Confetti Cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream

Name: Confetti Cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 16 servings.
Ingredients: 2-1/4 cups cake flour; 1-1/2 cups sugar; 3-1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened; 4 large egg whites; 3/4 cup 2% milk; 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon almond extract; 1/3 cup rainbow jimmies; BUTTERCREAM:; 4 large egg whites; 1 cup packed light brown sugar; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1-1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened; 1-1/2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract; 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon yellow food coloring; Confetti sprinkles

This simple and tender cake has been celebrated in my family for years. Dressed up with tinted frosting and confetti, it becomes pure party fun. — Karen Berner, New Canaan, Connecticut

Ingredients

2-1/4 cups cake flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
3-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 large egg whites
3/4 cup 2% milk
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup rainbow jimmies
BUTTERCREAM:
4 large egg whites
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon yellow food coloring
Confetti sprinkles

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of two greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment paper; grease paper.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat in butter. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in milk and extracts. Gently fold in jimmies.
Transfer batter to prepared pans. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely.
For buttercream, in a heatproof bowl of a stand mixer, whisk egg whites, brown sugar and salt until blended. Place over simmering water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisking constantly, heat mixture until a thermometer reads 160°, about 2-3 minutes.
Remove from heat. With whisk attachment of stand mixer, beat on high speed until stiff glossy peaks form, about 7 minutes.
Gradually beat in butter, a few tablespoons at a time, on medium speed until smooth. Beat in vanilla and enough food coloring to achieve desired color.
Immediately spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. Decorate with sprinkles. Store in refrigerator.

Editor’s Note: The cake shown was prepared with Eillien’s Rainbow Decorettes in the cake batter. If this product is not available in your area, look for other non-chocolate rainbow jimmies.

Nutrition Facts

1 slice: 436 calories, 24g fat (15g saturated fat), 62mg cholesterol, 239mg sodium, 51g carbohydrate (35g sugars, 0 fiber), 4g protein.

Originally published as Confetti Cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream in Taste of Home April/May 2014

Reviews

My Review

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Average Rating:

gorga53

Jan 13, 2015

Given how excited I had been to bake this recipe, this was an incredibly disappointing cake. I served this to 5 people , and the responses ranged from lukewarm to very negative. The cake itself is decent. Pretty good flavor (Though I'd have put in more vanilla personally) with a decent texture that perhaps plays it a bit safe- It's not quite incredibly dense and moist, but not extremely fluffy either. It's not bad, but it's certainly not memorable.The buttercream frosting, however, was flat out awful. I'm a very experienced baker, I triple checked this recipe as I was doing everything to make sure there were no errors. In my experience, 1-1/2 cups of butter to just 1 cup of sugar is an insane ratio.Against my better judgement, I reluctantly followed the recipe exactly. As another reviewer posted here, the end result is like eating a pure stick of butter, with perhaps some very light vanilla and sugary undertones. This is one of the most unbalanced vanilla buttercream recipes I've ever made, so unless you REALLY enjoy the taste of pure butter, do NOT make this frosting. There are far, FAR better recipes available on virtually any cooking website.The best part about the cake is the appearance. It's fun, festive, and colorful. This would be acceptable for a child's birthday party, but if you MUST make this cake, I strongly advise against making the accompanying frosting recipe.Overall, I simply can't recommend this recipe . Not when there are so many better options available. 2/5 stars.
Micheka

Jan 4, 2015

This cake sounded good, in theory, and we love butter, but the buttercream frosting was too buttery. It tasted like we were eating a stick of butter. Cut back on the butter! Otherwise it was a pretty cake and the cake itself was good.
ms11145

Jun 12, 2014

What a fun, festive cake. There was no birthday to celebrate. I just made it for fun. I do keep clear vanilla extract on my shelf for the same reason the other reader stated. Will be making this cake again.
zoefsg

Apr 16, 2014

This was one of the easiest cakes I've made in a while and it was also one of the best! Both the cake and the buttercream had such a great flavor. My cakes didn't rise quite as much as I'd hoped but the end result was still excellent. And if you're wondering why the recipe calls for clear vanilla - it's because regular vanilla will cause the frosting to be a light brown color. So instead of a nice Springy yellow color, mine ended up being a nice Fallish golden color. But no worries because it was still delicious!!