What She Cooked: Homemade Funfetti for one Sweet Boy

Until last year, August was always just a summer month that I hoped would go by slowly because August's end meant the start of school again. But last year, my sister and I were pregnant together and both our babies were born in August. This made the month a lot more special because we have two birthdays to celebrate just six days apart! Maverick turned one on August 7th. We had a celebration at my mom's house and I was honored to make a cake for my sweet sweet nephew. Maverick is a really happy little guy and his shy smile can melt your heart. Wren is his biggest fan, naturally. She loves to greet him with kisses and slaps to the head. Being the sweetheart that he is, Mav always takes it and just waits for her to finish her episodes of affection.

Funfetti Cake

Ingredients
4 egg whites
1 cup milk, divided
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
8 tbsp non-hydrogenated shortening
1/3 cup sprinkles

Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans.
2. In a small bowl mix the egg whites, 1/4 cup milk, and vanilla and then set it aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix for 30 seconds. Add the butter and shortening and mix for another 30 seconds. Pour in the remaining 3/4 cup milk and continue mixing on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Gradually pour in the egg white mixture, mixing for 30 seconds each time. Mix for one more minute and then fold in the colored sprinkles.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans Bake 25-30 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and place the pans on baking racks to cool for about 10 minutes before turning over on the rack. Let them cool before icing.

I used fun turquoise sprinkles from Stew Leonards.

Buttercream Icing
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
6-8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Place the butter in a mixing bowl. Add about 4 cups of sugar and then the milk and the vanilla. Use an electric mixer, on medium, to beat until smooth. This shouljd take about 3-5 minutes.

2. Gradually add the rest of the sugar 1 cup at a time. Beat for 2 minutes before adding additional sugar. Keep adding sugar until the icing is a good spreadable consistency.

3. Use the icing to frost the cake at room temperature but store the icing in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days, if you don't plan to use it immediately.