It’s Matilda’s 2nd birthday! I can’t believe another year has flown by. Last year, we made Matilda simple Strawberry Cupcakes for her first birthday party. But this year, she started realizing what a birthday was, and that’s mostly because of Amelia!
Now, we’ve done some super cool cakes for Amelia in the past: like this Number 4 Rainbow Cake, this Unicorn Cake and a Bear Cake and Teapot Cake (While I have pictures of these two cakes, I keep kicking myself for not writing down the recipes for them!). At 4 years old, she knows EXACTLY what a birthday is so she decided to pick Matilda’s birthday cake.
Of course, it’s the sweetest, most colorful (most buttery!!) cake on the planet, but there was no turning back. This cake takes a couple of dedicated hours to make (more if you have little helpers like I did), but the look on her face when we cut into it said it all. Hopefully, by the time they both turn 18, I’ll have mastered icing and decorating cakes. 🙂
If you have a little one, this is an AMAZING cake to make for a birthday party. Given we are still quarantined because of Corona (Covid-19), I’ll be eating this cake for weeks to come….
Thanks for another great cake recipe, Melissa Ben-ishay! Her Cakes Cookbook is available here!
Happy 2nd, birthday, sweet Matilda! ❤
Matilda’s Fruity Pebbles Birthday Cake
Ingredients
For the cereal cakes:
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups ground Fruity Pebbles
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 1/2 cups of whole milk, + 1 tablespoon, room temperature
For the vanilla icing:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 3/4 confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
For the Fruity Pebbles icing:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup finely ground Fruity Pebbles
For the cereal crumble:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup ground Fruity Pebbles
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 9-inch round tins and set aside.
- With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter for 1 minute on high speed, then scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add the vanilla extract. While mixing at medium-low speed, add the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the edges of the bowl midway through.
- Combine the flour, cereal, baking powder, and sea salt in a separate bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add half the flour mixture. When it’s mostly incorporated, add half the milk. Add the remainder of the dry and wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Stop mixing as soon as you have a smooth batter.
- Pour the batter into each of the three pans equally and bake until the cakes feel springy when you gently press your finger against them, 35-40 minutes. Set the cakes aside to cool completely before icing (tip: you can also put them in the fridge to get really cold right before icing so the icing spreads more easily).
- Make the icings and crumble:
- For the vanilla icing: with a hand/stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the butter on high speed for 1 minute. Add the vanilla and whip just to incorporate. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the sugar 1 cup at a time, until completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between additions. Whip on high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy and set aside.
- For the Fruity Pebbles icing: with a hand/stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the butter on high speed for 1 minute. Add the vanilla and whip just to incorporate. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sugar 1 cup at a time, until completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between additions. Add the salt and whip on high speed for 3 minutes. With a spatula, fold in the ground cereal and mix just until combined.
- For the cereal crumble: with a hand/stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed while gradually pouring in the melted butter. Continue to mix until a crumbly consistency is achieved, about 30 seconds.
- To assemble, place one cake layer on a turntable (or a plate lined with strips of parchment paper (you can remove the parchment paper once frosted so you don’t have a dirty serving platter)), frost with about half of the vanilla icing and sprinkle a quarter of the cereal crumbs on top. Repeat with second layer. Place the third cake layer on top and frost the entire cake with Fruity Pebbles icing. Decorate the top and sides with remaining icing, cereal and cereal crumble. Enjoy!
Season Generously 
Fruity pebbles were my favorite cereal as a kid. I have to try this out it’s so cute!
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Aww thanks! You’ll love it then! It’s the cake version of your childhood!
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