Winged Whimsy Cake

Every child dreams of soaring through the skies, and for many, that fascination begins with the wonder of planes, trains, and automobiles. This enchanting airplane cake brings that dream to life, making any birthday celebration truly memorable. As someone who appreciates a charming dessert without the professional pastry chef skills, I absolutely adore this recipe. It’s a delightful blend of simplicity and spectacular visual appeal, delivering an irresistibly cute airplane cake design with minimal fuss. We start with a readily available white cake mix, which I expertly enhance (or “doctor up”) with the addition of rich buttermilk and tangy sour cream. This secret duo transforms a standard box mix into a cake that’s incredibly moist, tender, and boasts a fine crumb that tastes completely homemade. Each luscious layer is then generously filled and frosted with my famously easy, silky-smooth homemade buttercream, providing the perfect canvas for creative decoration. The final touch? Fluffy frosting “clouds” and playful airplane cake toppers that evoke the boundless blue sky. This aviation-themed dessert was such a sensation at Henry’s birthday bash that it made a repeat appearance the very next year for Jack’s celebration!

Elevate Your Celebration with an Airplane Birthday Cake

Creating a truly special birthday cake shouldn’t be a source of stress, and with this recipe, it certainly won’t be. This airplane birthday cake was an absolute triumph in our home, bringing wide smiles and eager anticipation. The foundation of this cake is a doctored boxed mix, ensuring an easy and virtually foolproof baking experience. By simply adding sour cream and buttermilk, we elevate the texture and flavor, resulting in a cake that’s remarkably light, wonderfully fluffy, and incredibly moist. This simple enhancement makes all the difference, giving you a gourmet-tasting cake without the complex steps. Complementing this delectable cake is my straightforward, three-ingredient homemade buttercream. It’s not only unbelievably delicious but also incredibly easy to prepare and work with, making it ideal even for novice cake decorators. With its smooth consistency and delightful flavor, it provides the perfect base for your sky-high creation. To achieve that enchanting aerial theme, simply add a few whimsical frosting clouds and strategically place your cute plane cake toppers. The result is a stunning buttercream airplane cake that looks impressively professional but is entirely achievable for anyone, regardless of their baking or decorating experience. It’s the perfect centerpiece for any child’s birthday party, promising both visual delight and a scrumptious treat.

For your convenience, the charming airplane cake toppers featured in our photos are readily available on Amazon (affiliate link).

Easy & Adorable Airplane Cake Recipe

This fantastic airplane cake is incredibly quick to prepare, surprisingly easy to decorate, and delivers a stunning visual impact with minimal effort. It’s adorned with charming frosting clouds and cute airplane cake toppers, making it the perfect dessert for any aviation enthusiast or birthday celebration!

Prep Time:
30 minutes

Cook Time:
35 minutes

Total Time:
3 hours 15 minutes

Chill Time:
2 hours 10 minutes

Servings:
12 slices

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Ingredients

For the Cake

• 15.25 ounces white cake mix (1 box)*
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1½ cups buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Buttercream Frosting

• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1½ cups unsalted butter, slightly melted (3 sticks)
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• Blue gel food coloring
• Optional: 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream (for thinning)

Equipment

• Kitchen Scale (optional, for precise batter division)
• Two 8-inch Round Cake Pan(s)
• Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
• Piping Tip Set (recommended: large round tip like Ateco 808)
• Airplane Cake Toppers
• Large serrated knife (for leveling cakes)
• Cake scraper or offset spatula
• Wire cooling rack

Instructions

For the Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans by generously spraying them with nonstick cooking spray. For easy removal and to prevent sticking, line the bottom of each pan with a circle of parchment paper. Set these prepared pans aside.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the cake: the white cake mix, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and kosher salt. Whisk them together thoroughly until uniformly combined. Set this dry mixture aside.
3. In a separate, large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the wet ingredients together on high speed until they are well combined and smooth. This includes the buttermilk, sour cream, large eggs, and pure vanilla extract. Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature for best results and a homogenous batter.
4. Gradually add the reserved dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients in the large bowl. Continue beating on high speed for approximately 1 minute, or until the batter is completely smooth and no lumps remain. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to a dense cake.
5. Carefully divide the cake batter evenly between your two prepared 8-inch cake pans. For consistent baking and even layers, I recommend using a kitchen scale to ensure approximately 749 grams of batter per pan. This precision helps both layers bake up to the same height and size.
6. Bake the cakes for 33-35 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. This indicates they are fully baked.
7. Once baked, remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in their pans for about 15 minutes. This allows them to firm up slightly before handling. After 15 minutes, carefully invert the cakes onto a wire cooling rack and allow them to cool completely to room temperature. This step is crucial before frosting.
8. After the cakes have reached room temperature, wrap each cake layer separately and completely in food-safe plastic wrap. Transfer the wrapped cake layers to the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours. This chilling process makes the cakes much firmer and significantly easier to handle, preventing crumbling during the decorating phase.
9. Once chilled, remove the cakes from the fridge. Using a large serrated knife, carefully level the tops of both cakes by gently sawing off any domed sections. You’ll want perfectly flat tops for stable stacking. Don’t let those cake domes go to waste – they make a delicious snack for the baker!

For the Buttercream Frosting

1. In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the powdered sugar, slightly melted unsalted butter, and pure vanilla extract on high speed. Continue mixing for about 5 minutes, or until the frosting is light, airy, and fluffy. If your frosting appears too thick to spread smoothly, gradually beat in 1 to 2 tablespoons of heavy cream until it reaches the desired consistency. If, conversely, it seems too thin, incorporate a bit more powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until it stiffens appropriately.

For Assembly & Decoration

1. Begin assembly by placing a small dollop of frosting (about 2 tablespoons) in the center of your cake board or serving plate. This acts as an adhesive, securing the first cake layer and preventing it from sliding during decoration. Place one of your leveled cake layers, cut-side facing up, directly on top of this frosting base.
2. Generously spread an even layer of frosting over the top of the first cake layer. Then, carefully place the second leveled cake layer on top, ensuring the bottom of this layer faces upwards. This creates a flat, stable surface for the remainder of your frosting.
3. Apply a thin, even layer of frosting to the top and sides of the stacked cake. This initial layer is known as a “crumb coat.” Its purpose is to trap any loose crumbs, creating a clean, smooth surface for your final frosting layers. It’s perfectly fine if you can still see some of the cake through this thin crumb coat. For best results in smoothing, use a cake scraper or an offset spatula to achieve an even finish.
4. Once crumb-coated, transfer the cake to the freezer for approximately 10 minutes. This quick chill allows the crumb coat to firm up, making it much easier to apply the next layer of frosting without disturbing the crumbs.
5. While the cake chills, prepare your frosting colors. Scoop about 2 cups of the white buttercream into an icing bag fitted with a large round piping tip (such as an Ateco 808). This will be used for the clouds. To the remaining frosting in the bowl, add blue gel food coloring (I used Chefmaster Liqua-gel in Royal Blue for a vibrant sky color). Mix until the color is consistent and streak-free.
6. Remove the cake from the freezer. Now, apply the blue frosting generously over the entire cake – this is your main sky layer. Use your cake scraper or offset spatula to spread this layer as smoothly and evenly as possible across the top and sides of the cake. Take your time to achieve a polished finish.
7. To create the illusion of soft clouds in the sky, pipe a few random white dots around the sides of the blue-frosted cake using your prepared piping bag. Don’t overdo it; the goal is a few scattered clouds rather than a heavily clouded sky. Immediately after piping, use your cake scraper to gently smear and blend these white dots into the blue frosting. This technique creates a soft, ethereal, and cloudy effect.
8. Finally, use the remaining white frosting in your piping bag to pipe additional frosting around the top edge of the cake. Create a few more distinct, fluffy clouds on the very top surface of the cake. These will serve as pedestals for your adorable airplane cake toppers. Carefully place your airplane toppers onto these top clouds to complete your captivating aerial scene.

Notes & Tips for Success

*Feel free to experiment with any flavor of boxed cake mix you prefer! While white cake mix provides a clean canvas for coloring, yellow, chocolate, strawberry, funfetti, or even red velvet mixes can also be “doctored” for this recipe.

Pro Baker Tips:

• **Flour Measurement:** Always measure flour using the spoon-and-level method. Spoon flour lightly into a measuring cup and level off the top with a straight edge. Scooping directly from the bag can compact the flour, leading to an excess amount and a dense, dry cake.
• **Buttermilk is Key:** Do not substitute regular milk for buttermilk. The acidity in buttermilk reacts with the leavening agents in the cake mix, which is essential for achieving that light, fluffy, and tender texture. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can easily make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup, then filling the rest with regular milk to equal 1½ cups. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it curdles slightly.
• **Avoid Overmixing:** Mixing the cake batter excessively can develop the gluten in the flour too much, resulting in a dense, rubbery, or tough cake. Mix only until the ingredients are just combined and smooth.
• **Chill the Cakes:** This step is truly non-negotiable for a neat finish. Skipping the chilling process means your warm, tender cakes are more likely to crumble and tear when you attempt to frost them, making smooth decorating incredibly challenging.
• **Troubleshooting Buttercream:** If your buttercream appears curdled or separated, it’s usually an indication that the butter (or the room) is too cold. Gently warm the bowl of buttercream by placing it over a pot of simmering water for a few seconds (do not let it melt completely!), then return it to your mixer and whip again on high speed until it comes together smoothly.
• **DIY Piping Bag:** No fancy piping tip set? No problem! Simply snip off one corner of a sturdy, sealed Ziplock bag to create an instant, disposable piping bag for applying frosting and making clouds.
• **Secure Cake Base:** The small amount of frosting placed on the cake board before the first layer is a simple yet effective trick to ensure your cake remains perfectly centered and stable throughout the entire decorating process.
• **Leveling for Success:** Leveling the tops of your cakes by removing any domed portions is crucial for creating perfectly even and straight cake layers. This prevents leaning and ensures a professional appearance.
• **Frosting Division:** As a general guideline, use about one-third of your total frosting amount for filling between the layers and for the crumb coat. Reserve the remaining two-thirds for the final blue layer and the decorative clouds.
• **Crumb Coating is Essential:** The thin crumb coat not only traps crumbs but also provides an even base for your final, colored frosting layer, ensuring a pristine finish.

Storage: To maintain its freshness and delightful flavor, store any leftover airplane birthday cake in an airtight container or under a cake dome. It will remain delicious at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or for longer storage, you can freeze it for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy from frozen, simply thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition Facts

Airplane Cake Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 slice)

Calories 711
Calories from Fat 270

% Daily Value*

Fat 30g46%

Saturated Fat 18g113%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 8g

Cholesterol 117mg39%

Sodium 404mg18%

Potassium 124mg4%

Carbohydrates 106g35%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 83g92%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 937IU19%

Vitamin C 0.2mg0%

Calcium 148mg15%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Author:
Becky Hardin

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How to Craft Your Perfect Airplane Cake: A Step-by-Step Visual Guide

Follow these detailed steps to effortlessly create your own stunning airplane themed cake. Each instruction is designed to be clear and simple, ensuring a successful baking and decorating experience, even if you’re a beginner.

Step 1: Gather Your Ingredients and Prep the Pans. Begin by collecting all necessary ingredients and equipment. This ensures a smooth and uninterrupted baking process. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans by coating them thoroughly with nonstick cooking spray and lining the bottom of each with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Crucially, allow your buttermilk, sour cream, and eggs to come to room temperature; this helps them emulsify better, resulting in a smoother batter and a more tender cake. For the frosting, ensure your butter is slightly softened, but not melted, for optimal whipping.

Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients. In a medium-sized bowl, meticulously combine the dry elements for your cake. This includes a 15.25-ounce box of white cake mix, 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt. Whisk these together until they are thoroughly integrated, ensuring there are no lumps and the mixture is uniform. Setting this aside momentarily allows you to prepare the wet ingredients without interruption.

Step 3: Combine the Wet and Dry Batter. In a separate, larger mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the wet ingredients: 1½ cups of room temperature buttermilk, 1 cup of full-fat sour cream (also at room temperature), 3 large eggs, and 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract. Beat these on high speed until they are thoroughly combined and smooth. Once the wet ingredients are ready, gradually incorporate the reserved dry mixture into the wet ingredients. Continue beating on high speed for approximately 1 minute, or until the batter is perfectly smooth and free of any dry pockets. Remember, avoid overmixing to keep the cake tender.

Step 4: Portion and Bake the Cakes. Carefully divide the prepared cake batter evenly between your two 8-inch cake pans. For precise and uniform layers, I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the batter, aiming for approximately 749 grams per pan. This ensures that both cake layers will bake to the same height and density, providing a stable foundation for your layered cake. Place the pans in your preheated oven and bake for 33-35 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, indicating they are fully cooked. Once baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool in their pans for 15 minutes before inverting them onto a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature. This gradual cooling prevents the cakes from cracking or sinking.

Step 5: Chill the Cakes for Optimal Decorating. After your cake layers have cooled to room temperature, it’s time for a critical step: chilling. Individually wrap each cake layer tightly in food-safe plastic wrap, ensuring no air can get in. Then, place these wrapped layers in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours. This firming-up period is invaluable. Chilled cakes are considerably sturdier and less prone to crumbling or tearing when you begin the decorating process, making it much easier to achieve a smooth, professional finish for your airplane cake. Once thoroughly chilled, your cakes are ready for the next exciting phase.

Step 6: Prepare the Fluffy Buttercream Frosting. In a large mixing bowl, combine 5 cups of powdered sugar, 1½ cups of slightly melted unsalted butter, and 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat these ingredients together on high speed for approximately 5 minutes. The goal is to achieve a light, airy, and wonderfully fluffy consistency. If, during mixing, you find the frosting to be too thick to spread smoothly onto your cake, you can gradually beat in 1 to 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired, spreadable texture. Conversely, if the frosting appears too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until it stiffens appropriately. This versatile buttercream will be the beautiful “sky” for your airplane adventure!

Step 7: Level and Secure the Cake Layers. Retrieve your chilled cake layers from the refrigerator. Using a large serrated knife, carefully trim off any domed tops from both cakes. This crucial step ensures that your cake layers are perfectly flat, allowing them to stack evenly and prevent any leaning. Feel free to enjoy these delicious cake scraps as a well-deserved snack! Next, to secure your cake to its base, place a thin layer of frosting (about 2 tablespoons) in the very center of your cake board or serving plate. Then, gently place one of your leveled cake layers, with its cut side facing upwards, directly onto this frosting. This small amount of frosting acts as an anchor, ensuring your cake remains stable and doesn’t shift during the decorating process.

Step 8: Stack the Cake Layers. With your first cake layer securely in place, add a generous and even layer of your prepared buttercream frosting on top. Spread it out smoothly, reaching almost to the edges. Now, carefully place the second leveled cake layer directly on top of the frosted first layer. For the best stability and a neat appearance, position this second layer with its bottom (the original flat bottom from the pan) facing upwards. This creates a beautifully flat top surface for your final frosting layers and decorations.

Step 9: Apply the Crumb Coat and Chill Again. Now it’s time for the all-important crumb coat. Spread a thin, even layer of frosting around the entire top and sides of your stacked cake. This initial layer is crucial for trapping any loose cake crumbs, preventing them from mixing into your final, visible frosting layer. It’s perfectly normal if you can still see glimpses of the cake through this thin layer. For the smoothest possible finish, use a cake scraper or an offset spatula to smooth the icing out evenly. Once the crumb coat is applied, place the lightly frosted cake in the freezer for about 10 minutes. This brief chill will harden the crumb coat, creating a firm base that makes applying the next layer of frosting significantly easier and cleaner, ensuring a truly immaculate finish.

Step 10: Frost the Cake with Blue “Sky”. Take about 2 cups of your white frosting and transfer it to an icing bag fitted with a large round piping tip (like an Ateco 808). This will be used for your white clouds. Now, add blue gel food coloring to the remaining frosting in the mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly until you achieve a vibrant, consistent blue hue – this will be the beautiful sky for your airplane cake. Remove your crumb-coated cake from the freezer and apply a generous second layer of the blue frosting. Spread this layer as smoothly and evenly as possible across the top and sides of the cake, utilizing your cake scraper to create a polished, cloudless sky surface.

Step 11: Decorate with Clouds and Toppers. With your sky-blue cake as your canvas, it’s time to add the charming details. Using the white frosting in your piping bag, pipe a few random white dots around the sides of the cake. Remember, less is often more here; we want the cake to primarily showcase the expansive blue sky. Immediately after piping, gently use your cake scraper to smear and blend these white dots smoothly onto the cake. This technique creates a soft, wispy, and realistic cloudy appearance. Finally, use any remaining white frosting to pipe a few more distinct, fluffy clouds directly onto the top surface of the cake. These strategically placed clouds will serve as the perfect landing spots for your adorable airplane cake toppers. Arrange the toppers to create a dynamic and exciting aerial scene, bringing your airplane cake masterpiece to life!

How to Store Your Airplane Cake to Keep it Fresh

Proper storage is key to enjoying your delicious airplane birthday cake for days after the celebration. To keep your cake at its best, store any leftovers tightly wrapped in food-safe plastic wrap or securely covered with a cake dome. At room temperature, your cake will maintain its delightful taste and texture for up to 2 days. If you need to extend its freshness, it can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. For longer-term storage, the cake freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. To enjoy a slice from the freezer, simply transfer the cake to the refrigerator and allow it to thaw overnight before serving. This ensures it returns to its wonderfully moist and flavorful state.