Max and Ruby Cake

cake for ruby and her little brother max

I wanted to recreate the cake’s from a childhood TV show called Max and Ruby. A common trend is to actually decorate one cake it styles of both Ruby and Max, so I made one cake a split it in half to create both designs.

I wanted the inside to feel like a fusion of both Max and Ruby’s cakes. The inside of the cake is a funfetti cake with chocolate pudding, fresh raspberries, and oreo cookie crumbles.

Ingredients

For the Funfetti Cake

• 240 g flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 300 g sugar

• 225 g unsalted butter (2 sticks)

• 3 eggs

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 240 g of buttermilk

• 50 g rainbow sprinkles (1/3 cup)

For the Chocolate pudding:

• 28 g (⅓ cup) Dutch-process cocoa powder

• 35 g (5 Tbsp) cornstarch

• 300 g (1¼ cups) heavy cream

• 4 large egg yolks, beaten

• 300 g (1¼ cups) whole milk

• 142 g (⅔ cup, packed) turbinado or light brown sugar

• 1.5 g (¼ tsp) kosher salt

• 113 g (4 oz) milk chocolate, chopped

• 5 g (1 tsp) vanilla extract

For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 5 egg whites, at room temperature

• 452 g (2 cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 300 g (1 ½ cups) granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Buttercream

• 170 g (6 oz) semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces of roughly the same size

• 226 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

• 250 g (2 cups) powdered sugar

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• ¼ teaspoon salt

For the Final Assembly and Decoration

• 1 recipe of funfetti cake

• 1 recipe of chocolate pudding

• Oreo cookie crumbs

• Raspberries

• Gummy Worms

• Rainbow Sprinkles

• candles

Instructions

For the Funfetti Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour four 8-inch round cake pans or line them with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set this mixture aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy, which should take about 3–4 minutes.

4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. With the mixer on low speed, add the half dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Add in the buttermilk, and stir until just combined. Then add in the remaining half of the dry ingredients. Stirring until ju combind.est

6. Gently fold the rainbow sprinkles into the batter, mixing just enough to distribute them evenly without causing the colors to bleed.

7. Divide the batter evenly among the four prepared pans and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.

8. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then carefully turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely before assembling.

For the Chocolate Pudding

1. In a large saucepan, whisk together the cocoa powder and cornstarch.

2. Gradually whisk in the heavy cream until smooth and no lumps remain.

3. Add the egg yolks, milk, sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine.

4. Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally.

5. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the pudding thickens and becomes smooth, about 1–2 minutes.

6. Remove from heat and whisk in the chopped milk chocolate and vanilla extract until melted and fully incorporated.

7. Pour into serving dishes. Cover with plastic wrap (pressed directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming) and chill until set.

For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream

1. In a heatproof bowl, combine egg whites and sugar. Set over a pot of simmering water and whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture reaches 160°F (70°C).

2. Transfer to a stand mixer. Whip on high until stiff peaks form and bowl is cool to the touch.

3. Add butter, 1-2 tbsp at a time, mixing until smooth and creamy.

4. Add pink food coloring

For the Chocolate Buttercream

• Place the chopped semisweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Melt gently using a double boiler (or in short bursts in the microwave, stirring between each). Set aside to cool until just slightly warm but still fluid.

• In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.

• Gradually sift in the powdered sugar, mixing on low until incorporated. Increase to medium speed and beat until smooth and creamy.

• Add the vanilla extract and salt, mixing to combine.

• Pour the cooled melted chocolate into the butter mixture. Beat on medium speed until the frosting is smooth, glossy, and evenly combined.

For the Final Assembly

1. Spread an even layer of chilled chocolate pudding over the bottom cake layer. It should be thick enough to hold without spilling over the edges.

2. Sprinkle fresh raspberries evenly over the pudding, pressing them gently into the surface. Scatter Oreo crumbles on top for crunch.

3. Place the second cake layer on top, pressing lightly to set the filling. Repeat process for the second and third cake layer.

4. Spread a thin layer of either frosting (pink or chocolate) around the entire cake to lock in crumbs. Chill for 20 minutes to set.

5. Using an offset spatula and piping bag, cover one side of the cake with pink buttercream and the other side with chocolate frosting. Meet them in the middle for a clean, two-tone split.

6. Decorate with extra raspberries, oreo crumbs, gummy worms, and rainbow sprinkles. Chill for at least 30 minutes before slicing to let the pudding filling firm up.