Vanilla Cake with Sprinkles from Vicki Delany

I was asked to bring a cake to a dinner with young children.  I wanted to make something fun and also delicious so searched for a suitable recipe.  This one is from Martha Stewart.  I tend not to like Martha Stewart recipes as I find them generally to be far more complex than necessary (showing off maybe?).  This cake is a case in point. I mean buttermilk AND milk.  Butter AND shortening.  Cake flour AND all purpose?

Having said that, it is an excellent cake.  I might have used the wrong sort of sprinkles because, as you can see in the photo of the cut cake, it turned out muddy rather than white with colourful sprinkles dotted throughout.  Didn’t affect the taste though. Children AND adults loved it.

Vanilla Cake with Sprinkles

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter (113g) 

2 1/2 cups cake flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature (113g) 

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup ice-cold water

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk

1 cup sprinkles (assorted colors)

 3 large egg whites, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans. Dust with flour

Whisk together both flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and shortening on medium speed until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of bowl, add egg, and beat until just combined.

In a small bowl, whisk together ice-cold water, milk, and buttermilk.

With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with water mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Scrape down sides of bowl. With mixer on medium speed, beat for a few seconds to incorporate. Remove bowl from stand mixer, scatter sprinkles across the top of the batter, and fold them in with a rubber spatula.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar just until soft peaks form; do not overbeat. Gently fold egg whites into the batter with a rubber spatula.

Divide batter evenly among the prepared pans and smooth tops. Bake, rotating pans halfway through baking time, until a toothpick inserted in center of each cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes Transfer cakes to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Invert cakes onto rack, remove from pans, and let cool completely.

Ice the cake with icing of your choice. I used a standard American buttercream. Then decorate the cake with more sprinkles or tiny candies, as shown.

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