Inspired by the famous Milk Bar bakery in New York, this is my easy, homemade version of their popular Milk Bar Birthday Cake. With three layers of soft funfetti cake, dreamy vanilla buttercream and crunchy cookie crumbs, it’s perfect for birthdays, parties and celebrations!
Say hello to the perfect birthday cake 💜
My easy, copycat version of the famous Milk Bar Birthday Cake. It’s dreamy and creamy and filled to the brim with sprinkles. There’s three layers of funfetti cake sandwiched with the fluffiest vanilla frosting on the planet. And don’t even get me started on those shortbread cookie crumbs!
It was the perfect way to wish my baby girl a happy first birthday this month! 🥳
Why you will love this cake
- Showstopper: It looks incredible (c’mon, what a showstopper)
- Easy to assemble: It’s surprisingly simple to assemble
- Amazing frosting: Learn how to make the best vanilla frosting I’ve ever had
- Oh-so-tasty: It tastes even better than it looks
If you’ve been around these parts for a while, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of Christina Tosi and her famous New York Bakery, Milk Bar. Her amazing baked goods have been the inspiration behind so many of my recipes, like my Peanut Butter Cake, my Corn Cookies and my Birthday Cake Truffles.
I’ve also been lucky enough to taste her baked goods in both New York and Los Angeles (including every flavour of cookie on offer) AND do a cooking class at her Melrose Avenue store. What did we make? The famous Milk Bar Birthday Cake, of course!
So today, I’m putting on my pink headband and channeling my inner Christina, to bring you my simple, homemade version of Milk Bar’s Birthday Cake. It has all the elements we know and love from Milk Bar (like cookie crumbs and a milk soak) but it uses regular, everyday ingredients.
Tell more me about this cake
This gorgeous birthday cake features three layers of funfetti cake. In true Milk Bar style, it’s made using one sheet pan, rather than multiple round cake pans (more on that below). I’ve used my favourite buttery, Funfetti Cake recipe, that produces a soft and fluffy vanilla cake every time.
Next, is that vanilla buttercream. But while I love my regular buttercream frosting, we’ve made it even more special by swapping milk for Greek yogurt. The real Milk Bar recipe has cream cheese in the frosting, so this is our easy way of getting that similar tang. Another secret ingredient in our frosting is a hint of baking powder. Believe it or not, this helps make the lightest, fluffiest frosting ever. This frosting is so good, you’ll find yourself licking the bowl clean.
The secret ingredient in our frosting is a hint of baking powder. Believe it or not, this helps make the lightest, fluffiest frosting ever.
And then there’s those crunchy, crispy cake crumbs. These little funfetti shortbread crumbs take only minutes to make but they enhance the sweet, buttery, vanilla flavour profile we’re going for here. And they provide a unique textural element to the cake. We’re obsessed with them (and have used them here, here and here).
And even made a chocolate version for my Chocolate Cherry Cake.
What’s inside?
- Funfetti vanilla cake
- Vanilla milk soak
- Vanilla frosting
- Funfetti cookie crumbs
- Vanilla frosting
- REPEAT 1-5
- Funfetti vanilla cake
- Vanilla milk soak
- Vanilla frosting
- Funfetti cookie crumbs
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What special equipment will I need?
- One quarter sheet pan (9 by 13 inch)
- 6-inch cake ring
- A sheet of acetate (at least 6 inches high)
So, How do I make a Milk Bar-inspired cake?
It starts with a quarter sheet pan. That’s right, this cake, just like my Raspberry Ripple Cake, is not made using regular round cake pans. Instead we use a sheet pan to make one large cake. Then we use a six inch cake ring to cut out three layers. It makes baking and layering the cake quick and easy.
We then use a sheet of acetate to line the inside of the cake ring. This will allow us to build the cake inside the cake ring, going nice and tall, and keeping all your frosting and fillings inside. The cake then goes into the fridge until you are ready to unwrap and present your masterpiece.
Wait, how do I get three cake layers?
One thing we learnt at Milk Bar is that when you are creating a cake like this, not every layer has to be perfect. In fact, the bottom layer is typically made from two half moons cut from the leftover cake, so you’ll get two perfect rounds and one you’ll have to piece together. But don’t worry, no one will know! See below diagram.
frequently asked questions
Yes! You can use two 8 inch cake pans or three 6 inch ones.
I recommend using good quality rainbow jimmy sprinkles. Don’t use nonpareils as they typically bleed in the cake batter.
Yes please do. It adds moisture and flavour, and will prevent your cake from drying out in the fridge.
This cake will keep well in the fridge.
Making this as a first birthday cake?
When I made this for Lucy’s 1st birthday, I omitted the crunchy cookie crumbs between the layers, and only placed them on top. That way she could easily eat a slice! The extra cookie crumbs will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days.
More layer cakes to love
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Let’s Bake
Milk Bar Birthday Cake
A Milk Bar-inspired funfetti birthday cake.
Ingredients
Funfetti cake
- 230 grams (1 cup or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 200 grams (1 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 315 grams (2 and 1/4 cups) plain flour or all-purpose flour, sifted
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 240 ml (1 cup) full fat or whole milk, room temperature
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) full fat Greek yogurt or sour cream, room temperature
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) funfetti sprinkles (rainbow jimmies)
Funfetti cookie crumbs
- 105 grams (3/4 cup) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornflour or corn starch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 60 grams (1/4 cup) butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons funfetti sprinkles
Fluffy vanilla buttercream
- 230 grams (1 cup or 2 sticks) butter, room temperature, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 500 grams (4 cups) icing sugar or powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons full fat Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1–2 tablespoons full fat or whole milk, room temperature
- 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
Milk soak
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) full fat or whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Funfetti cake
Grease and line a quarter sheet pan (9 by 13 inches) with baking or parchment paper. Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. - In a large mixing bowl, add butter, sugar and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat after each addition.
- In a separate bowl, add flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk briefly. Add half of the flour mix and all the milk and beat on a low speed until combined.
- Add remaining flour mix and sour cream and continue to mix on a low speed until just combined and a thick, creamy cake batter forms. Gently fold in sprinkles by hand, being careful not to overmix.
- Pour cake into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Set on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookie crumbs
Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. - In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar and cornflour. Whisk together. Pour over melted butter, along with the vanilla, stir briefly. Add sprinkles and then stir until it forms wet crumbs that look like wet sand.
- Pour onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and spread out into one layer. Bake for 10 minutes, then leave to cool completely.
- Vanilla frosting
Place butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until butter is smooth and creamy. - Add vanilla and 125 grams (1 cup) sugar. Beat on a low speed to combine, then turn up the speed to medium and mix for 30 seconds. Next, add 250 grams (2 cups) sugar, along with the Greek yogurt.
- Beat on medium speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add final 125 grams (1 cup) sugar, milk and baking powder. Beat on medium speed until frosting is fluffy and creamy.
- Assemble cake
Gently remove cooled cake from pan and remove baking paper. Cut out three 6-inch layers using a 6-inch cake ring. Note the diagram below – you’ll get two whole layers and then two halves. - Place a 6-inch cake ring on a cake board or plate. Line the inside of the cake ring with a sheet of acetate. Place the two half pieces of cake at the bottom. Press down the cake firmly. If there are any gaps, use extra cake scraps to fill in the holes and press down very firmly to make one even layer.
- Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the milk soak (milk and vanilla combined) over the first cake layer. Add a few tablespoons of vanilla buttercream and spread into one layer. Scatter over a handful of cookie crumbs. Add a few extra tablespoons of frosting on top. You don’t need to completely cover the crumbs.
- Add another layer of cake and press down firmly. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the milk soak over the cake layer. Add a few tablespoons of vanilla buttercream and spread into one layer. Scatter over a handful of cookie crumbs. Add a few extra tablespoons of frosting on top.
- Add final cake layer and press down firmly. Add remaining buttercream and scatter over cookie crumbs. Place cake in the fridge for at least 1 hour to set.
Notes
Cake pans: You can use two 8 inch round cake pans or three 6 inch round cake pans if you prefer.
Sprinkles: I recommend using good quality rainbow jimmy sprinkles. Don’t use nonpareils as they typically bleed in the cake batter.
Nutrition Information
Courtney says
Thanks for the recipe! If I make components ahead of time, do I have to rewhip the buttercream? I would be making it the day prior to assembly. Thanks!!
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Courtney, yes I would! If you pop the buttercream in the fridge, bring it back to room temperature and then re-whip briefly just until fluffy. I hope you love this one!
Nicole says
WOW. Made this for a friend’s bday yesterday and woke up today thinking of it and wishing I brought some home! I used two 9 inch pans and baked for 30-35 minutes. Best cake I’ve ever ate, let alone made myself! Will definitely be making again and my friends all asked for the recipe. Thank you!
Jessica Holmes says
Wow! I love hearing that Nicole! So glad you love this one as much as I do!
Ryan says
If I wanted to make this a 3 layer 8″ and I double the batter how much should I adjust the baking time. The difference in size between the 6″and 8″ comes out to be 1.8 times larger, so the sheet cake will be thinner. I figure that I would use 2 9″x13″ pans and get 1.5 layers out of each pan. Do you have any suggestions or something I may not be factoring in?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Ryan, good question! You can do it that way if you like. If you double the recipe but are using two quarter sheet pans, the baking time will not change. I do think that will work though – as far as getting the three layers. Or you could just use 8-inch pans if that’s easier. I think you’ll have plenty of cake leftover for Milk Bar Birthday Cake Truffles too!
olivia says
stunning!! I made this cake for my birthday and it blew my mind. I’ve been wanting to make a milk bar cake but didn’t like their random ingredient list. This one was so simple to make, I had all the ingredients and it tasted so yummy! I made the actual cake + frosting the day before for easy assembly the following day. I made a strawberry milk cake soak and a strawberry BC and I have no words!!!
I’ll be making this cake until the day I die! TY
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! So glad you love this one as much as I do Olivia!
Kati says
Unfortunately this didn’t work for me either, a previous commenter mentioned it feeling oily and that’s exactly what happened to mine (no oil in it obviously). The only similarity is that we both used sour cream, I wonder if that’s the issue.
I am going to try again!
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Kati, that’s so strange! I honestly have no idea how this lovely buttery cake could taste oily. It’s my go-to vanilla cake that I’ve used as the base for so many recipes. I’ve tried it with sour cream too without any issues. Did you make any changes to the recipe? If you want to troubleshoot further, you can always send me a photo to jessica@sweetestmenu.com
Morgan says
Can I make this the day before my party? Or should I make it the day of?
Jessica Holmes says
Absolutely! It does well overnight in the fridge. Just let it sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving.
Chelsea says
If I made this into cupcakes what temp would I bake them at and for how long?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Chelsea, typically a standard cupcake will take around 18-20 minutes to bake. You can bake them at the same temperature.
Chelsea Waites says
If I double this recipe do you think I could get 4 – 8” layers?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes! This recipe as it is will make two 8-inch layers.
Angie says
Jess – GIRL – this cake was THE showstopper at my baby‘s 4th birthday party!! Loved everything about it: It was super easy to make and delicious! Honestly, I was scared to attempt it because I don‘t have a lot of experience with more complex bakes, but this really was an easy one. I added in a few raspberries between the cake layers and cream so it would have a tart little kick – and it worked perfectly. Will definitely try the other cakes as well.
Jessica Holmes says
How awesome to hear Angie! So glad you love this one as much as I do. I made it for my girl’s first birthday – such a party pleaser hey!
Margie says
This cake turned out awful 🙁 I followed everything EXACTLY using a kitchen scale
1) I wasn’t able to find full fat greek yogurt, so decided to use sour cream. I think that may have been my issue because the cake came out DRENCHED, like swimming in oil and took an additional 20 minutes in the oven to look fully cooked. When pressed on, oil was oozing out of the cake.
2) Everything tastes cloyingly sweet. When i scrolled back in the comments, I notice that it was suggested to use salted butter for the frosting and cookie crumbles, but the written recipe specifies unsalted for the batter. I assumed I could use the same butter for all components, so I got unsalted, and wish it was mentioned somehwere in the recipe so that I could have adjusted and added salt to offset in the recipe.
I’m going to try to remake the cake with nonfatgreek yogurt and add more salt to the cookie crumb and frosting to see if this improves the flavour balance.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Margie, I’m so sorry to hear this recipe didn’t work out for you. Sour cream is a fine substitute for the yogurt so that wouldn’t be the reason it came out drenched in oil. There is no oil in the cake recipe, so I can only guess that there was a mis-measurement somewhere. It should be quite a thick cake batter and not oily or wet at all. As for the sweetness, there is no denying this is a sweet cake, just like the real Milk Bar Birthday Cake. But yes, used salted butter in the frosting and crumbs is suggested for that reason. Alternatively, you can use unsalted butter and add a pinch of salt to taste.
Marge says
Looking to make this recipe but I’ve got a tub of non-fat greek yogurt in my fridge already. Any chance i could use the non-fat and increase fat somewhere else or should I try and get a fattier greek yogurt?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Marge, I always think full fat is best but I think non-fat will be fine in this case!
Margie says
Oily was maybe the wrong word but it felt like i had baked a cake and then poured a bunch of melted butter all over it if that makes sense? I think there was just too much fat in the cake and that it didn’t mesh with the dry ingredients.
Just wondering what percentage full fat yogurt you used? In canada full fat greek is around 3.25% and sour cream is around 18% so I figured that could have been the culprit for the excess fat in the recipe.
Adding salt to the buttercream and cookie crumble helped the flavour balance tremendously, I didn’t see that mentioned in the recipe or blog notes so that might be a helpful tip to add for others.
TYSM for your replies! Just trying to troubleshoot what went wrong and hopefully help anyone else who tries this recipe and runs into similar issues. Thanks so much for providing a more accessible version of the milk bar cake that doesn’t require purchasing a bunch of uncommon baking ingredients 💖
Jessica Holmes says
I still think something’s gone awry there – like perhaps the butter splitting? Our full fat Greek yogurt is around 10% fat. I often use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt in my cakes without an issue. So glad that helps! I appreciate your feedback.
jadyn says
If we use three 6-inch cake pans, what temperature should they be baked at and for how long? Interested in trying this today! thank you!
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Jadyn, you could definitely do that! I would do the same temperature but check them around 20-25 minutes. Let me know how it goes!
Emma Jamieson says
Hey, I am making this today, can I freeze the whole cake fully assembled ?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes! Hope you love it!
Caitlyn says
Hello! I’m planning on making this cake for a friend’s birthday but I have a bit of a drive to get there… can the cake be left at room temperature once its assembled or would it need to be left in a cooler?
Looking forward to baking, looks delicious!
Jessica Holmes says
Hello! How exciting. It’s good to chill this one for 1-2 hours so all the layers are firm when you remove the acetate. It can be served at room temperature though!
Amy Talley says
This cake was incredible!!!
I did not have a cake ring, so I just stacked and frosted the sides and wrapped parchment paper around it to refrigerate.
Oh! And the cake was so yummy that I didn’t want to waste anything so I made 6 parfait jars with leftover cake, frosting, cookies, and milk. They were a HIT also!!!
Thank you!!!
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so happy to hear that Amy! Thank you so much for your kind review. I love the idea of making mini versions too – I’ll have to try that!
Yvonne Wilson says
Easy to make and absolutely delicious. I have made this a numbers of times and always goes down well
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad you love it as much as I do Yvonne!