Milk Bar Birthday Cake (Printer-friendly)
Playful vanilla layer cake with moist sponge, tangy buttercream, and crunchy rainbow crumb topping
# What you'll need:
→ Cake
01 - 2 1/2 cups cake flour
02 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
05 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
06 - 1/3 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
07 - 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
08 - 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
09 - 3 large eggs
10 - 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
11 - 1/3 cup whole milk
12 - 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
13 - 1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles
→ Birthday Cake Crumb
14 - 1/2 cup cake flour
15 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
16 - 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
17 - 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
18 - 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
19 - 2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles
20 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
21 - 1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract
→ Frosting
22 - 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
23 - 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
24 - 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
25 - 1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract
26 - 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
27 - 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
28 - 1 to 2 tablespoons whole milk
→ Assembly
29 - 1/4 cup whole milk
30 - 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
# Method:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a quarter sheet pan (9x13 inch) and line with parchment paper.
02 - Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
03 - Using a stand mixer, beat butter, shortening, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes. Scrape down bowl sides.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated.
05 - Reduce mixer speed to low. Add buttermilk, whole milk, and vanilla extract; mix until combined. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Fold in rainbow sprinkles.
06 - Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake for 28–32 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan.
07 - Lower oven temperature to 300°F. In a bowl, combine cake flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and sprinkles. Add melted butter and vanilla; mix with fork until small clusters form.
08 - Spread crumb mixture on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Cool completely.
09 - Beat butter, shortening, and cream cheese in stand mixer until smooth. Add vanilla and salt. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until fluffy. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until spreadable consistency is reached.
10 - Whisk together whole milk and vanilla extract in a small bowl.
11 - Using a 6-inch cake ring, cut two full circles and two half circles from the cooled cake sheet.
12 - Place a full cake round inside a lined 6-inch cake ring set on a cake board. Brush with vanilla soak. Spread 1/5 of frosting over cake, then sprinkle 1/3 of crumbs.
13 - Add half-circles to fill gaps. Brush with vanilla soak, spread frosting, and sprinkle crumbs. Repeat with remaining cake round. Top with final soak, frosting layer, and remaining crumbs.
14 - Refrigerate cake in ring for at least 1 hour or overnight. Remove ring and transfer to serving platter. Serve at room temperature.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The crumb topping adds this insane salty sweet crunch that people cannot stop eating straight from the container
- That vanilla milk soak keeps every layer impossibly moist even after three days in the fridge
- It tastes exactly like childhood birthday parties but elevated enough for grown up celebrations
02 -
- The cake ring method creates those perfectly neat layers but honestly round cutters work if you don't have one
- Room temperature ingredients are non negotiable here or your emulsion will break and the texture suffers
- Clear vanilla extract matters for the classic funfetti taste but regular vanilla works in a pinch
03 -
- Spray your measuring cup with oil before measuring the shortening it slides right out
- Use a kitchen scale if possible because cake flour is notoriously tricky to measure by volume