How Does It Taste
This isnt your average cake. If youve never tried the 6-inch Milk Bar Birthday Cake, you might think it wont be enough for celebrating with more than one or two other people. It looks kind of small, you might say to yourself. I could take this down faster than you can sing two rounds of Happy Birthday. But you would be mistaken.
With three spongy, rainbow sprinkle-infused yellow cake layers, each held together with thick, cream cheese-tinged vanilla frosting, then topped with more frosting and dotted with crunchy cake crumbs , it’s deceivingly dense, and easily serves 8 to 12 people.
The Secret To Momofuku Milk Bars Amazing Cakes Is Milk
If youve ever had a cake from Momofuku Milk Bar, you know theyre impossibly moist and and unreasonably delicious. Milk Bars cakes are beautiful layer cakes stacked to fanciful if not dizzying heights. Its impossible not to feel giddy at the sight of them.
Once you get a load of their amazing flavors, youll want to try every one. Theres a mint cookies n cream cake with cookies n cream frosting, mint cheesecake and chocolate crumbs. Theres also a salted pretzel cake made with stout ganache, burnt honey frosting and salted pretzel crumbs. And then theres the classic, and now iconic, birthday cake made with a rainbow cake crumble, sprinkles and vanilla frosting.
In a video by Bon Appetit, senior food editor Alison Roman visited Christina Tosi, chef and co-owner of Milk Bar, to learn just how to make this exemplary cake. The secrets to the birthday cake are manifold. They include clear not brown vanilla extract, sprinkles in the batter and a specific butter for the frosting, to name a few. One secret is a technique thats not just limited to the birthday cake, but used in many Milk Bar cakes. Its a milk wash, and its brilliant.
Check out Momofuku Milk Bar in its print form or visit the website for more cake and dessert recipes.
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What Is The Momofuku Birthday Cake
A funfetti cake thats light and fluffy. With sprinkles abound. Soaked in a vanilla milk. Slathered in a creamy dreamy vanilla buttercream frosting.
And the best part
Cake crumbs. Dont worry we will get to the crunchy cake crumbs. And it all comes together into one blissful bite that I am still dreaming about. I actually made this cake months ago for my amazing Fiances birthday. He is a funfetti fiend and loves a good boxed mix. I wont judge. I still love him. But I wanted to make him one from scratch.
Ok this cake is a bit of a labor of love. Hey Im all for making some awesome easy desserts when the time calls for it. Nothing wrong with whipping up some easy Chocolate Fudgeor maybe someOld Fashioned Peanut Butter Fudge but then some occasions call for an epic cake like this one.
This cake is a bit different for a few reasons:
And this cake promised that it tastes just like those boxed funfetti mixes we all hate to love. It delivers. On so many levels. And then some. In fact, it blows a boxed cake mix out of the water. Yes I will be making this cake again.
Is it time consuming? Heck yes. Is it worth it? Every calorie laden, drool worthy bite.
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How Long Is Milk Bar Cake Good For
Our cakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days, and up to two weeks in the freezer . Our cakes are best served at room temperature.
Does milk cake need to be refrigerated?
This is one cake that youll want to keep in the refrigerator. First of all, it just tastes really good when its cold. But because of the milks and because of the whipped cream topping, youll need to keep this cake in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it.
Do milk bars need to be refrigerated?
Milk Bar Pie and Cake Truffles are to be refrigerated and stay fresh in the refrigerator for seven days and up to one month in the freezer. Our pie and Cake Truffles can be enjoyed at any temperatureyou pick!
How do you defrost a frozen milk bar cake?
Transfer the cake to a cardboard cake round and place the cake in the fridge to thaw for at least 3 hours. When ready to serve, transfer the cake on the cardboard round to a cake stand or round platter.
How long does milk cake last in fridge?
How long does milk cake last in the fridge? If you have leftovers , they can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
What is an Australian milk bar?
In Australia, a milk bar is a suburban local general store. Similar terms include tuck shops, delicatessens or delis, and corner shops or corner stores .
Who started Milk Bar?
Founded by James Beard award-winning pastry chef Christina Tosi, Milk Bar first opened its doors in NYCs East Village, and soon developed a loyal fanbase.
Kicking Off With Cake Crumbs
Lisa Kaminski/Taste of Home
Looking over the recipe for this cake, I decided to start with the birthday cake crumbs. These crumbs add a crunchy texture to the cake and are a signature element of all of Christinas cakes. Since I love crunch, I was ready to give it a go.
Making these crumbs is fairly simple. Start by mixing the cake flour, brown sugar, light brown sugar, rainbow sprinkles, baking powder and salt together in a stand mixer on the low setting. Youre going to use a quarter cup of sprinkles for the crumbs alone , so I recommend buying these jimmies in bulkyou can find some here.
Once the dry ingredients are combined, add the grapeseed oil and vanilla extract and mix. This should form small clumps.
Pro tip: Dont have grapeseed oil on hand? Christina writes in her book that you can substitute vegetable oil no problem.
From here, spread these confetti crumbs onto a lined sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes at 300ºF. Remove from the oven and break up any extra-large crumbs. They might be slightly soft to the touch when you pull them out, but they will harden after cooling. Be sure to let them cool all the way before using.
According to Christina, these will keep in an airtight container for about a week. If you pop them in the fridge or freezer and keep them for up to a month. Bear this in mind since this batch will make more cake crumbs than you needthough I sprinkled a lot of the extras over ice cream. It was fabulous.
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Milk Bar Seasonal Cakes
In addition to Birthday cakes, Milk Bar offers an ever-changing selection of seasonal cakes and treats. Some of our favorites include:
- Peppermint Bark Cake: peppermint-soaked dark chocolate cake, crunchy cocoa crumbs, chocolate fudge, peppermint frosting, and crushed candy cane bits.
- Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake: double chocolate red velvet cake and frosting, cheesecake filling, and red velvet crumbs.
- Pancake Cake: pancake layers stacked between brown sugar cookie butter, maple frosting, and brown butter crumb. Topped with maple syrup glaze and an extra slab of butter.
- Strawberry Shortcake Cake: vanilla cake layers with sweet cream frosting, strawberry jam, and shortcake crumbs.
Is Cake Still Good After 5 Days
No, cake is not still good after 5 days. Cakes are best enjoyed when they are freshly baked and eaten within 2-3 days, as they can go stale and dry after a few days. Having said that, if the cake is kept in an airtight container, it can still stay edible for up to 5 days, but after that the texture and taste may suffer.
Since cakes contain cream, butter and eggs, they can quickly become susceptible to mould and bacteria if not stored correctly. It is therefore advised to not consume cakes that have been stored for longer than 5 days, as this could pose a health risk.
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Making The Confetti Cake
Lisa Kaminski/Taste of Home
With the cake crumbs cooling, I moved onto the star of the show: the cake! Making this sheet cake is a bit involved, but I knew it would be worth it.
For this cake, start by creaming the softened butter, shortening, sugar and brown sugar together in a stand mixer set on medium-high speed for about three minutes. Be sure to scrape down the bowl halfway through the process and then again at the end. This should make a light and fluffy mixture.
Then add the eggs one at a time. Beat on medium-high speed for a minute after each addition. After adding the last eggthere are five altogetherscrape down the bowl and then beat the mix on high for another four minutes. Its a little time consuming, but its worth it!
Now onto the wet ingredients. Combine the buttermilk, grapeseed oil and vanilla extract. Then, set your mixer on medium speed and stream this liquid into the mix slowly. Im talking really really slowly. Christina writes that adding the liquid to batter should take about three minutes. Rushing the process could cause your batter to separate. Once the liquid is fully incorporated, scrape down the side of the bowl and then mix for another three minutes on medium-high.
At this point, I noticed that this batter looked and smelled just like classic confetti cake mix twice as good. I had to take a little taste of the batterit tasted ten times better than I could have imagined. After that small taste, I felt ready to bake this cake.
Milk Bar Birthday Truffle Crumb Cakes Reviewed
You dont usually find cookies or cakes the refrigerated section of the grocery store, though youll often find ready-to-bake cookie dough. Milk Bar Birthday Truffle Crumb Cakes stand out from the rest of the refrigerated products that surround them because they look like already baked cookies tucked in between the pudding cups and cookie dough packages. Milk Bar Birthday Truffle Crumb Cakes which come in Birthday Truffle Crumb and Chocolate Cakes are ready-to-eat treats from Christina Tosis Milk Bar line, inspired by her well-known confetti cakes.
The truffle cakes come in packages of two and are just a bit bigger than your average candy bar. There are two cakes in each package. The cakes seem to actually be more like cake pops than regular cake, very dense and with an almost cookie dough-like texture to them. Most cake pops are shaped into balls, put on sticks and served fresh. These are flattened into discs, dipped in a white confectioners coating and rolled in streusel and sprinkles, then packaged.
The truffle crumb cakes look cute and brightly colored, but theyre just not as satisfying to eat as a real birthday cake or even a cake pop. Theyre extremely sweet, and their dense texture means that they are both chewy and a bit dry. The streusel on top adds a bit of crunch for texture, but adds even more sweetness.
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What Is Special About Milkbar Cake
Milkbar cakes are special because they are created by the award-winning pastry chef Christina Tosi and her team of talented pastry chefs. They have created a unique and delicious take on classic cake flavors with the use of unique ingredients and unique flavor combinations.
Milkbar cakes use a combination of flavors including chocolate, seasonal fruits, and other delicious items to create unique and flavorful cakes. The cakes also bring an added sense of excitement by adding new and creative toppings to the cakes.
Additionally, they use an innovative approach to baking, making use of liquid nitrogen and other innovative techniques to create cakes that are as tasty and wild as they are beautiful.
Should Milk Cake Be Kept In Fridge
Yes, milk cake should be kept in the fridge. Milk cakes are sensitive to changes in temperature and moisture and need to be stored in a cool, dry place. Keeping milk cake in a refrigerator ensures that the cake maintains a stable temperature and helps prevent spoilage.
In addition, milk cake is usually served cold, so keeping it in the fridge keeps it cool and tasty. Properly stored milk cake can last up to five days in the refrigerator, and will last longer if frozen.
To store milk cake in the fridge, make sure that the cake is well-wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminium foil to protect it from absorbing odors or moisture. When ready to serve, it is best to leave milk cake out at room temperature for around 30 minutes before serving.
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Christina Tosi Dishes On The Vanilla Mint Chip Cake
On the TODAY segment, Christina Tosi says that she’s “a really big flavor story person,” and she wanted to bring Ina Garten’s flavor story to a special layer cake that’s festive for the holidays. In honor of one of Garten’s favorite flavors ever, the story starts with a classic vanilla.
As we watch Tosi build the cake, we see the fun and intricate layers come together. First up is a sheet-pan vanilla cake layer which she soaks in a vanilla mint-flavored milk. The next layer is what she calls a “liquid cheesecake,” which is a slightly underbaked cheesecake. She then adds a salty layer of pretzel crumbs to compliment the sweetness. And finally, a mint chip butter-based frosting layer made with mint and chocolate shards as a nod to holiday flavors.
Once the masterpiece is layered together, the Ina Garten Holiday Special flavor story is complete. “Mint and vanilla with a little salty-sweet moment”, as Tosi describes it. While the baker spiced things up on the show with some extra ingredients, you can get the recipe for a simpler version of the layer cake and whip it up for yourself.
Milk Bar Reviews: What Do Customers Think
This brand has a pretty incredible reputation, but if youre new to the bakery, youre probably wondering what all the fuss is about. And because no Milk Bar review would be complete without hearing from customers, in this section, thats exactly what well do.
Our morsel of insight comes from MilkbBar.com where we scooped up a few ratings for some of the bakerys top sellers. Youll see those below:
- Birthday Cake: average of 4/5 stars from 10,299 reviews
- Peppermint Bark Cake: average of 4/5 stars from 421 reviews
- Ice Cream Sammie Party: average of 4/5 stars from 11 reviews
- Milk Bar Pie: average of 4/5 stars from 2,498 reviews
We took a peek inside the mixing bowl of reviews that came with the Milk Bar Pie because frankly, weve never had something like this before. Comments ranged from the pleasantly surprised to the ecstaticthe common thread between them? Go buy one now. Heres a Milk Bar review that seems to sum things up:
If youve had the Signature Milk Bar pie before then you can skip this review because you already know! If you have not yetyou should stop reading and go purchase one. It will be at your place on the day you select. The pie is insane.
The pie of pies, also known as Crack Pie, truly lives up to its name. No one really went into details about its flavors, which really, we kind of appreciate as it would be a spoiler to an experience that were looking forward to having.
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Special Tools And Equipment
You will also need to gather these tools and equipment to make this cake:
- 1 quarter sheet pan. The most important note when it comes to this birthday cake is that you are not going to bake three 6-inch cakes. Instead, you will bake one large sheet cake. Then, you will stamp the 2 cake rounds with a cake ring. For the third cake layer, you will need to put together the remaining off-cuts from the sheet cake.
- 1 6-inch/15 cm cake ring. A cake ring is used to stamp out the birthday cake. Then, the stamped cake rounds are stacked in the same cake ring lined with an acetate cake collar.
- 2 strips 3-inch/7.5 cm cake acetate. Cake acetate is a type of sturdy plastic that comes in sheets or rolls. It is used to line the inside of the cake ring. They will serve as a protective wrap for naked cakes.
- Pastry brush. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the cake soak into each layer of cake.
- Bent spoon or small ladle spoon. In many Christina Tosi videos, she uses a bent spoon to spread the frosting. I found using a small ladle spoon works as well.
Here Is The Video Review Of My Milk Bar Cakes:
I was very impressed with the Milk Bar Cakes. I definitely would order them again. I think the price was very fair. If you purchased all of the ingredients required to make the cake, you probably wouldn’t save much in making it yourself. However, you would save yourself a lot of time and effort. Also, even though it looks small, a little slice of cake goes a long way. I ordered 6 inch cakes and the two cakes together fed a large group of people. Next time I would love to try the Strawberry Lemon Cake and the Popcorn Cake. They both look fun!
If you end up trying the Milk Bar Cakes, let me know. I would love to hear how you liked them. Also, if you end up making one yourself, tell me how it went. I have no desire to put forth that kind of effort, but I would love to hear if your cake turned out as good as the Milk Bar Store’s cakes!
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