The cutest little high altitude mini confetti cake that’s just enough for two people, or a small family celebration. This pretty sprinkle cake is soft and fluffy, and makes the perfect petite birthday cake when you don’t want any cake left over.
You might also love these high altitude mini cake recipes for vanilla cake, chocolate cake, lemon poppy seed cake and carrot cake.
This site contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that I may make a small commission if you purchase a product using those links. This in no way affects my opinion of those products and services. All opinions expressed on this site are my own.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Moist for Days. This cake is super soft, fluffy, and moist even days later, although since it’s so small, you probably won’t have any trouble finishing it in one day.
Perfect Small Size. This is a petite cake, just two small layers, which you can bake in either 4-inch or 6-inch pans. It’s the perfect size for a smash cake, or a small anniversary or birthday cake for two people to share.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter + Oil. Adds richness, fat and flavor.
- Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness and moisture.
- Cake Flour. With a lower percentage of protein than all-purpose flour, cake flour makes a light, fluffy cake. You can use all-purpose flour, too.
- Baking Powder. Leavens the cake, helping it to rise as it bakes.
- Salt.
- Whole Milk + Sour Cream. Adds moisture, richness and acidity, for a soft, tender cake crumb.
- Egg.
- Vanilla.
- Sprinkles. You can use any sprinkles that you have, but nonpareils are so tiny that they tend to melt and bleed too much into the cake batter. Preferably, use confetti sprinkles or quins, for more vivid dots of color throughout the cake.
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray the insides of two 4-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray.The 4-inch pans will make thick layers of cake for a small but tall cake, as shown in the photos. You can also use two 6-inch round cake pans, for a layer cake that’s wider and not as tall. If using 6 inch pans, your cakes will need 5-10 minutes less to bake.
- In a bowl, whisk together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Separately, whisk together the melted butter, milk, sour cream, egg, oil and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and whisk until combined. Fold in the sprinkles. Divide the batter between the pans.
- Bake the cakes for about 28-35 minutes, until the centers of the cakes spring back when lightly touched, or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the sides of the cakes, then turn them out of the pans. Let cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- With an electric mixer, stand or hand held, beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth.
- In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar mixture by spoonfuls. Add the vanilla.
- Increase the speed to medium, and whip the buttercream for 4-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Turn the speed down to “stir” and mix for 1 minute.
- Stack, fill and frost the cooled cakes with the buttercream. Frost the cake with a thin crumb coat of buttercream, and chill for 20 minutes. Frost the cake with a final coat of buttercream. Scatter the sprinkles over the frosted cake before the buttercream crusts over.
Recipe Variations
4-Inch Layer Cake. For a taller cake, divide the batter between two 4-inch cake pans (below, left photo).
6-Inch Layer Cake. For a wider cake that’s not so tall, divide the batter between two 6-inch cake pans (below, right photo).
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
I used a variety of sprinkles, including jimmies on the outside of my cake, confetti quins in the cake batter, and pastel nonpareils.
Keep your leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
You Might Also Like
Please check out my Amazon Shop for a curated collection of some of my favorite cake pans from trusted brands, baking tools, ingredients, pretty things and fashion finds. I recommend products that I buy and use every day!
Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!
High Altitude Mini Confetti Cake for Two
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 4-inch Round Cake Pans (x2) OR 6-inch Round Cake Pans
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup cake flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ + ⅛ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp confetti sprinkles (quins) or jimmies (not nonpareils)
Buttercream
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (substitute half the butter with vegetable shortening for a whiter color)
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp meringue powder, optional
- â…› tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray the insides of two 4-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray.The 4-inch pans will make thick layers of cake for a small but tall cake, as shown in the photos. You can also use two 6-inch round cake pans, for a layer cake that's wider and not as tall. If using 6 inch pans, your cakes will need 5-10 minutes less to bake.
- In a bowl, whisk together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Separately, whisk together the melted butter, milk, sour cream, egg, oil and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and whisk until combined. Fold in the sprinkles. Divide the batter between the pans.
- Bake the cakes for about 28-35 minutes, until the centers of the cakes spring back when lightly touched, or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the sides of the cakes, then turn them out of the pans. Let cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- With an electric mixer, stand or hand held, beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth.
- In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar mixture by spoonfuls. Add the vanilla.
- Increase the speed to medium, and whip the buttercream for 4-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Turn the speed down to "stir" and mix for 1 minute.
- Stack, fill and frost the cooled cakes with the buttercream. Frost the cake with a thin crumb coat of buttercream, and chill for 20 minutes. Frost the cake with a final coat of buttercream. Scatter the sprinkles over the frosted cake before the buttercream crusts over.
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/
Leave a Reply