Classic Mickey Cake

Ingredients

Yellow Cake

• 2 ½ cups cake flour
• 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 2 egg yolks, room temperature
• 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Chocolate Frosting

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• black food coloring

Red Candy Pants

• ½ bag red candy melts
• 5-10 yellow candy melts

Equipment

• 2 6-inch cake pans
• 1 9-inch cake pan
• 1 3-inch round cutter
• 2 piping bags

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and line pans with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add in sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, mixing after each. Beat in vanilla.
4. In a measuring cup, combine milk and lemon juice.
5. Alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated, making sure not to over mix the batter.
6. Divide batter into the pans, making sure not to overfill.
7. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting

1. Melt butter and pour into a large bowl. Stir in cocoa powder until combined.
2. Alternate adding in powdered sugar and milk, starting and ending with the sugar.
3. Beat until fluffy and stir in vanilla.
4. Add desired amount of black food coloring and mix until combined.

Candy Pants

1. Lay a piece of parchment paper over the bottom of the 6-inch cake pan. Use a pencil to trace the bottom half of the pan and draw a straight line across the center to make a half circle shape.
2. Flip the parchment paper over so that the pencil markings are on the bottom and place onto the counter.
3. Place red candy melts into a piping bag and melt in the microwave. Use your hands to squish and move the candy melts around in the bag every 30 seconds.
4. Once melted, pipe the red candy melts onto the parchment paper following the lines drawn earlier. If necessary, use a flat spatula to spread out the candy melts to fill in the entire half circle.
5. Let set for 10-15 minutes.
6. Place the yellow candy melts into a piping bag and melt in the microwave. Use your hands to squish and move the candy melts around in the bag every 30 seconds.
7. Pipe two oval shapes onto the red candy half circle to make the buttons on Mickey’s pants. Let set for 5-10 minutes.

Assembly

1. Once cakes have cooled completely, trim tops so they are even and flat.
2. Using the 3-inch cutter, cut 4 circles out of the 9-inch cake.
3. Place one 6-inch cake onto a piece of parchment paper on top of a cutting board or plate. Frost the top of the cake and then place the second 6-inch cake on top of it. Frost both of these cakes, making sure the edges are smooth.
4. Place two of the 3-inch cakes at the top to make Mickey’s ears. Frost the tops, and place a second 3-inch cake on top of each ear. Frost both cakes completely. If the ears are not level with the head, either trim the cakes before frosting or add a bit of frosting to make up the difference.
5. Place the red candy pants onto the bottom half of the cake. Remove before cutting and serving.