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Butterfly Birthday Cake

Butterfly Birthday Cake Recipe

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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 520
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 to 3 tbsp heavy cream or milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Food coloring
  • Decorations (M&M’s, mini chocolate chips, licorice ropes, edible glitter)

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch pans. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla, then alternate dry ingredients and milk. Divide batter and bake 25–28 minutes until a toothpick is clean. Cool completely.
  2. Beat butter, gradually add powdered sugar, then cream and vanilla. Whip until fluffy. Tint portions with food coloring.
  3. Place one whole round on a board for the body. Cut the second round in half, then trim a shallow curved wedge off each half to form wings. Arrange wings touching the body, points outward.
  4. Crumb coat the whole cake with white frosting and chill 15 minutes. Frost thickly with white, then spread or pipe colored buttercream onto the wings in sections.
  5. Press M&M’s into the colored frosting, dot mini chips on the body, and attach licorice antennae with a dab of frosting.

Notes

Cooling time is not included in the prep or cook times; allow 1 to 2 hours for the layers to cool and 15 minutes for the crumb coat to set. For the crispiest candy, add decorations no more than a few hours before serving.