Last week my youngest son turned 18. It hit me that he’s a man and about to head out into the world to make his mark. I am so excited for him and looking forward to watching him and his brother become their own men, but it’s a touch bittersweet to watch them take off into the world. This birthday will be marked by several cakes and desserts, as we do around here. For his actual birthday, I was traveling and left him a flan, a long time favorite birthday request. The next day, when I returned from my trip I was met by the latest Bake From Scratch cookbook and immediately flipped to the Birthday Cake chapter. Sometimes we just want the classics, and there is nothing better than a really good white cake with vanilla buttercream. It’s probably the most popular cake combination, for good reason. I am perhaps the last baker on the internet to make a Funfetti Birthday Cake, but this occasion called for a bit of celebratory color!! I simply added sprinkles to the Bake From Scratch White Cake.
In the spirit of my son’s birthday, I have partnered with Brian Hart Hoffman and the excellent folks at Hoffman Publishing to Give Away a Copy of the Bake from Scratch (Vol 3): Artisan Recipes for the Home Baker
People ask me where I find inspiration and the truth is, EVERYWHERE! The decorations for this funfetti birthday cake were inspired by a Netflix special and a place card. I was watching a documentary about the fashion designer, Alexander McQueen, and I told my husband his dresses would make incredible cakes, especially a dress covered in feathers that already looked like a cake. The place cards from my friends at The Punctilious Mr. P’s Place Card Company arrived and they were pictures of gorgeous birds that looked like cake toppers. It wasn’t inspiration as much as fate! The feathers are easy to make with white chocolate, which you can watch me make in my instagram video. Funfetti Birthday Cake recipe and chance to win the book are below!
(place cards and holders by Mr P’s Place Card Company)
Funfetti Birthday Cake with Chocolate Feathers
Funfetti cake:
White Cake recipe from Bake from Scratch (Vol 3), fold in 1/4 cup colored sprinkles just before pouring into prepared pans. I baked the cake in three 6-Inch Cake Pans
Vanilla Buttercream from Bake From Scratch
You can find my crumb coat and cake decorating videos on YouTube (where you will see some vintage Zoë):
White Chocolate Feathers – 6 ounces white chocolate chips
Thank you to Martin and Karen at Mr P’s Place Cards for the beautiful inspiration!
My perfect birthday cake is a dense, fudgy chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream.
My perfect birthday cake would be a pumpkin cake with a chai spiced ermine buttercream 🙂
Happy birthday to your son! And what a lovely and beautiful cake 🙂
Hi Zoe, My name is Annmarie Cefalu. I am disabled as well as being ill. but my dream is to be a pastry chef. My Mother just past away and there was no better friend or cook and baker. I want so badly to make her her proud with baking some amazing art work that you may eat eat. I cry everyday missing her, To be honest I do not know what to do. But I would love to make some of your amazing baked goods at lease for my dad and sister. Maybe my brother and his family as well. I am on disability, and money is tighter then tight, But Zoe I adore your work and wish I had half the talent that you have ,I am sorry, I do nott mean to give u my life story. I hop that u can understand that my mind is in a bad place right now. Please forgive me, I can not wait to try to make some of your amazing works or art. Thank u Zoe.
My perfect birthday cake would be a German chocolate cake with coconut pecan frosting made by you.
Perfect birthday cake – Giant lemon fondant fancy with vanilla bean buttercream covered in lemon fondant and confetti sprinkles.
My perfect cake is a funfetti ICE CREAM cake
Really looking forward to this one!
Shwärtzewalder! The combination of chocolate, kirsh and heavy cream… mmm…
Love your cake. The feathers ❤
Our family favorite birthday cake is the cover recipe on Dorie Greenspan’s, “Baking from My Home to Yours.” It’s a chocolate layer cake with Italian Meringue. Using the meringue rather than a buttercream or ganache makes for a much lighter cake.
My favorite Birthday cake would have to be a chocolate cake with dulce de leche and almond or hazelnut meringue layer in between all the layers.
My favorite birthday cake was a white layer cake with mike chocolate frosting and raspberry inside and on top on the inside of chocolate flowers.
For my ideal birthday cake I’d enjoy a chocolate layer cake with a coffee buttercream.
I love a sponge cake with buttercream between the layers and then a passionfruit icing.
This cake is gorgeous. Actually most everything I see on your website it gorgeous. I would love to win the cookbook. Thanks for the opportunity.
my perfect birthday cake is actually funfetti- i typically make a milk bar funfetti cake for my birthday but will definitely be trying this one this year! ❤️
I love cake, my favorite is an old school recipe that is a super light chocolate cake with a type of hardened caramel style icing. Love your photography!
now THIS is a serious birthday cake; my ideal cake from childhood was cherry chip
My favorite Birthday cake is a is a rich espresso chocolate cake with a chocolate espresso butter cream
My husband is a white chocolate fan so I make him a white cake with white chocolate butter cream.
I think this white confetti cake may be right up his alley.
Thank you
My perfect birthday cake is butter/vanilla cake with either vanilla or chocolate buttercream. Yum!
My go-to is a simple strawberries and cream sheet cake from Southern Living. I made it in the early months of dating my husband and I swear it helped me snag him! We’ve been married for almost four years now and I make it every year for his birthday in April.
what a great cake!
Happy birthday!
This cake is so beautiful! My go-to is a simple strawberries and cream sheet cake from Southern Living. I made it in the early months of dating for my husband and I’m sure it helped me snag him! We’ve been married almost four years now and he requests it every April for his birthday.
Chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream! And sprinkles, of course!
My daughter’s favorite for her birthday was a homemade chocolate layer cake with bright blue buttercream frosting. Don’t know why. She’s in her 30’s and still requests it! Mine is ANY homemade cake!
You are so talented. Great post.
I love a dense chocolate cake with fudge frosting served with creme anglaise and a few fresh berries.