Using a blend of butter and oil for this cake makes it light but moist. With its tall layers and fluffy frosting, this colorful cake is perfect for any birthday party.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 50 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Inactive: | 40 min |
| Cook: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pans
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans (See Cook’s Note)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles, plus more for decorating
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Pinch fine salt
- 3 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup milk
Instructions
- For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans; dust with flour, then tap out the excess.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Beat the butter, granulated sugar and oil in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, then beat in the vanilla until combined.
- Alternate folding the flour mixture and milk into the batter with a spatula, adding the flour in 3 additions and the milk in 2, starting and ending with the flour, until just smooth. Add the sprinkles and fold 3 or 4 times until just blended to prevent the colors from bleeding too much. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
- Bake the cakes on the same oven rack, rotating the pans about halfway if they seem to be browning unevenly, until golden on top and the centers spring back to the touch, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in the pans about 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks and let cool completely.
- For the frosting: While the cakes cool, beat the butter and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Once it’s all been added, increase the speed to medium-high, and beat until white and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla until blended. Add 2 tablespoons of the milk, and beat to incorporate. Beat in the remaining milk, 1 tablespoon at a time (the frosting will be spreadable but not runny).
- To assemble: Place 1 cake layer right-side up on a cake plate or stand, and spread with 1 cup of the frosting. Top with the second cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Decorate the top with additional sprinkles.
- The cake layers can be made a day ahead; wrap the cooled layers in plastic and aluminum foil and store at room temperature overnight. You can also assemble and frost the cake the day before serving; let it stand at room temperature overnight, covered by a large bowl or cake dome (if your kitchen is very hot, chill the cake and let it stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving).
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 776 |
| Total Fat | 43 g |
| Saturated Fat | 21 g |
| Carbohydrates | 92 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 70 g |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Cholesterol | 161 mg |
| Sodium | 283 mg |
Reviews
This came out great! The only deviation I made was adding a touch of almond extract. It tasted like a bakery cake.
The cake turned out springy, moist, and not overly sweet! I doubled the amount of sprinkles to make sure it was over the top confetti. The icing, however, seemed to have an excessive ratio of butter to sugar. I made it twice to ensure I was following directions, but both times it turned out buttery and wouldn’t spread smoothly. I added more sugar to the mixture and it seemed to bring the icing together better.
Overall, I will definitely make this cake recipe again and again, but paired with another icing.
Overall, I will definitely make this cake recipe again and again, but paired with another icing.
I’ve made this cake 3-4 times and everyone always love it. Sometimes I use 1/2 oil and sometimes I use just another stick of butter. Either way it’s always good
This was the worst cake I have ever made. It was dry and tasteless. I am truly baffled by the reviews. We grew it away.
I think the cake was a little overdone (convection 325 for 27min) but that’s my fault. I think you can 1.5x the icing and omit the milk; it didn’t seem necessary!
I made this recipe for my daughter’s 5th birthday and it was wonderful. I paid extra attention to the details and made sure to mix just as long as suggested. The cake was tall, fluffy, and so pretty – she loved it!
I was super disappointed in tbis recipe. I made it for my sons 6th birthday…even though I followed the directions to the “T” it still came out dry and dense…with the amount of time it took me to bake this…total let down.
Great cake. I would give it 5 stars, but the cake didn’t rise at all. It had a great taste though, and I loved the buttercream.
I made this for my daughter’s birthday. It was light and fluffy – the trick is really making sure to follow the directions exactly when mixing. I will make this again, it was a hit with everyone.
It is so good I made it for my dad’s birthday and he loved it and I made my famous wipped cream