Robin egg-inspired blue speckled buttercream frosting makes this browned butter vanilla snack cake perfect for spring! It's a surprisingly easy yet impressive dessert for Easter and other springtime celebrations. The best part? This robin egg cake tastes even better than it looks!
Speckled robin eggs are one of my favorite decorations for Easter and spring, and I love those little malted chocolate robin egg candies. So when I started thinking about desserts that would be perfect for an Easter feast or spring time celebration, I knew that I wanted to create the same beautifully speckled effect on a cake!
I opted for a simple snack cake so that we can spend less time fussing over frosting the cake and more time enjoying the spring weather! The speckled frosting is surprisingly quick and easy to do, and it makes for an impressive dessert with less effort than a layer cake.
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Why You'll Love This Cake
Let me just say that this vanilla snack cake is anything but vanilla. Instead of plain, unsalted butter, we'll use browned butter for a toasted, nutty flavor that perfectly complements the vanilla and adds a little extra something to our cake.
Now for the frosting! For this cake we're using the best all-butter buttercream frosting recipe, downsized for the smaller cake. One small drop of light blue food coloring gives us the gorgeous robin egg blue shade we're looking for.
But the best part of this cake is the beautiful speckled frosting, and it's a lot easier to create this look than you'd think! First we'll whisk together cocoa powder and vanilla extract to create our chocolate "paint". Then we'll use a new (or clean), stiff-bristled paint brush to splatter the chocolate speckles onto the frosting. This would be such a fun recipe to make with kids who are old enough, because what kid doesn't like making a little mess in the kitchen?!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
CAKE INGREDIENTS:
Cake Flour - Cake flour has less protein than all-purpose flour, helping to create a cake that's soft and tender.
Browned Butter - Using browned butter (instead of regular, unsalted butter) is optional, but I love using browned butter because of the toasted, nutty flavor it adds to the cake. Check out the recipe notes, since you'll need to brown the butter in advance. Alternatively, you can just plain unsalted butter at room temperature.
Egg Whites - Egg whites help to bind the cake batter and keep the batter light.
Sour Cream - Sour cream adds moisture to the batter, helping to create a deliciously moist cake once baked.
Whole Milk - Milk adds moisture to the cake batter. I always recommend whole milk for baking.
FROSTING AND DECORATION INGREDIENTS:
Unsalted Butter - I always prefer to use unsalted butter so that I can control the amount of salt in the recipe. If you choose to use salted butter, do not add any more salt to the frosting.
Confectioners' Sugar - Confectioners' sugar keeps the frosting light and airy. Do not substitute granulated sugar, which will make the frosting grainy.
Gel Food Coloring - I used 1 drop of Americolor gel food coloring in the color sky blue to dye the frosting. You can use any food coloring you prefer, but be sure to start with just a small drop and add more as needed so you don't accidentally end up with frosting that's too blue.
Cocoa Powder - The cocoa powder is blended with vanilla extract to create the chocolate mixture that's used for the chocolate flecks on the frosting. You can use either natural unsweetened or Dutch cocoa powder, whatever you have on hand.
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient list and measurements.
Special Equipment
In addition to essential baking equipment (like a whisk and spatula), I recommend some special tools for making this recipe.
- An 8 x 8 inch metal pan, for baking the cake.
- A stand mixer or electric hand mixer, for mixing the cake batter and the frosting.
- A stiff-bristled paint brush that's new or clean, for flicking the chocolate flecks onto the cake.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Brown the butter and let it cool to room temperature.
Step 2: Make the cake. Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Step 3: Cream the browned butter and sugar together.
Step 4: Add the egg whites and beat on high speed until combined and fluffy.
Step 5: Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Step 6: Slowly add the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated.
Step 7: Slowly add the milk and stir just until combined.
Step 8: Pour the batter into an 8x8 metal pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
Step 9: Make the frosting. Beat butter until smooth. Add vanilla and salt and mix well. Add sugar slowly, beating well and scraping the bowl often. Add milk and beat at high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Step 10: Add the food coloring, starting with just one small drop, and beat until well combined.
Step 11: Spread the frosting generously onto the top of the cake.
Step 12: In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder and vanilla extract for the chocolate speckles and whisk until smooth.
Step 13: Dip the bristles of a stiff-bristled paint brush into the chocolate mixture. Holding the paint brush over the frosted cake, use your finger to gently pull back the bristles (away from the cake) and then release them (towards the cake) to flick the chocolate speckles onto the frosting.
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed recipe instructions.
Allison's Top Tips
You'll need to brown the butter ahead of time so it's at room temperature when you're ready to bake. You can speed up the process of cooling the browned butter to room temperature by chilling it in the fridge for about an hour. Or you can also brown the butter up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate it, then let it come to room temperature normally before baking.
Be sure to line your pan with parchment paper to ensure the cake doesn't stick. This post will show you how to easily line a square 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.
Be careful not to over mix the cake batter.
It may be helpful to practice flicking the chocolate flecks from the paint brush onto a piece of parchment paper or a plate before doing it onto the frosting so you know what to expect.
Storage Instructions
Room Temperature: Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Refrigerator: Refrigerating the cake will dry it out, so avoid storing it in the fridge. The buttercream frosting is safe to store at room temperature for up to 3 days, so refrigeration isn't necessary.
Freezing: This cake can also be frozen, ideally before it's frosted. Wrap the completely cooled, unfrosted cake in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Store in the freezer for up to one month. Thaw at room temperature before frosting and serving.
More Springtime Recipes
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Recipe
Robin Egg Snack Cake with Speckled Frosting
Special Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- Stiff-bristled paint brush (new/clean)
Ingredients
Browned Butter Vanilla Cake:
- 1 ¼ cups (156 grams) cake flour
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (1 grams) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (3 grams) salt
- 6 Tablespoons (84 grams) unsalted butter, browned and at room temperature (see note at end of recipe)
- ⅞ cup (175 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 egg whites, room temperature
- ¼ cup (58 grams) sour cream, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon (6 grams) vanilla extract
- 5 ounces (142 grams) whole milk, room temperature
Buttercream Frosting:
Chocolate Speckles:
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons (5 grams) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Make the cake.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl using an electric hand mixer) and beat the butter on high speed for about one minute, until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and beat on high speed until creamed together, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the egg whites and beat on high speed until combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed while mixing.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated.
- Keeping the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the milk and stir just until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 35 minutes, until the top of the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
Make the frosting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat butter until smooth. Add vanilla and salt and mix well. Add sugar slowly - one cup at a time - beating well on medium speed and scraping the bowl often. When all sugar is added the frosting will be dry. Then add milk and beat at high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Add the food coloring, starting with just one small drop, and beat until well combined. You can add more food coloring if necessary until the desired shade of blue is reached.
Decorate the cake.
- Carefully lift the edges of the parchment paper to remove the cake from the pan. Spread the frosting generously onto the top of the cake.
- In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder and vanilla extract for the chocolate speckles and whisk until smooth.
- Dip the bristles of a new or clean, stiff-bristled paint brush into the chocolate mixture. Holding the paint brush over the frosted cake, use your finger to gently pull back the bristles (away from the cake) and then release them (towards the cake) to flick the chocolate speckles onto the frosting.
- Slice the cake into 9 squares and serve.
Michelle Morrison says
If you are hesitating about browning the butter and thinking, “It can’t make that much difference!” then know that you are WRONG. Brown the butter, my friend, and it will change your life as it did mine. Thanks for a great Easter treat!
Allison Ferraro says
I love to hear this! So glad you love the recipe, Michelle. The browned butter definitely takes this cake up a notch!
- Allison
Leslie says
Can this recipie be used for cupcakes? And if so, about how many will it make? I absolutely love this as a snack cake, but want to bring it to a potluck as cupcakes!
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Leslie! I haven't tested this cake as cupcakes, so I can't say with certainty if it would work. I love that idea and will have to give it a try, though. I would expect it to make about 12 cupcakes.
- Allison
Melissa says
Tasty and flavorful, loved it!