Half a Cake For a Half Birthday!

If you follow me on Instagram you saw last week when I posted about this Half a Cake.  Don’t worry, my husband didn’t just eat the other half and I decided to post it anyway, this was done on purpose!  

So last year, leading up to her half birthday, my oldest daughter brought up a few times that she thought it would be so fun to have Half a cake made for her Half birthday.  So, I made it happen!  This is a simple from scratch cake that you can most likely make from ingredients you already have on hand (which is a good thing because those half birthdays can kind of sneak up on you unexpectedly).   We have not always celebrated half birthdays around here so I am still kind of getting used to the idea.  🙂

So to make this cake you will just need these few simple ingredients.  White sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla extract, flour, baking powder, milk, and salt.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 inch cake pan and dust with flour.  

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 

In the bowl of your electric mixer with your whisk attachment cream together the butter and sugar.  Add in the vanilla and then beat in the eggs.  

Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and mix well.  Finally add in the milk and mix until the batter is smooth.  Pour into your prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.  The cake is done when it springs back to the touch.  Let it cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes and then remove the cake from the pan.  Allow it to completely cool on the wire rack.

While the cake is cooling you can prepare the frosting.  I just used heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla for the frosting.  I think the heavy whipping cream would be the only thing I would need to buy on purpose for this cake. Everything else I usually have on hand.  I love how light and mildly sweet this frosting is. To start you want to place your clean mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer while you assemble your other ingredients.  Usually I have it in there for less than five minutes.  Measure out your whipping cream and your powdered sugar.  Pour your whipping cream into the chilled bowl and whisk on high-speed until the cream has thickened, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Stop the machine and add the sugar.  Whisk the cream and sugar on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 1 to 2 minutes.  Stop the machine and add in your vanilla.  Whisk that up until combined.

Now it is time to assemble your cake.  Transfer the cake to a plate or cutting board and cut the cake in half down the middle.

Then take your serrated knife and gently remove the top rounded part of the cake from the side that you are going to use on the bottom.  Then place that side of the cake on your cake stand.  This just gives your cake a nice flat layer for the other layer to sit neatly on.  

Then load it on up with frosting.  Add the top layer of cake on top of the frosted bottom layer.  I don’t remove the rounded part for the top layer but you can if you want.  Then slather that with frosting as well.  For this quick and easy cake I chose not to frost the sides but you can if you want.  Also feel free to decorate and make it as pretty as you want!  I was just all about easy this day!

So maybe you have never thought of doing this before?  Don’t worry I hadn’t either, but it is the little things like this that can make your kids so happy!  Enjoy celebrating those Half Birthdays!  

Here is your printable recipe!

Half a Cake For a Half Birthday!

 

Save Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

This makes a perfect amount for half of a cake(1-9 inch pan). Of course you can double this for a full size cake(2- 9 inch pans)!

Author: A Fireman's Wife

Recipe type: Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1½ cups all purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup milk
• Frosting:
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 9 inch cake pan and dust with flour.
3. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. In the bowl of your electric mixer with your whisk attachment cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the vanilla and then beat in the eggs.
5. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally add in the milk and mix until the batter is smooth.
6. Pour into your prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. The cake is done when it springs back to the touch.
7. Let it cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes and then remove the cake from the pan. Allow it to completely cool on the wire rack.
8. While the cake is cooling you can prepare the frosting. To start you want to place your clean mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer while you assemble your other ingredients. Usually I have it in there for less than five minutes.
9. Measure out your whipping cream and your powdered sugar. Pour your whipping cream into the chilled bowl and whisk on high-speed until the cream has thickened, about 1½ minutes. Stop the machine and add the sugar. Whisk the cream and sugar on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stop the machine and add in your vanilla. Whisk that up until combined.
10. Now it is time to assemble your cake. Transfer the cake to a plate or cutting board and cut the cake in half down the middle.
11. Then take your serrated knife and gently remove the top rounded part of the cake from the side that you are going to use on the bottom of your cake. Then place that side of the cake on your cake stand. This just gives your cake a nice flat layer for the other layer to sit neatly on.
12. Then load it on up with frosting.
13. Add the top layer of cake on top of the frosted bottom layer. I don't remove the rounded part for the top layer but you can if you want. Then slather the top layer with with frosting as well. For this quick and easy cake I chose not to frost the sides but you can if you want. Also feel free to decorate and make it as pretty as you want!

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