Once we got birthday cake crumbs down, we moved on to our larger quest of making a funfetti cake, canned frosting and all, from scratch. Turns out that looking on the side of the cake mix box at the monster ingredient list was really helpful in getting the “secret” stuff we couldn’t figure out by taste.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 1 (6-inch) layer cake, 5 to 6 inches tall; serves 6 to 8

　　1 recipe Birthday Cake (recipe follows)

　　1 recipe Birthday Cake Soak (recipe follows)

　　1 recipe Birthday Cake Frosting (recipe follows)

　　1 recipe Birthday Cake Crumb

　　(page 78)

　　

Special Equipment

1 (6-inch) cake ring

　　2 strips acetate, each 3 inches wide and 20 inches long

　　

Step 1

Put a piece of parchment or a Silpat on the counter. Invert the cake onto it and peel off the parchment or Silpat from the bottom of the cake. Use the cake ring to stamp out 2 circles from the cake. These are your top 2 cake layers. The remaining cake “scrap” will come together to make the bottom layer of the cake.

　　

Layer 1, the Bottom

Step 2

Clean the cake ring and place it in the center of a sheet pan lined with clean parchment or a Silpat. Use 1 strip of acetate to line the inside of the cake ring.

　　

Step 3

Put the cake scraps in the ring and use the back of your hand to tamp the scraps together into a flat even layer.

　　

Step 4

Dunk a pastry brush in the birthday cake soak and give the layer of cake a good, healthy bath of half of the soak.

　　

Step 5

Use the back of a spoon to spread one-fifth of the frosting in an even layer over the cake.

　　

Step 6

Sprinkle one-third of the birthday crumbs evenly over the top of the frosting. Use the back of your hand to anchor them in place.

　　

Step 7

Use the back of a spoon to spread a second fifth of the frosting as evenly as possible over the crumbs.

　　

Layer 2, the Middle

Step 8

With your index finger, gently tuck the second strip of acetate between the cake ring and the top 1/4 inch of the first strip of acetate, so that you have a clear ring of acetate 5 to 6 inches tall—high enough to support the height of the finished cake. Set a cake round on top of the frosting, and repeat the process for layer 1 (if 1 of your 2 cake rounds is jankier than the other, use it here in the middle and save the prettier one for the top).

　　

Layer 3, the top

Step 9

Nestle the remaining cake round into the frosting. Cover the top of the cake with the last fifth of the frosting. Give it volume and swirls, or do as we do and opt for a perfectly flat top. Garnish the frosting with the remaining birthday crumbs.

　　

Step 10

Transfer the sheet pan to the freezer and freeze for a minimum of 12 hours to set the cake and filling. The cake will keep in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

　　

Step 11

At least 3 hours before you are ready to serve the cake, pull the sheet pan out of the freezer and, using your fingers and thumbs, pop the cake out of the cake ring. Gently peel off the acetate and transfer the cake to a platter or cake stand. Let it defrost in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours (wrapped well in plastic, it can be refrigerated for up to 5 days).

　　

Step 12

Slice the cake into wedges and serve.

　　Reprinted with permission from Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi with Courtney McBroom. Copyright © 2011 by MomoMilk, LLC. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Christina Tosi is the chef and owner of Momofuku Milk Bar, called "one of the most exciting bakeries in the country" by Bon Appètit. As founder of the desserts programs at Momofuku, including Noodle Bar, Ssäat;m Bar, Ko and Má Pêche, Christina was most recently shortlisted for a James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef Award. Christina and her confections have appeared on The Martha Stewart Show and Live! with Regis and Kelly, among others. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her three dogs and eats an unconscionable amount of raw cookie dough every day.