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Cartoon Birthday Cake

Cartoon Birthday Cake Recipe

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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 820
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cups whole milk, at room temperature
  • ½ cup rainbow jimmies sprinkles
  • 2 cups unsalted butter, softened
  • 8 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • ¼ cup whole milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Black gel food coloring

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease three 8-inch round cake pans and line with parchment. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, then beat in eggs and vanilla. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with milk, starting and ending with flour. Fold in sprinkles.
  2. Divide batter among pans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn onto racks to cool completely.
  3. Beat 2 cups butter until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar on low, then mix in milk and vanilla. Whip on medium-high until fluffy and bright white. Tint ½ cup frosting black with gel coloring.
  4. Place one cake layer on a turntable. Spread white frosting on top, repeat with remaining layers. Apply a thin crumb coat all over and chill 30 minutes.
  5. Cover the cake with the remaining white frosting and smooth the sides and top with a bench scraper until even and sharp.
  6. Using a small round piping tip, pipe black buttercream outlines along the edges of the cake. Add cartoon details like a face or slice marks. Serve immediately.

Notes

The decoration looks best if the cake stays cool until serving so the lines hold their shape. If you want to add colored details, reserve a small amount of white frosting before tinting the black portion, then tint those portions bright colors.