Sweet

Vanilla Bean Funfetti Cake

Vanilla Bean Funfetti Cake // take a megabite

I just don’t know what to say these days! Ask me where to get lunch and I feel like I have no idea what people eat. (Fajitas!?) Ask me what I had for dinner and I might’ve forgotten to eat and will have to get emergency fro-yo after yoga. Ask me where I’m headed on a walk, and I don’t know, but Elliot does. (I let him choose the way, always.) But ask me what cake is perfect for a birthday, I’ll say funfetti, and I won’t even have to think twice.

Vanilla Bean Funfetti Cake // take a megabite

This particular cake, is pretty much a vanilla bean dream with sprinkles mixed in. You see, I initially was going to cake-ify some cupcakes from the archives, but I doubled the recipe, overflowed the cake in the oven, and ended up with one half raw/half burnt casualty and one weirdo layer that I topped with whipped cream and palm trees and sent home with my friend.

So here you go! A cake you can count on! A cake for a super fine dude’s birthday! A cake I ate two slices of because I couldn’t see a piece go to waste! (The second slice was eaten alone in a kitchen after a lady wouldn’t eat it based on her neighbor showering her with baked goods too often. Shoot! More for me.)

P.S. This frosting is a miracle. Just trust me. It’s not too sweet, it’s juuuuuuust right. Goldilocks would love it.

Vanilla Bean Funfetti Cake // take a megabite

Vanilla Been Funfetti Cake (recipe makes one 2-layer 8-inch cake)
Recipe adapted from Organic and Chic 

Ingredients:

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 T vanilla extract
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 t baking powder
  • 1/2 t salt
  • heaping 1/4 cup sprinkles AKA jimmies + more for topping
  • whipped vanilla bean buttercream frosting (recipe below)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 8-inch round baking pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper or nonstick foil. Spray again.
  2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure that everything is well mixed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition.
  3. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl combine the milk, vanilla extract and vanilla seeds.
  4. With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk mixture in three batches. Start and end with the flour mixture. When the batter is just combined, shut off the mixer and thoroughly incorporate the dough with a rubber spatula. Stir in sprinkles. Divide batter between two cake pans.
  5. Bake for 35-40 minutes*, or until a pale golden color, and a skewer inserted int he center of the cakes come out clean. (For cupcakes bake for 25-30 minutes.) Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool. Frost and sprinkle only when completely cool. Note: I placed the cakes on the wire rack in the freezer for 30 minutes before assembling, and it worked fabulously. OR wrap each cooled cake layer in plastic wrap and refrigerate over night to ice the following day.

Vanilla Bean Funfetti Cake // take a megabite

Beer CANdles and sparklers don’t hurt a thing. Hashtag party time.

Whipped Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting
Recipe adapted from Organic and Chic

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup + 2 T sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out*, reserving beans
  • 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

* or 1 1/2 T vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup milk with the flour and vanilla seeds. Whisk together until there are no lumps. Over medium heat, slowly add the remaining cup of milk, whisking constantly and cooking until the mixture barely comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken slightly. Immediately remove the pan from heat and keep stirring, it will continue to cook a minute or two on it’s own. Add the vanilla bean pod and set aside to cool to room temperature, steeping with the whole vanilla beans in the mixture. Refrigerate for a few minutes until cooled to room temperature. Pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to get the vanilla bean pods out and to keep any lumps from being in the mixture. Set aside.
  2. Cream the butter on medium speed, 3-5 minutes, with an electric mixer until soft, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes, stopping the mixer now and then to scrape down the sides of the bowl and then resume beating.
  3. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the milk mixture into the butter and sugar mixture. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Frost your cake.

Yay! Click HERE for a printable pdf of the recipe above.

weekend prep // take a megabite

Get weekend-ready with a bikini, shades, Jeni’s ice cream, and cold-brew.*

Visit my Instagram to see where that stuff up there is from if you want!

20 thoughts on “Vanilla Bean Funfetti Cake”

  1. This is almost exactly the same birthday cake I made for little dude’s second birthday and that makes me feel like I’m winning at life (because you’re my cake hero). PS. Grabbing those beer candles for my own super fine dude’s September birthday. Thanks for the link and inspiration.

  2. LOVE this! I also love that you decorated it with fun stuff. The beer can candles rock! Just found your blog and so happy I did. I’m a new follower and I’ll join you for cake anytime! 🙂

    xo
    Pat

  3. Funfetti cakes have always been my absolute favorite for my b-day. My birthday was last week but it ended up cakeless, but I’m thinking I might have to do something to fix that. I’ve made a very similar butter cream before and it’s the only kind I like! So much better than the kinds that call for 3+ cups of powdered sugar. 🙂 I’m also the biggest vanilla freak evaaa, so the vanilla on vanilla is perfecto. Well done, lady.

  4. I am seriously failing at keeping up with my blog reading, but I’m THRILLED I read this in time to make JUST such a cake for my own birthday in a couple of weeks! I can’t wait!!

  5. This looks lovely! If you can’t find vanilla beans at the store, can you sub in vanilla extract for the vanilla bean? Does it make a big difference?
    Thanks!

  6. Megan you’re right, this cooked frosting is the bomb! The perfect solution to my dislike of either overly-sweet or overly-buttery frostings. Total win. A hit with everyone at the office, too!

  7. Pingback: 12 Fall Favorites

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