Have a big birthday coming up that you need a statement cake for? Whether it’s a party for a soon to be 3 year old, or a soon to be “dirty 30” year old, having a fun (and tasty!) way to celebrate a key part to any party is a must! Follow along for the recipe of the homemade confetti cake, homemade buttercream frosting (drool..), and homemade fondant. Enjoy!
Homemade Confetti Cake
- 9 tablespoons butter, softened (microwave on high for intervals of 1 minute for best results)
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 cup canola or veggie oil
- 4 tsp vanilla extract (I find the best ones are the unfiltered ones – you get more richness of flavor)
- 4 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cup organic milk
- 9 egg whites at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350 F and prepare pans. I used five 5″ round cake pans to make a tall and slender cake. you can use two 8″ round pans and make it a shorter, but wider cake and place the remaining batter in cupcakes!
- In stand mixer, beat butter until creamy on medium-low speed.
- Add sugar and oil. Beat until smooth.
- Make sure to continue to scrape the sides to blend all ingredients. Add vanilla.
- In separate bowl, which flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Measure out milk.
- Gradually alternate milk and flour mixture in mixing bowl on medium low speed. Start and end with adding flour mixture. Make sure not to add too much at a time, so that everything is blended and creamy before moving on, instead of still liquid.
- In separate bowl, blend the egg whites until peaks form.
- Gently fold in egg whites and sprinkles into batter. Be carful not to blend too much.
- Evenly divide batter into greased and floured cake pans. Make sure to dust off extra flour. **Pro Tip: Do not fill cake pans past 3/4 the way from the top to prevent overflow.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean once inserted into the middle.
- Once golden brown, remove from pans and place on cooling rack. Cakes must be fully cooled before adding on any frosting.
Homemade Buttercream Frosting
- 1 pound unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1/4 tsp pink himalayan salt
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 6 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (again, unfiltered)
Instructions
- If you want a full covering with no dry spots, I suggest doubling this recipe. I first tried the original recipe for my 5 layer cake, and wish I had doubled it to get a nice full coating. It still worked out good, but I will double the recipe for next time.
- In stand mixer, beat butter until creamy.
- Add salt and blend.
- Gradually add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time. Take time and blend before adding more.
- One tablespoon at a time, add heavy cream.
- Make sure that we are blending every ingredient fully before adding additional amounts!
- Add vanilla and blend.
- Find a beautiful serving platter and transfer your bottom layer cake to the plate.
- Using frosting sleeves, frost the top of the cake starting with outlining the edges and filling in the middle. We will get to the sides after all layers are accounted for.
- Take the last layer and flip upside down so that the bottom of the cake is facing up. Frost the top. Once all layers are accounted for, frost the sides of your cake and smooth with frosting spatula.
- Place cake in freezer for 10-15 minutes to set the frosting. Remove and add an additional layer. Smooth with spatula.
Marshmallow Fondant
- 1/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 (16 oz) package of mini marshmallows (I couldn’t find bigger sizes than 10 ounce bags, so I got two and used one full bag and partial of the other.)
- 1/4 cup ice cold water
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 pds powdered sugar
Instructions
- Place butter in shallow bowl and save for later.
- Place marshmallows in large microwaveable bowl and melt. I found the tow cycles of 1 minute worked great for a standard microwave.
- Stir in the vanilla and water to the hot marshmallows. Stir to smooth.
- Slowly beat the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Make sure to fully blend before adding additional. The goal is to have sticky dough.
- Reserve 1 cup of powdered sugar for the kneading spot.
- Rub hands thoroughly with room temperature butter. This prevents the fondant from sticking to your skin.
- Place dough on powdered sugar surface and start kneading for 5-10 minutes.
- Form fondant into ball, wrap tightly into ball, and place in fridge overnight.
- When ready to use, allow to come to room temperature and roll out on flat surface with powdered sugar spread thin.
- Depending on your theme, roll out the fondant and use stencils to cut out your shapes for your cake! **Pro tip: using edible glitter makes any cake that much more special. A lot goes a long way, so use a small glass dish, add a tiny amount of almond extract and add a tiny amount of glitter. This will get you through most if not all of your fondant shapes!
No matter the occasion,
Happy (Un)Birthday! Cheers!
