Surprise a Minecraft fan with this beautiful three-layer birthday cake decorated with buttercream petals in Minecraft colors.
You will need:
For Chocolate Cakes (two layers),
All-purpose flour - 2 cups
Unsweetened cocoa powder - ⅔ cup
Baking soda - 1½ tsp
Salt - ½ tsp
Unsalted butter - 1 cup, softened
Dark brown sugar - 1 cup, packed
Granulated sugar - ¾ cup
Eggs - 4 large, at room temperature
Semi-sweet baking chocolate - 2 oz, melted and cooled
Vanilla extract - 1½ tsp
Buttermilk - 1½ cups
For Yellow Cake (1 layer),
All purpose flour - 1½ cups
Baking powder - 1¼ tsp
Salt - ½ tsp
Granulated sugar - 1 cup
Unsalted butter - ½ cup, softened
Eggs - 2 large, at room temperature
Vanilla extract - ¾ tsp
Milk - ½ cup
For Buttercream Frosting,
Unsalted butter - 2 cups
Powdered sugar - 8 cups, sifted
Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
Salt - a big pinch
Milk - as needed
Unsweetened cocoa powder - 2 tbsp, sifted
Green food coloring gel or liquid - as needed
How to:
Chocolate Cake: Pre-heat oven to 350 deg.F. Grease (with butter or a neutral oil) two 9" round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Grease and flour pans liberally, tapping out excess flour. Set aside.
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars together for a few minutes till light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes on high-speed.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add melted chocolate and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Add buttermilk and dry ingredients alternately in three batches, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat until batter is smooth and just combined.
Divide batter among the prepared cake pans, smooth the tops, and tap pans on countertop to get rid of any air bubbles.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the cakes pass the toothpick test. Remove from oven and rest cakes for 10 minutes. Lightly run a knife around the edges, invert cakes onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Yellow Cake: Pre-heat oven to 350 deg.F. Grease (with butter or a neutral oil) one 9" round cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour pan liberally, tapping out excess flour. Set aside.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar on high-speed until light in color. Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until thoroughly combined.
Add milk and dry ingredients alternately to the batter, beating well after each addition, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Continue beating one minute to make the batter smooth.
Pour batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top with a spatula, and tap the pan on the counter-top to get rid of any air bubbles.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test. Remove from oven and rest cake for 10 minutes. Lightly run a knife around the edges, invert cake onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Buttercream Frosting: In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth.
Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, 1-2 cups at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl often to incorporate all the sugar. When all the sugar has been added, icing will be thick and a bit dry. Adding milk, a little at a time, beat to get a fluffy, soft consistency.
Add vanilla extract and salt and mix well to combine.
Beat the frosting on high for at least 2-3 minutes, adding a little more powdered sugar or milk to adjust the consistency as you go. The frosting should be fluffy, thick and smooth, able to hold its shape if you pick some up on a spoon or small spatula.
If not using immediately, cover the frosting with cling wrap touching its surface. Cover the bowl with a tight-fitting lid and chill in the refrigerator till ready to use. You can whip the frosting again till fluffy after bringing it to room temperature.
If using immediately, divide the frosting into four parts. Take two parts in one small bowl and add green food coloring gel to get a dark shade. This part will be used for the crumb-coat, the top and the petals.
To another part of frosting, add green food coloring gel to make a lighter shade. Remember that frosting color will deepen as it sets.
To the last part, add cocoa powder and beat till combined well. If it appears to have thickened, add a few drops of milk and beat well.
Frosting the cake: Add a small blob of darker green frosting in the middle of a cake stand. Place a layer of chocolate cake on it. Spread about ⅓ cup of frosting on top. Place the yellow cake layer on top and repeat frosting. Place the second chocolate cake on top. Thinly frost the top and sides of the whole cake. This is your crumb coating. Chill the cake until crumb-coat is firm. You can also chill it overnight.
Once chilled, it is time to frost the cake with the petal effect. Take the three colors of frosting in three piping bags.
On the side of the cake, place dots of frosting in alternating colors, one below the other. Using a clean spoon or tiny offset spatula, gently swipe a dot to the side. Repeat for all colors, making sure to use separate spoons for each color or wiping the spoon after each swipe.
Repeat the dotting and swiping till you cover the entire cake. Make sure to follow the correct order of colors for the petals to get the desired graduated color effect.
For the top, you can either frost petals or simply add the remaining green frosting and smooth with a spatula. I also piped some leftover chocolate frosting at the edges.
Place Minecraft mini figures or other cake decorations and a candle on top, and your Minecraft birthday cake is ready to party!
Notes:
1. If you have 3 cake pans, you can mix the batters for chocolate and yellow cakes and bake them at the same time. Otherwise, you will need to bake each layer separately, making sure to cool the pan completely before baking the next batch. 2. The correct amount of green food gel needed is a matter of personal preference. Start with a small amount and build up the colors to your liking. Make sure to have one color very much lighter than the other for a cool petal effect. 3. You can divide the frosting into any number of parts and make multi-colored rainbow cakes. 4. Always have extra powdered sugar and milk on hand to adjust the consistency of your buttercream frosting. 5. The prep time given here does not reflect the cake chilling time, so plan accordingly. Also, the time taken for decoration will depend on your skill level. Make sure everything is ready and within reach before you start decorating.
Recipe by At The Corner of Happy And Harried at https://www.happyandharried.com/2017/10/24/minecraft-birthday-cake/