Air fryer birthday cake with sprinkles is a fun and colourful treat

No matter the theme of your birthday party, you need cake before, during and after the main meal. However, we don’t always have the time to bake in the oven, but did you know that your air fryer can make a difference? This air fryer birthday cake by Jess @The Culinary Cartel and Instant Pot South Africa, you’re going to have a special day. The cake is rich in flavour but fluffy and light in texture with a smooth icing we all love and decorated with simple rainbow sprinkles.

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Air fryer birthday cake suggestions

If you have an espresso machine, your addition of coffee to the chocolate cake doesn’t add a coffee flavour, but enhances the chocolate to a new level. The buttermilk icing is smooth and reminds us of those icings we enjoyed as kids too. You can also make a couple of small cake layers to put together and keep together with caramel treat and more of the icing. The rich chocolate cake is going to make any birthday a great one because we all love chocolate.

ALSO READ: Creamy baked milk tart: Dessert that’s part of South African culture

You’ll want your birthday to be tomorrow thanks to this easy chocolate air fryer birthday cake with buttermilk icing and rainbow sprinkles.

Air fryer birthday cake recipe

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Recipe by Gary Dunn Course: DessertCuisine: GlobalDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

28

minutes

Total time

43

minutes

Ingredients

• For the cake

• 120 g 120 plain flour

• 40 g 40 cocoa powder

• 1 tsp 1 baking powder

• ¾ tsp ¾ baking soda 

• ½ tsp ½ sea salt

• 200 g 200 brown sugar

• 1 tsp 1 espresso powder

• 125 ml 125 boiling water

• 130 g 130 buttermilk

• 60 ml 60 vegetable oil

• 1 large 1 egg

• 1 tsp 1 vanilla extract

• For the icing

• 60 g 60 butter

• 65 g 65 cocoa powder

• 260 g 260 icing sugar

• 100 ml 100 milk

• 1 tsp 1 vanilla

• ½ tsp ½ salt

• sprinkles to finish

Method

• Add the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a large mixing bowl, and mix well.
• In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, espresso powder and boiling water, this allows the sugar to melt and the coffee to dissolve. 
• Add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to the flour mixture and mix together until well combined. Gradually add the espresso mixture and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into a baking paper lined dish, and spread evenly.
• Preheat air fryer to 160°C on bake setting.
• Bake for 28 minutes or until the toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
• Let the cake cool completely before adding icing.
• For the icing
• While the cake cooks, make the icing. Sift the cocoa powder and icing sugar to eliminate clumps, then add the milk, vanilla and salt and combine until smooth and creamy. Beat the icing with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
• Spoon the icing over the cake, in an even layer, then cover with sprinkles to finish.

Notes

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