First Day of School Cake

This First Day of School Cake is topped with fondant decorated to look like a piece of loose leaf paper. A fun surprise for an after school snack on the first day!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Dry Time 1

Total Time 1 1 30

Servings slices

Calories 629kcal

Author Meghan

Equipment

small fondant rolling pin with guides
paring knife
medium sized round tip like Wilton #12
Ruler
10-inch round gold cake board
spinning cake decorating stand
3 wooden skewers
metal cake scraper
Disposable piping bag
large decorative piping tip like #6B

Ingredients

For the Fondant Topper:

white rollable fondant
powdered sugar for rolling the fondant
blue, pink and black food coloring markers

For the Cake:

2¼ cups all purpose flour
2¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅜ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter at room temperature
6 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
2¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup minus 1 tablespoon buttermilk at room temperature

For Cake Assembly:

3 batches Easy Vanilla Buttercream see note
blue food coloring liquid

Instructions

Make the Fondant Topper:

Lightly dust a work surface with powdered sugar.
Roll out some white fondant into a thin layer using a small fondant rolling pin with guides.
Place a 6-inch round cake pan over the rolled fondant to use as stencil for cutting the fondant.
Trace around the pan with a paring knife to cut the fondant into a circle.
Dust a medium sized round tip, like a Wilton #12, with powdered sugar. Lightly press the smaller end of the piping tip into the fondant to make 3 evenly spaced circles along the left side of the fondant circle, about 1-inch from the edge. This recreates the 3 holes in a piece of loose leaf paper. Press the tip all the way through the fondant to completely punch out the circles.
Allow the fondant to dry and harden at room temperature for at least overnight, ideally 1 day or more.

Bake the Cakes:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Add Even Bake Cake Strips around three 6-inch round cake pans. Spray the pans with non-stick baking spray containing flour, such as Pam for Baking. Alternatively, line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper and grease and flour the sides of the pan and the parchment. Set aside the pans.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2¼ cups all purpose flour, 2¼ teaspoons baking powder, ⅜ teaspoon salt
In the bowl of stand mixer, beat the butter, oil and sugar until fully combined. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat thoroughly after each egg. Add the vanilla extract and mix until fully incorporated.
6 tablespoons butter, 6 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil, 1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, 3 large eggs, 2¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
Using a large rubber spatula, fold in ⅓ of the dry ingredients. Add half of the buttermilk and fold until combined, then add another ⅓ of the dry ingredients, followed by the remaining buttermilk and ending with the rest of the dry ingredients. Small lumps of flour will remain. Take care not to overmix.
1 cup minus 1 tablespoon buttermilk
Equally divide the batter among the three prepared pans.
Bake the cakes for about 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. This time will vary depending on your oven, You do not want to overbake this cake or it will taste dry.
Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then unmold the cakes and cool completely on cooling racks.

Decorate the Topper:

On the hardened circle of white fondant, use a ruler or straight edge to draw evenly spaced lines perpendicular to the 3 holes with a blue food coloring marker.
Draw a single pink line with a pink food coloring marker to the right of the circles, perpendicular to the blue lines. Wait a few minutes to allow the marker to dry.
Use a black food coloring marker to write in between the blue lines, "Happy 1st Day of School!"

Assemble the Cake:

Place a 10-inch round cake board on a spinning cake decorating stand. Smear a small amount of buttercream in the center of the cake board.
Place the first cake layer on top of the board in the center.
Cover the top of the cake with an even layer of buttercream. Stack another cake layer on top. Repeat the process with the third layer.
Break three wooden skewers to a size just smaller than the height of the cake and insert them into the cake in the center and two sides, all in a row. These serve as the supports for the cake to prevent sliding.
Apply a thick layer of buttercream to the entire cake.
Hold a metal cake scraper straight up and down at a 45º angle against the side of the cake while spinning the cake stand to smooth the surface, adding extra buttercream to fill in gaps as necessary and smoothing the top as well. Repeat this process until the surface is as smooth as you want.
Place the fondant circle on top of the cake. Press down slightly to adhere.
Use a paper towel to wipe the cake board around the cake clean.
Mix in some of the blue food coloring liquid to a portion of buttercream until it is light blue.
Transfer the buttercream to a disposable piping bag fitted with a decorative tip, like a #6B.
Pipe a border around the top of the fondant circle and around the bottom edge of the cake.

Notes

If you don't have buttermilk, you may mix 1¼ cup whole milk with 1¼ tablespoons white vinegar. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes at room temperature before using.

Easy Vanilla Buttercream recipe HERE. One batch is enough to cover two 6-inch cakes. For a 4 layer 6-inch or 3 layer 8-inch cake, you will need at least 3 batches.

Storage: Store the cake at room temperature or in the refrigerator until ready to serve. If refrigerated, allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving. Cake should be consumed with 2-3 days, ideally earlier.

Nutritional information is only an estimate and will vary based on your ingredients and substitutions.

Cake batter adapted from Sugar Spun Run

You're Gonna Bake It After All

bakeitafterall.com

Nutrition