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Dreamy Virgo Birthday Cake with Easy Buttercream Stars

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A tender vanilla cake with silky buttercream stars, perfect for celebrating the meticulous and thoughtful Virgo in your life. This recipe uses a reverse-creaming method for a velvety crumb and is decorated with a dreamy ombre effect.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ¾ cups (345g) cake flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened to cool room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, room temperature
  • ¼ cup (60g) sour cream, room temperature
  • 2 cups (452g) unsalted butter, softened to cool room temperature (for buttercream)
  • 5 cups (625g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (for buttercream)
  • ¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream
  • Pinch of fine sea salt
  • Gel food coloring (violet and pink for lavender)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Dust sides with flour.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt for 30 seconds.
  3. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat softened butter and granulated sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape bowl halfway through.
  4. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with milk (flour, milk, flour, milk, flour). Mix just until combined after each addition.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, vanilla bean paste, and sour cream until smooth. With mixer on low, add this mixture in a slow, steady stream. Mix for 30 seconds, scrape bowl, then mix 10 seconds more. Do not overmix.
  6. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans (about 540g per pan). Smooth tops. Bake for 28-32 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
  7. Cool cakes in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edges, invert onto rack, peel off parchment, and cool completely (at least 2 hours).
  8. For buttercream: In stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat softened butter on medium-high for 5-7 minutes until very pale and fluffy. Scrape bowl.
  9. With mixer on low, gradually add sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Add vanilla, salt, and 2 tablespoons heavy cream. Mix on low until combined, then beat on medium-high for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Adjust consistency with remaining cream or more powdered sugar as needed.
  10. Divide buttercream into two bowls. Leave one white. Add gel food coloring to the second bowl to achieve desired shade. Transfer colored buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a star tip (Wilton 1M or 2D).
  11. Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread a generous layer of white buttercream on top (about ½ cup). Place second layer on top, pressing gently. Apply a thin crumb coat of white buttercream over entire cake. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  12. Remove cake from fridge. Starting at bottom edge, pipe rows of stars using colored buttercream, overlapping slightly. Work up the cake, covering entire surface. For top, pipe stars in a spiral pattern from outer edge inward. Add tiny stars with a smaller tip if desired.
  13. Refrigerate finished cake for at least 30 minutes to firm up buttercream. Let sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving.

Notes

Room temperature ingredients are crucial for the reverse-creaming method. Use a kitchen scale for accurate flour measurement. Chill the cake before piping stars to prevent buttercream from sliding. Practice piping on parchment paper first. Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Unfrosted cake layers can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: vanilla cake, birthday cake, buttercream stars, Virgo cake, homemade cake, reverse-creaming, vanilla buttercream

Find it online: https://leilameals.com/dreamy-virgo-birthday-cake-with-easy-buttercream-stars/