Milk Bar Birthday Layer Cake

Milk Bar Birthday Layer Cake

• Prep Time: 18hrs (includes chill/freeze time)
• Cook Time: 55min
• Yield: 16 servings

Notes

Ingredients

Instructions

• 01

  To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a quarter sheet pan (11×7-inch) and line it with parchment paper or a Silpat/silicone baking mat.

  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, shortening, and sugars together at medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the eggs, and continue beating for another 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl again.

  With the mixer on low speed, pour in the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Bring the speed up to medium-high and beat for 4-6 minutes, until the mixture is almost white in color, has just about doubled in volume, and is completely homogeneous. There should be no streaks of fat or liquid left in the batter. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl once more.

  With the mixer at the lowest speed (just a stir), add the cake flour, baking powder, salt and sprinkles (¼ cup (50 g)). Mix for 30-45 seconds, until the batter just comes together. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl again. Spread the batter in an even layer in the prepared quarter sheet pan. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tbsp (25 g) sprinkles over the top of the batter.

  Bake for 30-35 minutes. During baking, the cake will rise and puff up so don’t be alarmed. When completely done, the cake should bounce back when lightly pressed at the edge and not jiggle in the center when gently nudged – check for this at the 30-minute mark. If the cake isn’t finished after 30 minutes, bake for another 3-5 minutes. Keep in mind that dark pans will require less time and probably not the full 35 minutes.

  Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack until completely cool (you can speed this up in the fridge or freezer). Either wrap the cake in the pan in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 5 days or proceed with the assembly instructions below.

• 02

  To make the birthday cake crumb: Heat or reduce the oven to 300° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat/silcone baking mat.

  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugars, flour, baking powder, salt, and sprinkles on low speed until well-combined.

  Mix in the oil and vanilla until the mixture starts to stick together and form clusters. Spread the clusters on the prepared baking sheet.

  Bake for 20 minutes, breaking them up occasionally throughout the baking time. When finished, they will be slightly moist but will dry as they cool. Allow the crumbs to cool completely before using in the recipe. Put them out of sight to ensure you’ll have enough for the recipe – they’re addictive! Once cooled, they can be stored in an airtight container for 1 week at room temperature or 1 month in the fridge or freezer.

• 03

  To make the birthday cake soak: Whisk the milk and vanilla together in a small bowl.

• 04

  To make the birthday cake frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, shortening, and cream cheese together at medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

  With the mixer on low, pour in the glucose (or corn syrup if using in place of the glucose), corn syrup, and vanilla. Increase the speed up to medium-high and beat for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is silky smooth and glossy white. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl again.

  Mix in the confectioners’ sugar, salt, baking powder, and citric acid on low speed until just incorporated and then increase the speed back up to medium-high and beat for another 2-3 minutes. The frosting should be bright white and very smooth. Use the frosting immediately (recommended) or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

• 05

  To assemble the cake: Invert the full cake layer from the pan onto a piece of parchment paper or Silpat/silcone baking mat on the counter. Peel off the top piece of parchment away from what is now the top of the cake. Using a 6-inch cake ring, cut out two rounds of cake. These will be the top two layers of the finished cake. Use the remaining scraps for the bottom layer of cake in the following steps.

  Wash and dry the cake ring and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet (I washed and reused the quarter sheet pan so it will fit in the freezer later in the process). Line the inside of the cake ring with a piece of acetate that overlaps at the edges and tape the edges together from the outside.

  Cobble the cake scraps together in the bottom of the ring to form the first layer – the height should be about equal to that of the other layers. When you think you can’t squeeze any more cake in, keep going – you want this to be a sturdy layer under what will be a heavy cake. Brush the top of the layer with some of the cake soak. Spread 1/5 of the frosting (each filling layer will have 2 layers of frosting) out over the cake in an even layer. Sprinkle the top of the frosting with 1/3 of the cake crumbs in an even layer. Spread another 1/5 of the frosting over the top of the cake crumbs – and this doesn’t have to be too neat, just make sure you spread the frosting all the way out to the acetate in order to achieve the look of the Milk Bar cakes.

  Add another strip of acetate into the cake ring, just nudging it down below to top of the frosting so that it overlaps at the edges; tape the edges together from the outside. You’ll want the total height of the acetate pieces to be about 6 inches tall.

  Gently place one of the cut out cake layers on top of the frosting and repeat the filling instructions: cake soak, frosting, crumbs, and frosting. Place the remaining cake layer atop the frosting, brush with the remaining cake soak, slather on the remaining frosting, and pile the remaining cake crumbs atop the frosting.

  Transfer the sheet pan to the freezer and freeze for a minimum of 12 hours to allow the cake and filling to set. The cake, wrapped tightly, will keep for 2 weeks in the freezer.

• 06

  On serving day: At least 3 hours before you plan to serve the cake, remove the cake from the freezer and with your fingers, pop the cake out of the cake ring. Transfer the cake to a cardboard cake round (at least 6-inches in diameter) and place the cake in the fridge to thaw for at least 3 hours. When ready to serve, transfer the cake on the cardboard round to a cake stand or round platter. With a long, sharp knife, cut the cake into wedges and serve. Store the leftovers in the fridge, wrapped tightly, for up to 5 days. It’s doubtful they will last that long, however.