt look baked fully
Hmm I’ve haven’t heard of that happening before. Can you email me a photo?
Hi Jess, I’m unable to find strawberry extract and so am considering zinging some freeze dried strawberries in my vitamix to make a powder. Do you think that would work with the the same measurement as the. cocoa and milk in the chocolate layer? Also, thoughts on subbing full-fat Greek yogurt for the sour cream? Thanks!
Hi Kate, ooh that’s a good idea. I haven’t tried myself but I think it’d be ok? And yes Greek yogurt will work well!
We only made the chocolate and vanilla layers as I had to use a larger cake pan. Those layers were delicious! I was hesitant because the batter was THICK but the cake was beautifully fluffy and moist! It was delicious!
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Love hearing that! Thanks for the kind feedback Stephanie!
Could I use this cake for a wedding cake and cover with sugar past
Hi Helen, I don’t see why not! Sounds lovely!
Made this today for my son’s 13th birthday. Amazing, amazing, amazing!!!! It was easy to make and turned out superbly. Thanks so much for a quality recipe.
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I love hearing that! Thank you for the lovely feedback Michelle!
Do you know how much i would need to increase the ingredients by for an 8-inch cake? I love the look of this, but have to cater to a party of hungry five year-olds!
Hi Beth! I’m sure they will love this cake! Normally a three layer 6 inch cake would make a two layer 8 or 9 inch cake. So to make a three layers 8 inch cake, I think it’d be best to double the recipe. Hope that helps!
This looks delicious!!!
What strawberry extract do you use?
Hi Katerina! I use a brand called Queen here in Australia but any brand should be fine ☺️
As soon as I saw gorgeous cake….and the darling little size rather than a huge 9″ cake…..I knew I would be making it.
I just wanted to know whether this cake has a light fluffy texture rather than dense? I really dislike dense cakes.
Does the sour cream mixed with milk give a buttermilk kind of boost to the cake? Would substituting buttermilk assist in making the texture lighter?
Any help is appreciated.
Regards from Brisbane,
Angela
Hi Angela, so glad you are going to try this cake! My main aim when creating cakes is it make sure they are moist and never dry – that’s how the sour cream helps. I do think this cake is fairly light and tender, but you could certainly use buttermilk if you prefer. I hope you enjoy it! ☺️
This is one stunning cake! Absolutely gorgeous!
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Thanks Natalie!