Funfetti Cake with Buttercream Icing

Growing up we were taught there were four seasons. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Only recently was it brought to my attention there are actually eleven, yes eleven, seasons here in the midwest. Winter, Fool's Spring, Second Winter, Spring of Deception, Third Winter, Mud Season, Actual Spring, Summer, False Fall, Second Summer, and Fall. In spite of the fact meteorological spring occurred earlier this week, the third winter will be arriving this weekend. Of course it will be here just in time to make the Saturday morning run a bit treacherous. This will be the second Saturday in a row where Murphy's Law has ruled. However, considering the number of Nor'easters having substantial snowfalls there have been this year, I am not quite sure my east coast friends would have any sympathy for us Midwesterners.

Speaking of sympathy, I am currently feeling a bit sorry for myself. Unfortunately, it seems like there has been a bit of  a 'woe is me' theme going on in my life lately. While still recovering from a glute injury sustained more than three months ago, I twisted by ankle this week. One of those freak accidents that occurred while I was walking on a flat surface while wearing only one inch high ankle boots. Although I have yet to have a full out melt down or had my ankle x-rayed (hoping for divine intervention or the subsiding of my off the charts state of panic), I have been trying to convince myself I wouldn't be able to walk on it if it was broken along with trying to forget the 'popping' sound I thought I heard when I twisted it. Selfishly I am hoping the upcoming third winter weekend weather conditions force the cancellation of Saturday's run (my sincere apologies to all of my running friends for trying to put the whammy it). Because technically I wouldn't be missing it and my traumatized ankle would have a little more time to heal. But now that I put that out there in the universe, it will be a weather perfect morning for a run. Murphy's Law.

In between icing and elevating my twisted ankle, I decided to make a surprise birthday cake for the soon to be eleven year old niece of one my friends. This Funfetti Cake with Buttercream Icing, one with sprinkles inside, around and on top the cake, seemed like it would be 11th birthday celebratory worthy.

As another one of my friends pointed out, a cake with sprinkles would not just make an eleven year old happy, it would make pretty much anyone happy. Considering how many hundreds, even thousands of likes each of the sprinkle and/or funfetti cakes making almost weekly appearances receive on Instagram get, she's right. The sprinkle (aka unicorn food) craze, or rather obsession, has been going on strong for the past decade. And it's one neither limited to cakes nor ending anytime soon. So if you haven't yet made a funfetti cake, you are not late to the party!

Sprinkles, as I learned while looking for recipes, show up better in white cakes than in yellow cakes. For this Funfetti Cake with Buttercream Icing I decided to use Smitten Kitchen's Confetti Party Cake recipe, making just a few changes.  I doubled the amount of vanilla (a half teaspoon wasn't going to be enough for my vanilla loving palate) and slightly increased the amount of sprinkles used in the cake (one additional teaspoon).  Instead of adding in the dry ingredients at various points in the cake making process, I whisked them all together and mixed them into the batter all in at once.

In a preheated 350 degree (F) oven, the made in an eight inch cake pan cake baked for almost 32 minutes.

Using an 8" inch round versus square cake pan yielded a cake slightly over an inch in height. Just enough height to handle an almost equal amount of buttercream icing.

I don't know how anyone achieves a white icing when using (yellow) butter. Particularly the European butters. So there is no point in using a clear vanilla when making this icing. Besides the really good stuff isn't clear.

The recipe for the icing yields all of the icing you see on this decorated cake. After putting a thin skim coat on top of and slightly thicker coat on the sides of the cake (so the sprinkles would adhere), the rest of the icing went into a pastry bag. I changed out several pastry tips before settling on the Ateco 867 (French Star) tip. When you pipe the icing and add some sprinkles to a single layer cake you magically transform a relatively simple, deceivingly ordinary birthday cake into a extraordinary swoonworthy one.

This Funfetti Cake with Buttercream Icing has it all. It's moist, has a tender crumb, and is the perfect compliment to the creamy, rich buttercream icing. Did I also mention it's also 'oh so pretty'? 

Funfetti cakes are not just for eleven year olds. They have a way of bringing out the kid still lurking inside all of us. Bring this cake to the table and sit back to watch smiles emerge and eyes widen. Who knew sprinkles could evoke such pure multi-generational joy?

Recipe
Funfetti Cake with Buttercream Icing (Several changes in ingredients and assembly of the Smitten Kitchen's Confetti Party Cake recipe)
Serves 8

Ingredients
Cake
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (130g) granulated sugar
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup (130g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon sprinkles

Icing
1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups (360g) confectionary sugar, sifted
Pinch of kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2-3 Tablespoons milk
Additional sprinkles for decorating

Directions
Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Prepare an 8" round cake pan (line with parchment paper, lightly butter or spray with cooking oil). Set aside.
2. Place the dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt) in a medium sized bowl. Whisk to blend. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy (approximately 2 minutes) using a hand held mixer.
4. Add sugar and beat until light and creamy (approximately 2-3 minutes).
5. Add egg whites one at a time, beating until fully incorporated.
6. Add vanilla and buttermilk. The mixture will look a little grainy, but do not worry, the texture will change when you add the dry ingredients.
7. Add the dry ingredients, mixing until incorporated and the batter is smooth and thick.
8. Stir in the sprinkles.
9. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the side of the pan to loosen the cake. Flip it out to a cooling rack. Allow cake to come to room temperature. Note: Can decrease cooking time by placing the cake in the refrigerator.

Icing and Finishing
1. In a medium sized bowl, beat butter using a hand held mixer until creamy (approximately 2 minutes).
2. Add in the sifted confectionary sugar, pinch of kosher salt, and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy (approximately 2-3 minutes).
3. Add milk one tablespoon at a time until the icing reaches your desired consistency. 
4.Spread a thin layer of icing on the top and sides of the cake. Ensure there is enough icing on the sides of the cake so the sprinkles will adhere.
5. Place remaining icing in a pastry bag fitted with the pastry tube of your choice. Decorate cake.
Finish with additional sprinkles, if desired.
6. Serve. If not serving cake immediately, loosely cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. Bring out at least one hour before serving.

Notes: (1) The cake can be made ahead. Well wrapped it can be stored in the freezer for several weeks or in the refrigerator for a day. Frost the cake before ready to serve.