Easy Homemade Baptism Cake - Tasty Recollections

Equipment

Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment (or hand mixer)
2-3 Cake Pans (see notes below for sizing)
Cake Scraper or Offset Spatula for frosting
Piping Bags & Tips

Ingredients

For the Cake

112 g unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup
600 g granulated sugar 3 cups
1 cup vegetable oil
4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
528 g all purpose flour 4 cups +2 tablespoons
4½ teaspoon baking powder
1½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups milk
9 egg whites at room temperature

For the Buttercream

336 g softened salted butter 1½ cups
1 kg powdered sugar 2lb
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
⅓ cup + 1 tbsp whole milk plus more if needed

Instructions

For the Cake:

Preheat & Prepare Pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease your cake pans (see notes below for size) and dust with flour to prevent sticking.
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together 528 g all purpose flour, 4½ teaspoon baking powder, and 1½ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
Cream Butter, Sugar & Oil: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 112 g unsalted butter, softened on medium-high speed until creamy (about 2 minutes). Add 600 g granulated sugar and 1 cup vegetable oil, and continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Mix in 4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.
Combine Wet & Dry Ingredients: With the mixer running on medium speed, gradually add the the dry ingredients you had set aside and 1½ cups milk, alternating between the two, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Be sure to scrape the bowl occasionally to make sure everything is fully incorporated. Set aside.
Whip Egg Whites: In another clean bowl, beat 9 egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Fold in Egg Whites: Gently fold in the whipped egg whites, one-third at a time, using a spatula. Mix carefully so as not to deflate the whites—overmixing can result in a denser cake.
Bake the Cake: Evenly distribute the batter between your prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool: Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for at least 20 minutes before flipping them onto a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before frosting.

For the Buttercream:

Cream the Butter: In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 336 g softened salted butter on medium speed for about 2 minutes until it’s pale and fluffy.
Incorporate the Sugar: Add the 1 kg powdered sugar and mix on medium speed, pausing occasionally to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. The mixture will be clumpy at first—this is normal.
Add Vanilla & Milk: Reduce the mixer speed to low, and add the 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract Then, increase the speed to medium and mix until combined. Gradually add ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp whole milk and continue mixing on low for about 30 seconds, until the mixture is smooth.
Whip to Fluffy Perfection: Increase the speed to medium-high and whip for about 5 minutes, or until the frosting is light, fluffy, and airy. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl at least once during this process.
Adjust Consistency: If the frosting is too thick, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.

Assemble and Frost the Cake

Place the first cake layer on a cake board or serving plate. Using an offset spatula, spread a generous layer of buttercream on top, smoothing it out evenly. Place the second cake layer on top of the first, gently pressing down to ensure it sticks. Apply a thin crumb coat—this is a light layer of buttercream all over the cake to seal in any crumbs. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect; the final decorations will help cover any small imperfections!

Decorate the Cake:

Now comes the fun part—decorating! I used a star-shaped piping tip to decorate the sides of the cake. Hold the tip close to the cake, squeeze gently to form a star, and then release. Continue squeezing and releasing to make stars, aiming to keep them roughly the same size. Don't worry if it is not perfect—adding decorative elements will hide any imperfections! Once the cake is fully frosted, decorate it however you like! In my case, I added a cake topper, some decorative balls, and flowers.
Once you're done piping the buttercream and adding your decorations, take a moment to look over the cake. If there are any gaps, fill them in with more buttercream stars. You can see in my pictures that it looks much nicer when I add stars in the gaps between the decorations, but you can also see I missed a couple of spots. I don't think anyone noticed during the party, so it's no big deal—just do your best!

Notes

Note:

This recipe makes enough batter for three 8-inch (20 cm) cake pans. If you prefer a two-layer cake, you can divide the batter into two 10-inch pans instead.

Please note the calories provided are simply a rough estimate