56gramsunsalted butterroom temperature (1/4 cup, 2 oz)
200gramsvegetable oil1/2 cup, 7 oz
200gramssugar1 cup, 7 oz
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
170gramsmilk3/4 cup, 6 oz
160gramsegg whites4 egg whites, 5.6 oz
28.3gramssprinkles jimmiesheaping 1/4 cup, 1 oz
Cheesecake filling
453gramscream cheeseat room temperature (2 cups, 16 oz)
60gramssour cream1/4 cup, 2.15 oz
150gramsgranulated sugar3/4 cup, 5.2 oz
2large eggs
1teaspoonvanilla extract
Italian Meringue Buttercream
200gramsegg whites at room temperature5 egg whites, 7 oz
1/4teaspoonfine sea salt
453gramsunsalted butter2 cups, 16 oz
200gramsgranulated sugar sugar1 cup, 7 oz. divided
56gramswater1/4 cup, 2 oz
3teaspoonsvanilla extract
Instructions
Sprinkles Cake
Pre-heat oven to 350F. Grease and line with parchment paper, the bottom of 3-6” cake pans. Or you may use 2-8” pans, but your cake will be shorter.
Start by sifting the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
Cream butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Add oil and keep mixing.
Slowly add sugar in, with mixer on medium.
Scrape sides of the bowl. Mix on high for 30 seconds.
Add vanilla extract. Mix to combine.
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the pan. Stir until just combined.
Add 1/2 of the milk in. Again, stir until just combined.
Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture to the pan. Stir carefully.
Now follow with the last half of the milk. And finally, add the remaining flour. Fold slowly, being careful to not overmix your batter.
Set batter aside for a couple of minutes.
Whip egg whites on high speed in an electric mixer, for about 3 minutes, or until stiff peaks form.
Fold egg whites into batter in two parts. Add the second part after the first has been incorporated.
Finally add sprinkles and mix as little as possible.
Divide cake evenly between pans.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, checking every 5 minutes after the first 10 minutes have elapsed.
Rotate pans for even baking.
Remove from the oven and let cakes cool down for 10 minutes. Flip cakes onto a cooling wire. I like to make my cakes in advance and refrigerate them, so they are easier to manipulate during the decorating time.
Cheesecake filling
Pre-heat oven to 350F. You will need 2-6” cake pans, or just a 8” one. Depends on the size you make the cake. Use the same size for the cheesecake.
Start by creaming the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer, at medium-high speed, for about 2 minutes.
Add sour cream. Cream for another minute.
Slowly add the sugar in, with the mixer running on medium speed.
Add eggs, one at a time, being careful to incorporate one egg before adding the other one.
Add vanilla. Mix to combine.
Pour onto prepared pans.
Place pans on a baking sheet.
Insert baking sheet into pre-heat oven. Pour about 1 inch of water on the bottom of the baking sheet. Creating a water bath for the cheesecake.
Baking time will vary depending on what size pan you decided to use. You will need more time to bake the 8” one.
For the 6” ones it took me about 20-25 minutes.
Remove from the oven once cakes are firm but slightly jiggly, and also slightly browned on top. And when you touch the top of the cakes, delicately, they spring right back.
Let cheesecake cool down. Using a knife, try to loosen the bottom of the cheesecakes slightly.
Place cheesecake in the fridge. Let it set before taking it out of the pan, or it may break.
Italian meringue buttercream
Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Mix water and 3/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar melts.
Once sugar melts and syrup starts to boil, stop stirring and insert a candy thermometer in the pan.
When that happens, start whipping egg whites on medium speed. When whites reach soft peaks, add 1/4 cup sugar and salt to it. Keep whipping on medium-high until it reaches stiff peaks, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, keep an eye on your syrup that is still cooking.
Allow syrup to cook until it reaches softball stage (235-240F)
Once syrup reaches softball stage, remove from heat and slowly pour into stiff egg whites, with mixer running on medium-low.
Once all syrup has been poured into whites, turn speed up to high and keep whipping for several minutes until bowl isn’t so hot to the touch anymore.
This may take as long as 10-15 minutes sometimes.
Slowly start to add butter pieces with mixer running.
Add vanilla extract.
The meringue will slowly cream up and firm up.
A little trick is to place soft butter in the fridge right before you start making the meringue, this way butter will be a bit colder but not too cold, which will help tremendously to achieve the perfect meringue consistency.
Another little trick, if your buttercream is soupy and doesn’t seem to be firming up, place the bowl in the freezer for about 5-8 minutes. Remove from freezer and start whipping again. This will probably happen when you don't wait for the meringue to cool down enough before starting to add the butter
STORAGE: You can store the Italian Meringue Buttercream for up to 1 day at room temperature. It will keep great in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or, you may store any leftovers in the freezer for up to 2 months. If you kept your buttercream in the freezer, or fridge, let it come to room temperature and whip it with a mixer to restore the fluffiness before using it again.
To assemble
Brush simple syrup on the first cake layer.
Spread a very small amount of frosting on top of cake layer. Place cheesecake on top.
Top with the next layer. Brush simple syrup on layer.
Spread a very thin amount of frosting on top of the cake. Place the other cheesecake on top.
Now top with the final cake layer.
Brush simple syrup on top of the layer, if you want to.
Cover with a crumb coat. Let cake rest in the fridge, then proceed to frost the cake.
To get the sprinkles to go on the cake like that, I used a technique I found somewhere online. I sprayed some oil spray on a parchment paper. Sprinkled some sprinkles on top of the sprayed area. Then carefully placed it on the side of the cake, pressing gently to make sprinkles stick. I liked this technique a lot, next time I will apply less pressure not to damage the cake so much. Also, I would place cake in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes before doing that, so the frosting is slightly firm.
Notes
Recipe for the truffles can be found here.You may brush simple syrup on your cakes before baking. To make simple syrup, simply bring to a boil equal amounts of water and sugar. Let syrup cool down before using it to brush cakes. I always have simple syrup in my fridge, because I make a big batch and then store it in a glass container inside of my fridge. It lasts indefinitely, as long as you don’t let any cake crumbs into the syrup.