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Ultimate Birthday Cake with Swiss Buttercream
Recipe by ChefSteps
A moist, airy, and buttery layered birthday cake made with the reverse‑creaming method and finished with a silky Swiss buttercream. The recipe walks you through preparing the cake batter, baking three 8‑inch layers, trimming, and frosting like a professional bakery.
HardAmericanServes 10
Printable version with shopping checklist
Source Video
2h 47m
Prep
52m
Cook
26m
Cleanup
4h 5m
Total
Cost Breakdown
Total cost:$12.38
Per serving:$1.24
Critical Success Points
- • Reverse creaming (adding butter/oil before flour)
- • Folding the meringue without deflating it
- • Maintaining butter temperature (~65°F) for buttercream
- • Cooking Swiss meringue to 170‑175°F
- • Chilling cake layers before trimming
Safety Warnings
- • Hot milk and sugar syrup can cause severe burns; handle with care.
- • When using a kitchen torch, keep flammable materials away and never leave unattended.
- • Sharp knives for trimming and slicing require careful handling.
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