If there’s only one cake you ever learn to make, let it be this. Yellow cake swaddled in chocolate frosting is perhaps the gold standard cake for birthdays, and for good reason–it strikes just the right balance of chocolate and vanilla. Here, we go the extra mile with a shockingly simple frosting that tastes like deluxe chocolate custard, an über-tender crumb thanks to reverse creaming and cake flour, and colorful “confetti” sprinkles inside and out. We’re celebrating, aren’t we?
When it comes to those sprinkles, choose wisely. Tiny multicolored nonpareils immediately dissolve into a streaky mess of color. Instead, look for ice-cream-parlor-style rainbow sprinkles or flat, round confetti quins (available online and at baking or craft supply stores) for distinct dashes of color.
For the silkiest frosting, bring the sour cream (and the eggs and butter while you’re at it) to room temperature. Fridge-cold sour cream will harden the melted chocolate on contact and the resulting tiny shards will be impossible to fish out. Even if you think you’re too grown-up for milk chocolate, use it anyway for a well-balanced frosting.
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What you’ll need
Rainbow Sprinkles
$20 At Amazon
Stand Mixer
$330 $240 At Amazon
8-Inch Cake Pan
$10 At Amazon
Decorating Turntable
$10 At Walmart
Scale
$26 At Amazon
Round Parchment Paper Baking Sheets
$13 $11 At Amazon
Rubber Spatula
$13 At Amazon
Ingredients
12 servings
Cake
¾
3
½
2¼
1½
2
2
¼
½
1
¼
½
Frosting and assembly
12
12
2½
1½
1
Preparation
Cake
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Lightly grease sides of two 8"-diameter cake pans with unsalted butter (do not grease bottoms). Line pans with parchment paper rounds. Whisk 3 large eggs, room temperature, and ½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. whole milk in a small bowl to blend; set aside.
Step 2
Mix 2¼ cups (281 g) bleached cake flour, 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar, 2 tsp. baking powder, 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. baking soda in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Add ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1" pieces, increase speed to medium-low, and beat until mixture resembles breadcrumbs, about 1 minute. Add ½ cup (115 g) sour cream, 1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, and ¼ tsp. almond extract; beat until batter is pale and fluffy, about 1 minute.
Step 3
Add reserved egg mixture to batter in 4 or 5 additions, beating to blend between additions and scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed; batter should be smooth and creamy. Fold in ½ cup rainbow sprinkles or confetti quins until evenly dispersed. Scrape batter into prepared pans, dividing equally (about 590 g per pan); smooth surface with an offset spatula.
Step 4
Bake cakes until golden and tops spring back when lightly pressed (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should register 205°), 25–30 minutes. (Cakes may start to shrink slightly from edges of pan.) Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cakes cool 10–15 minutes. Run an offset spatula around sides of cakes to loosen, then invert onto rack; peel away parchment. Let cakes cool completely, at least 1 hour.
Do ahead: Cakes can be baked 1 day ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.
Frosting and assembly
Step 5
Heat 12 oz. milk chocolate, chopped, and 12 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped (about 50% cacao), in a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (do not let bowl touch water), stirring with a rubber spatula, until just melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from heat. Vigorously whisk in 2½ cups sour cream, room temperature, 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract until mixture is smooth and resembles pudding (it may look stiff at first, but keep stirring). Use immediately. (If frosting feels very loose—might happen if the chocolate was very hot—let sit at room temperature 20–30 minutes to firm up slightly before assembling cake.)
Step 6
Place 1 cake layer, right side up, on a cake stand or large plate (use a cake turntable if you’ve got one; it makes frosting easier). Scoop a heaping cupful of frosting on top and spread evenly with offset spatula. Place second cake layer, upside down, on top. Spread top and sides of cake evenly with remaining frosting. Using a spoon or offset spatula, create decorative swirls and divots in frosting if desired. Top with rainbow sprinkles or confetti quins (the limit does not exist). Let cake sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes to allow frosting to firm up slightly before serving.
Do ahead: Cake can be assembled 12 hours ahead. Cover with a cake dome or an inverted bowl and store at cool room temperature.
How would you rate Confetti Cake With Chocolate Frosting?
Leave a Review
Reviews (6)
Back to TopThis cake was fine - not going into the rotation though. I made it for a birthday party and out of the 9 people, only two seemed unimpressed by the frosting, so that's not the drawback for us, although I do recommend using good sour cream, ours was pasture raised and tastes great by itself. It was the cake that didn't work for me. Bon Appetit set the bar pretty high when they wrote "If you learn to make one cake, let it be this one." It had a rougher consistency than I like, less "fluffy cake," more "dense cornbread vibes." What I will take with me is I can use this easy frosting recipe on cakes that call for ganache, but I want swirls and waves instead of glossy smoothness.
Anna McDermott
Maine
8/2/2023
This cake was delicious! Everyone loved it. I get some people might not care for the sour cream flavor, but I felt it was a great addition that gave complexity to the frosting and balanced the sweetness well
M.
NYC
7/2/2023
The frosting is so cloyingly sweet from the chocolate and the sour cream tang is a revolting finish. The ratios seem off … the batter overflowed in an 8” pan (maybe a 9” is better?) and the frosting layer is too thick (half the recipe?). There are so many yummy cake recipes out there, save your time and product and pick another one.
Katrina
Rutland, MA
4/20/2023
I made this for my twins' 2nd birthday. It was a hit with the whole family, from 2 to 70. Several people said they particularly liked the slight tang of the sour cream and that it offset the sweetness well. I used confetti quins, but next time I think I'll try the little rod shaped sprinkles. I made the recipe as stated, except that I first poured out two little 4" smash cakes worth of batter, then used the rest of the batter to create two thinner 9" rounds. The smash cakes were deeper, so they took longer to bake, and in that time the confetti sunk towards the bottom. Not a big deal - my toddlers didn't care - but if even distribution of confetti is important to you, know that confetti drift will likely happen if you have a deeper pan.
Gigi
Seattle
3/19/2023
I didn't have enough sour cream, so I made a chocolate buttercream frosting, but otherwise made the cake exactly as instructed. The cake was really good - wonderful flavor and a beautifully soft, plush texture. It smelled amazing coming out of the oven, AND it looked amazing when sliced into with the beautiful speckles of color. It held up fine the next two days in the fridge but first day is still the best for tender, not-dry fluffy cake.
Corinne
California
3/18/2023
I made this yesterday for a friend's birthday and loved it. The cake was superb. I really liked the frosting. Other comments are correct - the tart sour cream was a discernable presence, but I felt it was a really nice way to offset the sweetness of the chocolate and cake. This recipe is a 'keeper' for me!
MBB
Menlo Park, CA
2/28/2023
Sponge is delicious, I even added an extra 1/4c of sprinkles for fun. However, the sour cream frosting is way too sour. I added 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4c confectioners sugar, and you still can’t eliminate the punchy sour taste. Would recommend a classic chocolate ganache frosting here instead.
Brett
Minneapolis MN
2/24/2023
I'm sorry to say I think this is a bad recipe. I didn't know it until it was too late on the night of the birthday. I bake often so I don't think it was a technique issue.... but who knows? It just doesn't seem right. I followed instructions closely, used high quality ingredients at room temp, all the things. Oy. What bothers me is that the magazine hyped it up as the only cake recipe you need. So hyperbolic for these results.
Rose
Boulder CO
2/20/2023
The cake was very tasting, but the frosting tasted overwhelmingly of sour cream.
Stephani
Albuquerque, NM
2/15/2023
I was disappointed in the result. Both the cake and frosting were just ok.
Anna
Manchester, NH
2/15/2023
My Thought Is To Bake A Cake And It's So Yummy!
Anonymous
United States
2/14/2023
Cake was grainy and not soft. Frosting was a bit over the top with the sour cream. Overall not a good recipie.
Greg
Minnesota
2/14/2023