Max & Ruby Cake: Sweet Strawberry Meets Irresistible Chocolate

Today, we’re diving into the delightful world of Max and Ruby with a cake inspired by these lovable bunnies. This cake draws from their colourful adventures, which often revolve around family, friendship, and growth. Specifically, it takes inspiration from the opening theme song, where Ruby has a beautiful light pink cake, while Max created what appears to be a cake made of dirt cake. Although Ruby’s cake sounds much more appealing, our recipe combines both cakes into one equally delicious creation! I’ve seen various interpretations of this cake all over TikTok, and I’m thrilled to bring my own version to life. Although there might be alternative recipes out there, ours is sure to take the cake!

In this recipe, you’ll bake two cakes and combine them: one half will be Ruby’s fluffy strawberry cake, and the other will be Max’s rich chocolate cake featuring our twist on a classic dirt pie. This cake is not only a decadent treat, but a fun baking experience that will surely bring smiles to everyone at your table. With vibrant layers, two delicious flavours, and charming decorations, this cake brings itself to life and is bound to make anyone happy!

Ingredients

Ruby's Cake:

• 2 cups white sugar

• 1 (3 ounce) package strawberry flavored Jell-O®

• 4 large eggs (room temperature)

• 2 ¾ cups  flour

• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

• 1 cup whole milk, room temperature

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Max's Cake

• 2 cups white sugar

• 1 cup vegetable oil

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup milk

• 1 cup hot coffee

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ¾ cups of cocoa powder

• 2 cups flour

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 2 tsp baking soda

• ½ cup sour cream (can substitute applesauce)

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Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes/cake

Servings: 15

Yield: one 9-inch cake pan

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.

2. Beat sugar, butter, and strawberry jell-O mix together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs.

3. Add flour and baking powder to the wet ingredient mixture

4. Mix in milk and vanilla 

5. Pour and smooth batter into a pan lined with parchment paper.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool before icing.

7. While the strawberry cake is in the oven, prepare a 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper and prepare the chocolate cake.

8. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of sugar, 1 cup of vegetable oil, 2 eggs, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. 

9. Slowly pour in one cup of hot coffee and mix until well combined.

10. Add ¾ cup of cocoa powder, 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and 2 teaspoons of baking soda to the wet mixture

11. Stir ½ cup of sour cream into the mixture. (this makes the cake super soft and moist!) If you don’t have sour cream, you can use applesauce as an alternative.

12. Pour batter into pan and smooth if needed. Bake in the oven at 325 degrees fahrenheit for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool before icing.

13. For the strawberry cake, pour white vanilla icing into a bowl. Dip a toothpick in pink food colouring and mix it into the vanilla icing until the colour becomes light pink.

14. Cut cake in half and ice one half, covering the top and sides. Then stack the other half on top and repeat. 

15. For the chocolate cake, cut the cake in half and ice one half with chocolate icing, covering the top and sides. Then stack the other half on top and repeat. 

16. Decorate strawberry cake with colourful sprinkles and dollops of yellow icing.

17. Crush Oreos in a small bowl. Decorate chocolate cake with crushed oreos, raspberries, and gummy worms.

18. If cake halves aren’t already beside each other, join them now by placing them on the same tray to form a whole circle. Last but not least, enjoy!