I just love trying new recipes. It’s so much fun to hunt for just the right recipe, gather everything you need, and then hope and pray that it comes out how you hope. It’s frustrating, but when nothing really compares to finding a new recipe to add to your repertoire. Today I am reviewing the recipe for Sally’s Baking Addiction Funfetti Layer Cake. Sally McKenney is an extremely popular cookbook author, photographer, and blogger. I first came across her recipes when a colleague showed me her first cookbook about 5 years ago. If you have ever pinned a cake or cookie recipe on Pinterest there is a good chance that it has been one of her recipes.
I was looking for a from scratch Funfetti cake recipe and I came across a post where a home baker conducted a Best Sprinkle Cake Bake Off a couple of years ago. After reading the reviews of the baker and her friends, I decided to try Sally’s recipe.
I almost automatically make adjustments to cake recipes to suit my preferences. I will usually add extra vanilla, throw in a half cup of sour cream, add extra egg yolks, and swap out all purpose flour for cake flour, but I wanted to follow the recipe as written. So here’s what I thought of the recipe as written on sallysbakingaddiction.com.
Recipe Review
At first glance, this recipe has a lot of flour. I cannot recall too many cake recipes that call for nearly four cups of flour. My concern is that it will be heavy. Next, the recipe has whisked egg whites which will help to lighten the batter a bit. I do like the three teaspoons of vanilla. Vanilla is important here, especially with a cup and a half of buttermilk. This cake might be difficult for a new baker to properly execute.
Process
I always side eye recipe that call for whisked egg whites. Most people have one mixer and if you are like me you will have to whisk these by hand. Other than that the steps are well organized and laid out. The recipe states that you are not to overmix the batter which is important to note. it’s also important to note that you will need to use parchment paper in your pans to prevent browning.
I used three 9-inch pans for this recipe. My cake baked for about 27 minutes before the tester came out clean.
Sally’s frosting recipe is very similar to my own which is based on Toba Garrett’s Decorator’s Buttercream Frosting. So I used my recipe.
Results
The funfetti cake has a very strong buttermilk flavor. In the cake itself I could not detect the vanilla extract, but when I tasted the cake with the frosting, the vanilla came through. The texture was a bit dry and did not have a soft crumb.
Recommendations
I would definitely make this recipe again, but with a few updates. I would:
- use cake flour instead of all purpose and decrease the amount;
- add a half cup of sour cream to help soften the crumb;
- increase the amount of sugar; and
- decrease the baking soda.
In a comment, Sally mentioned that her white cake recipe has been her favorite in the years since she wrote this recipe. That recipe actually uses a reduced amount of cake flour, increases the amount of sugar, increases baking powder and reduces baking soda.
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