All-Natural Funfetti Cake – Celebrate Simple Seasonal’s first year with this delicious, all-natural dessert! Just be sure to make a wish before you blow out the candle…
Today is Simple Seasonal’s 1st birthday. Like most 1st birthday’s it’s a huge deal to everyone behind this blog – Rachel (that’s me), Dan (the hubs and technology extraordinaire), David (4 year-old and professional photo bomber), and Tumney (the cat, buttercream licker, and general food thief).
When we first started this blog, none of us knew what we were getting ourselves into. Our content from the early days is pretty, well, embarrassing. Check out my last post for Apple Cider Pork Chops in which I remade and rephotographed one of the recipes from our first month of blogging. I left one of the old photos in the post, so you can see just how BAD we were!
Today I’ve decided to keep my jibber jabber short and sweet, so that we can get the party started with nothing less than a rather large birthday cake. It’s actually the first cake to make an appearance on Simple Seasonal. After all, this blog is all about making the most of local, seasonal foods. Today, for us, there’s nothing more seasonal than birthday cake. Over the course of the year we’ve held true to using natural ingredients and every recipe has had at least one local element. Today’s local element is some lovely organic flour from Daisy Organic Flours of Lancaster, PA. To make funfetti cake a little more natural, I swapped conventional sugar for organic. I also opted for some all-natural, vegetable-dyed sprinkles by Pepper Creek Farms rather than the Red#50-infused chemical garbage found in processed sprinkles. They made for a less dramatic cake than the artificial stuff, but was it ever so tasty!
I added some twists to this recipe that harken back to the version I ate growing up. The first – there is almond extract in the batter. You haven’t had funfetti until you’ve had it with almond extract. I’m serious. The second is chocolate buttercream, because… well… chocolate is better, and it’s our birthday darn it!
There is one thing I learned while making this cake, and that is the value of owning an icing spatula. This was such a headache to frost with a butter knife! I just bought this one on Amazon for next time!
After baking up a storm all morning, it’s time for the party to begin!
One candle for one incredible year of food blogging!
Time to make a wish for another great year!
Here’s to hoping that year two is even more awesome than year one!
- 8 Tbsp softened butter
- 1½ C organic cane sugar
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ tsp almond extract
- 4½ C all-purpose organic flour
- 2 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 egg whites from large eggs
- 1½ C milk, divided
- ⅔ C all-natural sprinkles plus more for decorating
- 2 sticks butter
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1⅔ C organic cocoa
- 4½ C powdered sugar
- ½ C Milk
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour two 9-10½ cake pans.
- Cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a small mixing bowl and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, beat together 6 egg whites and a half cup of milk until it quadruples in size, and then set aside.
- Beat together the butter with the flour mixture and the remaining cup of milk by alternating between the two.
- Gently mix the egg white mixture into the batter.
- Fold the the sprinkles into the batter.
- Evenly divide the batter between the two cake pans and bake at 350ºF for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown.
- After baking, allow the cake to cool on cooling racks and then remove from the cake pan. Allow to cool on cooling racks for at least an hour before beginning to assemble your cake.
- Make the chocolate frosting while the cake is cooling. Melt the butter in the microwave on 30% power in thirty second increments until completely melted. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the melted butter and cocoa powder until smooth. Beat in the vanilla. Then beat in the powdered sugar and milk while alternating between the two, until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Before assembling the cake, decide whether you will be making 2 or 4 layers. If you chose a 4 layer cake, carefully cut each layer in half with a sharp, non-serrated knife. Add a dollop of icing to the center of your cake plate to prevent the cake from sliding. Place the first cake layer on the plate, and then add a layer of icing. Next, add your next cake layer, and add more icing if you are doing 4 layers. Once all the layers are in place, spread a thin layer of icing all over your cake and then place it in the fridge for 30 minutes. This will make it easier to get a pretty outer layer of icing. After thirty minutes have passed, generously ice the cake.
- For a finishing touch, decorate with sprinkles and light a candle!
Yeah, that’s right, it’s our birthday!!
Erin @ Platings and Pairings says
It’s my 1st blogiversary today too! Congratulations Rachel – The blog is fabulous. Now can you bring me a piece of this cake so we can celebrate together?!
Rachel says
So much fun! Congratulations Erin! I love your blog!
Sarah says
Happy blogiversery! I’ve enjoyed watching your blog grow and seeing your photography get better and better and I look forward to seeing even more! This cake looks amazing – my husband always laughs at me because I say my favorite kind of cake is a funfetti cake. It’s not something they have in England so he just doesn’t seem to get it. Needless to say – I LOVE this cake and I wish I had a slice in front of me right now
Rachel says
Thanks Sarah! That’s so sweet. This year has been a learning experience for sure! Funfetti is my mom’s favorite cake too! I think the sprinkles make it taste better.
Laura @MotherWouldKnow says
Congratulations. Love this cake and yes, your’e right – an offset spatula makes all the difference. Wishing you many more anniversaries and fun with your blog. And it’s so nice to see a funfetti cake that isn’t full of chemicals and cake mix:)
Rachel says
Thank you Laura! I can’t wait to test my spatula out. Sometimes it’s the little things…
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
Dear Rachel, Happy first anniversary at Simple Seasonal! Congratulations. What a huge milestone. (THLG’s first year anniversary comes in November.) Hope your first year has been joy-filled and wishing you many, more years of success, beautiful photos and wonderful recipes to come! The learning curve is big in the first year. You are doing awesome. Cheers!!! Gorgeous funfetti cake and pass me a fork!!!! xo
Rachel says
Thanks Allie! The learning curve the first year is HUGE! I can’t wait to see what you cook-up for your first anniversary!
Dalia says
Congratulations Rachel!!! This is a great achievement to be celebrated with such a beautiful cake. Love your blog and looking forward to discovering more of your yummy recipes 🙂
Rachel says
Thanks Dalia!
Trisha @ Home Sweet Homemade says
Congrats! The cake looks delish! Pinned!
Found you on Pretty Pintastic party!
Rachel says
Thanks for pinning! I love the Pretty Pintastic Party!
Theresa @DearCreatives says
Happy 1st blog anniversary! Thanks for joining in the Inspiration Spotlight party. Pinned & shared. Hope to see you again soon.
Rachel says
Thanks so much for pinning and sharing. There’s so many great ideas on the Inspiration Spotlight party!
Nicole @Little Blog on the Homestead says
Happy Blogiversary!! I love celebrating anniversaries and birthdays…especially with cake 😉
Rachel says
I love birthday’s too! Really, any excuse to have a party and eat some cake!
June @ How to Philosophize with Cake says
Happy blogoversary! This looks like the perfect cake to celebrate 🙂 Love how it’s all-natural, those kinds of cakes are my favorite 😀
Rachel says
Thanks June! Over on you’re blog you have some great cake ideas!
Sara @ Life's Little Sweets says
I love the idea of all natural sprinkles, food coloring bothers me. Happy Blogiversary!
Rachel says
I try to steer clear of food coloring. It seems to make my kid act crazy, so it can’t be healthy. Thanks for the well wishes!
Lou Lou Girls says
Happy blogiversary! This looks so good! Pinned and tweeted. Thank you for being a part of our party! I hope to see you on Monday at 7 pm. We love partying with you! Lou Lou Girls
Rachel says
Thanks for sharing! I’ll definitely be back over to Lou Lou Girl on Monday nights!
Cakes Mumbai says
This is the perfect cake to make for kid’s birthdays!
Rachel says
Birthday cake is the best! I hope you have a fun and tasty celebration!