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Perfect Gold and Glam Leo Birthday Drip Cake Recipe with Easy Vanilla Bean Buttercream Tutorial

gold and glam leo birthday drip cake - featured image
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A bold and glamorous birthday drip cake with silky vanilla bean buttercream and a shimmering gold drip, perfect for celebrations that demand style and flavor.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ½ cups (312 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ¾ cups (350 g) granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, room temperature
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened (for buttercream)
  • 4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
  • 2–4 tbsp (30–60 ml) heavy cream or whole milk
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 ½ cups (255 g) white chocolate chips or candy melts
  • ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
  • Edible gold luster dust
  • 1 tsp clear food-grade alcohol or lemon extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour 8-inch cake pans, line bottoms with parchment paper.
  2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
  3. Beat softened butter and granulated sugar with electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. If batter curdles, add 1 tbsp flour to stabilize.
  5. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk to butter mixture in three parts, starting and ending with dry. Stir in vanilla extract.
  6. Divide batter evenly between pans (about 2 cups or 475 ml per pan). Bake 25-30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Rotate pans halfway.
  7. Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks to cool completely, about 1 hour. Chill wrapped layers 30 minutes.
  8. Beat softened butter for buttercream until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar on low speed.
  9. Add vanilla bean paste, heavy cream (2-4 tbsp), and pinch of salt. Beat on medium-high until fluffy, 3-4 minutes.
  10. Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread about ¾ cup (180 ml) buttercream. Repeat with remaining layers. Apply thin crumb coat outside and chill 20 minutes.
  11. Add second smooth coat of buttercream.
  12. Heat heavy cream until simmering. Pour over white chocolate chips in heatproof bowl. Let sit 2 minutes, stir until smooth.
  13. Add food-grade alcohol or lemon extract and edible gold luster dust. Cool until thick but pourable.
  14. Drip gold ganache around cake edges using spoon or squeeze bottle. Brush additional gold dust for extra glam.
  15. Chill cake 15 minutes to set drip before serving.

Notes

Chill cake layers before frosting to prevent crumbling. Beat butter and sugar well for tender crumb and fluffy frosting. Ensure drip ganache is thick but pourable and cool enough to control drip. Use offset spatula and bench scraper for smooth edges. If buttercream is too soft, chill briefly but keep spreadable. Test drip on bowl side before applying to cake.

Nutrition

Keywords: birthday cake, drip cake, vanilla bean buttercream, gold drip, glam cake, Leo birthday cake, easy buttercream, party cake

Find it online: https://bitesienna.com/perfect-gold-and-glam-leo-birthday-drip-cake-recipe-with-easy-vanilla-bean-buttercream-tutorial/