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You are here: Home / Recipes / Cakes and Cupcakes / Vanilla and Chocolate Party Cakes for Kids

Vanilla and Chocolate Party Cakes for Kids

August 16, 2018 Updated December 6, 2018 7 Comments

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vanilla and chocolate party cakes for kids

I’ve started a fun project that helps with my love for baking.   I’m making vanilla and chocolate party cakes for kids.

In this post I will share how some amazing kids earn these cakes and share some of my favorite vanilla and chocolate cake recipes along with an amazing Swiss meringue buttercream.  The cakes may not look perfect, but they taste amazing.  Do kids care about taste?

In my church I teach kids between the ages of 3-11 (Primary).  They simply memorize the faces and names of the leaders of our church (15) and I make them a cake of their choice.

It’s so fun to see how particular the kids have been regarding flavor, icing, and sprinkles.  The above cakes are both chocolate…my best bake.

My instructions were:  8-yr-old boy) Chocolate cake, chocolate icing, sprinkles are ok, my favorite color is green.  Green gum balls were not available.  What?  Who runs out of green gum balls?

8-yr-old girl) chocolate cake, white icing, yes on sprinkles, favorite color turquoise.

 

The three cakes pictured here were for boys ages, 11, 9, and 7.

11-year-old)  Surprise me.  I like anything.  After a consult with his mother, it was decided to make chocolate cake, blackberry buttercream, and berries.  Good choice!  The recipe is below.  10-year-old) chocolate cake, chocolate filling (I used ganache) strawberry buttercream, chocolate drizzle, sprinkles, at chocolate truffles.  7-yr-old)  strawberry cake, strawberry buttercream, rainbow sprinkles, fresh strawberries and chocolate truffles.

The above cakes were for two darling 10-year-old girls.  Chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream, chocolate drizzle, chocolate truffles, pink sprinkles.

Blue cake) chocolate cake, blue buttercream, lots of sprinkles.  What will my next request be?

Cake secrets

Secrets to making a super moist cake is adding shredded zucchini or beet puree.  No, I do not share that information with the kids.  Secret to moist vanilla cake is the addition of whole fat plain yogurt.  Swiss meringue buttercream is a dream to work with.  It is so smooth and lovely to work with.  Swiss meringue buttercream can be frozen, thawed, beaten.

vanilla and chocolate party cakes for kids
4.2 from 30 votes
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Mumma’s Chocolate Cake

Moist chocolate cake. Perfect for layer cakes, 9 x 13-inch cakes or 24 cupcakes.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword chocolate cake
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 255 kcal
Author Janet Barton

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup oil I used light flavored olive oil
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together. Set mixture aside. In a large mixing bowl beat sugar and eggs until light yellow. With mixer running slowly drizzle in oil. Mix until smooth. Add buttermilk alternately with flour mixture. Slowly add 1 cup boiling water until batter is smooth. Mix in vanilla. Bake in preheated oven. For a 9 x 13 or 9-inch rounds bake 25-30 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly pressed. Cupcakes bake for 18-20 minutes. Makes 24 cupcakes OR one 9 x 13-inch cake OR two 9-inch round.
  2. Recipe Notes

Recipe Notes

High altitude adjustments: Reduce sugar by 2 tablespoons then add 2 tablespoons more flour

Nutrition Facts
Mumma’s Chocolate Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 255 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 29mg10%
Sodium 409mg17%
Potassium 119mg3%
Carbohydrates 56g19%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 34g38%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 75IU2%
Calcium 36mg4%
Iron 1.9mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
High Altitude Vanilla Bean Cake iced with velvety strawberry rose swiss meringue buttercream.
4.75 from 4 votes
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Vanilla Bean Yogurt Cake with Strawberry Rose Buttercream

Adjusted for high altitudes above 3,500.  Moist vanilla cake with a creamy Swiss meringue buttercream.  

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword high altitude cake, vanilla cake, white cake
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Calories 680 kcal
Author Janet Barton

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 300 gr 2 cups + 2 Tbl all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 250 gr 1 1/3 cup minus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup full-fat yogurt
  • 1/2 cup boiling water

Strawberry Rose Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

  • 2/3 cup egg whites
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups or 3 cubes unsalted butter cut into 1 tbl. cubes or slices
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/2 cup strawberry puree
  • 1/8- 1/4 teaspoon rose water extract

Instructions

To make the cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Generously coat 3 6-inch round baking pans. Set aside .
  2. Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
  3. Slice vanilla bean in half, with the back of a knife scrape seeds from the pod. Mix into the sugar.
  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer or other mixing bowl, add vanilla sugar and butter. Cream together.
  5. Slowly mix in oil. Beat for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
  6. Add eggs one at a time. Mix until light yellow in color.
  7. Add the flour alternately with yogurt beginning and ending with flour.
  8. Beat in boiling water.
  9. Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned and cake springs back when touched.
  10. Remove from oven. Allow cakes to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Turn cake out onto a cooling rack. Cook completely. Cakes may be wrapped and frozen for up to 2 weeks.

To make Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

  1. In a very clean bowl of an electric mixer, add egg whites and sugar. Place over a simmering pot of water, stirring constantly until temperature reaches 160 degrees F. Rub a small amount of the mixture between two fingers to make sure the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
  2. Using the whisk attachment, beat until the mixture is a thick meringue and the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch. The bowl must be cool before adding the butter.
  3. Replace the whisk with the paddle attachment. With the mixture on medium-low speed add butter once slice at a time until all of the butter has been incorporated. The mixture should be silky smooth and thick. The mixture may begin to look curdled, keep mixing until it is smooth. This can take 10 minutes or so. Mix in salt and vanilla. Add strawberry puree and rose water extract. Once puree is added keep mixing until mixture is silky again.

Recipe Notes

Prep and cook time is for baking cake only. Swiss Meringue Buttercream can be frozen for weeks. Thaw frozen buttercream in a refrigerator overnight. Bring to room temperature, then beat with paddle attachment until creamy. If buttercream looks curdled, place a warm dishcloth on the bottom of the mixing bowl. Repeat as often as necessary until icing looks smooth and creamy. Whatever you do, DO NOT look at the nutrition calculations. Just enjoy a slice of heaven. Work it off in the morning. If you live at lower elevation levels, make the following adjustments. Delete 2 tablespoons flour and Add 2 tablespoons extra sugar, increase baking soda to 2 teaspoons.

Nutrition Facts
Vanilla Bean Yogurt Cake with Strawberry Rose Buttercream
Amount Per Serving
Calories 680 Calories from Fat 351
% Daily Value*
Fat 39g60%
Saturated Fat 21g105%
Cholesterol 121mg40%
Sodium 344mg14%
Potassium 195mg6%
Carbohydrates 75g25%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 52g58%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 1065IU21%
Vitamin C 6.9mg8%
Calcium 78mg8%
Iron 1.6mg9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

Overhead shot of Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Blackberry Buttercream on a board with blackberries and fresh thyme
5 from 2 votes
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Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Super chocolate cake with zucchini added for moistness.  Great use for summer zucchini that just won't stop growing.  6-inch cake with 6 layers.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword chocolat cake, Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Blackberry Buttercream, zucchini cake
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
cooling time 2 hours
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 10
Calories 323 kcal
Author Janet Barton

Ingredients

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup light flavored olive oil
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 2 cups grated zucchini

Instructions

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 6-inch round cake pans. Line with a parchment paper. Set aside. In a large bowl sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand up mixer beat eggs, With the mixer running, slowly add sugar and mix until light yellow in color. Slowly add olive oil, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix until smooth and light in color. Beat in flour and cocoa mixture until smooth. Fold in grated zucchini then boiling water. Pour batter into prepared baking sheet and place in preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Invert cakes onto a cooling rack until completely cool OR for a moister cake immediately wrap in plastic and wrap and place right into a freezer. Can be frozen for several days, or place is a refrigerator until completely cool before using.
Nutrition Facts
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 323 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 34mg11%
Sodium 480mg20%
Potassium 192mg5%
Carbohydrates 67g22%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 41g46%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 115IU2%
Vitamin C 4.5mg5%
Calcium 33mg3%
Iron 2.3mg13%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

You might also like:

Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Swiss Buttercream

High Altitude Vanilla Bean Cake

Chocolate Baked Doughnuts with Beet Blood Glaze

 

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Related

Filed Under: Cakes and Cupcakes Tagged With: chocolate cake, High altitude baking, kids cakes, layer cakes, vanilla cake

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Christine says

    January 24, 2021 at 8:39 pm

    5 stars
    I JUSt wanted to say thanks for writing this crystal-clear post. Lovely cakes. I’m going to give one or more a try.
    cdm

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      January 24, 2021 at 9:09 pm

      Thank you so much. I really appreciate your kind comment. Please let me know if you make a fun cake and I always love to see pics.

      Reply
  2. Julie huntsman says

    May 1, 2020 at 1:36 pm

    THESE ARE DARLING
    IM WANTING TO DO THIS FOR THE GIRLS ON MY ACTIVITY DAYS. HOW LING DID YOU BAKE THESE MINI CAKES? I HAVE A 4X2 PAN.
    THANKS JULIE

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      May 2, 2020 at 4:32 am

      Hi Julie, I used 3 pans that are 6 x 3-inches. I cut each layer in half and used three layers for each cake. I was able to get two 3-layer cakes from the 3 pans I used. I baked them for about 25-30 minutes because of the depth.
      I would think that a 4 x 2 pan could bake up in about 20 minutes or so. You can probably get 4 4×2-inch cakes from each cake recipe. email me if you have any more questions: simplysogood@hotmail.com

      Reply
  3. Julie Anderson says

    February 26, 2019 at 8:48 pm

    Beautiful cakes! are they three layers?

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      February 26, 2019 at 9:23 pm

      Why thank you. Yes, they are three layers, but I cut each layer in half. So I baked three 6-inch cakes and cut each cake in half. So I was able to make 2 cakes from each batch.

      Reply
  4. Elizabeth says

    August 21, 2018 at 3:10 pm

    WOW! This is so nice and generous of you! These cakes are absolutely gorgeous. I wish i was in your primary class!!!

    Reply

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About Me

Janet Barton

Hi I'm Janet and this is where I share my delicious made-from-scratch seasonal recipes that I make at home for my family every day.

I believe cooking from scratch, using unprocessed and whole foods is an important part of healthy eating. My goal is to help you create amazing recipes by providing easy step-by-step photos and instructions.

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