How to Make a Checkerboard Cake

A checkerboard cake is a cake layered in a bull's-eye of alternating cake colors with the pattern reverse for each layer. When sliced, the bull's eye layers form that checkerboard pattern.

You will need two different cake colors to make it work. Here I'm using a chocolate and vanilla cake. You can also make two vanilla cakes, coloring each a separate color.

The trick is to make the concentric rings of equal widths from the cake layers. When they're stacked, the checkerboard will come out looking even (more or less, depending on how tall the cake layers rise).

For this cake you'll be making a chocolate cake, a vanilla cake, plus vanilla buttercream icing to bring it all together.

The chocolate layer is adapted from my Port Wine Chocolate Cake. Espresso powder deepens this fudgy cake's flavor, and it won't taste like coffee. It's optional, but recommended.

For the vanilla cake, the ingredients are pretty straightforward. You do need buttermilk to react with the baking powder.

I use sweet cream buttermilk powder (with water) because it's shelf-stable and keeps indefinitely, but you can use straight buttermilk or a buttermilk substitute.

Step 1: Make the vanilla cake

Sift the flour, buttermilk powder, leaveners, and salt (photo 1).

Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy (photo 2), then add the eggs in, one at a time (photo 3) before adding in the vanilla (photo 4).

Alternate adding ⅓ of the flour mixture (photo 5) with ½ of the water (photo 6), mixing after each addition until the batter is just incorporated. Try not to over-mix the batter so you keep the cake nice and tender.

The batter will be smooth and thick, so use a small offset spatula to smooth out the top after pouring into the two 9-inch round cake pans (photo 7). Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes.

If the top of the cake has a dome on it, level it off with a serrated knife (photo 8). You'll need even layers to keep the checkerboard pattern from drooping.

Step 2: Make the chocolate cake

Stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, leaveners, espresso powder (if using), and salt (photo 9).

Mix in the eggs, milk, canola oil, and vanilla, then slowly add the boiling water (photo 10). Stir on low speed, again until just combined.

This batter will be thinner than the vanilla batter, so tap out the air bubbles after dividing the batter between the two cake pans (photo 11). The cake is fudgy, so it's ok if a cake tester comes out with a few crumbs (photo 12). You don't want to over-bake the layers.

I use Bake-Even Strips to insulate the cake pans as the batter bakes. As a result, they keep the cake layers even without needing to trim off the tops. You can see how flat the top of the chocolate cake is when I use them.

Here I split the cake into two layers because I baked the cake in one round baking pan instead of two (photo 13). This step isn't necessary if you use two cake pans.

Step 3: Make the buttercream

The vanilla buttercream frosting is easy to throw together. Just beat the butter until it's creamy. Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt and beat at high speed until the buttercream is light and fluffy (photo 14).

If you prefer, you can use different flavors of buttercream to complement your chosen cake flavors (like Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting) or make a different version with Italian Meringue Buttercream Frosting.

Assemble the cake

Step 4: Cut the two cakes into rings

For a standard 9-inch cake, cut a 6-inch and 3-inch circle from the chocolate cake layers, either by tracing a pattern cut from parchment paper or using cookie cutters. I chose the latter (photo 15).

I use a relatively inexpensive 6-inch cookie cutter, and a 3-inch cookie cutter for this purpose.

Step 5: Alternate the rings for each layer

Next, carefully separate the cake circles and put the middle ring from one color inside the outermost ring of the other color with center circle matching the outer ring.

Frost the layer with the buttercream before continuing (photo 17).

When you stack the next layer, use the opposite color rings, the checkerboard effect will show when you slice into the cake (photo 18).

Repeat the pattern two more times, frosting between each layer with the buttercream.

Step 6: Decorate the cake

Use the remaining buttercream to frost the top and the sides of the cake, then decorate as desired. I created a stencil for a heart cutout and a scalloped edge from paper, then dusted with cocoa powder.

This is a four layer cake, so you don't need to go overboard with the decorations. The surprise is on the inside!

Questions asked and answered

Here are some questions you might have...

Checkerboard cake wins dessert!

This cake is as impressive to look at as it is tasty. Both cake flavors are rich and moist, and the buttercream isn't too sweet.

A checkerboard cake is a great way to show you're a fan of a sports team, a school, a house in Harry Potter (my favorite is Ravenclaw)...anything that has official colors.

Or celebrate a holiday in a new way. Make red & blue cake layers for a patriotic spin, orange & black for Halloween, or pink & white for Valentines Day.

Let your creative juices flow!