Confetti Celebration Cake

 

Cake Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing pans
2 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 TBsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola or avocado oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup ice-cold water

1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup sprinkles (two 2.7 oz bottles)
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Ingredients: Makes 6 1/2 cups
1 to 1 1/4 cups sprinkles (two or three 2.7 oz bottles)  

6 large egg whites

 1 1/3 cups sugar 

Pinch of salt 

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature 

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

 

 Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heavily butter three 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and butter the parchment. 

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 oil 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, using a hand mixer, 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.

This batter makes enough for three layers of cake plus eight cupcakes. I learned this the hard way the first time, only making the cakes, which ended up overflowing when they rose in the oven. Fill your cupcake tins first then divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and smooth the tops.

 

Bake the cupcakes for 16-18 minutes. Bake the cakes, until a toothpick inserted in the 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 from the bottoms.

 

To make the frosting, 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 the butter has been added, whisk in vanilla. Switch to the paddle attachment and continue beating until the frosting is super smooth. If using that day, keep the frosting at room temperature. If not, cover and store in the refrigerator. On the day of use, let it come back to room temperature then beat with the paddle attachment until smooth.

To assemble the cake, place thin strips of parchment or wax paper around the edges of your turntable of plate (this will really help when it comes time to clean up. See the photos below on how to place). Smooth a dollop of frosting on the center of your platter (helps keep the cake from sliding) and place one cooled cake layer on the turntable or serving platter topside down. This creates a flat surface on top. Evenly spread about 1 cup of buttercream over top. Add next layer, and frost it as before, then add third layer. 

 

Frost sides and top with remaining buttercream. Place your turntable of serving platter on top of your biggest sheet tray. This will help with clean-up and keep the sprinkles from going everywhere. Grab a fistful of sprinkles and press/toss them against the sides of the cake. Make sure to re-use the sprinkles that land on the parchment or back on the sheet tray (sprinkles that didn’t stick). Continue turning the cake and throwing until the cake is covered in sprinkles. You can also cover the top with sprinkles and have the entire thing covered.

 

Don’t worry if you get a little messy with the sprinkles on top. You can always grab some tweezers and remove the unwanted ones, like I did. Or just go for it and cover every square inch with sprinkles. Gently pull the strips of parchment out from under the edges of the cake (see photos below). Chill the cake for about 5 minutes to set before serving.

 

This cake looks great topped with tall candles or a piped out message.

This cake will keep in a cake saver refrigerated for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving. Don’t skip this or you’ll have a very firm, non-luscious cake. Enjoy!