Aside from having a fun shape, this is one of the moistest, richest cake recipes that I've made to date. So much so that I may update my rainbow cake recipe to use the batter below as a base. It's just that good.
Sift together the cake flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.
reserved butter, at room temperature
In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric hand mixer (or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment) on medium until creamy, about 1 minutes.
384g / 2 cups sugar
Add the sugar in ½ cup increments, beating until full incorporated, about 30 seconds each. Once added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
One at a time, add eggs and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds each. Add vanilla with one of the eggs.
reserved flour mixture
2 cups low-fat milk
¼ teaspoon lemon juice
On low speed, alternate between adding 1 cup of the flour mixture and ⅓ cup of the buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary and repeat until fully incorporated. Once done, give the batter a few quick strokes with a spatula to mix in any remaining ingredients.
Pour into prepared Big Bird cake pan. Bake at 350°F until top of cake browns and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40 to 50 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto the rack and let cool completely before frosting, at least 1 hour.
Frosting
32 ounces white frosting
If desired, you can make your own buttercream frosting. I've found, though, that when dealing with small children, they tend to prefer the sugary store-bought frosting more, so I used two containers of creamy white frosting when decorating the cake for my two-year old son.
In the following order, mix a small portion of frosting with the appropriate color gel in a small bowl. Use a spatula, knife, spoon, or frosting bag to decorate as desired.
Use red frosting to decorate the base of the hat and the outside of the mouth.
Use pink frosting to decorate the tongue and out edge of the eyelids.
Use light blue frosting to decorate the inner portion of eyelids.
Use white frosting to decorate the top of the hat and the eyes as well as the banner at the bottom of the cake.
Use a small amount of black frosting to make the pupils of the eyes.
Use a large amount of yellow frosting to decorate the head, body, and hands. Reserve a small amount of white frosting to do background and details around the hands.
From MakeBetterFood.com. . (makebetterfood.com/recipes/big-bird-birthday-cake/).
Remove butter and eggs from fridge and let rise to room temperature.
Heat the oven to 350°F. Generously coat the Big bird cake pan with butter. Dust with flour, tapping out any excess. Set aside.
Sift together the cake flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric hand mixer (or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment) on medium until creamy, about 1 minutes.
Add the sugar in ½ cup increments, beating until full incorporated, about 30 seconds each. Once added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
One at a time, add eggs and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds each. Add vanilla with one of the eggs.
On low speed, alternate between adding 1 cup of the flour mixture and ⅓ cup of the buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary and repeat until fully incorporated. Once done, give the batter a few quick strokes with a spatula to mix in any remaining ingredients.
Pour into prepared Big Bird cake pan. Bake at 350°F until top of cake browns and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40 to 50 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto the rack and let cool completely before frosting, at least 1 hour.
If desired, you can make your own buttercream frosting. I've found, though, that when dealing with small children, they tend to prefer the sugary store-bought frosting more, so I used two containers of creamy white frosting when decorating the cake for my two-year old son.
In the following order, mix a small portion of frosting with the appropriate color gel in a small bowl. Use a spatula, knife, spoon, or frosting bag to decorate as desired.
Use red frosting to decorate the base of the hat and the outside of the mouth.
Use pink frosting to decorate the tongue and out edge of the eyelids.
Use light blue frosting to decorate the inner portion of eyelids.
Use white frosting to decorate the top of the hat and the eyes as well as the banner at the bottom of the cake.
Use a small amount of black frosting to make the pupils of the eyes.
Use a large amount of yellow frosting to decorate the head, body, and hands. Reserve a small amount of white frosting to do background and details around the hands.
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