User post: Pretty Polka Dot Party Cake

Jessica

I grew up eating cakes made from cake mixes, and I still love them. But when I want to make something special, I take a little more time to make my cakes from scratch. It's not difficult, it just takes a little more work. Your homemade cake will taste great, and you get to leave out all the preservatives and trans fats found in a store bought cake or mix.

This Polka Dot Party Cake is great for birthdays, baby showers, school bake sales, and office parties. Just by changing the colors of the dots, you can customize your cake to fit your occasion. I am certainly not a professional cake decorator, but even I was able to make this cake look cute.


Ingredients

Cake:
2 sticks (1 cup) room temperature butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups whole milk

Frosting:
2 sticks (1 cup) room temperature butter
1 pound powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Food coloring

Directions

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two round cake pans with butter, flour, and parchment paper.

Cream butter with an electric mixer in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla and mix for 3 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder and stir until mixed. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in four parts, alternating with the milk, beating well after each addition. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:
Cream the butter in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt and mix until smooth. Add milk to loosen up the frosting so it's spreadable but not runny. In six separate small bowls, add 3 tablespoons of frosting. Add several drops of red, blue, orange, yellow, green, and purple to the different bowls frosting. Stir until the color is blended.

Frosting the cake:
Set one of the cakes on a serving platter or cake pedestal. Place strips of parchment paper under the cake, covering the edge of the plate so it doesn't get covered in frosting. Add 1/4 of the white frosting to the cake and spread to the edges. Place the second cake layer on top of the frosted layer. Place 3/4 of the remaining frosting on top of the cake. With an offset spatula or butter knife, smooth the frosting out from the center of the cake from the top and around the sides. Use the remaining frosting to touch up any rough spots.
To make the polka dots, place a dime size drop of frosting on the cake. Smooth into a circle with a butter knife or offset spatula. Using the different colors, make polka dots all over the cake in a random pattern. For more cool ideas for your home, life, and family check out www.InMyNewHome.com3 Cute Thanksgiving Crafts For KidsTasty Autumn Chili