This is the kind of cake that makes people smile before they’ve even had a bite: cheerful, sprinkle-studded, and unapologetically nostalgic. It draws on the architecture of a classic American butter cake—fluffy from a generous lift of baking powder, tender from buttermilk—but infuses it with the bakery-counter joy of rainbow sprinkles. There’s precision hidden in the playfulness. The batter is mixed just enough to suspend the sprinkles without streaking their color, and the bake is low and steady to prevent them from sinking. A glossy glaze ties everything together. It’s part celebration, part nostalgia—an instant party in cake form.
Vanilla-Almond Sprinkles Cake
Makes 1 (10-cup) cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (100 grams), room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (8 grams) vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon (3 grams) almond extract
- 2½ cups (313 grams) all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons (20 grams) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (2 grams) kosher salt
- 1 cup (240 grams) whole buttermilk, room temperature
- ½ cup (96 grams) pastel rainbow sprinkles*, plus more for garnish
Glaze:
- 2¼ cups (270 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 tablespoons (45 grams) whole milk
- ½ teaspoon (2 grams) vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (2 grams) almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (170°C).
- For cake: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape paddle and bottom and sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extracts.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating just until combined after each addition. Stir in sprinkles.
- Spray a 10-cup fluted cake pan with baking spray with flour. Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with a small offset spatula. Tap pan on a kitchen towel-lined counter a few times to settle batter and release any air bubbles.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Invert cake onto a wire rack, and let cool completely.
- For glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth; spoon onto cooled cake. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
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