Fluff-Fetti Vanilla Sprinkle Cake (GF) with Cream Cheese-Marshmallow Fluff- filling

I made this cake around my mom's birthday, for her to share with her Mahjong friends. Not quite a white cake, but also not a true yellow cake, this is a perfect in- between. A denser, rich cake, yet still light and colorful. A perfect back-drop for too many sprinkles. She said the ladies continued to scrape the plates, long after their pieces were eaten, hoping to come up with a smidge more frosting.

Cake (a 2 layer, 9 inch cake)

1 cup whole milk, at room temperature

3 large eggs, at room temperature

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

1 TBS of vanilla extract, I like Heilala brand

1 tsp of almond extract

2 1/4 cups gluten free flour, I like King Arthur Measure for Measure

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

1 TBS plus 1 tsp baking powder

1.5 tsp salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

Rainbow sprinkles, to your heart’s content

Fluff Filling:

1 8oz. Package of cream cheese, at room temperature

1 7oz. Container of marshmallow fluff

1 tsp clear vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Buttercream:

2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature

7 cups of powdered sugar

2 tsp almond extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 TBS heavy cream, at room temperature (plus more as needed to achieve consistency)

1/2 tsp salt

Method, Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, position a rack in the middle. Grease two 9 inch round cake pans with coconut oil or pan spray and line with parchment circles.

Using the bowl of a stand mixer, measure in the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Fit the mixer with the paddle and mix on low to combine.

Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Note: separating yolks and whites is easier when eggs are cold. Put the whites in a bowl and then let them come up to room temperature. Then add the whole eggs, milk, vanilla and almond extracts and whisk until well combined.

Next, add the butter in small pieces to the stand mixer bowl of dry ingredients. I like to scatter the pieces of butter chunks over the flour mixture, and toss it around to coat, then turn the mixer on low to begin. There will be less butter clumping around the paddle this way. Still take time to scrape the sides, bottom of the bowl and paddle well, as needed. Continue to mix on low until there are no large clumps of butter.

With the mixer on low, slowly drizzle in the milk/ egg mixture. Increase to medium until the mixture is smooth. Scrape down the bowl and mix again on medium low to ensure the batter is fully incorporated. Remove the bowl from the stand and mix in the sprinkles by hand. Turn the batter around in the bowl several times to ensure it’s creamy and well mixed.

Evenly divide the batter between the two cake pans and tap them on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. I usually weigh each pan on a kitchen scale to make sure I have equal layers. Bake in the oven for around 25 minutes. Check the center of the cake. It should not be jiggly and should be puffed up and bounce back when lightly pushed with your finger. Continue to bake in 5 minute increments until it’s fully baked. A cake tester should come out clean.

Allow cakes to cool in the pans for 20 minutes on a wire rack. Then invert them onto the rack to cool completely. Do not frost until they are room temperature. Once the layers are cool, decide if you need to trim any dome from the tops of the layers. Using a serrated knife, cut into the domed part of the cake horizontally, and, using a saw motion, gently cut across to remove the top layer. Take care to only remove what you need to, to have flat layers to stack. At this point, I usually wrap the cooled layers in plastic wrap and either refrigerate or freeze until I’m ready to assemble the cake. Chilled cakes are easier to frost and I like to bake the layers at least a day ahead.

Prepare the fluff filling:

Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of the stand mixer, fitted with the paddle, until smooth and creamy, about two minutes. Add the marshmallow fluff, vanilla and salt. Mix on medium high until fully blended and fluffy.

Prepare the buttercream:

This is an American buttercream and is best used soon after mixing because it will form a crust as it dries.

Place the softened butter in the clean bowl of the stand mixer and beat on medium speed until it’s creamy and a pale yellow. 2-3 minutes. Then scrape down the bowl and paddle. Mix again for 30 seconds more. Sift the powdered sugar into the mixing bowl, a few cups at a time, mixing on low to combine. After each addition, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, as well as the paddle. Continue to add powdered sugar and mix on low until all 7 cups are incorporated. Scrape everything down. Add the heavy cream and mix on low. Add the vanilla and salt and mix again to combine.

You are now ready to fill and frost your cake. Place the bottom layer on a cardboard cake circle and spread the fluff filling in an even layer. Stack the top cake layer on, cut side down, neatly over the filling. Apply your crumb coat of frosting and chill for at least 15 minutes to set. You now have the option to divide up your remaining buttercream and mix up different colors, as I did, or you can continue to frost as is. I have been playing around with these gel-based colors. Decorate, pipe, swirl, add sprinkles!