An adaptation of the famous Milk Bar birthday cake: melt-in-your-mouth layers of Funfetti cake with birthday cake soak, topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting and birthday cake crumbs.
Last week, Mr. Flour Covered Apron got to celebrate his birthday with twobirthday cakes! Apparently, that is the benefit of being married to a cake blogger! Since cake is basically an every day occurrence in our household at this point, I wanted to do something a little more special for the occasion. So, I decided that finally trying the Milk Bar birthday cake recipe I’ve had my eye on would be the perfect way to celebrate my Funfetti-loving husband.
Milk Bar’s special naked cakes are made by stamping out circular cake layers from a larger sheet cake, which gives the edges an unfinished, yet clean look. To further help get the most perfect sides ever on this naked cake, it’s stacked inside a ring of clear acetate (a type of flexible plastic used for some baked goods). And in the middle of the cake, the layers get a milk soak before being topped with frosting and cake crumbs, which add the perfect crunch.
I knew a few specialty tools (see below) are required to bake this cake, but I wanted to keep it simple when it comes to the ingredients. It’s worth saying here that Milk Bar very specifically chose several of the ingredients for the original recipe in pursuit of that “box-mix”, “canned frosting” taste. However, I personally wasn’t interested in using several of these items (corn syrup, shortening, etc.), and I wanted a more homemade taste. So, I took the risk and set out to determine whether I could make a delicious copycat Milk Bar birthday cake without all the specialty ingredients. Here are the adaptations I made:
- Swapped out the shortening in the original recipe and stuck to butter and oil instead.
- Used pure vanilla extract instead of imitation clear vanilla (Milk Bar swears by the clear stuff for getting the brightest white frosting and a “box-mix” taste, but I’m all about the real stuff).
- Replaced grapeseed oil with vegetable oil
- Made a more classic vanilla cream cheese frosting (in order to omit glucose, corn syrup, and citric acid) that has just a subtle cream cheese taste.
And it came out great!! Ben absolutely loved this cake and said that for him, it only comes second to my chocolate chip cookie dough brownie cake (nothing can ever beat cookie dough in his book!). We both loved how the milk soak made the cake layers extra flavorful and moist (but definitely not soggy!!). And how the soft cake layers perfectly contrast with the crunch of the birthday cake crumbs between each layer.
The Milk Bar method can totally seem intimidating at first, but in some ways, I actually found it easier than a typical layer cake. For real! Stamping out the cake rounds couldn’t be easier, and the acetate ring provides the perfect, helpful guide for stacking your cake. Plus, without any frosting on the sides, it’s an incredibly low maintenance cake when it comes to decorating.
I finally got to cross off making a Milk Bar birthday cake from my bucket list, but I’m sure I’ll be trying some more variations on this method to come! If you give this recipe a try too, tag @flourcoveredapron on Instagram to share your creations!
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Tools You’ll Need:
- Six-inch cake ring
- 10×15 inch quarter sheet pan
- Acetate Sheet Roll
An adaptation of the famous Milk Bar birthday cake: melt-in-your-mouth layers of Funfetti cake with birthday cake soak, topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting and birthday cake crumbs.
Birthday Cake Crumbs
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablsespoons rainbow sprinkles
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Birthday Cake
- 2 cups cake flour*
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles, divided
- 1/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
- pinch salt
- squeeze of lemon juice (about a teaspoon)
Birthday Cake Soak
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Birthday Cake Crumbs
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the sugars, flour, baking powder, salt, and sprinkles on low speed until combined. Add the oil and vanilla and mix until it begins to come together and small clusters form.
- Use your hands to make more clusters as needed, and transfer crumbs to the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. If making the crumbs ahead of time, they can be stored for a few days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Birthday Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line the bottom of a 10×15 inch, rimmed quarter sheet pan with parchment paper. Spray the pan generously with cooking spray.
- In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 cup of the sprinkles. Set aside. In a measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and beat for another 2-3 minutes.
- Reduce to low speed and slowly pour in the buttermilk mixture. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for about 4 more minutes until mixture is smooth, shiny, and increased in size.
- Reduce speed to low again and add the flour mixture gradually, mixing until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth evenly with a spatula. Distribute remaining 2 tablespoons of sprinkles evenly on top of the batter.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 28-32 minutes, or until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place the pan on top of a wire rack to cool completely.
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, beating on low to combine.
- Add the vanilla extract, milk, pinch of salt, and squeeze of lemon juice, then mix to combine. Beat on medium speed until smooth.
Birthday Cake Soak
- Whisk together the milk and vanilla extract in a small bowl or measuring cup.
Assembling the Cake
- Invert the cake pan on a cutting board and remove the parchment paper from the bottom. Using a six-inch cake ring, stamp out two circles from the cake. The scrap will form the bottom layer of the cake (I cut out as close to a full circle as possible, then a small piece for the remaining edge of the circle).
- Tape a cake board onto a sheet pan and place the cake ring around it. Line the inside edge of the cake ring with a strip of acetate.
- Press the scraps together inside the ring to form the bottom layer. The top of the cake (part facing up when baking) should be facing *down*. Using a pastry brush, soak the bottom layer with half the birthday cake soak.
- Spread 1/5th of the frosting on top with the back of a spoon, then top with 1/3rd of the birthday cake crumbs, pressing them down gently. Spread another fifth of the frosting on top (be patient here – I find this to be the most frustrating part. It helps if you put a big dollop of frosting in, then spread gently from the inside toward the outer edges. It doesn’t need to be perfect).
- Top with the second layer of cake (face down again), brush with remaining milk soak, then repeat step 4. If needed, add another strip of acetate (tucked between the cake ring and the very top of the first strip to increase the height to 5 or 6 inches).
- Stack the final layer of cake (top side facing up this time!) and cover with remaining frosting. Arrange the remaining birthday cake crumbs on top.
- Transfer the cake to the freezer and freeze overnight (at least 8-12 hours) to set the layers. About 3 hours before you want to serve the cake, remove from the cake ring and peel off the acetate. Transfer to the fridge to let it defrost.
* To make your own cake flour: sift together 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 cup cornstarch. Sift 4 times.
This recipe is adapted from the Milk Bar’s famous Birthday Cake recipe
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