Recipe makes 6 mini Momofuku Birthday Cakes. If you're using cake scraps from the big Momofuku Birthday cake, recipe makes 4 mini's and you'll have leftover frosting, crumble and soak.
46g (or 1.6 oz) cream cheese, softened at room temperature
21g (or 2½ teaspoons) glucose
15g (or 2¼ teaspoons) corn syrup*
2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
170g (or 1⅓ cup + 1 teaspoon) powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt
For the soak:
90g (or ⅓ cup + 2 teaspoons) whole milk
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
Instructions
Start with the cake layers:
Preheat oven to 175°C/350°F (standard oven setting). Butter a 25x25-cm (10x10-inch) brownie pan and line the bottom and two of the sides with baking parchment so you can lift the cake out of the pan later. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sprinkles for the batter.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, shortening, granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Mix on high speed for 2-3 minutes.
Crack the eggs in a bowl and scramble with a fork to break the yolks and mix it with the white. Add the egg in four additions, beating well after each addition.
Combine buttermilk, oil, and vanilla in a large glass. Turn mixer to low and stream in the buttermilk mixture. Increase mixer to high and beat for 4-6 minutes until mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula every now and then.
Add the flour mixture and fold it into the batter with a rubber spatula until mostly incorporated. Mix on low for 10-20 seconds.
Pour batter into the prepared pan, spreading it in an even layer with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with the sprinkles reserved for sprinkling.
Bake on a rack in the middle of the oven for 18-25 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before turning out.
Cooled cake can be stored in the fridge for up to five days, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
Make the crumble:
Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F (standard oven setting) and line a cookie sheet with baking parchment. Set aside.
Combine granulated sugar, light brown sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and sprinkles in a medium bowl. Add oil and vanilla, and using your hands, mix until no dry spots remain and large clumps form when mixture is pressed together. Break the dough up into clusters (small clusters for small cakes!) and spread onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake in the middle of the oven, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the crumble is light golden brown and crunchy, 10–12 minutes (it will firm up as it cools).
Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Crumbs can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for five days.
Make the frosting:
Combine butter, shortening, and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if necessary.
Add the glucose, corn syrup, and vanilla and mix again on high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until the frosting looks glossy white.
Add powdered sugar, salt, baking powder, and lemon juice and, using your spatula, mix until just combined. Mix on high speed for 4-6 minutes, until the frosting is beautifully white and fluffy.
Frosting keeps, stored in an airtight container in the fridge, up to 1 week.
Make the soak:
Combine milk and vanilla in a small pouring jug and stir to combine.
Assemble the cakes:
Invert cake onto clean board/counter and peel off baking parchment. Using a 7,5-cm/3-inch round cookie cutter, stamp 9 little rounds out of the sheet cake. Eat the scraps!
Get yourself a big serving platter or cookie sheet for your six mini cakes and check whether it fits in your freezer. Line the inside of six 7,5-cm/3-inch round cookie cutters or cake rings with acetate. Using a serrated knife, cut each cake round carefully in half so that you'll have two thinner cake layers (18 cake layers in total).
Assemble the cakes by placing a cake layer in each of the small cake rings, pressing these first layers down to the serving plate. Drizzle each cake layer with 1½ teaspoons of the vanilla milk soak. Frost each mini with 4-5 teaspoons of frosting. Then sprinkle each mini with some of the crumbs (about one third of the total crumbs for six mini's).
Place a second cake round in each mini cake ring, pressing it down onto the layer of frosting and crumbs underneath. Drizzle each layer with another 1½ teaspoons of the soak, frost with another 4-5 teaspoons of frosting, and sprinkle with more crumbs (about half the remaining crumbs for 6 mini's). Top each cake with a final cake round, frost with another 4-5 teaspoons of frosting, and sprinkle with the remaining crumbs.
Transfer cakes to freezer and freeze at least 12 hours to set cake and filling. The cake will keep in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
At least 2 hours before serving, pull the minis out of freezer and remove the cake rings. If they don't come of right away, let them sit for a few minutes before trying again. Gently peel off acetate strips. Defrost the cakes in the fridge or on the counter for at least 2 hours. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Recipe by The Tough Cookie at https://thetoughcookie.com/2017/06/02/mini-momofuku-birthday-cakes/