BIRTHDAY CAKE BALLOON RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 13 x 9 x 2-in. baking pan. Prepare both boxes of cake mix together as box directs. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake 50 minutes, or until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes before inverting on rack, turning top side up and cooling completely. Cut cake (see diagram, right) into a balloon shape. For "basket": Cut 1⁄2-in.-thick slices from cake scraps and frost together to form a 4-in.-wide, 2 1⁄4-in.-high, 1 3⁄4-in.-deep rectangle. Put 1 cup frosting into each of 3 bowls. Tint light pink, light blue and light green. Cover with plastic wrap when not using. Spoon 2 Tbsp each into ziptop bags; seal. Tint 1⁄2 cup frosting light brown. Place cake on serving tray, leaving space for the "basket." Using a toothpick, score lines on cake to divide balloon in thirds as a guide for frosting. Spread green frosting on top and sides of right side of ballon; pink frosting on the other side. Spoon blue frosting in center of cake and carefully spread to green and pink frosting. Add candy sequins. Set basket about 3 in. under balloon. Coat with brown frosting; create basket-weave design with tines of a fork. Cut tip off 1 corner of bags. Pipe outlines on balloon and swags on basket. For Balloonists: Cut heads and upper bodies from photographs; glue onto cardboard; cut out. Set balloonists in basket. Press 1-end of each ribbon into icing on base of balloon, the other end into each corner of basket. Place letters on cake. Dip ­fingers in white frosting to draw clouds.

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In a large bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until soft, light, and creamy, 5–6 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed until well incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat to incorporate.
• Alternate adding the milk and dry ingredients a little at a time, starting and ending with the flour. Beat until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Do not overmix.
• Evenly divide the batter between 6 small bowls, about 1 cup each. Dye each bowl with one color of food coloring.
• Grease 6 6-inch round cake pans, or as many as you have, with nonstick spray. Add each color cake batter to a prepared baking pan (working in batches if needed) and tap the pans on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then flip onto a wire rack and let cool for another 15 minutes.
• While the cakes bake, make the vanilla simple syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and vanilla and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and transfer the syrup to a heatproof container. Let cool completely.
• Make the cheesecake buttercream: Add the cream cheese and butter to a large bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer on low speed until light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat to incorporate.Gradually sift in the powdered sugar and continue beating until fully incorporated. If the frosting seems too thick, add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Transfer about 2 cups of frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Set the remaining frosting aside in the bowl.
• Assemble the cake: Brush the cakes with the vanilla simple syrup.
• Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter to remove the centers from each cake layer, except the red cake.
• Set the 6-inch cardboard cake round on a turntable and pipe a dab of frosting onto the round. Place the purple cake on top of the board. Pipe buttercream around the top and top with the blue cake. Repeat with the green, yellow, and orange cakes. Fill the center of the cake with the assorted sprinkles, then top with the red cake.
• Use an offset spatula to lightly frost the entire cake with the reserved buttercream to create a crumb coat. Transfer to the freezer to firm up, about 15 minutes.
• Remove the cake from the freezer and evenly frost the entire cake with a thick layer of buttercream.
• Carefully hold the cake over a container or baking dish (to catch any fallen sprinkles) and coat the entire cake with the nonpareil sprinkles. (If you’re having trouble getting the sprinkles to stick, brush the frosting with a bit of the simple syrup and try again.)
• Slice the cake and watch the sprinkles rush out.
• Enjoy!