Sprinkle Birthday Cake

Ingredients

White Cake

1 cup milk, room temperature
4 egg whites, room temperature
2 1/4 cups cake flour*
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract (or clear vanilla extract)
2 tablespoons sour cream, at room temperature (*do not use low-fat sour cream)

Buttercream Frosting

2 cups salted butter, softened
5 1/2 cups Dixie Crystals Confectioners Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract (or clear vanilla extract)
2-5 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (or milk)

Chocolate Ganache Drips

3 ounces finely chopped chocolate or 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon corn syrup

Sprinkles

1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles (jimmies)

*Spoon & Sweep method: Use a spoon to fill measuring cup with flour until required amount is obtained. Scooping measuring cup directly into flour bag will firmly pack flour resulting in too much flour required for recipe.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Butter three 6-inch round cake pans and then dust them with flour. For easy removal of cakes, insert rounds of parchment paper into bottom of cake pans.
Whisk milk and egg whites and set aside.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt, and stir with a fork. Set aside.
Using an electric hand mixer, beat butter and sugar, for about 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Pour in the almond (or vanilla) extract and beat just to combine.
Add 1/3 of dry ingredients to butter mixture and beat on low speed just until blended.
Pour in half of milk mixture and beat on medium speed until creamy. Stir in another 1/3 of dry ingredients.
Pour in remaining milk mixture and beat on medium speed until incorporated.
Add sour cream and beat until smooth and creamy. Add remaining flour and beat on low speed just until combined.
Equally divide cake batter between three cake pans. Bake on middle rack of oven for 28-34 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Remove cakes from oven and set pans on a cooling rack. Allow cakes to cool for 10 minutes then remove cakes from pans and allow them to cool completely.
While cakes cool, prepare Buttercream Frosting. Beat butter on medium-high speed for 3 minutes using a hand mixer.
Add powdered sugar, almond (or clear vanilla) extract, and 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream.
Beat on low until powdered sugar is incorporated, then increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat for 2-3 minutes until frosting is light and fluffy.
Add more cream, a little at a time, until frosting is desired consistency.
To frost cake, level tops of cakes, removing domed pieces.
If you used parchment paper to line your cake pans, be sure to peel paper off bottom of each of your cakes. Set one cake on a 6-inch cake cardboard or cake plate.
Add a 1/2 inch layer of frosting on top of cake. Stack on a second cake, frost that layer, then add final cake on top.
Add a crumb coat of frosting to outside of cake and freeze cake for 20 minutes. Remove cake from freezer and frost top and sides of cake, reserving about 1/2 cup of frosting for decoration.
Freeze frosted cake for about 30 minutes while you are making and cooling chocolate ganache.
For Chocolate Ganache, place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat heavy cream until just simmering. Pour over chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes.
Add corn syrup and stir mixture until combined completely.
Let ganache cool for 15-30 minutes, stirring often, until it’s slightly thickened but still pourable.
To decorate cake, remove cake from freezer and press sprinkles around bottom edge.
Either spoon chocolate ganache over top of cake, allowing drips to form from around top edge, or pour ganache into a squeeze bottle and pipe chocolate ganache drips around top edge and over top of cake.
Pop cake into freezer for 10 minutes to allow chocolate ganache to firm up.
Spoon remaining frosting into a pastry bag that is fitted with a large open star tip.
Pipe large open stars around top edge of cake.
Sprinkle on some rainbow jimmies to add some color to frosting stars.
Allow cake to come to room temperature before serving.
Cake may be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. Refrigerate leftovers.