Vanilla Chex Sprinkle Cake Food

THE BEST VANILLA CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat two 9-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds; lightly coat the paper with nonstick spray.
• Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl until combined. Beat the butter, granulated sugar, oil and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl until the batter is completely combined, smooth and creamy. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
• Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Smooth the tops. Bake, rotating the pans from left to right halfway through, until the cakes are a light golden brown and a tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the cakes cool for 30 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cakes and invert onto the wire rack. Remove the parchment and let the cakes cool completely.
• For the frosting: Beat the butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low and gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar until completely smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the heavy cream, vanilla and salt. Increase the speed to high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• To assemble the cake: Place one cake, domed-side down, on a platter. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the frosting evenly over the top. Place the remaining cake, domed-side up, on top. Spread the top with 1 1/2 cups of the frosting. Frost the sides of the cake with 1 1/2 cups of the frosting and smooth out completely to make an even crumb coat. (It's ok if some of the cake shows through. This is just a base layer.) Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the frosting set.
• Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides, smoothing it out.

SPRINKLES CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with butter and line with parchment or line two 12-cup cupcake tins with liners and set aside.
• Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
• In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the granulated sugar and butter until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg whites, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add the oil and the extracts.
• With the mixer running on low, add the dry mixture and the milk in 2 or 3 alternating batches and mix until just barely combined. Gently fold in the sprinkles using a rubber spatula until they're evenly distributed. Distribute the batter among the cake or cupcake pans, spreading it out evenly if using cake pans, and bake until lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Begin checking for doneness at 25 minutes for cakes and 20 minutes for cupcakes. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the frosting: Beat the butter until smooth with the whisk attachment and gradually add the confectioners' sugar until creamed. Add the milk, extracts and salt and beat to combine. Decorate as desired and enjoy.

RAINBOW SPRINKLE CONFETTI CAKE WITH VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• For the confetti cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line three 8-inch round pans with parchment rounds, then grease with nonstick cooking spray.
• Mix together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle until fully combined. Mix chunks of butter slowly into the dry mixture with the mixer running on low speed until no large chunks of butter remain and the mixture becomes crumbly. Pour in the egg whites and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix in the buttermilk.
• Add the vanilla extract, almond extract and oil, and mix on low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Fold the sprinkles into the cake batter using a rubber spatula, just until they're evenly distributed. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans.
• Bake, rotating and switching the positions of the baking pans halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean, 34 to 36 minutes. Allow the pans to cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around the perimeters of the pans to separate the cakes from the pans.
• Place the cake layers in their pans in the freezer until fully cooled, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Carefully flip the pans and remove the layers from the pans.
• Use a serrated knife to level the tops of the layers. Set aside.
• For the vanilla buttercream: Meanwhile, beat the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, alternating with small splashes of cream. Continue to beat until fully mixed, then add the vanilla and salt and beat until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. (If the frosting is too thick, add more cream 1 tablespoon at a time. If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time.)
• Stack the first cake layer on a greaseproof cake board, using a dab of frosting to help it stick. Add an even layer of buttercream to the top of the layer, then continue to stack and frost the layers in the same manner.
• Apply a thin coat of frosting around the sides of the cake to fully cover the cake layers. Add as little frosting as possible to the top of the cake, to make it easier to handle during the sprinkle roll. Smooth the sides using a bench scraper, then chill the cake until the frosting is firm to the touch, 10 minutes in the fridge or 5 minutes in the freezer.
• Add a second, thicker layer of frosting to the sides of the cake, and smooth using a bench scraper. Place a second cake board on top of the cake.
• Fill a baking pan with an even layer of the rainbow sprinkles, then carefully pick up the cake and roll it in the sprinkles. Place the remaining frosting in a piping bag fit with an open-star cake decorating tip, such as a Wilton 1M tip, and pipe swirls around the top of the cake.

SCHOOL-DAYS SPRINKLE SPONGE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter a 20 x 30cm cake tin and line with baking parchment. Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk for a few minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, flour, milk and vanilla and beat again until you have a smooth batter.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared tin, spread right to the corners and smooth the surface. Bake for 40-45 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, checking at 5 min intervals if it isn't ready after 45 mins. Leave the sponge to cool on a wire rack.
• Mix the icing sugar with enough water to make a thick icing. Spread the icing over the cooled cake, then top with lots of sprinkles - the surface should be almost completely covered. Leave for at least 1 hr to set. Cut into squares and serve with hot custard, if you like.

VANILLA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Mix cracker crumbs, butter and sugar; press onto bottom and 1 in. up sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan. , In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in vanilla and salt. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended. Pour into crust. Place on a baking sheet. , Bake until center is almost set, 55-60 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled.

FUNFETTI CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and grease and line 4 x 20cm cake tins. If you don't have 4, halve the sponge recipe and bake in 2 batches.
• Put the sugar, butter and vanilla paste in a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk (or in a table top mixer) until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs gradually, beating between each addition until fully incorporated. Add a tbsp or 2 of flour if the mixture looks like it's curdling.
• Sift in the flour and baking powder with a tsp of salt and fold into the cake batter. Pour in the milk and beat to loosen the mixture. Scatter over the sprinkles and ripple through the cake batter before dividing between each cake tin. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden and the sponge springs back when you press it lightly. Swap the tins around in the oven after 15 mins to ensure they cook evenly. Cool on wire racks completely before icing.
• Meanwhile, make the icing by beating the butter with half of the icing sugar until combined and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and the rest of the icing sugar, beating again until fully combined. Drizzle over the vanilla paste and beat until incorporated. Put a large round nozzle into a piping bag and spoon in the icing.
• When the cakes have cooled put a blob of icing onto a cake board and sit 1 of the sponges on top. Pipe blobs of vanilla icing in a circle covering the whole base of the sponge, then top with the next sponge. Repeat with all 3 layers, scattering over some extra sprinkles on the top. Serve in slices.