Description
Make this buttercream Bulbasaur cake without fondant and with no fancy tools!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the vanilla cakes:
- 1 3/4 cups unsalted butter
- 2 1/3 cups white sugar (granulated sugar)
- 7 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 4 cups plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 tablespoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the chocolate cake:
- 2 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter
- 3 cups white sugar
- 5 eggs
- 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 1/3 cups plain flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the buttercream:
- 3 3/4 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 lb powdered sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup cream or milk
Instructions
To make the vanilla cakes:
- Using a mixer with a beater/paddle attachment, beat room temperature butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down to the bottom of the bowl once during mixing to make sure no butter or sugar is stuck at the bottom.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing on the lowest speed after each addition for 30 seconds. Scrape down to the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated before adding the next egg.
- Add vanilla and mix for about 30 seconds to combine.
- In a small bowl or measuring jug, mix room temperature buttermilk and oil. Add half to the butter mixture and mix on lowest speed to incorporate.
- In a bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add half of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and mix on lowest speed to incorporate, scraping down to the bottom of the mixing bowl to check that batter is evenly mixed. Repeat with the remaining buttermilk mixture and then finish with the remaining flour mixture.
- Grease three 8" baking pans and three 4" pans with non-stick oil spray or butter. Divide batter between the cake pans.
- Bake at 160ºC or 325ºF. The 8 inch layers will take 38 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. The 4 inch layers will take 21 minutes.
- Leave cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Use a spatula to loosen the cakes from the edges of the pans and then turn onto a wire cooling rack. Leave to cool completely and then wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
To make the chocolate cake:
- In a bowl, whisk together warm water and cocoa powder until the cocoa has dissolved. Set aside to come to room temperature.
- In a mixer with a beater/paddle attachment, mix butter with sugar on medium speed until pale and creamy, about two minutes. Scrape down to the bottom of the bowl once during mixing to make sure no butter is stuck at the bottom.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing on the lowest speed after each addition until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
- Add vanilla and mix on lowest speed for about 30 seconds to combine.
- In a bowl sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add a third of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and mix on lowest speed to incorporate.
- Add half of the cocoa mixture to the mixing bowl and mix on lowest speed to incorporate. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture, then the remaining cocoa powder mixture, and then the remaining flour mixture. Mix just until the ingredients are combined.
- Grease the inside (base and sides) of three 8" pans with non-stick spray, butter or oil. Divide batter between the cake pans.
- Bake at 175ºC or 350ºF for 38 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Let cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Use a spatula to loosen cake from the edges of the cake pan and then turn onto a wire cooling rack. Leave to cool completely and then wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
To make the buttercream:
- Sift the sugar to remove any lumps and check that the butter is at room temperature - you should be able to slice through it easily with a spatula.
- In a mixer with a beater/paddle attachment, mix butter for a few seconds until smooth. Add a quarterof the powdered sugar and salt and mix on the lowest speed until incorporated, about one minute.
- Scrape down to the bottom of the mixing bowl with a spatula to loosen any butter and sugar and add the next quarter of powdered sugar and mix for another minute on low.
- Scrape down to the bottom of the bowl, add another quarter of the powdered sugar, mix for one minute on low, scrape, and add the final quarter of the powdered sugar. Mix for one more minute on low, adding the vanilla once everything is mixed together and continuing to mix until it's incorporated.
- Add the milk or cream and mix for about 30 seconds until it's combined with the buttercream. Check the consistency and add more milk or cream a tablespoon at a time until the buttercream is smooth and easily stirred.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap e.g. cling film/Saran Wrap.
To assemble, carve and frost the cake:
- Please refer to the detailed tutorial above! You'll find step by step instructions along with photos of each step. If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below!
To store, transport and serve the cake:
- Store the cake in the fridge until transporting or until 2 hours before serving.
- If transporting, place the cake on a flat surface like the boot or trunk, or in the footwell of the passenger seat.
- To serve the cake, slice the head first. You'll feel the knife hit the cake board in the middle of the cake. Slide your knife or a cake slice or cake server into the cake just above the board to remove each slice of cake. After serving the head, lift up the cake board from the middle of the cake and serve the bottom half of the cake.