Simple and delicious, few things delight both kids and adults like a confetti cake. Nostalgic, fragrant with vanilla just a joy to look at, this cake, full of sprinkles, never goes out of style; and it's one of the recipe in Rosie Daykin's new cookbook, Let Me Feed You which hits store shelves on April 9. But it's not just cakes and pastries that Daykin wants to share with you. In her new cookbook, the bestselling author of Butter Baked Goods and Butter Celebrates! shows novice and experienced cooks alike just how easy and rewarding it is to create classic comfort foods at home, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Recipes include her take on timeless favourites like potato salad, quiche, meatloaf and fried chicken.
Especially on a dreary and cold winter day, the smell and sight of this cake will cheer you up.
If Friday Were a Cake
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Butter two 8-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
On a large piece of parchment, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Combine the buttermilk and vanilla in a bowl and set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until pale and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Turn the mixer to low and add the egg whites, then increase speed to high and beat until thick and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
With the mixer running on low, add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the dry. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gently fold in the rainbow sprinkles.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops flat with a rubber spatula. Give the pans a couple of light taps on the counter to deflate any overly large air pockets.
Bake on the center rack for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tops are a pale golden color and spring back a little when pressed lightly with your fingertip. Remove from the oven and allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before inverting them onto wire racks to cool completely.
When the cakes are cool, use a large serrated knife to cut each one in half horizontally, making sure to keep the blade level as you cut, to create four layers in total. If that seems daunting, you can always leave the cakes as they are and make a two-layer cake.
Place the bottom layer of cake on a cake board or large plate. Using an offset spatula, spread about ½ cup of the pink vanilla butter cream evenly over the cake layer. Top with the next layer and repeat until you have placed the last layer on top.
With the back of the offset spatula, smooth a thin layer of butter cream across the top and down the sides of the cake. Rotate your spatula back and forth to evenly and thoroughly coat the cake with butter cream, making sure to remove any excess. This thin layer of butter cream will act as your crumb coat, locking down any crumbs. Place the cake in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to allow the crumb coat to set up.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator and place a large dollop of butter cream on top. Use your offset spatula to smooth the icing across the top and down the sides of the cake. Apply more icing to the sides of the cake and smooth it out with your spatula. This will cause the butter cream to build up around the top edge of the cake. Use the spat- ula to drag the edge of butter cream across the top of the cake, which will help create a sharp straight edge rather than a rounded one.
If you have some sprinkles left over, you can sprinkle them around the top of the cake to give people a hint of what is to come inside. Now, cut a slice and enjoy your weekend!
(note: store before icing, covered, for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 1 month)
Pink vanilla buttercream
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until very fluffy and pale yellow. Turn the mixer to low and add the icing sugar. Continue to beat on low until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the milk, vanilla, and food coloring and beat again on low to combine. Turn the mixer to high and continue to beat until the icing is light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
- Yield:
- 1 cake
- Prep Time:
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time:
- 1 hour plus cooling time
