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Birthday Cakes: A Little Out of the Box
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items Birthday cakes should be fun, a little unexpected, and absolutely worth the calories. 😂 From Christina Tosi-style layers to gorgeous buttercream creations, this is a collection of recipes, cake-decorating tutorials, serious baking tools, and beautif...
Sections
5
The Cake Is the Main Event
Good Cakes Start With Good Tools
Buttercream Is an Art Form
Serve It Like You Mean It
Recipes Worth Turning On the Oven For
The Cake Is the Main Event
A little inspiration from the people who know how to make cake the whole party.
If you like the Milk Bar approach to layers, fillings and crunchy surprises, this is a very good rabbit hole.
All about Cake - by Christina Tosi (Hardcover)
The book behind those exposed-layer cakes and gloriously unconventional desserts. Definitely not your standard birthday-cake playbook.
Momofuku Milk Bar - by Christina Tosi (Hardcover)
For the baker who wants permission to experiment a little. Cakes are much more fun when you stop making the same one every year.
Bake Club - by Christina Tosi & Shannon Salzano (Hardcover)
I adore Yolanda's style. Cake goals.
Layer Up!: Ultimate Glow Up Guide for Cakes
Good Cakes Start With Good Tools
Tall, even layers and a reliable mixer make the ambitious ideas much less intimidating.
A crooked layer can make the whole cake lean. This is one of those unglamorous tools that makes the glamorous part easier.
Wilton® Adjustable Cake Leveler
For moving and stacking your masterpiece without having to negotiate directly with the frosting. 😂
Cake Circles by Celebrate It®, Size: 8"
Spinning the cake instead of walking around the kitchen island with a spatula? Yes, please.
Wilton® High & Low Adjustable Cake Turntable
Deep pans give you more options for tall, dramatic layers. Fat Daddio’s is exactly the sort of bakeware worth looking at when cake becomes a hobby.
Fat Daddio's® Pro Series Bakeware Anodized Aluminum ...
A sheet pan is not just for sheet cakes. It is also how you get those cut-and-stacked Milk Bar-style layers.
Michaels product fdd sheet ck pn 9x13 10690055
For all the buttercream, cake batter and fillings involved in these projects, a good stand mixer earns its counter space.
KitchenAid® Artisan Stand Mixer, 5-Qt
When you are moving a decorated cake, a sturdy base is a lot more important than you think. Ask anyone who has tried it without one.
10" x 14" Cake Boards, 6ct. by Celebrate It®
Buttercream Is an Art Form
The right decorating tools make the difference between pretty frosting and an actual design.
For buttercream petals and pretty floral details that make a cake feel more like a centerpiece.
Wilton Petal Decorating Tip 1-1/4" Length Stainless Steel
The smooth sides on those bakery cakes do not happen by accident. This scraper helps you get there.
Wilton® Stainless Steel Buttercream Icing Smoother
A different way to pipe frosting, with a one-handed plunger and interchangeable tips. Fun for someone who wants to play with decorations.
Wilton™ Dessert Decorator Pro Stainless Steel Cake ...
These bigger bags give you room for serious piping sessions without constantly refilling. The easy-grab box is a nice touch.
Wilton™ 16" Disposable Plastic Decorating Bags, 100ct.
A little offset spatula is great for smoothing fillings and working on smaller cakes without putting your fingers in the frosting.
Offset Icing Spatula 4.5 Inch
Those gorgeous vintage-style borders start with the right tip. A useful set for trying a few different finishes.
Wilton™ 4-Piece Cake Decorating Tip Set for Borders
Serve It Like You Mean It
The cake took hours. Give it a pretty place to land.
The blue tile pattern has so much more personality than a plain white pedestal. Pretty enough to leave out between birthdays.
Chambray Tile Stoneware Cake Stand
Coordinating platters and bowls are such a nice way to serve slices, berries and little extras without everything looking matchy-matchy.
Chambray Tile Stoneware Serveware Collection
This stand is so understated, simple and beautiful. Lets the cake be the star in style.
Martha Stewart Highbrook 8.5" Handmade Jadeite Glass Cake Stand & Reviews
Make it an annual tradition with a special birthday cake plate you use everytime.
Stoneware Birthday Cake Plate
Recipes Worth Turning On the Oven For
These are free recipes from bakers who actually explain the steps, not just show off the finished slice.
Christina Tosi’s famous sprinkle cake, right from Milk Bar. It walks through the batter and the details that make the cake taste like a celebration.
Birthday Cake
A beautifully tested yellow layer cake with chocolate frosting. Sometimes the classic flavor is what everybody wants, even if the presentation is fancy.
Classic Birthday Cake
A tender vanilla-and-almond option that can become your starting point for a completely different design.
Vanilla Birthday Cake
Those little crunchy bits tucked between cake layers are half the fun. Here is how Milk Bar makes them.
Birthday Cake Crumb
Not your usual buttercream formula, and that is exactly why it belongs on this list.
Birthday Cake Frosting
The assembly instructions are where the magic happens: cake rings, acetate, crumbs and all those exposed layers.
Birthday Cake Assembly
Swiss meringue, American buttercream, cream cheese and more. Pick the right frosting before you start piping.
A breakdown of (almost) every frosting
Because realizing you are short on buttercream halfway through a four-layer cake is not a fun surprise.
How much frosting do I need for a cake?
A practical guide to getting the air bubbles out of silky buttercream before you try for that polished finish.
How to get perfectly smooth frosting on cake
A clever little trick with a cookie scoop to keep fillings even. Small technique, big visual payoff.
Things bakers know: A cake frosting secret