Funfetti Birthday Cake

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 213g
• 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
• 1/4 tsp baking soda 2g
• 1 tsp baking powder 4g
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter 176g, room temperature
• 3 egg whites
• 3 tsps vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream 120ml
• 1/2 cup milk 120ml
• 1/3-1/2 cup sprinkles 55g
• 1 pinch kosher salt

Ganache

• 2 tbsp white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup candy melts 100g
• 3 tbsp heavy cream

Italian Buttercream

• 5 large egg whites room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups sugar 304g
• 1/3 cup water 80ml
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 2 cups unsalted butter 456g, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 dashes cream of tartar

American Buttercream

• 1 lb unsalted butter 445g, room temperature
• 2 lb confectioners sugar 907g
• 1 tsp milk
• 3 tsp vanilla
• 1 drop pink food coloring
• 1/3 cup sprinkles 55g
• 1/4 tsp salt

Direction

For the Cake

1. Preheat oven to 340 degrees F. Butter and flour three 6-inch pans. I use cake strips on my pans for more even baking as well. Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Mix the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl.
3. Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in the sprinkles at the very end and mix at little as possible.
4. Pour the batter into the buttered and floured pans. 
5. Bake at 340 for about 30-35 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch.

 Italian Buttercream

1. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the room temperature egg whites, 2 dashes of cream of tartar, a dash of salt and 1/3 cup of sugar until soft peaks form.
2. In a medium saucepan add 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water then place on low heat.
3. Stir constantly until sugar melts and becomes clear. Maintain at medium high heat until temperature reads 235-240F.
4. Drizzle the sugar into the mixer immediately. Run mixer until meringue is room temperature.
5. Switch to a paddle attachment. Add room temperature butter into running mixer one piece at a time. Beat until butter is combined and mixture has reached a silky consistency. Add vanilla at this stage. Mix, then transfer to a piping bag.

 Funfetti Buttercream

1. Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, salt, milk, vanilla and mix. Divide into 2 batches. 
2. Add pink food coloring to one batch. Mix until a desired color is reached. Fold in sprinkles to both.   
3. Transfer into 4 piping bags. Add a pink bag and a white bag to one piping bag and snip off the tip. 

 Ganache

1. Chop up the candy melts. Transfer to a bowl. Melt candy melts, white chocolate and cream in the microwave until smooth. 
2. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes and then whisk until there are no lumps. You might have to pop into the microwave for 20 seconds on half power if there are bits of unmelted chocolate.
3. Add in a drop of pink food coloring (I use AmeriColor soft gel food coloring). The color will lighten slightly when the ganache cools. Transfer to a piping bag. 

Assembly

1. Pipe the pink/white buttercream between each cake layer. Use the individual bags of pink and white to alternate a piped crumb coat. Smooth out with an offset spatula. Chill for about 10 minutes.
2. Pipe the Italian meringue buttercream on the outside of the cake. Smooth out.
3. Chill for another 10 min. Add a skirt of confetti sprinkles to the bottom of the cake.
4. Add ganache to the top of the cake. Smooth to create a drip look. Let the ganache cool. 
5. Pipe dollops of Italian meringue buttercream around the edge with an 869 tip. 

Cook Time 25minutes minutes