Chocolate Birthday Cake from Milk Bar features layers of moist chocolate cake filled with rich chocolate frosting and crunchy chocolate pearls, topped with a buttery birthday cake crumb, delivering a decadent and textured dessert experience.
Equipments
- Stand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Offset spatula
- Baking pans (round)
- Parchment paper
- Wire rack
- Saucepan
- Baking sheet
- Food processor
- Serrated knife
- Cake turntable
- Cooling rack
- Scoop or spoon
Ingredients
- For the Milk Bar Chocolate Birthday Cake:
- For the Chocolate Cake:
- 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) light brown sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup (240g) buttermilk
- 1/2 cup (120g) neutral oil (vegetable or canola)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups (110g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- For the Chocolate Frosting:
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 ounces (115g) bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
- 1 cup (85g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 2 1/2 cups (300g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- For the Birthday Cake Crumbs:
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (95g) cake flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles
- 1/4 cup (40g) canola oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- For the Crunchy Chocolate Pearls:
- 1/2 cup (70g) feuilletine flakes or puffed rice cereal
- 4 ounces (115g) bittersweet chocolate, melted
- For Assembly:
- Sprinkles (for garnish)
Make sure to use Dutch-process cocoa powder for both the chocolate cake and frosting to achieve the rich, deep chocolate flavor characteristic of the Milk Bar Chocolate Birthday Cake. Using unsalted butter at room temperature helps in creaming with sugars properly, ensuring a moist texture. The bittersweet chocolate must be melted and cooled before adding to the frosting to maintain a smooth consistency. For the crunchy chocolate pearls, feuilletine flakes provide the ideal crispness, but puffed rice cereal is a good substitute if unavailable. Your Chocolate Birthday Cake from Milk Bar copycat will shine with these ingredient choices, guaranteeing authentic taste and texture.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking pans with parchment paper.
- Prepare chocolate cake batter: In a stand mixer, cream butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Mix in buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to wet, mixing until just combined.
- Divide batter evenly into prepared pans, smoothing tops with an offset spatula.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
- For chocolate frosting: Cream butter in the stand mixer until smooth.
- Add heavy cream, corn syrup, and vanilla; beat to combine.
- Mix in melted chocolate, cocoa powder, confectioners’ sugar, and salt until fluffy.
- For birthday cake crumbs: In a bowl, combine sugars, cake flour, baking powder, salt, and sprinkles.
- Add oil and vanilla; mix until clusters form.
- Spread crumbs on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake at 300°F (150°C) for 15-20 minutes. Let cool.
- For crunchy chocolate pearls: Gently fold feuilletine flakes or puffed rice cereal into melted chocolate.
- Spread mixture onto a lined baking sheet and let set. Break into small pieces.
- Assemble: Level cake layers with a serrated knife if needed.
- Place first cake layer on a cake turntable.
- Spread chocolate frosting over layer using offset spatula.
- Sprinkle crunchy chocolate pearls and a portion of birthday crumbs over frosting.
- Repeat with remaining cake layers, frosting, pearls, and crumbs.
- Frost the top and sides of the assembled cake.
- Decorate with remaining birthday cake crumbs and sprinkles.
- Chill cake for at least 1 hour before serving for clean slices.
Substitution
Chocolate Birthday Cake from Milk Bar copycat recipes often allow ingredient substitutions without sacrificing texture or flavor. If you cannot find Dutch-process cocoa powder, natural cocoa powder can be used, though the cake may turn out slightly more acidic and lighter in color. Buttermilk can be replaced with a mixture of milk and lemon juice or vinegar to achieve similar tenderness in the crumb. When bittersweet chocolate is unavailable for the frosting or pearls, semisweet chocolate serves as a suitable alternative, maintaining the rich chocolate intensity. Your careful attention to precise measuring and room temperature ingredients will ensure consistent results in recreating this decadent dessert.
Tips
Ensure all ingredients, especially butter and eggs, are at room temperature to achieve smooth batter and even mixing. When folding dry ingredients into the wet mixture, avoid overmixing to maintain cake tenderness and prevent density. Use a serrated knife to level cake layers for stable stacking, which helps in even frosting application and prevents slippage. Your chilled cake will slice cleanly, so allow it to rest in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
Nutritions
The Chocolate Birthday Cake from Milk Bar contains ingredients high in saturated fats and sugars, such as unsalted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and heavy cream, contributing to its rich calorie content. Dutch-process cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate provide antioxidants like flavonoids, which offer some health benefits. Your cake also includes protein from eggs and small amounts of fiber from the cake flour, but it remains a dessert best enjoyed in moderation due to its high sugar and fat levels. Consuming this cake occasionally fits within a balanced diet while satisfying your sweet cravings.
Storage
Store your Milk Bar Chocolate Birthday Cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator to maintain the freshness of the moist chocolate cake layers and creamy frosting. For best texture, allow the cake to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving. Avoid freezing to preserve the delicate crunch of the birthday cake crumbs and chocolate pearls.
Variation or Alternatives
You can substitute the Dutch-process cocoa powder with natural cocoa powder, but reduce or omit the baking soda to prevent the cake from rising unevenly. For a dairy-free variation, replace buttermilk with almond milk mixed with lemon juice and use coconut oil instead of unsalted butter. To add texture, mix chopped toasted nuts like hazelnuts or pecans into the birthday cake crumbs before baking. When assembling, swapping feuilletine flakes for crushed chocolate wafer cookies offers a crunch with a different flavor profile.
Allergies
This Chocolate Birthday Cake from Milk Bar contains common allergens such as eggs, dairy (unsalted butter, buttermilk, heavy cream), and wheat (all-purpose flour, cake flour). The presence of these ingredients may trigger allergic reactions in individuals sensitive to eggs, milk, or gluten. You should exercise caution and review all ingredients carefully if you have food allergies.
Why this recipe?
Milk Bar's Chocolate Birthday Cake stands out for its rich, layered textures combining moist chocolate cake, creamy frosting, and crunchy cookie crumbs. The unique flavor profile includes a balance of sweet, tangy, and slightly salty elements that delight your taste buds. Recreating this signature dessert at home lets you enjoy a bakery-quality treat with fresh ingredients, personalized sweetness, and the satisfaction of mastering an iconic recipe. Your kitchen experiments offer a fun and rewarding way to indulge in this cult favorite without the wait or cost of dining out.