Homemade Funfetti Cake

Did you miss me?  I've missed you, and I have missed my kitchen.  I have learned that, in whatever house Mark and I end up in, we cannot do renovations.  I couldn't handle it.  I went just under 2 weeks without access to the kitchen (and going on 2 weeks with no downstairs bathroom!) and it's just not easy.  I am currently reading some nonfiction about life in a Mumbai slum, so I know that having to walk upstairs to go to the bathroom isn't the worst thing in the world.... but having to go out to eat for a week?  Okay, also not the worst thing in the world... just annoying and also poverty-inducing.  Either way: the kitchen is back, I just finished cooking dinner, and the blog is back up and running.

One before-the-renovation recipe I had to share was Nick's birthday cake.  Nick is infamous around here for having rather terrible eating habits and taste... for instance he picks out shredded carrot from salads, refuses most vegetables, and never drinks water.  He loves artificially-flavored anything: Red Bull, canned soups, buffalo sauce. His favorite cake?  You probably can guess.  Yup: funfetti, preferably boxed mix.  With frosting from a can.  I have refused to allow him to eat something like that in my house, so for his past few birthdays, I have tried to coax him into some real birthday cakes.  Hence last year's black and white mocha cake.  This year, I decided to let him have some funfetti, but I would make it from scratch.  I had seen a few recipes for it and thought it was time to give the kid what he wanted.

The cake was a fairly straight-forward vanilla cake, kept nice and moist by some yogurt.  And then of course there are the sprinkles; the recipe specifically says not to use nonpareils - they have to be sprinkles.  I assume the sprinkles hold their shape and color better, maybe?  Then there is a vanilla buttercream frosting - nonpareils are okay sprinkled on top of that, so you can use up all your colored sweets :)  I will confess to being 1 cup short of confectionary sugar, and the frosting wasn't sweet enough for that reason.  I think that's probably why the cake wasn't completely devoured.  My family isn't big on funfetti anyway, but I will strongly urge you to make this instead of a box mix next time the funfetti craving strikes you :)

Recipe:

homemade funfetti cake
from Sally's Baking Addiction

Ingredients:
for cake:
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup yogurt (plain or vanilla; it can be regular or greek yogurt, or you can sub sour cream)
3/4 cup milk (cow's, soy, or almond all work)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup sprinkles (not nonpareils)
for vanilla buttercream:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3 - 4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9-inch springform or baking pan (round or square) generously with nonstick spray.  Set aside.

2) In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave.  Whisk in the sugars vigorously, getting out any brown sugar lumps; mixture will be gritty.  Whisk in egg, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract until combined.  Slowly mix in dry ingredients until no lumps remain.  Batter will be thick.  Slowly stir in sprinkles, but do not over mix because the sprinkles will bleed their color.

3) Pour/ spoon batter into prepared cake pan.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Cover loosely with aluminum foil.  Bake for 13 - 17 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool.

4) To make the frosting, beat softened butter on medium speed with an electric or stand mixer.  Beat for 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.  Add powdered sugar, cream and vanilla extract with the mire running.  Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes.  Add more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin or more cream if mixture is too thick.  Frost cooled cake as desired and top with sprinkles.  Cake stays fresh at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 5 days,