This is what a birthday cake should be! A moist vanilla layer cake, with a homemade Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting– velvety smooth and creamy and decorated with colorful and festive sprinkles! Did I mention that I made this for my own birthday? Yes, I did, and my guests loved it as much as I enjoyed making it!
Here comes my transparency, to my friends and readers: My birthday was last July. Okay, okay…it’s now March! I made this cake for my own birthday, because it’s become my own self-inflicted tradition to bake my own cake– because it’s fun for me! I kept meaning to post this recipe, but Pumpkin Season came around, then Peppermint Season…and so I decided to hold on with sharing this recipe until spring. So, without further adieu…here it is!
Yes, I enjoy baking cakes, very much. I’m not adverse to cake mixes at all, though I get a personal satisfaction baking a bake from scratch. Canned frostings, however, will never find a home in my pantry. I think they taste awful, to be honest. I’m not a fan of the texture and artificial flavors– especially when making homemade buttercream is so easy to do!
So, while July was many moons ago, I wanted to share this recipe with you, because this cake is worthy for any occasion. Change the sprinkle colors to spring pastels, and this would make an impressive cake on your Easter Table– for any birthday…or “just because”.
I believe that what made this particular cake so spectacular was the frosting. Yes, I do believe that’s so true! Have you never made a Swiss Meringue Buttercream? No? Well, hold on– because I hope to convince you that this frosting will make you swear off any canned frosting forever– and just might make a classic buttercream seem a bit underwhelming.
But, first, let’s start with the cake recipe. For the batter, we’re using cake flour, instead of all-purpose flour. Cake flour has a bit less gluten, you see, so this is better insurance for a tender cake (or crumb, as bakers like to call it). There’s also buttermilk in the batter, and I believe this adds a lovely, yet subtle, tang and moisture to the cake. Of course, there’s butter in the batter, sprinkles and whipped egg whites are gently folded in.
There we are! Three 8″-round cake pans of cake that is ready to be cooled. So, it’s time to make some Swiss Meringue Buttercream. A stand mixer is the best way to do this. You could use a hand held mixer, but you might need a third hand. This is buttercream, so there is an absurd amount of butter (like, um, like almost five sticks of butter). Yes, queue the cholesterol police. Keep in mind, this is for a special occasion, and if your guests love this cake as much as mine did– there won’t be much left over. So…
While waiting for the butter to come to room temperature, you need egg whites. (For the leftover yolks you could make custard ice cream):
Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water.
Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting
on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff
(but not dry) peaks form.
With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. The first time I made Swiss Buttercream, I was a little nervous as the frosting didn’t seem very thick.
However, my patience paid off. Here is a lovely, silky almost-whipped-cream texture Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Good heavens! So, the cakes are cooled and ready to be frosted. I find that a rotating turntable makes frosting cakes so much easier. I place a sheet of parchment paper on top of a baking sheet, underneath the cake and turntable.
Layer #1 gets a schmear of frosting, then Layer #2, Layer #3. Frost the sides and don’t worry about perfection– you’re about to get sprinkle happy!
I grabbed a fist full of sprinkles, and pressed them along the side of the cake. With the baking sheet positioned below, I can just scoop up more sprinkles and carry on.
It’s important to refrigerate the cake for at least an hour, so the frosting can set.
My husband and son, grilled a wonderful birthday dinner just for me. My siblings joined us, and a few other friends. When I presented this cake, it was a big “Ta-Da” for sure.
My brother, who is a professional photographer, couldn’t resist photographing me, photographing my cake for this blog.
TASTING NOTES: If you want to take a shortcut, go ahead and buy a boxed white cake mix. I won’t judge, I promise. However, make this frosting. I know that there’s a LOT of butter happening here– but once in a while– live it up and enjoy! Yes, it’s rich, but it’s just like a professional upscale bakery would make. This is my new “go to” Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting.
I’m only four months away from my next birthday, and I’m already scouting out a new cake recipe to make. I do love “Princess Cake” and have never worked with fondant. We shall see…
Sprinkle Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, (1 stick) softened, plus more for pans
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour plus more for dusting
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup water ice-cold
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
- 1 cup sprinkles assorted colors
- 3 large egg whites at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 to 1 1/4 cups sprinkles for decorating
For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 6 egg whites
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 4 sticks plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into tablespoons, room temperature
- 1 3/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Butter three 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and butter the parchment*. Dust with flour and knock out the excess flour.
- NOTE: I use parchment paper, but instead of buttery and flouring my cake pans, I trust “Baker’s Joy” (easily found at WalMart or on Amazon)
- Whisk together both flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and shortening on medium speed until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add sugar and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides of bowl, add egg, and beat until just combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together ice-cold water, milk, and buttermilk.
- With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with water mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Scrape down sides of bowl.
- With mixer on medium speed, beat for a few seconds to incorporate. Remove bowl from stand mixer, scatter sprinkles across the top of the batter, and fold them in with a rubber spatula.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar just until soft peaks form; do not overbeat. Gently fold egg whites into the batter with a rubber spatula.
- Divide batter evenly among the prepared pans and smooth tops. Bake, rotating pans halfway through baking time, until a toothpick inserted in center of each cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes
- Transfer cakes to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Invert cakes onto rack, remove from pans, and let cool completely. Remove parchment.
- Place one cooled cake layer on a cake turntable (or a serving platter). Using a serrated knife, trim top of cake to create a flat surface, and evenly spread about 1 cup of buttercream over top. Add next layer, trim it, and frost it as before, then add third layer (trim the final layer for a completely flat top, or feel free to leave it domed for an old-school appearance).
- For the Swiss Meringue:
- Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water.
- Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips).
- Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes.
- With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Once all butter has been added, whisk in vanilla. Switch to the paddle attachment, and continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula, and continue beating until the frosting is completely smooth. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day.
- To finish the cake:
- Place turntable on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.
- Frost sides and top with remaining buttercream. Grab a fistful of sprinkles and turn the turntable with your free hand while tossing the sprinkles at sides of cake. Using the sprinkles that are on the parchment (sprinkles that didn’t stick), continue turning and throwing until cake (including the top) is covered in sprinkles.
- NOTE: I like to place a baking sheet underneath the cake, so easily grab any fallen sprinkles
- Chill the cake for about 5 minutes to set before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Well I love your coconut cake, so I know I'd love this too. No store bought frosting (or cake mix) for me. But five sticks of butter in the frosting? I need more statin pills!
I can see why you chose this cake for your birthday. If my granddaughter saw it, that would be her choice too.
Isn't it always the BEST recipes that come from some Aunt nobody's ever heard of? I can't wait to try these ~ they look like they'd be great for holiday baking, too, with a few sprinkles on top 🙂
nice