Funfetti Birthday Cake

A very happy birthday to my friend whose birthday was on Friday!

I baked her this vanilla funfetti cake with chocolate mousse buttercream. My friends and I went out to dinner to celebrate, and we couldn't wait to dig our faces into this cake. The frosting tastes like chocolate air, if there were such a thing!

This frosting is incredibly fluffy and rich. I actually made this same cake for my sister's birthday, and prior to that, I had never tried my hand at a chocolate frosting. But, I hit it right on the nail the first time! I usually prefer just a vanilla buttercream on my cakes, but my oh my, this chocolate mousse frosting just melted my heart away. It tastes just like chocolate mousse. 

And to add a little fun, I paired this decadent frosting with vanilla funfetti cake. A perfect combo for a birthday celebration. 

This vanilla cake recipe is so decadent, too. Vanilla cakes tend to be difficult to make. Sometimes they turn out too dry and crumbly, or don't have enough vanilla flavor and too much of a flour taste. Whenever I make my vanilla cake or cupcakes recipe, my trick is to always measure the flour and then take out 1-2 whole tablespoons to make the cake more moist. It helps so much, and brings out the vanilla flavor a lot better. Note that I already made this correction in writing the recipe. And another thing, LOTS OF VANILLA! You'll see that I use 1 tablespoon of vanilla in this recipe. That's 3 times as much vanilla that most vanilla cake recipes call for! But let me tell you- it works wonders, That, and the sour cream. I'm sure you all know how much moisture sour cream adds to cakes. It's commonly found in chocolate cakes, but I just love it in this one.

I'm sorry I don't have a piece cut out to show you the inside, but I didn't want to ruin the cake before the party! Trust me on this one, it truly is dreamy!

FUNFETTI BIRTHDAY CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE MOUSSE BUTTERCREAM

YIELD: 11 servings | PREP TIME: 15 minutes | COOK TIME: 20 minutes COOLING TIME: 35 minutes | TOTAL TIME: 70 minutes

CAKE

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons cake flour

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup butter, room temperature

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup sour cream, room temperature

2/3 cup milk, room temperature

4 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease two 8-inch round cake pans. Set aside.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a small bowl. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whip the butter for 1 minute on high speed. Reduce the speed to medium and add the vegetable oil and sugar, beating until just combined. Add eggs, one at a time, allowing the first to get incorporated before adding the second. Add the vanilla extract and sour cream, and mix until just combined. To this, add the flour mixture and milk in small parts, alternating until well combined. Beat for another minute. Gently stir in the sprinkles by hand.

Evenly distribute the batter into each of the cake pans and bake for about 18-20 minutes. Prepare the frosting while cakes are in the oven. When finished, allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack for at least 30 more minutes before frosting.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE BUTTERCREAM

Ingredients:

¾ cup {1 ½ sticks} butter, room temperature

½ cup cocoa powder

2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

¼ cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whip the butter on high for 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and add the cocoa powder and whip together for 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar and milk in small parts at a time, alternating between the two. Add the vanilla, and continue to whip on high speed for another couple minutes until the frosting is nice and fluffy {like chocolate mousse!}.

Store cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or refrigerate up to 5.

Notes: This frosting recipe makes just enough frosting for the cake. If you are planning to add some decorative piping or just love a thick layer of frosting in the center, I would suggest doubling the frosting recipe.

Other variations: {My favorite!} Double the cake recipe, divide batter into three 6-inch cake pans, and bake for 15 minutes. Double the frosting recipe as well.