LOOK what I made!!! It's my sister's birthday today (happy birthday Zoz!) so obviously had to make a cake to celebrate. I was horrendously pregnant last year for her big 3-0 and I couldn't get it together so I decided to go all out this year to make up for it with a birthday surprise confetti cake. It even has cake pops!
It's been a hot minute since I made a surprise cake, the last one being the Christmas Explosion Cake of 2019. They're SO much fun, especially if you don't tell the recipient about the sprinkle waterfall when they cut their first slice.
Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Birthday Surprise Confetti Cake
First of all, the use of cake flour for this vanilla cake fillingย really helps get you that fluffy, light crumb. You can absolutely use all purpose flour but you'll wind up with a denser crumb. If you have to use AP flour, sift if first before making the batter!
Second, the use of vegetable/canola oil. This will increase the amount of moisture in the filling that all butter just can't do with cake flour.
Third, add a couple egg whites for a truly fluffy cake!
About Those Cake Pops
So I made cake pops to decorate the top of this birthday surprise confetti cake. Did I have an extra recipe? Nope! Did I have to make extra cake batter? Absolutely not. I simply used the filling leftover from removing the center of the cake for the sprinkle surprise! Mix it up with some frosting, form into balls, add a stick to each one, and freeze until ready to coat in candy meltable topping ๐๐ป.
I could go on and on about this cake, but instead just scroll down for the recipe!
Birthday Surprise Confetti Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 inch, 3 layer cake 1x
Description
The ultimate festive birthday cake with a sprinkle explosion surprise inside! Made with a vanilla cake layer base and iced with cream cheese buttercream frosting.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3 ยพ cups cake flour*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 medium eggs
- 3 egg whites
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ยผ cups unsalted butter, warmed to room temperature
- ยผ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste (if unavailable substitute with another teaspoon vanilla extract)
- 1 ยฝ cups buttermilk
- โ cup skim milk (I used non fat)
- 1 cup jimmy rainbow sprinkles
For the Frosting
- 2 ยฝ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste (if unavailable substitute with another teaspoon vanilla extract)
- 4 ยฝ cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
For Decorating
- Candy Melts of varying colors (I used bright white, light pink, turqouise, and light purple)
- Cake pop sticks
- Animal Circus Cookies
- Tall cookies/candy (Pirouettes, Pocky Chocolate Biscuit Sticks)
- Assortment of Rainbow/Birthday themed sprinkles (jimmies, nonpareils, meteors, sixlets, fun shapes like small stars)
- Sanding sugars
- Any themed sprinkles and (small) candy you like!
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
Make the Cake Layers
- Preheat oven to 350หF. Grease 3 8โณ straight edge cake pans. Line with parchment paper and grease.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Whisk until completely mixed.
- In a standing mixer or with a hand held mixer and a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Whisk in eggs, egg whites, vanilla extract, vanilla paste, and oilย on a high speed until combined, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides as needed.
- On a low speed, whisk the flour mixture to the egg mixture until just combined.
- Still on a low speed, pour in the buttermilk and skim milk, mixing until just combined.
- Gently fold in sprinkles until just combined.
- Pour batter evenly into greased layer pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of each cake. Set on a wire rack to cool, at least one hour, or frosting will melt.*
Make the Frosting
- In a standing mixer or with a handheld mixer, whisk butter and cream cheese until light and creamy. Sift in the powdered sugar. Add vanilla extract, vanilla paste, and heavy cream. Whisk until completely smooth. Set aside about 1 cup of the frosting for cake pops (if making).
Assemble the Cake
- Mix about 2 cups of sprinkles/candy mixture for the center of the cake and 1 to 2 cups of smaller, simpler sprinkles for the outside of the cake in two different bowls. Set aside.
- When the cake layers are cooled, place the cake layers with the flat side down. Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut out the center of each layer except for the one you will be using for the top of your cake. If making, save the cut out pieces for the cake pops!
- Place a little bit of the frosting in the shape of your first cake "ring" layer on your cake stand, board, etc. to make sure the cake won't move while assembling. Lay the first cake layer on top of this frosting ring. With an offset spatula, spread the top of the layer with about ยฝ cup of frosting. Repeat for the next four layers. *Make sure to leave a little space between the frosting and the hole or your sprinkles will stick to the frosting and won't "explode" when sliced. Also make sure the layers line up!*
- Pour the sprinkles reserved for the center of cake down the hole.
- Add on the final layer (the one without the 2 inch hole), flat side up to make the cake even. Lightly frost the rest of the cake with half of the remaining frosting to create a crumb coat. Place cake in fridge and chill for 10 minutes.
- Remove cake from the fridge and frost with remaining frosting. Cupping your hands, scoop up some of the sprinkles reserved for outside of the cake. Tilting your hands, slowly move them up the sides and across the top of of the cake so the sprinkles spill out and stick to the frosting (I found it enormously helpful to have a piece of parchment paper underneath my cake stand, it help to stop the sprinkles that didn't stick from bouncing away too much). Garnish the top of the cake with any other decorations as desired (Cake pops, Animal Circus Cookies, Pirouettes, Pocky Chocolate Biscuit Sticks, etc). See below for cake pops instructions!
- Cover cake tightly and store in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Optional: Make Cake Pops
- In a medium size bowl, crumble the reserved cake layer pieces with your hands.
- Stir in reserved frosting ยผ cup at a time until the filling can be rolled into a ball.
- Form into balls, add a stick to each one, and place in the freezer until ready to coat in candy meltable topping.
- Set up a cake pop stand, styrofoam block, or artfully stack two wire racks on top of each other so that once dipped, the cake pops will harden while standing upright.
- When ready to coat the cake pops, melt the candy melts according to the instructions on the packaging.
- Dip each frozen cake pop into the melted mixture, swirling around gently to coat. Stand upright to harden. Let cool 10-12 seconds and top with sprinkles as desired.
- Once hardened, you can store them flat in an airtight container or ziploc bag in the fridge or freezer until ready to use.
Notes
You can also use all purpose flour, just make sure to sift it into the mixing bowl as your cake will have denser crumb.
You can make the cake layers the night before! Let them cool on a wire rack, cover with some plastic wrap (still in the cake pans), and place in the fridge to chill until your ready to assemble the cake the next day.
You will need around 1 ยฝ to 2 cups of sprinkle filling for center, depending on how large your sprinkles are and how many larger candy pieces you use.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
Zoz says
It tasted just as amazing as it looks - best birthday surprise ever!
Dan Langholff says
This makes for a great reveal for the little ones birthdays!
Emily says
I followed this recipe exactly and it turned out terrible. Tastes very bland and floury. I have made the blueberry lemon lavender cake many times so I was excited to try a new recipe. I had to rush to make something new and throw this out.
Aberdeen says
Hi Emily, I'm so sorry this turned out so terribly for you! Would you mind sharing if you made any substitutions or perhaps used unsifted all purpose flour instead of cake flour? It can have a large effect on the flavor and texture of the cake. I have successfully made this recipe again a few times after posting but am concerned by your experience with it. Please let me know!