Birthday cake

Cake

Ingredients:

55g butter at room temperature
60g vegetable shortening
250g granulated sugar
50g light brown sugar
3 eggs
110g buttermilk
65g grapeseed oil
8g clear vanilla extract
245g cake flour
6g baking powder
3g salt
75g rainbow sprinkles

Directions:

Heat the oven to 175°C.
Combine the butter, shortening, and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs, and mix on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once more.
On low speed, stream in the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. increase the mixer speed to medium-high and paddle for 4 to 6 minutes, until the mixture is practically white, twice the size of your original fluffy butter-and-sugar mixture, and completely homogeneous. don’t rush the process. You’re basically forcing too much liquid into an already fatty mixture that doesn’t want to make room for that liquid. There should be no streaks of fat or liquid. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
On very low speed, add the cake flour, baking powder, salt. Mix for 45 to 60 seconds, just until your batter comes together. Add 3/4 of the rainbow sprinkles and mix for 5 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Pam-spray a quarter sheet pan and line it with parchment, or just line the pan with a silpat. Using a spatula, spread the cake batter in an even layer in the pan. Sprinkle the remaining rainbow sprinkles evenly on top of the batter.
Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes. The cake will rise and puff, doubling in size, but will remain slightly buttery and dense. At 30 minutes, gently poke the edge of the cake with your finger. the cake should bounce back slightly and the center should no longer be jiggly. Leave the cake in the oven for an extra 3 to 5 minutes if it doesn’t pass these tests.
Take the cake out of the oven and cool on a wire rack.

White frosting

Ingredients:

250 g butter room temperature
600 g powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
300 g cream cheese spread full fat

Directions:

Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, one third at a time, and beat on high speed for several minutes until mixture is light and creamy. Scrape the bowl and repeat the process until all of the powdered sugar is well incorporated. Beat in vanilla. You should now have a very stiff buttercream.
Add the cream cheese and beat on high for a couple of seconds to incorporate. Scrape bowl and beat on high again for a couple of seconds.
The frosting can now be spread on cake or cupcakes or chilled until it is firm enough to pipe. This amount is enough to frost and fill a two-layer cake or generously frost 24-30 cupcakes. Store frosting and frosted baked goods in the refrigerator.

Birthday cake crumbs

Ingredients:

100g granulated sugar
25g light brown sugar
90g cake flour
2g baking powder
2g kosher salt
20g rainbow sprinkles
40g grapeseed oil
12g clear vanilla extract

Directions:

Heat the oven to 150°C.
Combine the sugars, flour, baking powder, salt, and sprinkles in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until well combined.
Add the oil and vanilla and paddle again to distribute. The wet ingredients will act as glue to help the dry ingredients form small clusters; continue paddling until that happens.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Let the crumbs cool completely before using in a recipe or scarfing by the handful. Stored in an airtight container, the crumbs will keep fresh for 1 week at room temperature or 1 month in the fridge or freezer.

Assembly

Put a piece of parchment or a silpat on the counter. Invert the cake onto it and peel off the parchment or silpat from the bottom of the cake. Use the cake ring to stamp out 2 circles from the cake. These are your top 2 cake layers. The remaining cake “scrap” will come together to make the bottom layer of the cake.
Clean the cake ring and place it in the center of a sheet pan lined with clean parchment or a silpat. Use 1 strip of acetate to line the inside of the cake ring.
Put the cake scraps together inside the ring and use the back of your hand to tamp the scraps together into a flat even layer.
Dunk a pastry brush in the birthday cake soak and give the layer of cake a good, healthy bath of half of the soak.
Use the back of a spoon to spread one-fifth of the frosting in an even layer over the cake.
Sprinkle one-third of the birthday crumbs evenly over the frosting. Use the back of your hand to anchor them in place.
Use the back of a spoon to spread a second fifth of the birthday cake frosting as evenly as possible over the crumbs.
With your index finger, gently tuck the second strip of acetate between the cake ring and the top ¼ inch of the first strip of acetate, so that you have a clear ring of acetate 5 to 6 inches tall – high enough to support the height of the finished cake. Set a cake round on top of the frosting, and repeat the process for layer 1 (if 1 of your 2 cake rounds is jankier than the other, use it here in the middle and save the prettier one for the top).
Nestle the remaining cake round into the frosting. Cover the top of the cake with the remaining frosting. Give it volume and swirls, or do as we do and opt for a perfectly flat top. Garnish the frosting with the remaining birthday crumbs.
Transfer the sheet pan to the freezer and freeze for a minimum of 12 hours to set The cake and filling. the cake will keep in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
At least 3 hours before you are ready to serve the cake, pull the sheet pan out of the freezer and, using your fingers and thumbs, pop the cake out of the cake ring. Gently peel off the acetate, and transfer the cake to a platter or cake stand. Let it defrost in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours (wrapped well in plastic, the cake can be refrigerated for up to 5 days).

A birthday cake from the Milkbar store in New York. The original icing is horrifically sweet, so this recipe has an adapted recipe. You also, ideally, need to get the ‘biggest’ sprinkles you can, as thin ones will dissolve completely leaving no coloured spots.

--- title: "Birthday cake" image: featured.webp tags: [cake, baking] --- ![](featured.webp) ## Cake ### Ingredients: - 55g butter at room temperature - 60g vegetable shortening - 250g granulated sugar - 50g light brown sugar - 3 eggs - 110g buttermilk - 65g grapeseed oil - 8g clear vanilla extract - 245g cake flour - 6g baking powder - 3g salt - 75g rainbow sprinkles ### Directions: - Heat the oven to 175°C. - Combine the butter, shortening, and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs, and mix on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once more. - On low speed, stream in the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. increase the mixer speed to medium-high and paddle for 4 to 6 minutes, until the mixture is practically white, twice the size of your original fluffy butter-and-sugar mixture, and completely homogeneous. don’t rush the process. You’re basically forcing too much liquid into an already fatty mixture that doesn’t want to make room for that liquid. There should be no streaks of fat or liquid. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. - On very low speed, add the cake flour, baking powder, salt. Mix for 45 to 60 seconds, just until your batter comes together. Add 3/4 of the rainbow sprinkles and mix for 5 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. - Pam-spray a quarter sheet pan and line it with parchment, or just line the pan with a silpat. Using a spatula, spread the cake batter in an even layer in the pan. Sprinkle the remaining rainbow sprinkles evenly on top of the batter. - Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes. The cake will rise and puff, doubling in size, but will remain slightly buttery and dense. At 30 minutes, gently poke the edge of the cake with your finger. the cake should bounce back slightly and the center should no longer be jiggly. Leave the cake in the oven for an extra 3 to 5 minutes if it doesn't pass these tests. - Take the cake out of the oven and cool on a wire rack. ## White frosting ### Ingredients: - 250 g butter room temperature - 600 g powdered sugar - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - 300 g cream cheese spread full fat ### Directions: - Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, one third at a time, and beat on high speed for several minutes until mixture is light and creamy. Scrape the bowl and repeat the process until all of the powdered sugar is well incorporated. Beat in vanilla. You should now have a very stiff buttercream. - Add the cream cheese and beat on high for a couple of seconds to incorporate. Scrape bowl and beat on high again for a couple of seconds. - The frosting can now be spread on cake or cupcakes or chilled until it is firm enough to pipe. This amount is enough to frost and fill a two-layer cake or generously frost 24-30 cupcakes. Store frosting and frosted baked goods in the refrigerator. ## Birthday cake crumbs ### Ingredients: - 100g granulated sugar - 25g light brown sugar - 90g cake flour - 2g baking powder - 2g kosher salt - 20g rainbow sprinkles - 40g grapeseed oil - 12g clear vanilla extract ### Directions: - Heat the oven to 150°C. - Combine the sugars, flour, baking powder, salt, and sprinkles in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until well combined. - Add the oil and vanilla and paddle again to distribute. The wet ingredients will act as glue to help the dry ingredients form small clusters; continue paddling until that happens. - Bake for 15 minutes. - Let the crumbs cool completely before using in a recipe or scarfing by the handful. Stored in an airtight container, the crumbs will keep fresh for 1 week at room temperature or 1 month in the fridge or freezer. ## Assembly - Put a piece of parchment or a silpat on the counter. Invert the cake onto it and peel off the parchment or silpat from the bottom of the cake. Use the cake ring to stamp out 2 circles from the cake. These are your top 2 cake layers. The remaining cake "scrap" will come together to make the bottom layer of the cake. - Clean the cake ring and place it in the center of a sheet pan lined with clean parchment or a silpat. Use 1 strip of acetate to line the inside of the cake ring. - Put the cake scraps together inside the ring and use the back of your hand to tamp the scraps together into a flat even layer. - Dunk a pastry brush in the birthday cake soak and give the layer of cake a good, healthy bath of half of the soak. - Use the back of a spoon to spread one-fifth of the frosting in an even layer over the cake. - Sprinkle one-third of the birthday crumbs evenly over the frosting. Use the back of your hand to anchor them in place. - Use the back of a spoon to spread a second fifth of the birthday cake frosting as evenly as possible over the crumbs. - With your index finger, gently tuck the second strip of acetate between the cake ring and the top ¼ inch of the first strip of acetate, so that you have a clear ring of acetate 5 to 6 inches tall – high enough to support the height of the finished cake. Set a cake round on top of the frosting, and repeat the process for layer 1 (if 1 of your 2 cake rounds is jankier than the other, use it here in the middle and save the prettier one for the top). - Nestle the remaining cake round into the frosting. Cover the top of the cake with the remaining frosting. Give it volume and swirls, or do as we do and opt for a perfectly flat top. Garnish the frosting with the remaining birthday crumbs. - Transfer the sheet pan to the freezer and freeze for a minimum of 12 hours to set The cake and filling. the cake will keep in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. - At least 3 hours before you are ready to serve the cake, pull the sheet pan out of the freezer and, using your fingers and thumbs, pop the cake out of the cake ring. Gently peel off the acetate, and transfer the cake to a platter or cake stand. Let it defrost in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours (wrapped well in plastic, the cake can be refrigerated for up to 5 days). A birthday cake from the [Milkbar store](https://milkbarstore.com/blogs/recipes/birthday-cake) in New York. The original icing is horrifically sweet, so this recipe has an adapted recipe. You also, ideally, need to get the 'biggest' sprinkles you can, as thin ones will dissolve completely leaving no coloured spots.