Homemade Funfetti Cake

Happy Birthday to me!! On Monday, I turned the big 2-7 and am excited to enter this new year and see what it has in store. I can now say that I've entered my "late" 20s - exciting and scary! Where does the time go?!

I celebrated my birthday by going on a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico to celebrate the wedding of two amazing college friends. I had never been to New Mexico, so it was wonderful to soak in the unique scenery, architecture, and food that makes up that beautiful desert state. We honored the occasion by having quite a few margaritas, and eating lots of dishes smothered in red and green chile sauce. Here is a photo of me wearing a hat borrowed from a mariachi band musician! I could not resist.
 

On Monday, we were ready for some R&R and I didn't wait to go out to eat yet again. So, I baked myself this funfetti birthday cake from scratch! It was absolutely delicious, although the traditional Betty Crocker box mix still holds a special place in my heart. We also make this scrumptious rack of lamb along with an AMAZING and addictive Cesar salad recipe. For some reason, this homemade dressing is like crack cocaine for me. I could eat three bowls of this salad per day!

But back to the funfetti...

 Yes. You will need sprinkles. Lots of sprinkles.

Ingredients:

Cake

1 and 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg

1/4 cup yogurt  (plain or vanilla; or greek yogurt; or sour cream)

3/4 cup milk

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup sprinkles (not nonpareils)

Vanilla Buttercream

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

3-4 cups powdered (confectioners') sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream (can substitute half-and-half for a different consistency)

2 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Note that this recipe only makes ONE cake pan worth of cake, not two. Spray one 9-inch springform or baking pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Whisk in the sugars vigorously getting out any brown sugar lumps - mixture will be gritty. Whisk in egg, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract until combined. Slowly mix in dry ingredients until no lumps remain. Batter will be thick. Slowly stir in sprinkles by hand, being VERY careful not to overmix because the sprinkles will quickly bleed their color.

3. Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil (loosely to avoid the top from sticking to the foil). Bake for 13-17 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.

4. To make the frosting, beat softened butter on medium speed with an electric or stand mixer. Beat for 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla extract with the mixer running. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin or more cream if mixture is too thick. Frost cooled cake as desired and top with sprinkles. There may be leftover frosting depending how much you wish to use.

The inside of my cake looks a little crazy here because I mixed in the sprinkles with my stand mixer instead of by hand. The result is a bit more "tie dye" looking than the typical funtetti cake!