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4th of July Dessert Cake
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5 from 8 votes

Momofuku Milk Bar 4th Of July Cake

A layered cake perfect for 4th July celebrations!
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 servings (makes 1 Three layer 6" cake)
Calories: 738kcal
Author: Eden

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons blue and red sprinkles, divided
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
  • 3 teaspoons clear imitation vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature (1/2) stick
  • 3 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 3 large organic eggs

For the crumbs

  • 3/4 cup cake or all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons blue and red sprinkles
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup grapessed oil
  • 1 tablespoon clear imitation vanilla extract

For the frosting

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon clear imitation vanilla extract, divided
  • 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup whole milk this is for brushing the cake not for the frosting mixture

Instructions

For the cake

  • Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13x9" rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and coat with nonstick spray; set aside.
  • Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and ¼ cup sprinkles in a large bowl. Combine buttermilk, oil, and vanilla in a medium bowl.
  • Using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat granulated sugar, shortening, butter, and light brown sugar in another large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides and bottom of bowl. Continue to beat mixture, occasionally scraping down sides and bottom of bowl, until almost doubled in volume and very light, airy, and pale yellow, about 4 minutes.
  • With mixer on low, add buttermilk mixture until incorporated. Add dry ingredients, beating until just combined, about 1 minute.
  • Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top. Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp. sprinkles. Bake until cake is light golden brown, the center springs back when gently pressed, and a tester inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 30–35 minutes.
  • Remove cake from oven and cool on a wire rack or, in a pinch, in the fridge or freezer

For the crumbs

  • Preheat oven to 300°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
  • Combine flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, sprinkles, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
  • Add oil and vanilla, and using your hands, mix until no dry spots remain and large clumps form when mixture is pressed together. As though you were making a crumble topping.
  • Break mixture up into clusters (some small, some large) and spread onto prepared baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until crumble is light golden brown and crunchy, 10–12 minutes (it will firm up as it cools). Let cool completely.
  • If you want to make it ahead of time, wrap crumbs tightly in plastic and store at room temperature up to 5 days.

For the frosting

  • Combine butter, shortening, and cream cheese in large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high until mixture is smooth and fluffy, 3 minutes.
  • Scrape down sides of bowl and slowly stream in corn syrup and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Beat until mixture is silky smooth and glossy white, about 3 minutes.
  • Scrape down sides of bowl and, with mixer on low, add powdered sugar, salt, baking powder, and citric acid until just combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until you have a brilliant stark white, beautifully smooth frosting, about 4 minutes until super white and fluffy.
  • Store frosting in an airtight container in fridge up to 1 week.

For the assembly

  • Place a silicone baking mat or piece of parchment on a counter. Invert cake onto mat, then peel off parchment. Use cake ring to punch out two 6" rounds from cake (or, using a springform pan as a guide, cut out 2 rounds using a paring knife). These are your top 2 cake layers (the remaining cake scraps will form the bottom layer of the cake).
  • Line a sheet pan with a clean piece of parchment. Clean cake ring and place it in center of the pan. Use 1 acetate strip to line inside of cake ring. Place cake scraps inside ring and use the back of your hand to press scraps together into a flat, even layer (you never see this layer, so it’s okay that it’s messy—but since it’s the base of the cake, it needs to be flat).
  • Combine milk and remaining 1 tsp. vanilla in a small bowl. Dunk a pastry brush in milk mixture and use half of it to generously moisten the base layer.
  • Use the back of a spoon to spread about 3 Tbsp. frosting evenly over cake. Sprinkle ⅔ cup birthday crumbs evenly over frosting. Use the back of your hand to press them in place. Use the back of a spoon to spread another 3 Tbsp. frosting as evenly as possible over crumbs.
  • With your index finger, gently tuck second acetate strip between cake ring and the top ¼" of the first acetate strip, so that you have a clear ring of acetate 5–6" tall—high enough to support the height of the finished cake. Top with a cake round (if 1 of your 2 cake rounds is less pretty than the other, use it for the middle layer and save the most perfect one for the top). Brush layer with remaining milk mixture. Repeat frosting-crumb layering process.
  • Nestle remaining cake round into frosting. Cover top of cake with remaining frosting. Use an offset spatula to form decorative swirls, or do as they do at Milk Bar and shape it into a perfectly flat top. Top with remaining birthday crumbs.
  • Transfer cake to freezer and freeze at least 3 hours to set cake and filling.
  • At least 3 hours before serving the cake, pull sheet pan out of freezer and, using your fingers and thumbs, pop cake out of cake ring. Gently peel off acetate and transfer cake to a platter or cake stand. Defrost in fridge at least 3 hours.

Nutrition

Calories: 738kcal | Carbohydrates: 77g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 457mg | Potassium: 155mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 55g | Vitamin A: 575IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 0.9mg