Slow Cooker Birthday Cake
3 Comments Apr 10, 2024
Updated Aug 13, 2024
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This slow cooker birthday cake recipe takes the guesswork out of making the perfect cake. Follow the directions step-by-step or tweak them to accommodate a particular theme and flavor. Everyone is sure to love it!
If you like birthday cake, you’ll love my Slow Cooker Apple Dump Cake and Slow Cooker Cherry Dump Cake.
Table of Contents
A fun way to celebrate!
Baking a cake isn’t too difficult, but baking the perfect homemade cake every single time can seem like a mystery. That’s why I like using my crock pot to bake a cake: It comes out the same no matter when I cook it. Not to mention, using your slow cooker also keeps oven space free and available for baking other foods.
The next time you’re looking to celebrate a birthday, try this way of “baking” the birthday cake and I’m sure you’ll never do it any other way.
Recipe Ingredients
- Dry Cake Ingredients: All-Purpose Flour, baking powder, and kosher salt.
- Wet Cake Ingredients: Unsalted butter, shortening, and egg whites.
- Homemade Buttercream Icing: Unsalted butter, shortening, heavy cream, salt to taste, and powdered sugar yield the perfect topping for this cake.
- Rainbow Sprinkles: Folded into the cake batter to create a sprinkled funfetti cake.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – Gradually alternate between adding the flour mixture and the whole milk to the wet ingredients, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Begin by adding one-third of the flour mixture, then half of the whole milk, followed by another one-third of the flour mixture, the remaining milk, and finally the last one-third of the flour mixture. Mix the ingredients until just combined.
Step Two – Gently fold in the rainbow sprinkles to distribute them evenly throughout the batter.
Step Three – Pour the prepared batter into the lined slow cooker pot, ensuring an even distribution.
Step Four – Place a paper towel atop the slow cooker pot and firmly cover it.
Step Five – Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours, not lifting the lid during the cooking time.
Step Six – Remove the cake to a serving platter and allow it to cool in the slow cooker pot for approximately 15 minutes.
Step Seven – In a spacious mixing bowl, combine the unsalted butter and shortening, beating the mixture until it reaches a smooth consistency. Incorporate 2 cups of powdered sugar and the vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream, blending the ingredients thoroughly.
Step Eight – Once the cake has completely cooled, apply a generous layer of the prepared vanilla buttercream frosting to its surface.
Step Nine – Decorate the cake with extra rainbow sprinkles. Slice, serve, and enjoy this slow cooker birthday cake!
TIPS:
- Ensure the unsalted butter, shortening, and egg whites are at room temperature for optimal mixing and texture.
- When folding in the rainbow sprinkles, be gentle to avoid overmixing and blending the colors too much.
- The slow cooker pot should be lined with foil (or parchment paper) to prevent the cake from sticking and to facilitate easy removal. Applying non-stick cooking spray to the foil-lined slow cooker pot ensures easy cake release after cooking.
- To maintain consistent heat and prevent moisture from accumulating on top of the cake, keep the slow cooker covered with a paper towel and the lid throughout the cooking process.
How to Serve
- Serve a piece of cake alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream (or any flavor of ice cream you prefer).
- Cut the cake into cubes and layer it with whipped cream, fruit, and pudding in a large glass bowl.
- Cut the cake into squares and sandwich a scoop of ice cream between two cake slices for a delicious frozen treat.
Recipe FAQs
Dense and moist What types of cakes work best in a slow cooker?cakes work best in a slow cooker, as they can withstand the long cooking time without drying out. Recipes like chocolate cake, carrot cake, banana bread cake, and fruit-based cakes tend to work particularly well.
Leftover birthday cake with stable frosting like buttercream can be stored at room temperature for 1-2 days, while cakes with perishable frosting should be refrigerated for 3-5 days. For longer storage, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, or store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1-3 months, ensuring to label and date it for reference.
The buttercream frosting can be adjusted to your desired sweetness by gradually adding more or less powdered sugar. If the frosting is too thick, incorporate additional heavy cream a little at a time until the desired consistency is achieved. Add a pinch of kosher salt to the frosting to balance the sweetness and enhance the flavor.
More Slow Cooker Desserts:
- Slow Cooker Carrot Cake
- Slow Cooker Lava Cake
- Slow Cooker Peach Cobbler
- Slow Cooker Butterfinger Cake
- Slow Cooker Gingerbread Cake
- Slow Cooker Cheesecake
Slow Cooker Birthday Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ Cup shortening
- 1 ½ Cups granulated white sugar
- 2 ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
- 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
- ¾ Cup whole milk
- ¼ Cup rainbow sprinkles
For the buttercream frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup shortening
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2-3 Tbsp. heavy cream
- kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Line the slow cooker pot with foil and apply a light coating of non-stick cooking spray.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients including flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the unsalted butter and shortening until a light and fluffy consistency is achieved. Incorporate the vanilla extract into the mixture, followed by the addition of the egg whites.
- Gradually alternate between adding the flour mixture and the whole milk to the wet ingredients, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Begin by adding one-third of the flour mixture, then half of the whole milk, followed by another one-third of the flour mixture, the remaining milk, and finally the last one-third of the flour mixture. Mix the ingredients until just combined.
- Gently fold in the rainbow sprinkles to distribute them evenly throughout the batter.
- Pour the prepared batter into the lined slow cooker pot, ensuring an even distribution.
- Place a paper towel atop the slow cooker pot and firmly cover it.
- Activate the slow cooker on high heat for a duration of 2 hours, refraining from lifting the lid during this period.
- After 2 hours, assess the cake’s doneness by inserting a toothpick into its center. If the toothpick emerges clean, the cake is fully cooked. Allow the cake to cool within the slow cooker pot for approximately 15 minutes.
- Carefully transfer the cake from the slow cooker pot to a wire rack to permit complete cooling.
- While the cake cools, proceed with preparing the buttercream frosting. In a spacious mixing bowl, combine the unsalted butter and shortening, beating the mixture until it reaches a smooth consistency.
- Incorporate 2 cups of powdered sugar into the mixture, continuing to mix until the frosting achieves a smooth texture.
- Introduce the vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream, blending the ingredients thoroughly.
- Gradually add the remaining 2 cups of powdered sugar, mixing until a smooth and creamy consistency is achieved.
- Adjust the frosting’s thickness by gradually incorporating additional heavy cream until the desired consistency is obtained. Add a pinch of kosher salt to taste.
- Once the cake has completely cooled, apply a generous layer of the prepared vanilla buttercream frosting to its surface. Optionally, adorn the frosted cake with extra rainbow sprinkles.
- Proceed to slice, serve, and enjoy this slow cooker birthday cake!
Sarah’s Notes
- Ensure that the unsalted butter, shortening, and egg whites are at room temperature for optimal mixing and texture.
- You can customize the sprinkles used in the cake to match the theme or occasion.
- When folding in the rainbow sprinkles, be gentle to avoid overmixing and blending the colors too much.
- The slow cooker pot should be lined with foil to prevent the cake from sticking and to facilitate easy removal.
- Applying non-stick cooking spray to the foil-lined slow cooker pot ensures easy release of the cake after cooking.
- Keep the slow cooker covered with a paper towel and the lid throughout the cooking process to maintain consistent heat and prevent moisture from accumulating on top of the cake.
- Use a toothpick to check for doneness by inserting it into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is fully cooked.
- Letting the cake cool in the slow cooker pot for about 15 minutes allows it to set and makes it easier to handle when transferring to a wire rack for complete cooling.
- The buttercream frosting can be adjusted to your desired sweetness by gradually adding more or less powdered sugar.
- If the frosting is too thick, incorporate additional heavy cream a little at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.
- Add a pinch of kosher salt to the frosting to balance the sweetness and enhance the flavor.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Have you successfully made this in the oven? If so, what size cake pan or glass pan? What temp & how long? Thanks!
Can you use all butter in this recipe?
Yes, that should work great! The frosting may be a little soft, you may need to add more powdered sugar and keep it refrigerated.