Ingredients
Makes a 2-layered cake, double the recipe if you would like to make a 3 or 4 layered cake
For the Brown Butter Funfetti Cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter (browned)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (not packed)
- 1 box instant vanilla pudding mix (I used a 3.5oz box)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cups full-fat sour cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkle jimmies (see notes below)
For the Buttercream Frosting:
- 4-7 tbs matcha powder (sifted)
- 2 cups unsalted butter (softened)
- 4 cups confectioners' sugar
- 3-5 tbs heavy cream (more if needed)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- rainbow sprinkle (nonpareils)
- For decorating: 2-4 oz cream cheese (softened)
A few notes before we begin baking...
- I recommend making the brown butter the night before or earlier in the day before you plan on making your cakes. I love to do this the morning before I do a grocery run to purchase all of my ingredients. If you end up making the brown butter the night before, simply remove the brown butter from the fridge a couple of hours before baking to bring it back down to room temperature
- Your eggs, milk, and sour cream will need to be at room temperature. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a bowl of warm water. Remove your milk and sour cream from your fridge a couple of hours before you plan on baking
- You will need two types of sprinkles: Rainbow Sprinkle Jimmies (for the cake) and Rainbow Nonpareils (for decorating). I do not recommend getting organic or all-natural sprinkles dyed with vegetable juices - the colors will fade into the cake, thus leaving you without the most important aspect (the colorful rainbow funfetti). Believe me, I tried :)
- For your matcha icing: The butter need to be extremely soft and at room temperature. I recommend placing your butter outside of the fridge the night before you ice your cake.
- Which grade of matcha should you use? We recommend using our Culinary Grade Matcha for all of your culinary needs. We baked this cake for a special occasion, so we decided to use our Ceremonial Grade Matcha since we were feeling extra fancy. In addition to our 30g and 100g tins, our Ceremonial Grade Matcha is now available in resealable pouches!
Steps
Brown your butter:
- Place the butter in a medium-sized sauce pan over medium-high heat and cook for about 3-5 minutes (watch this closely and stir constantly to ensure you don't burn the butter) until the butter has turned an amber gold/brown and smells slightly nutty (like toffee). Remove from heat and pour the browned butter into the mixing bowl you'll be making the cake batter in. Place the bowl in the refrigerator or freezer and bring the butter back to room temperature (approximately 15-20 minutes). You’ll know the butter is at room temperature when you press a finger into the top and it makes a slight indentation. It should be solid but soft.
- Once the brown butter is at room temperature you can begin making your cakes.
For the Brown Butter Funfetti Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans generously with butter or cooking spray. Grab a few pinches of all-purpose flour and dust into your greased pans, rotating the pan to ensure it's coated with a thin layer of flour. This will ensure that your baked cakes do not stick to the pan. Set pans aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, combine the brown butter, both granulated cane sugar, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract; beat on medium speed until it's completely incorporated and fluffy, about 5 minutes. If you don't have a handheld electric mixer, a classic wire whisk will do — just be ready for an arm workout! If mixing manually, whisk for approximately 7-10 minutes. Once the mixture is fluffy, add in the eggs one at a time and beat until it's completely incorporated. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, instant vanilla pudding mix, baking soda, and salt — mix well to evenly incorporate all ingredients. Add the mixed dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until everything is just barely combined; about 15 seconds. You should still see some lumps and dry streaks. Turn mixer off. Add in the sour cream and milk and using a rubber spatula, fold the ingredients into the mixture, mixing until everything is incorporated, but being sure not to overmix. Set aside. Add the sprinkles and fold in by hand, using a rubber spatula, until just combined. Be sure not to over-mix your batter, this will result in a dense and dry cake.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans, sprinkle the top of the batter with a more rainbow jimmies (the more the merrier). Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the tops are firm and slightly golden. Test the cake by inserting a clean toothpick into the center. You want it to come out clean, or with a few moist (but not wet) crumbs clinging to it. Personally, I begin testing my cake for doneness at the 25-minute mark and will adjust the baking time accordingly.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before gently running a knife around the edges to loosen any stuck bits, then turning them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Allow the cakes to cool. While you're waiting, make yourself a refreshing matcha drink and begin making your matcha frosting.
For the Buttercream Frosting:
- In a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, then add in the confectioners' sugar; continue beating until combined. Add in the heavy cream, salt, and vanilla extract (if using); increase the speed back to medium and continue beating the frosting until very light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Once you've achieved your desired consistency, sift in your matcha powder. Note: Use a stainless steel tea sifter to ensure there aren't any large clumps of matcha powder in your icing. Sifting is a very important step. Sift your matcha powder in (one tablespoon at a time) to determine how much matcha you'd like to use. If you would like a stronger matcha flavor and deeper green color to come through, use more matcha.
- When the cakes have completely cooled, use a cake knife level out the tops of your cakes by carving off any uneven lumps. Place scraps of cake aside (don't toss these out - we'll use them to decorate the tops of your cake by making cake truffles)
- Place one cake round on a cake stand or large plate; place 1/2 cup to 1 cup of matcha icing on top of your cake top spread the icing evenly across the top of your cake. Then gently place the other cake round on top of the frosted one and press down very lightly to seal them together. Continue frosting the cake until the top cake is evenly frosted. Repeat this step if you are making a 3 or 4 layered cake.
- Make quick cake truffles with the scraps of cake you set aside. Use a fork to break up the cake into crumbs. Depending on how much scraps you have, add 2-4 ounces of softened cream cheese and use your fork to evenly combine both ingredients. Roll 1 tablespoon of the dough between your hands and use them to decorate the top of your frosted cake.
- Decorate with rainbow sprinkles nonpareils.
- Place your decorated in the fridge to set for a minimum of 3 hours before serving.
- The Matcha-layered Brown Butter Funfetti Cake will stay fresh, when stored in the refrigerator for 3 days. Just take it out of the fridge an hour before serving so it can come back to room temperature. It's also tastes delicious with a warm, unsweetened matcha latte!
P.s. We'll be sharing a simple recipe you can make if you end up having left over cake. Keep your eyes peeled for a new recipe next week!
