Kate's Magical Unicorn Sprinkle Cake

I'm not sure how it happened, but our little Princess Kate turned TWO a few weeks ago! Wasn't she just born!? She is just the best little girl in the world and we love her more everyday. I'm in denial that she's less and less baby and more of a toddler. She is sassy, sweet and hilarious. The princess of the family, for sure! We celebrated with family and it was such a special day! Little miss was eating up all of the birthday attention.

Any birthday in this house isn't quite complete without our favorite sprinkle cake. Will has now asked for a sprinkle cake two years in a row and it's looking like this is a Moore family birthday tradition. I took it to the next level and created this unicorn edition for Kate's birthday and I AM IN LOVE. 

A little back story on the unicorn obsession...as trendy as they may be, it was a little bit of an accident how they became Kate's "animal". Before she was born, my dear friend went to England and brought our baby girl back a souvenir. It was a piece of the official china comemorating the birth of Princess Charlotte. The design is a gorgeous gold lion and unicorn- and so the unicorn love started and here we are. 

This cake was not only magical, but delicious, too! I think I've finally found the very best birthday cake recipe. I added sprinkles to the batter making it funfetti, but I used this same cake recipe for my sister's birthday in September and everyone LOVED it. The consistency is perfect- it really is a classic white birthday cake. I'm convinced that Greek yogurt in the batter, plus folding the whipped egg whites in separately at the end makes ALLLLL of the difference here. 

To make the unicorn cake topper, I went back to the clay animal making days of my craft loving childhood. I found a tutorial online and spent a naptime one afternoon molding away. I purchased pre-made white fondant (found HERE) as well as gel food coloring (found HERE). For the sparkly horn and hooves, I used Wilton Gold Lustre Dust (found HERE) and simply painted it onto the fondant. This was my first time ever using fondant and I had so much fun! Any excuse to get crafty is always good for my soul.                                                            

             

  

Kate asked for "puhhhhple " frosting and how could I say no!? I mixed a tiny bit of pink and a tiny bit of purple to get this gorgeous light lavender and I think the color came out perfect. 

The BEST Funfetti Birthday Cake Recipe
recipe adapted from Craftsy

FOR THE CAKE-
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 large eggs, separated
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract 
1 cup full fat Greek yogurt 
1/2 cup sprinkles (jimmies are the best!)

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM-
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
6-8 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Food coloring

Adjust oven rack to the middle position in the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease, flour and line the bottom of two 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment, whisk egg whites until soft peaks start to form. This will take several minutes. Transfer them to another bowl. 

Switch out the whisk attachment for the paddle attachment on your mixer and in a large bowl (just use the same one that you whisked the egg whites in), cream the butter until fluffy and light, about 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed. Scrape down the bowl as necessary. Add the granulated and brown sugars and mix on medium high speed until combined and smooth, another 2-3 minutes. Add the egg yolks one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each one. Add the vanilla and mix until just combined.

While on medium speed, add the yogurt and flour mixture alternately, in 2-3 additions each. Mix the batter until it is smooth and free of any lumps. The batter will be super thick. By hand, fold in the egg whites gently until no streaks of white remain. 

Lastly, add sprinkles to the batter and mix those in by hand as well.

Divide batter into the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Every oven is SO different, but I found that 33 minutes was the perfect amount of time for this cake! 

Once cakes are done, remove from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes before flipping the pans over and removing the cakes. Wait until the cakes have cooled completely before frosting. 

To make the buttercream, in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat butter for 2-3 minutes until very smooth. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and the salt and beat until smooth. Keep adding powdered sugar in 1 cup increments, until it has reached your desired frosting consistency. If you find that the sugar is too thick, add milk or cream, 1 tsp. at a time, to thin it out. Add desired color and mix until done. 

Butter Cupcakes + Salted Caramel Buttercream

Moving on from the healthiest pizza recipe I've ever posted to these morsels of heaven. Because, balance, right!? And HELLO! Sprinkles and unicorns.

You just cannot beat a good cupcake. With the perfect cake base and a delicious frosting topper, it's the perfect hand held dessert. It's taken me a long time to get my proportions right, but I have finally learned how to properly fill each liner so that each cupcake comes out the same. 3/4 of the way full works every sing time. 

These cupcakes are a little bit of magic and so much more. My family has been making this cake recipe for awhile now and last week I halved the batter to make a batch of cupcakes for a birthday celebration. The salted caramel buttercream is everything. 

Use your patience when making this frosting, but know that the end result will be worth it. It's taken me a few times to get it right! Don't give up. And if you want to make the full cake, you can find the recipe HERE. It's perfection.

Butter Cake Cupcakes + Salted Caramel Buttercream 

recipe adapted from Add a Pinch (makes 10-12 cupcakes)

BUTTER CAKE

1.5 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

pinch of salt

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla

SALTED CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM

Stage 1:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup Crisco vegetable shortening

1/4 cup butter

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Stage 2:

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1 cup confectioner's sugar, plus more if needed

CUPCAKES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cupcake tin with liners.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and whisk. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy, then add sugar. Cream together for about 8 minutes, scraping the sides down occasionally. Add eggs, one at a time and cream after each one. 

Add flour mixture and buttermilk, alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Combine each addition of flour then turn the mixer on high to incorporate air into the batter. 

Add vanilla and mix well. Turn the mixer on high one last time for about 10 seconds to lighten the batter. 

Using an ice cream or batter scoop, fill each cupcake liner about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

SALTED CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM

Add all ingredients from stage one to a 3-4 quart pot. Stir with a wooden spoon over medium heat. 

Using a candy thermometer, cook to a softball stage (235-245 degrees). I have found that the closer to 235 the better. 

Remove from heat and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer to let cool. To quicken the cooling process, beat it with the whisk attachment for a few minutes. 

Once the caramel has cooled, add the butter and salt from the second stage of the recipe and and whip. Add the confectioner's sugar in 1/4 cup increments, whipping after each one. Since you will be frosting cupcakes, you may need to add more to get the frosting to stiffen and hold its shape. 

Transfer frosting to a piping bag and frost. Top with sprinkles, lots of sprinkles. 

Will's Chocolate Sprinkle Cake

Sweet little Will requested one thing for his birthday and one thing only: A Chocolate Sprinkle Cake! Easy enough, little one. And you guys, to this day he is still talking about this cake! He got his own digital camera, an accordion, a remote control motorcycle. He even got the Paw Patroller. THE PAW PATROLLER! But I swear to you when anyone asks him what he got for his birthday his first response, without any hesitation, "A CHOCOLATE SPRINKLE CAKE!" He loves his treats. #priorities

As soon as Will decided on his cake, I let him sit with me in front of my computer as we scoured Pinterest for the best sprinkle ideas on the web. And now I want to make ALL THE CAKES. There are seriously so many cute ideas and the more sprinkles, the better. 

I don't know who Beatty is, but his chocolate cake is the best ever and, well, I never question anything that Ina makes.  I consulted my baking experts to find the perfect chocolate buttercream. I have only made a handful of fancy schmancy birthday cakes and what I've learned along the way is that the crumb layer is the secret to a beautiful frosting job. Start with that and the rest will fall into place. It makes the process much easier!

Will helped me mix up the batter and I baked this baby after he went to bed the night before his birthday. Once the cake was cooled, I wrapped each layer tightly with saran wrap and frosted it the next day. This is a huge time saver and the cake still stays unbelievably fresh! Before his nap on the day of his birthday, we mixed up the frosting together and he licked the spatulas clean! By the time he was up from his nap, his cake was ready for his birthday celebrations! 

We had the best time celebrating Will's third birthday and this chocolate sprinkle cake was everything. Will was so proud. 

Here's another tip: the best sprinkle spot in town is Harris Teeter! Whichever grocery store you go to, check with their bakery. HT sells them to me in small plastic containers for around $2-3! 

Sprinkles forever and ever. 

Will's Chocolate Sprinkle Cake 

recipe from Ina Garten

Butter, for greasing the pans

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for prepping the pans

2 cups sugar

3/4 cups good cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk, shaken

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Chocolate Buttercream, recipe below

SPRINKLES!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8" x 2 round cake pans. Line with parchment paper then butter and flour the pans. 

Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment and mix on low until combined. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. Slowly add wet ingredients to the dry. With the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot coffee, stir just to combine, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35- 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan for 30 minutes then turn onto cooling rack and cool completely. 

Chocolate Buttercream*

recipe from Brown Eyed Baker

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2.5 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Using a wire whisk attachment, whip the butter on medium high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice.

Reduce speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase speed to medium high and add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Add the melted chocolate and whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes, scraping the bowl as needed to incorporate all of the chocolate. 

*Note: I doubled this recipe to have enough frosting for the entire cake! You will have some leftover but one batch is not enough. 

To frost the cake, I started by making sure that my cake layers were even on the top, carefully cutting a tiny bit off of each top. After I frosted the middle layer and stacked my layers together, I made a crumb coating. There are TONS of tutorials on this! I opted for a smooth outer layer of frosting and used a simple piping tip to make my dotted border on the top and the bottom. I finished by literally pouring sprinkles on the top and lightly pressing them into the frosting to make them stay. 

Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake

The strawberry patch saw us a few times this Spring and we loved the constant supply of freshly picked berries. Too many strawberries are never a bad thing! I had my heart set on making the Strawberry Dream Cake from the cover of May's Southern Living but it never happened!

My friend Katie sent me this recipe as back up and I must say, this Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake was a stellar runner up! I had all of the ingredients on hand and the cake is TO DIE FOR. It came together easily and I didn't mind licking the bowl clean once the batter was poured into the cake pan. I can imagine that this cake would be just as good with blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or a mixture of all of them. 

Make this cake. It's perfect for Summer!

Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake
recipe from A Spicy Perspective

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, divided
Zest of 1 lemon
2.5 cups all purpose flour, divided
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
8 oz. plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
12 oz. fresh strawberries, diced
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prep a 10 inch bundt pan with grease and flour (I used butter).

Sift together 2 1/4 cups of the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs in, one at a time, then stir in 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing until just incorporated.

Toss the strawberries in the remaining 1/4 cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter. 

Pour the batter into the bundt pan. Place in the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees. Bake for 60 minutes, or until when a toothpick is inserted it comes out clean. 

Allow cake to cool for at least 20 minutes on a cooling rack. Turn pan over onto cooling rack and cake should slide out. Once the cake is cool, whisk together the remaining 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice and powdered sugar. Drizzle over cake.  

Lemon Ricotta Almond Cake

I enjoy baking but I LOVE cooking. Baking always seems to get a bit tricky and if you aren't paying close attention and making precise measurements, you could end up with a complete disaster. When I cook, I do my thing, I let my mind wander and most of the time I don't even closely follow the recipe. Cooking is my therapy and I love spending time in the kitchen.

This Lemon Almond Ricotta cake though...I loved making it! It came together seamlessly, the recipe was easy to follow and the end result was incredible. A friend made this cake for my birthday last year and I knew it would be the perfect end to our Easter meal. It might even be my new favorite Springtime dessert! Lemon and almond go together like a dream and the ricotta creates such a nice balance. Using almond meal instead of flour gives this cake a unique texture that I love. Our Easter meal was complete when we finished with a delicious slice of this gem of a cake.

Lemon Ricotta Almond Cake

recipe from Honey and Figs

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2 vanilla beans or vanilla bean paste equivalent amount

zest from 2 lemons

4 eggs, separated and at room temperature

2.5 cups almond meal

10.5 oz. ricotta cheese. 

almond flakes

Freeze whisk attachment and mixing bowl.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 20 cm. round springform pan with parchment paper and set aside. 

Beat softened butter, 1 cup of the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer until creamy and pale, about 5-6 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add almond meal and beat on medium to combine. Gently fold in the ricotta cheese. 

Remove bowl and whisk from the freezer and beat egg whites and the remaining powdered sugar (1 cup) until soft peaks form. This took me 8-10 minutes. Fold stiff egg whites into the cake batter and gently combine. 

Pour mixture into cake pan and sprinkle with almond flakes. Bake for 20-25 minutes and then cover with tin foil. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until cake is done, the top is slightly browned and the edges are starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. 

Let the cake cool for 20 minutes before removing from the springform pan. Dust with additional powdered sugar before serving.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes {Chocolate Guiness Cupcake with Baileys Buttercream and a Whiskey Ganache Center}

Cupcakes are always appropriate. There is something about a personal size cake that makes you feel happy. Bad day? Eat a cupcake. Someone's birthday and you can't be there to celebrate in person? Eat a cupcake. Bachelor finale? Eat a cupcake. They are the perfect celebration dessert and make for a fun display at parties. Add a little alcohol and you've just scored big. 

Here's a booze-y cupcake recipe for your St. Patrick's Day. Three layers deep, these rich little cakes feature Guiness, Jameson and Baileys. The Irish tri-fecta. A chocolate Guiness cupcake is filled with a whiskey ganache and topped with a gigantic swirl of Bailey's Irish Cream Buttercream. What more could a leprechaun want? I may have missed the St. Patrick's Day bar crawl downtown Charlotte, but baking with alcohol, which resulted in Guiness for breakfast, is the next best thing. 

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes 

recipe from The Brown Eyed Baker

Cupcakes:
1 cup Guiness Stout
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1.5 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Whiskey Ganache Filling:
8 oz. bittersweet baking chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. butter, room temperature
2 tsp. Irish Whiskey (I used Jameson)

Baileys Buttercream:
2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
6 Tbsp. Bailey's Irish Cream

To make the cupcakes; preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring the Guiness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk mixture until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until well combined. Add the Guiness- chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 of the way full. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center, 17-19 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack.

To make the whiskey ganache filling; finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heat proof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir from the center outward until just combined. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until just combined. Let the ganache cool until thick, but still soft enough to be piped.

To fill the cupcakes; using the bottom of a large decorating tip, cut the centers of the cooled cupcakes, going about two thirds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping bag with a large tip and fill the holes of the cupcakes all the way to the top. 

To make the Baileys Buttercream; Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium- high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium- low and gradually add the powdered sugar until incorporated. Add the Baileys, and increase the speed to medium high and whip for another 2-3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy. 

Using a decorating tip, frost the cupcakes and top with sprinkles for extra luck!

Pumpkin Pecan Cranberry Upside Down Cake

This festive little cake was the result of gathering ingredients from my kitchen and hunting for recipes that included them. I started with fresh cranberries and pumpkins, and knew that I would probably need some butter to make it GOOD. Pecans were a no brainer and brown sugar seemed like another appropriate ingredient to add to the bunch. After a quick search and a few key words using my ingredients, I found this DELICIOUS cake recipe. Pineapple Upside Down Cake was one of my favorites growing up and I had no doubt this version featuring pumpkin, pecan and cranberries would be a nice seasonal twist! 

The cranberries are sweet, yet tart, the nuts are gooey and decadent and the pumpkin is just enough.

If you need a quick, yet impressive dessert to share with friends this Christmas season, this one is a winner. Served warm with vanilla bean ice cream is totally the way to go.

Pumpkin Pecan Cranberry Upside Down Cake
recipe from Sis. Boom Blog

16 Tbsp. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
6 Tbsp. canola oil
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. 

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and whisk until smooth. Pour the brown sugar mixture into the bottom of the cake pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the cranberries and pecans. Place them in the pan over the brown sugar mixture. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin and canola oil. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir until combined. Carefully spread the batter over the cranberry pecan topping. 

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cake on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.

Place a large plate or platter on top of the cake. Invert the cake and plate together and remove the pan. Carefully peel off the parchment paper.

Aunt Lil's Fresh Apple Cake

There is something about Christmastime that makes me cling to tradition. My family is filled with them and these are the moments we look forward to all year long. Love, family and friends trump all this time of year and the air has just a little bit more joy and magic in it. I wish I could bottle it up.

When it comes to family tradition and things passed down through generations, a handwritten recipe is a gift that keeps on giving all through the year! I love looking through my mom's recipe box, seeing a variety of beautiful writing, in the form of a recipe, that has been passed down from a friend, a grandmother, a great grandmother, aunts and great aunts. 

This apple cake is something I remember eating my entire life. My grandmother makes it often, it's on my mom's rotation and last week, I made one of my own for one our our Thanksgiving celebrations. This recipe is simple and best of all, this cake is wonderful for dessert, breakfast or even an afternoon sweet treat! The sweet and crunchy crumble top is the very best part!

Aunt Lil's Fresh Apple Cake

CAKE-
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk
2 3ggs
2 and 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large apples, peeled and chopped fine

TOPPING-
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix cake ingredients in an electric stand mixer. Pour in greased 9 x 13" pan. Sprinkle topping on batter, gently pressing into dough.

Bake for 40 minutes.