Perfect Happy Birthday Cake

Make this bakery-style birthday cake for your next birthday celebration! It’s a classic yellow cake studded with rainbow sprinkles and covered in the creamiest Swiss meringue buttercream.

I have spent months perfecting this birthday cake recipe. As a former pastry chef, I’ve made and eaten hundreds of different vanilla cakes- but none that ever had something so special that I wanted to dig in for another bite.

Luckily for you, this vanilla cake is soft, plush, and super moist and stays that way for days! Not just a few days, but almost an entire week, thanks to a special cake-mixing technique that I learned in pastry school. Trust me, it’s the cake you’ll want to serve your loved ones to say happy birthday!

Not a cake person? Try my birthday cake cookies or birthday cake brownies instead!

Tips for a Perfect Birthday Cake

Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is my #1 baking tip! If you don’t have a scale, use a spoon to fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup.

Scrape down the bowl frequently.​ This is crucial for a smooth, well-blended batter. 

Use a timer to mix the cake batter.​ Unlike most cake recipes that use a standard creaming method, we are using what’s called a “two-step” mixing method. This method relies on 

Cool before frosting.​ Nothing is more sad than cold frosting melting off warm cake! Wait until the layers are completely cool to avoid this!

Cake Technique Spotlight

If you’re unfamiliar with it, most cake recipes use a standard “creaming method” to make the cake batter.

Instead, I’ll teach you what’s known as the “two-step method.” It’s a very popular technique among pastry chefs known for creating a super tender cake with a tight, moist crumb. There are two main steps involved:

1. Creaming the dry ingredients, butter, and a portion of the milk first. If you think this will create too much gluten, it won’t! That’s because the sugar steals some of the liquid before the flour can, inhibiting gluten formation.
2. Then, mix in the rest of the liquid ingredients in 3 parts.

Note: This mixing method relies on following the instructions carefully. While it’s super simple, it can not be rushed.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Cake flour: Unfortunately, this is the one ingredient that cannot be substituted, or the recipe will not turn out! I made this recipe with regular all-purpose flour, and the texture was very dry and crumbly.

Sour cream: Substitute it with equal parts full-fat plain Greek yogurt!

Butter: Instead of regular room temperature butter, you want it to be more on the softened side. This is because we are not trying to incorporate air into the batter but trying to cram it into the batter instead.

Oil: Any flavorless oil is best. I always use vegetable oil, but you could also use avocado oil, canola oil, or grapeseed oil.

Rainbow sprinkles: Any color of rainbow sprinkle jimmies is best! The only sprinkle I don’t recommend is nonpareils- they will bleed into the cake batter, turning it grey! If you prefer plain vanilla instead of confetti cake, feel free to leave out the sprinkles.

Vanilla: A high-quality vanilla extract will give it that classic birthday cake flavor. Madagascar vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or bourbon vanilla are the ones I use most commonly in bakeries. Stay away from clear vanilla or imitation vanilla, as they will have an artificial flavor.

Recipe Instructions

Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients. Sift the dry ingredients into a stand mixing bowl, then add the sugar and whisk to combine.

Step 2: Whisk together the wet ingredients. Whisk together a small portion of the milk, eggs, vanilla extract, oil, and sour cream. Set aside.

Step 3: Beat in the butter and part of the milk. Add the softened milk and the rest of the milk (see the recipe card for full amounts!) and mix on low speed until moistened. Then, increase the speed to medium and beat for exactly 1 1/2 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl every 30 seconds.

Step 4: Beat in the wet ingredients. Pour 1/3 of the wet ingredients into the bowl and mix just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and the paddle attachment. Then add the next 1/3. Continue until all of the wet ingredients are added.

Step 5: Bake the cake. Pour the vanilla cake batter into the prepared baking pans. Bake the cake layers until the edges are golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached.

Step 6: Cool the cake layers. Let the cake pans cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then invert them to remove the cakes and let them finish cooling on the rack.

Step 7: Make the vanilla frosting. Cream the butter and powdered sugar together until combined. Then mix in the vanilla extract and heavy cream. Beat the buttercream on medium speed until light, white, and fluffy. You can also try cream cheese buttercream frosting, milk chocolate frosting, or chocolate fudge frosting.

Step 8: Decorate the cake. Alternate assembling the cake layers and funfetti frosting. Decorate the top with frosting swirls and more sprinkles, or see the section below for more ideas.

4 Frosting and Decorating Ideas

Storage, Freezing, and Make Ahead

Storage:

Freezing:

Make ahead:

• Fridge: I recommend storing the frosted cake in the fridge, especially in the summer when your home is warm. Once cut, stick a piece of parchment paper to the exposed part to keep it from drying out. If stored properly, the cake will stay fresh and moist for up to one week.
• Freezer: You can freeze both the whole and sliced cake for up to one month. If you are storing it whole, I recommend keeping it in a cake carrier or some kind of large container to prevent it from getting stale.
• Make ahead: If you plan to make the cake ahead of time, wrap each slice in plastic wrap and store it in the freezer until you are ready to frost it.

TOP TIP: Cut it into slices, then place them on a baking tray in the freezer for 10 minutes until solid. Then, you can wrap each slice in plastic wrap and either freeze them or keep them in the fridge.

FAQs

If you tried this or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments; I love hearing from you! Also, please leave a star rating while you’re there! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!