Pastel Layer Cake and a Blog Birthday!

Pastel Layer Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Pastel Layer Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Sprinkle Bakes just turned 5 years old! When I look back at all the sweet things I’ve made – the cakes, the friends, the memories -I feel truly blessed. This little corner of the web has brought me more happiness than I ever dreamed possible, and I appreciate everyone who stops by for a peek at what I’m doing. Your support means everything to me!

Because I heart you big time (and because no blog birthday is complete without a gift) I’m giving away a pretty pink mixer. Over the years I’ve tried several brands of standing mixers, and while some are quite good (I really like my Bodum and Sunbeam) few are truly as great as a KitchenAid. That’s not an advertisement, that’s just my working experience. I believe every avid baker needs one!

Enter below for a chance to win this KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer. Open worldwide.

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Pastel Layer Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

As for the cake, it’s unapologetically tall and profusely sprinkled on the outside. Slice it, and you’ll find a rainbow of pastel color inside. It makes a fun birthday cake, and I think it’s especially appropriate for a Sprinkle Bakes birthday celebration! The white cake recipe was new to me, and after baking it, I found the texture was perfect for layering. It’s sturdy enough to stack, yet remains soft and palatable to eat. The recipe makes about 12 cups of batter, so if you have a standing mixer then I’d recommend using it for this very cake.

I used vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream for frosting on this cake – mostly because I love the silky texture, but also because the confetti sprinkles stick so well to it.

Pastel Layer Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Pastel Layer Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

When I sliced this cake, a sweet vanilla fragrance filled the entire house! I kept finding my way back to the dining room table and sneaking little nibbles. It’s so good!

Admittedly, there’s no way I can eat an entire 6-layer piece of this cake, unless it is sliced in thin slivers, and even then it’s so tall you’d have to eat it off of a full-sized dinner plate. For easier service, consider dividing the slices into 2 or 3 layer pieces (see the picture above). The slices can then be served standing upright on smaller dessert plates.

One more important note – add two dozen eggs on your grocery list for this cake alone. White cake and meringue frosting recipes both use many egg whites!

Pastel Layer Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Bake yourself happy with this tall, six-layer, confetti-sprinkled, pastel birthday cake. Pick up an extra two dozen eggs – white cake and meringue frosting requires many egg whites!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 20

Ingredients
 
 

Cake

  • 6 1/2 cups/789 g cake flour not self rising, sifted
  • 3 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 2 1/4 cups/500 ml whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups plus 4 tablespoons/395 g unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups/490 g granulated sugar
  • 10 large egg whites
  • A few drops of each: McCormick neon food color in purple, green, pink and blue
  • and standard yellow and orange liquid or gel food color

Swiss meringue buttercream

  • 12 egg whites
  • 2 1/2 cups/500g sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 pounds unsalted butter softened
  • 1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups/ roughly 8 oz. assorted sizes of pastel confetti sprinkles
  • Star cake toppers and birthday candles

Instructions
 

  • Make the cake layers: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease six 8-inch round cake pans, and line the bottoms with parchment. If you don’t have six pans (understandably so) use as many as you have, and plan to wash them between baking cake layers.
  • Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Combine milk and vanilla. Beat butter with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. With the mixer running, gradually add the sugar and beat until the mixture turns pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  • Reduce speed to low, and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk. Begin and end with the flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Do not over-mix.
  • Beat the egg whites in a clean mixer bowl on medium speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter in three additions.
  • Place two cups of batter in six separate bowls. Tint each bowl of batter with a little of the food color. Add food color a little at a time until the desired pastel tint is achieved. Fold the color in well with a rubber spatula until no streaks of white cake batter remains.
  • Spread the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Let the layers cool completely on a wire rack. Run a knife around the edges of the cakes and the pans before turning them out.
  • Level the tops of the cake with a serrated knife or a cake leveler. Save the cake scraps for breakfast (smile).
  • Make the frosting: Set a saucepan filled one-third full of water over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.
  • Whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and salt in a large heatproof bowl ( I suggest a stainless bowl). Set over the simmering water and whisk until the mixture is hot to the touch and the sugar has dissolved (120-140 degrees on a candy thermometer, to be sure).
  • Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
  • Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Increase to medium-high until stiff peaks are formed.
  • Continue beating at medium-high speed until the mixture is fluffy and has cooled (the mixing bowl should feel cool to the touch).
  • Turn the mixer off and switch from the whisk attachment to the paddle. Turn the mixer on medium-low and add the butter, a few cubes at a time, beating until well incorporated before the next addition.
  • Add the vanilla extract. Beat until the frosting on high speed until it is thick and completely smooth.
  • Important note about Swiss buttercream frosting! After a few pieces of butter are added to the whipped whites, the mixture will deflate. It may look like soup or even look curdled – do not let this discourage you. This is just one ugly stage the buttercream must pass through before becoming fluffy whipped frosting. You may read more about Swiss meringue buttercream here, and view my video tutorial.
  • Frost the cake: Transfer 2/3 cup of frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small star tip; set aside.
  • Fill each cake layer with 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the frosting. Begin with the violet cake layer on the bottom, followed by the blue, green, yellow orange and pink. Cover the entire cake with frosting using an off-set spatula. Place the cake in a large baking pan and toss on the confetti sprinkles, allowing the excess to fall back into the baking pan. Using the reserved frosting in the piping bag, pipe stars around the top edge of the cake and decorate each star with a large confetti sprinkle. Place the star toppers in the center of the cake, and add the birthday candles around the top edge of the cake near the piped stars.
  • Serve the cake: Cut a standard wedge of cake and divide it with a knife at the halfway point so that you have two pieces of cake. The first slice will be a triple layer of pink, orange and yellow, the second slice will be green, blue and violet. Or, divide the wedge into double layers, to serve three people.
  • Cover the leftover cake loosely with plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
Keyword cake flour, egg whites, swiss meringue buttercream
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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Anonymous
Anonymous
9 years ago

i love a simple chocolate cake

Jasmine C.
Jasmine C.
9 years ago

Oh how I love birthday cakes, especially ones that remind me of childhood! My favorite? The pastel rainbow ice cream cake my mom valiantly attempted on my tenth birthday. Melted ice cream and cake never tasted so sweet on a 100*F day!

MsBayer816
MsBayer816
9 years ago

Gorgeous cake! My granddaughters would love it!!

Anonymous
Anonymous
9 years ago

Happy Birthday !! Pretty cake. dt

shanawn
shanawn
9 years ago

i bake a fresh strawberry cake for my birthday every year. im the only person in my family that likes it! so i eat it all!

Unknown
Unknown
9 years ago

Happy birthday!!
I love strawberry sponge cake with macaroons.

Arya
Arya
9 years ago

This cake looks like so much fun, I may just have to break out the sprinkles today!

ladyluck13
ladyluck13
9 years ago

cheesecake is my fave cake ever, always request it lol

Erlisha Steadman
Erlisha Steadman
9 years ago

Any cake for me!

Anonymous
Anonymous
9 years ago

Happy Birthday!! Love the cake!

Kim Goldener
Kim Goldener
9 years ago

Very pretty! Happy birthday!

cindy
cindy
9 years ago

Happy birthday!!!!! I love this cake. I think I might make it for my daughters birthday. Im making a cheesecake for my birthday this friday!!!!

Elaine
Elaine
9 years ago

Your cake is perfection!
I love a good vanilla cake with fresh strawberries and cream.

Cortney
Cortney
9 years ago

I love a good vanilla cupcake! It's the perfect size and holds a candle beautifully! Would love to win!

Rachel
Rachel
9 years ago

I always had to have chocolate cake, or peach pie.

BritLightning
BritLightning
9 years ago

That's a lot of cake, but beautiful! I'm absolutely going to have to work out how I can make a downsized version and then find an excuse to make one!

Lisa Marie
Lisa Marie
9 years ago

My favorite birthday cake used to be my Aunt's special cool whip and peaches cake (yellow cake topped with cool whip and fresh peaches).

Señora H-B
Señora H-B
9 years ago

German Chocolate Cake. ALWAYS.

Tanya Koeneman
Tanya Koeneman
9 years ago

I just celebrated my 34th birthday yesterday. Favourite cake would be chocolate cake with vanilla bean frosting …with some caramel. ?

tonya
tonya
9 years ago

This looks yummy and with all the wonder colors. A great Birthday cake!

Unknown
Unknown
9 years ago

I love a chocolate cake with caramel filling 🙂

Laurel S.
Laurel S.
9 years ago

Happiest of birthdays! Such an aesthetically pleasing cake!

Carola Banyuls
Carola Banyuls
9 years ago

Happy blog birthday

camilakaori
camilakaori
9 years ago

I love a good old chocolate cake with strawberries and cream filling!

Blogiposa
Blogiposa
9 years ago

My favorite is an Almond Joy cake.

Mari
Mari
9 years ago

My favorite birthday cake is a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

Mari
Mari
9 years ago

My favorite birthday cake is a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

Unknown
Unknown
9 years ago

Hooray! Happy birthday! I love banana pudding for my birthday. I could eat a whole bowl of it!

Peabody (Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
Peabody (Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
9 years ago

It's such a happy cake! Happy 5 years! And here is to many more delicious years to come!

KatieK
KatieK
9 years ago

Ever since I was a kiddo, my lovely mother has made me a family recipe for my birthday each year! It is a fabulously moist cake that has been dubbed "crazy chocolate cake."

vanillasugarblog
vanillasugarblog
9 years ago

Years back when it was popular, I made the death by chocolate cake. Oh boy that was a perfect food memory.
Happy Blog Birthday!!

jessievirginia
jessievirginia
9 years ago

I love peanut butter pie for my birthday! But I love making cakes for other people!

Anonymous
Anonymous
9 years ago

Embarassing, but my favourite birthday cake is the store bought Carvel. Yup, I can make my own, but nothing says childhood like an ice cream cake.

Elisabeth
Elisabeth
9 years ago

You are too much! That's amazing and so perfectly you.

Favorite cake would be Ina's lemon cake. Close behind is Ina's chocolate cake, or a german's chocolate cake.

Cheryl Ong
Cheryl Ong
9 years ago

Congratulations, Heather! 🙂 Such a perfect cake for you! May you have many more! My favourite cake has to be chocolate and peanut butter, with popcorn on top 😀 Made that for myself one year…

Maca
Maca
9 years ago

I love cheesecake, that's all that I want for my birthday

Laura Samuel
Laura Samuel
9 years ago

I am now always expected to make family and friends birthday cakes and this is a fabulous idea! I will have to try it (for when its a big party with lots of mouths to feed!!) Colourful and creative without being overly complicated!

eidolons
eidolons
9 years ago

Happy Blog Birthday!
(my "name" in the giveaway thing is eidolons)

My favorite birthday cake is brownie cake – a cakey brownie that I put a basic frosting on for the kids. They love it and it's so easy!

Claire Harris
Claire Harris
9 years ago

Today we celebrated our daughter's 3rd birthday with a princess castle cake. I love that it was not perfect but just made with lots of love by Mummy and Daddy just how we thought our daughter would want it. She thought it was great!

Rosie Lopez
Rosie Lopez
9 years ago

Happy Happy Birthday!!!! My favorite birthday cake was celebrating my brothers birthday when I was about 9. My mom made the cake and the whole family was there. I remember sitting on his lap with water in my mouth. He slapped my cheeks and made me spit out the water in my mouth. That was the last birthday I can remember and I think the last one we celebrated before he passed at 16; I was 10. It was a great memory and happy to share with you. Whoever wins the mixer is a lucky person!!! Again Happy Birthday Sprinkle… Read more »

Dana P
Dana P
9 years ago

Congratulations on 5 years of great posts and the new store! Love those star cupcake toppers!

Anonymous
Anonymous
9 years ago

Vanilla + sprinkles epitomise a birthday, in my opinion! But I do remember an awesome Elmo cake my mum made me when I was a kid… Might be re-requesting it for my 31st… Happy b-dizzle Sprinklebakes!

Rachel P.
Rachel P.
9 years ago

My sister-in-law has been making me birthday cakes for the past couple of years – usually a white cake with a fruity/pudding filling, and a homemade frosting! Mmm!

Célio Cruz | Sweet Gula
Célio Cruz | Sweet Gula
9 years ago

Congratulations for your blog!!! I love the cake. 🙂

Rosa's Yummy Yums
Rosa's Yummy Yums
9 years ago

A splendidly festive cake! Happy Bloganniversary and to many more.

Cheers,

Rosa

Melanie
Melanie
9 years ago

My favorite cakes were always the home made ones my mom made us with canned frosting and those hard sugar letters and shapes!

Amanda Renea
Amanda Renea
9 years ago

I prefer brownies for my birthday! Either caramel swirl or with a cream cheese frosting!

threetimesacharm
threetimesacharm
9 years ago

Beautiful!

threetimesacharm
threetimesacharm
9 years ago

This cake looks delicious, but I also love white cake with chocolate frosting.

Alice
Alice
9 years ago

I had a fantastic birthday cake when I was little in the shape of Jemima Puddleduck, decorated to match her exactly! And this year I made myself a cute little 'pocketwatch' for my Alice in Wonderland themed party, which had marshmallow fondant and Swiss Meringue Buttercream – both first time efforts. I used your recipe for the buttercream and it was absolutely gorgeous – I'm a total convert.