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Vanilla Confetti Birthday Cake

November is a great month.  I mainly love this month because my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, falls at the end of it.  But November is also my birthday month, as well as the birthday month for several good friends.  The older I get, the less I seem to like my birthday.  As they say, kids spend their days wanting to be older, and many adults spend their days wanting to be younger.

I’m told there is a time of your life when you are ok with your age and “comfortable” being there.  Either I have not reached that point in my life, or I blew past it without even realizing it.  That aside, we all have birthdays and we all age, all I hope for now is that I do so gracefully and in good health.

vanilla confetti birthday cake

Although I am not a huge dessert fan, I do like a delicious, moist cake, especially on my birthday.  But if I’m going to indulge a bit, it better be worth it in my eyes.  When my kids have birthdays I like to make a big deal about the celebration.  Not the party or the gift, but the day.

sprinkle frosting

I like my boys to feel special, loved, and happy, about who they are and their special day.  I am known for elaborately decorating our breakfast area with signs, streamers, giant number balloons, and anything glittery, sparkly, or cheerful.  We eat traditional birthday treats at breakfast, and then again at dinner.  Everyone deserves one special day.  And everyone deserves a great birthday cake.

vanilla confetti birthday cake

In the world of endless cake options, the sky is the limit: light to dense, plain to filled, fondant to spun sugar, you name it, it’s out there.  But I prefer a classic cake.  A simple, delicious, vanilla cake with fluffy vanilla frosting.  Surprisingly, this flavor combination is getting harder to locate; but thankfully I know just where to find one.

The original cake recipe for my favorite birthday cake is from the cookbook by Tish Boyle, it is her basic golden cake layers recipe.  I adore it.  The frosting is my recipe.  It’s a simple, straightforward sugar frosting that works well with any cake out there.  I have adapted the cake recipe only slightly, mainly by adding colorful sprinkles.

vanilla confetti birthday cake

The addition of rainbow sprinkles in both the cake and the frosting just makes me happy, and it is my birthday month so why not post about it? Happy Birthday to all my November friends and readers out there–make a wish!

A note about cake assembly.  As I have mentioned in previous posts, trimming cake layers before frosting them is essential in my book.  This should not be hard, nor does it need to be perfect.  Many have asked me why do it.  Trimming cake layers evens out the layers and get rid of harder, browned edges that no one wants to encounter when biting into a moist, fluffy cake.  Once the layers have been trimmed you see a nice, well-shaped cake round, free of hard crust. Even cake layers also allow the frosting to be spread on more evenly.

vanilla confetti birthday cake

About the Author

Andrea Potischman

I am a professionally trained NYC chef turned CA mom and food blogger. I post about real food, with doable ingredient lists that are family friendly.

15 thoughts on "Vanilla Confetti Birthday Cake"

  1. Avatar photo deborah donnelly says:

    I am anxious to make this as I looove a white cake ,I gather you start by adding the flour mixture then milk,& always end with flour mixture is this correct ,so would add flour 3 times in this recipe.
    Looking for to making this tomorrow ,Thank you in advance

    1. Hi Deborah- Thanks for reaching out. I truly love this cake, it never disappoints. Regarding your question, yes, that would mean adding the flour in three additions, alternating with the milk and ending with flour. Watch your speed as you do not want to over mix the batter. Good luck and be sure to let me know your thoughts once you make the cake. Happy baking!

  2. Avatar photo Jennifer says:

    Hi! I’m going to be making this for my boyfriends birthday as this is his favorite. I looked up your notes on trimming cakes and have reread this recipe several times but I can’t figure out if you made 4 cakes or cut two in half to make the additional layers. Can you confirm?? Thank you!

    1. Hi Jennifer. Thanks for reaching out. You can make a traditional two-layer cake or your can carefully slice each of the two cakes lengthwise giving you 4 thinner layers depending on your preference. I hope this helps. Good luck baking and be sure to let me know your thoughts, I always appreciate feedback!

  3. Avatar photo Janell says:

    Hi Andrea, where would I find those cool mini taper candles that you have on this cake? Love them! Matthew and I are going to make this cake today!

    1. Fantastic, I hope you guys like it. The candles I got from Susie Cakes. Happy baking!

  4. Avatar photo Stephanie Chen says:

    Happy birthday (tomorrow), my dear friend! I’ll be trying this one very soon. Can’t wait!

    1. You are so sweet, thank you Steph!

  5. Avatar photo Wendy Brown says:

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONTH sweet and talented lady!!!

    1. Thanks Wen, miss you!

  6. Avatar photo Michelle DeWolf says:

    Happy happy day! Love that it brings you Joy! This was my father’s favorite cake too! ❤️

    1. Thanks Michelle, official day is not till Tuesday, but I’m gearing up.

  7. Avatar photo Roz says:

    I am definitely changing my birthday from March to November!

  8. Avatar photo Renee Despins says:

    Happy Birthday Chef Mom Andrea. You deserve to enjoy this special cake and others will too! I wish you the Best Birthday ever, with pride and love, your mother❤️.

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