Milk Bar Birthday Cake

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.

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 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.