Traditional Birthday Cake Recipe

If there's ever a worthy celebration that calls for cake, it's most definitely a birthday. Sure, weddings, anniversaries, and retirements are perfect cake-worthy occasions as well, but it's practically the rule when it comes to celebrating a birthday.

Ordering a cake from your local bakery, or even picking out a design at your nearest grocery store is definitely an option. Local gourmet bakeries will do a fabulous job, while grocery store bakeries will offer a great, quick solution when you're in a time crunch. But when you truly want to celebrate a loved one's birthday (or even your own!) to the fullest, baking a birthday cake from scratch is certainly the way to go. Plus, preparing will be so much fun before the celebration even begins.

To help with the process, we here at Mashed have the ideal, surprisingly simple recipe for you. A 9-inch by 13-inch cake, also known as a quarter sheet cake, will serve up the classic squares of cake with plenty of frosting and sprinkles we've all known and loved for years. And with easy, step-by-step directions, you'll certainly be able to follow this recipe with no issues, leaving you more time for decorating and celebrating!

To get started on making the simple vanilla cake for this birthday quarter sheet cake recipe, you'll want to gather all of your ingredients first and foremost. You will need 2 cups of white sugar, 2 cups of flour, 2 ¼ teaspoons of baking powder, 2 ¼ teaspoons of baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, three eggs, ¾ cup of oil, 1 cup of milk, and 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.

Let's be honest: The best part of every cake is the frosting on top. In order to make the delicious vanilla frosting for this birthday cake, you'll also need 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened, along with 8 to 10 cups of powdered sugar, an additional two tablespoons of milk, and 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.

To start baking a birthday cake from scratch at home, you'll first need to preheat the oven. Allow it to preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit while you prepare the cake batter.

In a large mixing bowl, add all of the dry ingredients. Add in the white sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix all of the dry ingredients until well combined. Be sure the mixture is free of any large clumps before moving onto the next step.

Once all of the dry ingredients are mixed and well incorporated, it's time to add in the eggs. You'll want to mix in the eggs one at a time, incorporating them fully into the dry mixture.

Next, add in ¾ cup of oil, and then the cup of milk and 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract. Mix the cake batter until just combined. Be sure not to over-mix so you don't end up with a dry, heavy cake.

Once the birthday cake batter is prepared and the oven is heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, it's time to bake the cake. Prepare a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan by spraying it with cooking spray. This will prevent the cake from sticking to the pan. Pro tip: To be absolutely sure the cake doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan, add a small rectangle of parchment paper into the bottom before pouring the batter in.

Once the batter is poured, put the pan in the oven. Bake the birthday cake for 30 minutes until the top is lightly golden brown and fully set. Once baked, remove the cake from the oven to cool.

To make the vanilla frosting for this festive birthday cake, add 2 sticks of softened butter into a mixing bowl. Whip the butter until fluffy, and then add in 2 cups of powdered sugar and the 2 tablespoons of milk. Mix the butter and sugar with the milk, and then add in the 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Continue gradually adding in the remaining powdered sugar, and mix until the frosting comes together. Once formed, turn the speed up on the mixer to whip the frosting until fluffy.

Once your cake is fully cooled, carefully remove it from the cake pan. Place the cake on a large rectangular cake stand, a platter, or a cardboard cake board. If desired, it can remain in the pan as well. Frosting just the top is definitely an option.

In order to frost the cake, add a generous amount of frosting on top, and then frost the sides. Frost your cake using a flat spatula or use a piping bag fitted with an icer tip to fully cover it. Smooth the frosting with an icing scraper or flat spatula. Use food coloring to color a portion of the frosting, and put the frosting in a piping bag. Cut off the tip, and carefully write "Happy Birthday!" in the middle of the cake. Top the cake with plenty of sprinkles, and add a top and bottom border with a piping tip to finish decorating. Just like that, you have yourself a beautiful quarter sheet cake for a special birthday.