• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Tara Teaspoon logo

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Easy Dinners
    • Desserts
    • Pasta
  • Cookbooks
    • Delicious Gatherings
    • Live Life Deliciously
  • Newsletter
  • Shop
  • About Me
    • Contact Me
    • Ask Tara
    • Privacy Policy Version 2022
    • Disclosure Statement
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Easy Dinners
    • Desserts
    • Pasta
  • Cookbooks
    • Delicious Gatherings
    • Live Life Deliciously
  • Newsletter
  • Shop
  • About Me
    • Contact Me
    • Ask Tara
    • Privacy Policy Version 2022
    • Disclosure Statement
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    TaraTeaspoon » Desserts » Cake

    This page contains affiliate and sponsored links. See my full disclosure.

    Published: by

    Polka Dot Cake With Meringue Kisses

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
    Polka Dot Cake Pin 2

    Happy smiles is all you'll see when you bring this fanciful Polka Dot Cake to the party.


    Polka Dot Cake With Meringue Kisses

    Rich chocolate frosting gets covered with light and crispy meringue kisses to make the most fun cake you'll ever make. This is one of those uber-impressive creations you'll get showered with praise for. Feel free to take all the credit!

    My recipe for Colorful Meringue Kisses makes a big batch - you'll only need about half of them to decorate the cake. To create tasty cookies out of the rest: Sandwich kisses together with frosting, your favorite jam, peanut butter, dulce de leche, Nutella or any other dessert spread. They'll stay crisp for a day.

    Meringue bites

    Color the meringue any hue you like. I mixed pastels for spring. Make sure you don't attempt meringue on a rainy spring day! The moisture in the air makes it nearly impossible for them to dry out and get crisp. One of those sunny days will be perfect 🙂

    Meringue bites
    Polka Dot Cake with chocolate frosting and meringue kisses

    Polka Dot Cake with Meringue Kisses

    Tara Teaspoon
    Happy smiles is all you'll see when you bring this fanciful Polka Dot Cake to the party.
    5 from 15 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 1 hour hr
    Cook Time 4 hours hrs
    Total Time 5 hours hrs
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 10 to 12
    Calories 929 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 3 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
    • 2 cups sugar
    • 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 4 large eggs
    • 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
    • 2 cans (16-oz containers) chocolate frosting whipped until fluffy

    Colorful Meringue Kisses

    • ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoon sugar
    • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
    • 3 large egg whites
    • Gel-paste food coloring

    Instructions
     

    • Heat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans; line pans with parchment, grease and flour, tapping out excess flour, then set aside. In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
    • Beat butter and sugar until light, about 2 min. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time, beating after each. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in 3 parts, beginning and ending with flour and scraping down sides of bowl often. Divide batter between pans and bake until a cake tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30 min. Cool in pans 15 min. Turn out and cool, top side up.

    For Meringue Kisses:

    • Heat oven to 175°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Prepare 4 large pastry bags fitted with ½-inch plain tips or plain couplers; set aside.
    • In a small, heavy saucepan combine ¾ cup sugar, corn syrup and 2 tablespoon water over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves; remove spoon. Brush insides of pan with a wet pastry brush to remove anysugar crystals. Boil, without stirring, until syrup registers 230°F on a candy thermometer, about 4 min.
    • While syrup cooks, whip egg whites and remaining 2 tablespoon sugar until soft peaks form. With mixer on low speed, pour sugar syrup into egg whites in a slow steady stream. Increase mixer speed to high and beat until mixture is thick and glossy, about 5 min.
    • Working quickly, divide meringue between 4 bowls, then tint pink, orange, yellow or blue. Stir each one before transferring to prepared pastry bags. Pipe 1 ¼-inch round kisses onto lined baking sheets as close together as possible. Bake until set and cooked through, about 2 ½ hr. Turn oven off, leaving meringues to dry completely, about 1 hr.

    Assemble the cake:

    • Trim domed tops from cooled cakes. Fill with a ¼-inch-thick layer of frosting and frost the entire cake. Decorate sides with Meringue Kisses.

    Notes

    • My recipe for Colorful Meringue Kisses makes a big batch - you'll only need about half of them to decorate the cake. To create tasty cookies out of the rest: Sandwich kisses together with frosting, your favorite jam, peanut butter, dulce de leche, Nutella or any other dessert spread. They'll stay crisp for a day.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 929kcalCarbohydrates: 144gProtein: 9gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 117mgSodium: 485mgPotassium: 423mgFiber: 1gSugar: 110gVitamin A: 710IUCalcium: 115mgIron: 3.5mg
    Want to watch videos to show you how to cook?Check out our Youtube and try this recipe and more.

    Cake recipes for any occasion

    • Close up image with text of candied lemon zest on top of pink lemonade cake
      Candied Lemon Zest
    • Summer desserts for a crowd feature image
      15 Stunning Summer Desserts for a Crowd
    • Fresh fruit cakes on display
      How to Make a Fresh Watermelon Cake
    • Creamy Caramel Icing on a slice of Classic Spice Cake
      Homemade Spice Cake With Caramel Icing
    • best frosting for chocolate cake layers
      The Best Frosting for Chocolate Cake
    • close up of whipped chocolate ganache frosting
      Whipped Chocolate Ganache Frosting
    • rhubarb cake slice with whipped cream
      Rhubarb Upside Down Cake
    • fluffy vanilla white frosting
      Light and Fluffy Vanilla Frosting
    Tara in kitchen making salad

    About Tara Teaspoon

    I’ve been in the food publishing business for over 20 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television & advertising. Order my new cookbook & stick around for amazing things to eat.

    Find out more!

    Recipe Tara Bench & Khalil Hymore. Photographs Kate Sears. Food Stylist Tara Bench. Prop Stylist Pam Morris. Originally published 5/11

    « Cake Pops With Pantry Toppers
    Pink Lemonade Cake »

    Filed Under: Cake, Candy + Treats, Desserts Tagged With: baking, buttermilk, cake, colorful, happy cake, meringue kisses, Polka-Dot Cake

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Robin McMahon says

      April 20, 2016 at 5:20 pm

      Looks Great!

      Reply
    2. Mary Bench says

      July 17, 2018 at 3:16 pm

      So whimsical yet sophisticated! Beautiful!

      Reply
    3. Brittany Smart says

      July 19, 2018 at 3:19 pm

      Such a fun but beautiful way to decorate a cake!

      Reply
    4. Veena Azmanov says

      January 29, 2020 at 10:23 am

      Very cute and creative and best Valentine Idea too. Love the colors giving it that amazing look.

      Reply
    5. Linda says

      January 31, 2020 at 1:20 am

      This cake looks so fun and delightful. I love the color combination and who can say no to a chocolate cake like this one.

      Reply
    6. Kushigalu says

      January 31, 2020 at 5:06 am

      What a beautiful and gorgeous way to decorate cake. Loved it!

      Reply
    7. Uma Srinivas says

      January 31, 2020 at 1:19 pm

      How beautiful is this cake that you made!!
      You did hard work on this and gorgeous pictures too! Perfect for Valentine's day!

      Reply
    8. Pam Greer says

      January 31, 2020 at 1:29 pm

      This is the cutest cake ever!!! I will be making it for my granddaughter's birthday and I know that she is going to love it!

      Reply
    9. Sophie says

      February 02, 2020 at 1:54 pm

      This looks so delicious and yum. Maybe the loveliest cake I have seen. Thanks for the inspiration.

      Reply
    10. Jenni LeBaron says

      February 02, 2020 at 6:44 pm

      This polka dot cake is so brilliant! I love the idea of using these meringue kisses to decorate. I also love that you can change up all of the colors depending on your event!

      Reply
    11. Charity Beth Long says

      February 02, 2020 at 8:51 pm

      This cake is so pretty! The colors are perfect for spring. What brand and colors did you use? Thanks in advance!

      Reply
    12. Sara says

      February 03, 2020 at 11:27 am

      What a delicious and ADORABLE cake! I can't wait to make the colorful kisses for Valentine's Day this year!

      Reply
    13. Vikki says

      May 20, 2020 at 1:33 am

      I love this decoration, it's so fun and colorful!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        May 20, 2020 at 6:34 pm

        Thanks Vikki!

        Reply
    14. Catalina says

      May 20, 2020 at 1:56 pm

      This cake is so cute! Such an awesome decoration idea!

      Reply
    15. Allyson Zea says

      May 20, 2020 at 2:17 pm

      Wow this turned out so delicious! YUMMY!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        May 20, 2020 at 6:33 pm

        Oh good! Thanks for the comment!

        Reply
    16. Kevin says

      May 22, 2020 at 4:12 pm

      This looks so cool! I love the way your made the polka dots!

      Reply

    Let us know how it went! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    search this website

    I’ve been sharing my original ideas for years. What began as a passion, turned into a career as magazine Food Editor at Martha Stewart and then Entertaining Director at Ladies’ Home Journal. All in all, I’ve shared recipes, cooking tips, and DIY ideas with more than 24 MILLION people. Make that 24 million and one. Thanks for stopping by Tara Teaspoon!

    Delicious Gatherings

    Delicious Gatherings cookbook cover

    follow on social

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Cookie Tips!

    Don't forget your FREE MAGAZINE! Sign up to get your own copy of my Cookie Tips booklet for exclusive tips on cookies and frostings. 'Tis the season!

    Enter your name here and I'll send this mini-magazine right to your inbox.

    Live Life Deliciously Recipe Sharing Group!

    In this group, we share dinner, dessert, snack, and lunch recipes. Any and all recipes are welcome (with a few rules). Let's make cooking and baking at home fun!

    Join Our Group

    Media Kit

    Hi, I'm Tara Teaspoon!

    I’ve been sharing my original ideas for years. What began as a passion, turned into a career as magazine Food Editor at Martha Stewart and then Entertaining Director at Ladies’ Home Journal. All in all, I’ve shared recipes, cooking tips, and DIY ideas with more than 24 MILLION people. Make that 24 million and one. Thanks for stopping by Tara Teaspoon!

    More about me →

    Popular


    • feature image of sliced walnut pumpkin bread
      Whole Wheat Walnut Pumpkin Bread
    • sweet potato and yukon gold gratin
      Two Potatoes au Gratin with Gruyere
    • stack of carmelitas oatmeal bars
      Oatmeal Carmelitas Recipe
    • Close up stack of crispy pecan cookies on a counter.
      Pecan Crisp Cookies

    Footer

    Helpful Links

    • New Posts
      • Recipe Index
    • Cookbooks
      • Delicious Gatherings
      • Live Life Deliciously
    • About Me
      • Ask Tara
      • Videos
      • Contact Me
        • Privacy Policy Version 2022
        • Tara Teaspoon Disclosure Statement

    Popular Recipes

    • Cookbook
    • Easy Dinners
    • Grilling and Smoking
    • Chicken and Poultry
    • Baking
    • Halloween
    • Chocolate

    Recent Posts

    • Whole Wheat Walnut Pumpkin Bread
    • Two Potatoes au Gratin with Gruyere
    • Oatmeal Carmelitas Recipe
    • Pecan Crisp Cookies
    • Splurge-Worthy Gifts For The Cooking Enthusiast

    Copyright © 2023 Tara Teaspoon on the Brunch Pro Theme