He’s still talking about this cake one week post-birthday party, so I think it met his little creative brief. I was a little worried that the colorful buildings would take away from the “blue” part of the theme but he didn’t seem to mind. 

Here are all the details about this cake: 

1. Ombrè Buttercream. I started with a blue ombrè buttercream finish (see this tutorial for how to create that) using three different intensities of AmeriColor Sky Blue.
2. City Buildings. I tinted some fondant (I used 7 different colors, but it would work with any color variety) and rolled each color out to about ⅛ inch, then hand-cut the buildings with an x-acto knife and a ruler. I taped a piece of wax paper around a large can of shortening and placed each building on it to dry with a slight curve. This way I knew where each building would go on the final cake and they’d conform to the curve of the cake. Once the buildings were dry, I drew on some simple windows with an edible art pen. 
3. Clouds. I used Wilton tip 10 to pipe some vanilla buttercream into cloud formations. They’re basically just clusters of dots.
4. Baymax topper. I found a Disney Infinity Baymax figurine on eBay (it was a lot cheaper there!) to top this cake. I absolutely love topping character cakes with toys because they get something to play with afterwards. The first thing Theo did after blowing out the candles on his cake was grab the Baymax toy, lick the frosting off, and fly the toy all around the backyard. They’ve been inseparable ever since!
5. Candles. I finished the look with three of these tall blue birthday candles.

Here’s an Instagram Reel I posted that shows the assembly!

In keeping with the subtle Big Hero 6 theme for this birthday party, I also whipped up some Baymax oreos by dipping the cookies in white chocolate melts. I piped the Baymax eyes with black candy melts and Wilton Tip 3. They were delicious! 

My kids are my absolute favorite people to throw parties for and it’s so fun that Theo is now able to express his creative ideas. I’ll make him whatever cake he can imagine!

The post Baymax Birthday Cake appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

Like many cake makers do, I made my own birthday cake this year! I actually do this as a tradition every year but normally fail to document it in a blog post. This year, all I wanted was sprinkle everything with a splash of chocolate, so I made a double funfetti cake with a little chocolate ganache thrown in the mix. By double funfetti I mean funfetti cake + funfetti buttercream and there is nothing more celebratory than that combo!

This cake starts with my favorite funfetti cake recipe, which I revised for my book to yield a 3-layer 6-inch cake (this blog version yields a larger cake). The ingredients in the book version are tweaked ever so slightly to include a little almond extract and egg whites to make the cake even more light and fluffy. I’ve included the recipe below, and it’s just one of many amazing layer cake recipes you’ll find in my book, which is now available worldwide wherever books are sold! 

I made a double batch of my funfetti buttercream recipe for this cake, but reserved a few Cups of the plain vanilla buttercream before adding the sprinkles just so I could pipe some pretty pink swirls on top of the cake as a finishing touch. The funfetti buttercream is so easy to work with but it’s not the best for piping since the sprinkles tend to get stuck in piping tips. These Ultimate Unicorn Rainbow Jimmies by Sprinkle Pop are my favorite to use in the buttercream recipe and the cake recipe. They don’t bleed their color easily and I just love the cool-toned rainbow colors in the mix. 

I added a little bit of chocolate ganache as filling between the cake layers and as a drip on top. My favorite way to make the ganache recipe work for both consistencies (thick for the filling and thin for the drip) is to make it a day (or at least a few hours) ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will solidify as it cools, then you can microwave it in 5-10 second intervals to bring it back to a room temperature, peanut buttery consistency for the filling. When you’re finished filling the cake, you can microwave the leftover ganache a little more to make it slightly above room temperature, aka the perfect drip consistency. 

Those cute little sprinkle truffles on top came from a last minute idea I had about how to recycle the cake scraps that were leftover from leveling the cake layers. I crumbled the cake tops in a bowl and mixed them together with funfetti frosting until the mixture stuck together enough to form balls when rolled between my hands. This is how you make cake pops, but instead of dipping the balls in melted chocolate, I rolled them in a bowl of sprinkles and then refrigerated the sprinkle cake truffles until I was ready to top the cake with them. They tasted AMAZING and looked so cute as cake toppers that I had to make them their own separate blog post.  

I’m so excited to share this double funfetti birthday cake with friends and celebrate another trip around the sun. It’ll probably be my last hoorah before baby boy gets here in just a few weeks (give or take). We’re gonna end up being birthday buds and I can’t wait to make us both birthday cakes in the years to come! 

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Double Funfetti Birthday Cake

The most celebratory cake of all! A delicious sprinkle-studded funfetti cake with funfetti buttercream that's always perfect for anyone's birthday or celebration.

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Servings 15 slices

Ingredients

Funfetti Cake (from my book, Anyone Can Cake)

• 2 1/2 Cups (290g) sifted cake flour* DIY recipe in notes
• 2 tsp (10g) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 Cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 Cups (300g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs + 2 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 Cup (120g) sour cream, room temperature
• 1 Cup (240ml) whole milk, room temperature
• 1/2 Cup (100g) rainbow sprinkles**, coated in 2 tsp cake flour

Funfetti Buttercream

• 2 Cups (452g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 7 Cups (840g) powdered sugar
• 4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 4 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
• pinch of salt, or to taste
• 1/3 Cup (67g) rainbow sprinkles**

Optional Fillings & Toppings

• 1 batch chocolate ganache recipe link below
• 6 sprinkle cake truffles recipe link below

Instructions

Make the Funfetti Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350°F/177ºC. Prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with a baking spray (Baker's Joy is my favorite) and fitting a wax or parchment paper circle to the bottom of the pan. Alternatively, you can grease and lightly flour the pans.
• Add the sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. 
• In the bowl of your stand mixer (a handheld mixer works fine too!), cream the butter on high for 2 minutes. Add in the sugar and continue to beat on medium-high until light and fluffy (another 2 minutes), scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs and egg whites one at a time. Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and sour cream. Mix for one minute on high speed, scraping down the bowl and paddle once more. 
• Turn the mixer off and add in the dry ingredients all at once. Mix on low speed until just combined, then slowly pour in the milk while continuing to mix on low until incorporated, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and give it a few stirs to make sure there are no lumps. The batter will be slightly thick.
• Gently fold the flour-coated rainbow sprinkles into the cake batter by hand, then divide evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 32-36 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for five minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack for an additional few hours of cooling. Make sure they’re entirely room temperature before applying any frosting.

Make the Funfetti Buttercream

• With a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on high until creamy and light (almost white) in color, about 7 minutes.
• Turn the mixer to low speed and add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down the bowl and paddle after each addition and making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next one.
• Add the vanilla, milk, and salt and mix on low for another minute until fully incorporated and smooth. Reserve 1 1/2 Cups of frosting if you plan on doing any piping on top of the cake at this point. Fold in the rainbow sprinkles to the rest of the buttercream with a rubber spatula.

Make the Chocolate Ganache (Optional)

• If you're planning on filling and dripping the cake with chocolate ganache (like the one pictured), make one batch of this chocolate ganache. You can half the recipe if you're only wanting to use it for the drip.

Assembly

• Once the funfetti cakes are completely cooled, level them to your desired height. If you're planning on making the sprinkle cake truffles, reserve some of the cake scraps from the leveling process in a small bowl and make them according to this recipe.
• Add a swipe of funfetti buttercream onto a cardboard cake circle and place the first cake layer on top. Fill and stack the cake with funfetti buttercream. If you want to add chocolate ganache between the layers like the cake pictured, make sure the ganache is room temperature or slightly below (peanut butter-ish consistency) and use the Soft Fillings method of filling and stacking from this blog post. Crumb coat the cake with funfetti buttercream, then place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let the buttercream set firm.
• To create the design pictured, frost a smooth buttercream finish onto the cake with funfetti buttercream and place it back into the refrigerator for an additional 20 minutes to chill the buttercream while you heat the chocolate ganache to perfect drip consistency. Drip the cake with the chocolate ganache and place it back into the refrigerator for 5 minutes to let it set.
• If piping the top of the cake, color the reserved buttercream any color you'd like. I used one small drop of AmeriColor Deep Pink. Fit a piping bag with Wilton Tip 1M and pipe 6 swirls on top of the cake, spaced about 1 inch apart. Fill in each gap with a sprinkle cake truffle.

Notes

*DIY Cake Flour Recipe: To make your own cake flour, spoon and level one cup of all-purpose flour and remove 2 Tbsp. Add 2 Tbsp of cornstarch. Repeat per the amount of cake flour you need, then sift the flour and cornstarch mixture 4 times (don’t skip that step!). After sifting, spoon and level to re-measure the amount of cake flour you need. 

**Rainbow Sprinkles: the best kind of sprinkles to use in this cake and buttercream are the rod-shaped kind that don’t bleed color. Look for “carnauba wax” and “confectioner’s glaze” in the ingredients list. These are coating agents that will keep the sprinkles from bleeding color into your batter and frosting. My favorite rainbow sprinkles to use are Sprinkle Pop’s Ultimate Unicorn Rainbow Jimmies. 

Make Ahead Tips:

1. The funfetti cakes can be baked, cooled, wrapped in plastic wrap, and left out at room temperature up to two days ahead of decorating. Unfrosted cake layers can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer for up to two months before thawing and frosting. 
2. For best results, reserve adding the sprinkles to the funfetti buttercream until right before you’re ready to decorate with it. The buttercream (sans sprinkles) can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip in your stand mixer to bring back to smooth buttercream consistency, then fold in the sprinkles.

 

The post Double Funfetti Birthday Cake appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

These yellow cupcakes are extra moist, have the perfect fluffy crumb, and are naturally yellow in color due to egg yolks in the recipe. In my humble opinion, these are as close to a box mix as you can get texture-wise, but taste even better with these from-scratch ingredients. If you’ve never had yellow cake before and are wondering what they taste like, just imagine an extra moist vanilla cake. The only real difference is that classic yellow color.  

I always pair yellow cake with chocolate frosting, which gives it a great balance of chocolate and vanilla flavor (plus it’s tradition!). The chocolate buttercream pictured here is my absolute favorite – rich and decadent, silky smooth, and simple to make. It’s also the perfect consistency for piping the swirls onto these cupcakes! I used Wilton Tip 1M for these swirls but you could use any piping tip you usually decorate cupcakes with, or simply spread the frosting on with a spatula or butter knife. 

Immediately after piping the swirls, I added some rainbow sprinkles onto each cupcake to give them that extra nostalgic look. I used these rainbow sprinkles but I also love this mix by SprinklePop and was a little sad when I realized I didn’t have them on hand for this batch. Don’t worry, I got over it as soon as I bit into one of these cupcakes and felt the worries of the world melt away.

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Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Inspired by my favorite birthday cake as a kid, these yellow cupcakes rival box mix texture with their moist and fluffy crumb. Pair them with decadent chocolate buttercream and rainbow sprinkles for a classic flavor combination!

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 14 Cupcakes

Ingredients

Yellow Cupcakes

• 1 1/4 Cups (132g) sifted cake flour* DIY recipe in notes
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 Tbsp (82g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 Tbsp (30ml) vegetable oil
• 3/4 Cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
• 2 Tbsp (30g) sour cream, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 Cup (120ml) whole milk, room temperature

Chocolate Buttercream

• 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 Cups (360g) powdered sugar
• 1/2 Cup (45g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 Tbsp (45ml) whole milk, room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt, or to taste

Garnish

• 1/4 Cup (50g) rainbow sprinkles (optional)

Instructions

Make the Yellow Cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF/177ºC and line a cupcake pan with 12-15 liners.
• Add the sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. 
• In the bowl of your stand mixer (a handheld mixer works fine too!), cream the butter for on high for two minutes until it's light and fluffy. Add vegetable oil and sugar, then continue to mix on med-high for another two minutes. Add the whole egg and egg yolk and mix until well combined. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix for one minute on high, scraping down the bowl and paddle once more. 
• With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, then continue mixing while you add the milk in a slow stream. Mix until just incorporated, then scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and give it a few stirs to make sure there are no lumps (without over-mixing). The batter will be thick.
• Spoon the yellow cake batter into the cupcake liners, filling each one between 1/2 and 2/3 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool fully before frosting.

Make the Chocolate Buttercream

• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the butter on high speed until creamy and light in color, about five minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle and turn the mixer to low, then add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Continue mixing on low speed until fully combined and uniform, 2-3 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed.

Assembly

• When the cupcakes are fully cooled, fit a piping bag with Wilton Tip 1M. Fill the piping bag with the chocolate buttercream and pipe a swirl onto each cupcake. Garnish with rainbow sprinkles.

Notes

*DIY Cake Flour Recipe: To make your own cake flour, spoon and level one cup of all-purpose flour and remove 2 Tbsp. Add 2 Tbsp of cornstarch. Repeat per the amount of cake flour you need, then sift the flour and cornstarch mixture 4 times (don’t skip that step!). After sifting, spoon and level to re-measure the amount of cake flour you need. 

Make Ahead Tips:

1. The yellow cupcakes can be baked, cooled, wrapped in plastic wrap, and left out at room temperature up to one day ahead of decorating. Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to two months before thawing and frosting. 
2. The chocolate buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day. Alternatively, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-mix with your stand mixer to bring back to frosting consistency. 
3. The frosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature in a box for up to 5 days (they will be the most fresh up to 2 days). 

Yield: this recipe makes 12-15 cupcakes. Double the recipe to make 24-30 cupcakes and so on. 

Did you make these cupcakes? I want to know how it went! Leave a comment below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. I love to see what you create!

The post Classic Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

I made this cake topper using a silicone mold I found on Amazon, some ready-made gum paste, and this edible gold paint. It’s about 10 minutes of actual work plus a few days of drying time, so you’ll want to plan ahead for this one. The best part about this crown cake topper is seeing the look on a kid’s face when you tell them they can eat it. Sure, it might not taste as great as the cake itself, but an edible cake topper is a hot commodity at a kid party. 

Fondant vs. Gum Paste

You might be wondering why I used gum paste instead of fondant for this. Let me start by saying I’ve had a few bad experiences with fondant cake toppers – they just don’t dry as firmly as gum paste. Fondant will work with this tutorial, but know that you might have to let it dry for a full week and even then, it might still be a little fragile. I chose gum paste because it dries super firm in a fairly short amount of time (48 hours), plus it’s extremely easy to work with. This is the gum paste I used. 

Here’s a quick video of the whole process before you read all about it below:

If you want to see more videos like this one, check out my YouTube Channel. I’ve got a growing collection of recipe videos, cake decorating tutorials, and my Cake Basics series in video format. Click subscribe while you’re there so you never miss a new video! 

You Will Need

• 3 inch ball of gum paste 
• 1-2 drops yellow food color gel
• 1 Tbsp vegetable shortening 
• Small rolling pin 
• X-Acto knife
• Paring knife 
• Silicone crown mold
• Wax paper
• Round can or tin that’s about 4 inches in diameter
• Edible Art Paint in Glamorous Gold 
• Food Grade Paint Brush

Step 1: Tint the Gum Paste

Coat your hands (even if they’re gloved) in a little bit of the vegetable shortening, then add 1-2 drops of yellow food color gel to the ball of gumpaste. Knead the food color gel into the gum paste until it’s uniform in color.

The reason I like to tint the gum paste yellow is because it will hide any imperfections in the painting process better than if you were to use white gum paste. It will look uniformly gold and not patchy in any way. 

Step 2: Fill the Crown Mold

Coat your work surface in more vegetable shortening to prevent the gum paste from sticking, then use the small rolling pin to roll out the gum paste until it’s as long and wide as the crown mold. 

When it reaches this size, place the rolled out gum paste on top of the silicone crown mold and press it into the crevices. Feel free to fold the edges of the gum paste over and press them inside to fill the crown mold until it’s just about overflowing with gum paste. 

Hold a paring knife parallel to the crown mold and carefully trim away the excess gum paste. 

Step 3: Release the Crown

Carefully bend the silicone mold to release the gum paste crown, then use an X-Acto knife to trim away any excess gum paste around all the detailed edges.

Step 4: Shape and Dry the Crown

Tape a piece of wax paper around a round can or tin that’s at least 4 inches in diameter (or whatever diameter you want the crown to end up). Wrap the gum paste crown around the wax paper and gently press it down to adhere it. 

Allow the gum paste crown to dry like this for 24 hours, after which you can slide the crown off of the wax paper lined can and allow it to dry for an additional 24 hours. The first 24 hours will dry the outside while the second will dry the inside. 

Step 5: Paint it Gold

Add several drops of the Edible Art Paint to a small dish and use the food grade paint brush to add one coat of paint onto the dry crown. This first coat will look patchy, but don’t worry – the second coat will work some magic! 

Allow the first coat of paint to dry for 30+ minutes, after which you can add the second coat. Let the crown air dry some more, until it’s dry to the touch, then top your cake with it and be amazed! 

This crown cake topper is sure to impress party goers of all ages. There are other styles of crown silicone molds on Amazon, so head there if you want to see other options and feel free to use whatever you find with this tutorial! 

Did you make this crown cake topper? I want to know how it went! Leave me a comment below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. I love to see what you create!

The post Edible Gold Crown Cake Topper Tutorial appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

Wilton sent me a big box of supplies to create this birthday cake, and there are a few I want to highlight here because they’re total cake game changers. First, the Wilton Cake Leveler is something I always, ALWAYS use to level my cake layers before filling and stacking them. You can adjust the height of the leveler and just run it through your cake to create nice, even layers. Having even cake layers is a must for creating perfectly level cakes as an end result.

Second, having a trusty cake turntable is key for creating a smooth buttercream finish. Wilton sent me their High And Low Turntable and it was stellar for the job! It’s got adjustable legs so you can really get the turntable height that’s comfortable for you.

This cake design all starts with a smooth buttercream cake, so in addition to having level cake layers and a trustworthy turntable, the last keys to success are having a great icing smoother and angled spatula. I prefer both of these items to be stainless steel, because sometimes getting a smooth finish means slightly heating up the scraper/spatula to erase wrinkles. If you’re still trying to master a smooth buttercream finish, I’ve detailed all my best tips in this post.

Ok, back to this birthday cake design! Although it looks intricate, I promise it’s way easier than it looks. Watch this quick video of the process (above) to show you how it’s done, then I’ll walk you through the step by step below.

You Will Need:

• A 6-inch cake that’s been filled and frosted with a smooth buttercream finish
• 1 batch of vanilla buttercream
• The Wilton Color Right System
• Bowls and spoons for mixing buttercream colors
• A piece of saran wrap
• Piping bags
• Wilton Tips 1M, 104, and 4B
• Gold pearlized sprinkles
• Tall gold birthday candles

Step 1: Mix Up A Buttercream Color Palette

For this cake, I created a pastel rainbow color palette using the Wilton Color Right system.

A really easy way to do this is to divide the batch of buttercream into three bowls and color one bowl pink, one bowl yellow, and one bowl blue. Then, mix part of the blue with the pink in a separate bowl to create purple, part of the blue with part of the yellow to make green, and part of the pink with part of the yellow to make orange.

Step 2: Prepare Your Piping Bags

Before placing each buttercream color in its own piping bag, I created a multi-colored piping bag for making some rainbow rosettes! The easiest way to do this is to lay a piece of saran wrap down, then swipe four colors next to one another on top of it.

Roll the saran wrap up like a colorful burrito and snip off one of the ends before placing it into a piping bag fitted with Wilton Tip 1M.

Then, place each individual color into separate piping bags fitted with Wilton Tips 104 and 4B. I used Tip 104 for the green and blue colors and Tip 4B for the rest.

Step 3: Pipe The Cake

With your smooth buttercream cake on the turntable, pipe the rainbow rosettes on the upper half of the cake and the top of the cake in a random pattern.

Next, use the piping bags fitted with Tip 104 to pipe ruffles next to each rainbow rosette.

Finally, fill in all the empty spaces with stars using the piping bags fitted with Tip 4B. The goal here is to create a sort of ombrè effect with the piping, so feel free to pipe some stray stars toward the bottom of the cake.

Step 4: Add Sprinkles

I love using sprinkles to add even more texture to whimsical buttercream, and these Wilton Pearlized Sprinkles are perfect for the job. Using either your fingers or a pair of tweezers, add the sprinkles to the centers of some of the stars and the edges of some of the rosettes.

There is no right or wrong way to add sprinkles here. To keep with the ombrè look, I placed a few stray gold sprinkles toward the bottom of the cake.

Step 5: Top With Birthday Candles

No birthday cake is complete without some pretty candles, and the taller the better! These Tall Gold Candles are perfection. Place them on top of your cake and get ready to party!

Wilton has a ton of great birthday cake ideas on their site as well, so be sure to check them out for inspiration. If you’re inspired to make this cake design for a birthday or any day, be sure to tag me on Instagram (and @wiltoncakes as well!) to show us what you’re caking!

The post Pastel Rainbow Birthday Cake Tutorial appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

Huzzah! It’s my birthday! Well, technically it was last week but I’m still celebrating. I’m a whopping 32 years old now, and although I usually dread birthdays because of the whole getting older thing, this year I’m feeling pretty content. I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time with my very most favorite people, and I’m feeling so truly loved that I just can’t complain.

When you’re a caker it’s quite common to make your own birthday cakes, and this year was no exception. I thought about making something classic and reminiscent of my childhood (like yellow cake with chocolate frosting, the all-time favorite of my youth) but then I thought, why not use my birthday as an excuse to pair some flavors I love in a way that I’ve never done before? Even if it didn’t turn out right, it could be a good laugh. But spoiler alert: it turned out real good!

One of my all-time favorite desserts is Baked Alaska from a restaurant called Papa Haydn. The dessert is about a foot tall, and it involves layers of dulce de leche and banana ice creams, chocolate ganache, and vanilla sponge cake, all topped with toasted Italian meringue. It’s different than a traditional Baked Alaska because of the ice cream flavors – the classic Baked Alaska involves Neapolitan ice cream instead of the dulce de leche and banana combo that Papa Haydn has created. I love what they’ve done with the flavor pairings though, and I get the same thing almost every time I go.

I thought about trying to replicate the Baked Alaska in it’s true form, but since I’ve never actually made ice cream and don’t really have the right equipment yet, I decided to pull some inspiration from the flavors of my favorite Baked Alaska and then add some new ones. What I ended up with was a spiced banana cake with vanilla buttercream, drizzled with Nutella ganache and topped with toasted meringue flourishes. It ended up being real pretty and so tasty! Pair it with a little ice cream if you’re feeling fancy and you’ll have yourself a time.

To get the perfect banana flavor, you’ve got to start with bananas that are nice and spotted. That means you either have to plan ahead and buy your bananas about a week before making this cake, or store some spotted bananas in the freezer until the time is right. The more over-ripe (spotty) the bananas are, the more banana flavor will come through in the cake.

To get the full effect of this toasted masterpiece, you’ll need a culinary torch to toast the meringue. Trust me, I’ve tried with everything from matches to one of those lighter gun thingys and nothing will give you the look and taste of toasted goodness quite like a good culinary torch. You can use some piping tips to pipe unique designs with the meringue (I’ve used Wilton 4B for the open stars and 1M for the rosettes) or keep with the traditional look of swirling the meringue with an offset spatula before toasting to perfection. Whatever you decide for the final look, I can promise these flavors are sure to please.

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Banana Nutella Birthday Cake

A moist banana spice cake topped with vanilla buttercream, drizzled with Nutella ganache, and finished with toasted meringue flourishes.

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

Banana Spice Cake

• 3 cups (414g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 3 large)
• 3/4 cup (169.5g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (205g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (94g) packed light brown sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (360ml) buttermilk, room temperature

Nutella Ganache

• 1 cup (300g) Nutella
• 3/4 cup (180ml) heavy whipping cream

Vanilla Buttercream

• 2 cups (452g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 7 cups (840g) powdered sugar
• 4 Tbsp (59ml) whole milk, room temperature
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Meringue Topping

• 3 large egg whites, room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp cream of Tartar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the Banana Cake

• Preheat oven to 350ºF and prepare three 6-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and placing a pre-cut wax or parchment paper circle in the bottom. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt and set aside.
• Mash the bananas by hand or use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to whip them until they’re nice and mashed (about 30 seconds on medium). Set them aside.
• Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, whip the butter until it’s fluffy and creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle halfway through. Add the white granulated sugar and the brown sugar and cream on medium for another 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle, turn the mixer to low, and add the eggs and vanilla before beating on medium for one minute.
• Add the mashed banana and beat on medium for a full minute before scraping down the bowl and paddle again. Turn the mixer to low and alternate adding the dry ingredients in three additions and buttermilk in two additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix each addition until just incorporated before alternating. As soon as the last addition of the flour mixture is incorporated, turn the mixer off and give it a few stirs by hand to make sure there’s no flour lurking at the bottom of the mixing bowl. 
• Fill the cake pans with batter no more than 2/3 full and bake for 45-55 minutes (baking times will vary). The cakes are done when they spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pan for five minutes before turning out to cool on a baking sheet or wire rack for several hours. 

Make the Nutella Ganache

• Measure Nutella into a heatproof bowl and set aside. In a saucepan over medium-high, heat the heavy whipping cream until small bubbles form (just before the start of a rolling boil), stirring constantly with a whisk. Once the cream begins to boil, remove the pan from the heat and pour the cream over the Nutella. Let sit for about 30 seconds before whisking together until the consistency is uniform and well blended. Let it sit at room temperature until it reaches room temperature. 

Make the Vanilla Buttercream

• In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter on high for until it’s fluffy and almost white in color, about 7 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle a few times during the process. Add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time and mix on medium until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and paddle before each addition.
• Turn the mixer to low and add the vanilla extract, milk, and salt. Beat on medium for another minute until well incorporated, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. 

Make the Meringue Topping

• Whisk the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar together in a small heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with an inch or two of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water (or else it will cook your eggs!). Whisk the mixture constantly until the sugar has dissolved, about 4 minutes. 
• Once the sugar has dissolved, pour the mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the vanilla and whisk the mixture on high for 6 full minutes, until stiff peaks form. You should be able to dip the whisk into the meringue and it forms a peak that maintains its shape when turned right side up and upside down.

Assembly

• Wait until Nutella has reached room temperature. Starting with your first cake layer, spread a good amount of Vanilla Buttercream as a filling and drizzle a little Nutella Ganache before placing your second cake layer on top. Repeat the process before placing the final cake layer on top.
• Crumb coat the cake with Vanilla Buttercream and place in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to firm up before frosting with a final layer of Vanilla Buttercream. In the cake pictured, I colored a little Vanilla Buttercream yellow with food color gel and created an ombrè finish. Place the cake back into the refrigerator for another 20 minutes or more to chill before dripping with Nutella ganache. 
• For the meringue topping, you can either use a piping bag with piping tips (I used Wilton 4B for the open stars and 1M for piping rosettes) or swirl the meringue onto the cake with a spatula. Feel free to get creative! Use a culinary torch to toast the meringue as a finishing touch.

Notes

The cake layers can be baked ahead of time and stored (wrapped in plastic wrap) for up to two days at room temperature, or up to three months in the freezer. 

The Nutella Ganache can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to drip consistency by microwaving in ten second spurts. 

The Vanilla Buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip with your stand mixer. 

The Meringue topping must be made and torched on the spot. 

What do you other cakers do on your birthdays? Do you make your own cake or let someone else make one for you for a change? Honestly, this year was a both/and/and situation, meaning I made my own cake, and let someone make me a cake, and went to Papa Haydn and got that Baked Alaska. Because hey, I do what I want on my birthday.

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