Italian Inspired Terrazzo Tile Cake for Home Bakers

 

Learn how to make this super trendy Italian tile-inspired terrazzo cake! 

This old-world organic terrazzo style is taking over my Pinterest and Instagram feeds not just in cakes but in everything home decor. If you’ve never heard of terrazzo before, here’s a quick history lesson. 

Terrazzo (Italian for “Terrace) floors were invented in Venice during the 15th century. Workers were left with oddly shaped pieces of marble after jobs. They would put the small marble rocks in clay and grind them flat for a more comfortable walking surface. This was the original terrazzo finish. 

We will do a similar technique with edible materials like candy melts, chocolate, and buttercream frosting. 

The mixture of broken pieces of colorful chocolate candy melts and creamy white buttercream creates a stunning cake that you can make at home. 

This Terrazzo Cake is made with light and fluffy chocolate cake layers, whipped vanilla buttercream, and organic chocolate candy pieces. 

Throughout this tutorial, I’ll show you the exact steps to make this one-of-a-kind cake at home. 

It’s the perfect cake design for any birthday, housewarming, or holiday party. Once you have mastered the technique, my favorite part is that you can interchange the colorful candy pieces to fit any season or holiday. 

This terrazzo cake is an intermediate design and requires a little bit more patience and some practice, so just be kind with yourself, and you’ll be a masterful cake decorator in no time! 

Tips for Success: 

• Read through all the ingredients and instructions so you can get a better idea of how much time and what you need to make this cake.
• A single batch of this cake recipe makes three 6-inch round cake layers or two 8-inch round cake layers. Double the cake recipe to make enough cake batter for three 8-inch cake layers.
• In this cake recipe, you need 1 cup buttermilk; if you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can easily use 1 cup whole milk mixed with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to make your own. 
• The dark chocolate cake recipe uses 1 cup of brewed coffee. The coffee enhances the chocolate flavor, but if you’d like to remove the coffee, replace it with 1 cup of hot water. The hot water will help you achieve the same results. 
• You can bake the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze for up to one month. 
• You can make them days ahead of time for the candy melt pieces to break up the process if needed. 
• You can make the buttercream a day ahead and refrigerate them overnight. Then take them out to come back to room temperature. 
• Make sure the buttercream is at room temperature before re-whipping; if needed, add 1 Tablespoon of heavy cream to make buttercream smooth. 
• Serve the cake at room temperature and use a hot knife to cut to get clean slices. 

What Tools You’ll Need to Make This Cake: 

• 5-quart, Stand Mixer with mixing bowl, paddle & whisk attachments
• 3, 6-inch cake pans or 2, 8-inch cake pans
• Offset spatula 
• 8-inch or 10-inch white cake board 
• Serrated knife or cake leveler 
• Turntable 
• Cake scraper or bench scraper
• Whisk or sifter
• Rubber Spatula
• Non-Stick Cooking Spray and Parchment Paper
• Ice Cream Scooper with Trigger Release (for dividing cake batter evenly)
• Piping Bags (optional, I use reusable silicone bags)
• Mixing bowls 
• Measuring cups & spoons
• Cake Stand, optional
• Acetate Strips or cake collars 
• Baking sheet tray, half 
• Pink candy melts
• Vibrant green candy melts
• Blue candy melts 
• Royal blue candy melts

Here’s how to make this simply stunning Terrazzo Cake! 

Let’s Get Started! 

How to Make Dark Chocolate Cake Layers

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans or two 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
2. In the stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, stir together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 
3. Add the eggs and the vegetable oil on low until well incorporated.
4. Pour in the buttermilk and add brewed coffee. Mix on medium for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
5. Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three cake pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
6. Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely — wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place in the freezer to chill for 30 minutes. 

Creamy Vanilla Buttercream 

1. In the stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Turn the mixer to low and add the salt and vanilla. 
3. Next, gradually add powdered sugar, followed by the cream. Mix on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Before using, turn the mixer on low and mix for 2 minutes to push out any air bubbles, or use a rubber spatula to push out the air bubbles. (You may need to repeat this step when frosting the outside of the cake). 

Edible Terrazzo Tile Pieces

1. In a small microwavable bowl, heat the pink candy melts for 30 seconds increments until mostly melted. Use a rubber spatula or spoon to mix until all the candy melts are melted.
2. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet pan, pour the melted pink candy melts, and spread super thin with the offset spatula. 
3. Set aside to harden for 10 minutes. 
4. Break the pink candy melts into pieces creating tiles. Set aside in a bowl or air-tight container for later. 
5. Repeat this process with the other color candy melts. You can use any color combination for this cake. 

Putting It All Together

1.  Remove the cake layers from the freezer and unwrap the cake layers. Next, use a serrated knife to cut off the dome of the cakes to make the layers flat and even. 
2. Add a small amount of buttercream onto the center of the cake board. Layer one dark chocolate cake, cut side up onto the cake board. Add a 2/3 cup of buttercream over the cake using an offset spatula to spread buttercream and make it even. 
3. Place another cake layer cut side down over the top. 
4. Repeat the process for another two layers — Crumb coat with buttercream and freeze for 30 minutes. 
5. Use a flexible fabric measuring tape to measure the diameter and height of the cake. Also, take measurements for the top of the cake. Then use those measurements to cut the acetate strip for the height and length of the cake, including the top circle of the cake. Set those pieces aside. 
6. Add a slightly thicker layer of buttercream to the cold cake. Use an offset spatula and cake scraper to make the sides as smooth as possible – freeze for 10-15 minutes. 
7. In a medium microwavable bowl, heat the vanilla buttercream for 30 seconds to 1 minute and mix until the buttercream is ganache-like. (Note: if the buttercream looks broken or oily, continue to mix by hand until the buttercream comes back together).  
8. On the top circle of acetate, randomly place the colorful candy melt tile pieces. Tape down the sides of the acetate or weigh it down if the piece isn’t lying flat. 
9. Use the rubber spatula to gently pour or scope the melted buttercream on the candy melt tiles. 
10. Then use the offset spatula to gently smooth the buttercream over the top of the candy melt tiles. Make sure the buttercream is the same thickness across the acetate circle. 
11. To set the buttercream faster, place the acetate in the freezer to set for 5 minutes. 
12. Place the top circle on the cake and use fondant smoothers to smooth the top piece onto the cake. Place the cake into the freezer for 10 minutes to set the top piece. 
13. Gently remove the acetate from the top of the cake. Use a hot knife to trim the edges. 
14. For the sides of the cake, repeat the process by randomly placing the colorful candy melt tiles on the larger piece of acetate. 
15. Use the rubber spatula to gently pour or scope the melted buttercream on top of the candy melt tiles. Then use the offset spatula to gently smooth the buttercream over the top of the candy melt tiles. Make sure the buttercream is the same thickness across the acetate strip.  
16. Allow the buttercream to set, carefully place the acetate onto a baking sheet tray and chill it in the freezer for 5 minutes. 
17. Carefully wrap the sheet of acetate around the chilled cake. Use a cake scraper or fondant smoother to smooth out the acetate strip and make it even around the cake. Trim the ends so the edges match up in the back of the cake. 
18. Freeze the cake for 20 minutes to set the terrazzo buttercream. 
19. Remove the sheet of acetate, revealing the terrazzo buttercream. Trim any loose edges and use an offset spatula to fill in any gaps. If needed, use your hands to smooth and connect the edges. 
20. Serve the cake at room temperature and use a hot knife to cut to get clean slices. Enjoy your masterpiece! 

You May Also Enjoy: 

• Marble Buttercream Cake (recipe & tutorial)
• How to Decorate Your First Cake (free course)
• Cake Decorating for Beginners (masterclass)   

Now that you have learned how to make your Italian-inspired terrazzo cake, you’ll gain the cake confidence to take on any cake challenge! 

I’m so excited to see your Terrazzo Tile Cake creations. Please feel free to email me here at xokatierosario@gmail.com with any questions you may have; I’ll be happy to help! 

Happy Decorating!

Watch The How-to Video Below: Coming Soon

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