FAQs:
Can I use a different flavor cake / frosting?
- Short answer - yes, you can!
One quick note though - if you use a cake or frosting with a darker color (e.g. chocolate) - you may need a layer of white frosting over the top to get a good 'toilet paper roll' look. The fondant doesn't perfectly cover the entire cake.
Can I make the cake / frosting ahead of time?
Definitely! Wrap the cake layers well and refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 4 months. Transfer the frosting to a zip-lock bag and squeeze out the extra air, and again - refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 4 months.
On a related note - cover any remaining cake well to keep it from drying out. It will keep well in the fridge for 3-5 days.
How should I store the cake?
- Before serving, I either store cake in cake boxes (available online), or flash-freeze them for 20 minutes and then wrap well in plastic wrap. Of note - if you need to transport the cake anywhere I definitely tend toward recommending a cake box.
- Once you've cut into the cake, wrap any remaining pieces well with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container.
Toilet Paper Cake
This 'Holy crap you're old' Toilet Paper Cake is a perfect way to add some humor to a birthday party! (Pairs well with Poop Emoji Cupcakes!)
Equipment
- plastic knife (or a knife with large serrations; for texturing fondant)
- Ruler (for measuring fondant tp squares, and to use as a straight edge for cutting them)
- 'Holy Crap You're Old' cake topper (you can purchase this online or print the text on a sheet of paper or cardstock, and tape it to two toothpicks to hold it up on the cake)
Ingredients
Toilet Paper Cake layers
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick room temperature
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup buttermilk room temperature (or buttermilk powder with water is an option if you can’t find liquid buttermilk at your grocery store!)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/8 cup vegetable oil
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese (or ½ package, softened)
- 8 Tablespoons butter (or one stick, softened)
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tablespoons milk
- ½ Tablespoon clear vanilla extract
Filling & Decorations
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips for filling and decorating
- 16 ounces white fondant (you can purchase this (I linked the best-tasting fondant I've found) or make your own!)
Instructions
Toilet Paper Cake layers
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two six-inch cake pans with parchment rounds, and /or grease with non-stick or baker’s floured cooking spray.
- Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined. Mix room-temperature butter 1 T at a time into the dry mix on a low speed, mixing until no lumps of butter remain, and the mixture becomes crumbly.
- Pour in eggs and mix on low until just combined. Mix together the buttermilk, vanilla, and oil, and mix on low until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
- Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans (I find a kitchen scale helpful for this part). This guarantees your layers will bake to be the same height.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes (or until a skewer or toothpick comes out clean). Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around the edge of the cake to separate the cake from the pan. Allow to cool completely before decorating (place in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired).
- Once the layers have fully cooled, they can be leveled and the caramelized bits can be trimmed from the sides / top of the cake using a serrated knife if desired. Be sure the layers are completely cooled or chilled before trimming so they don't crumble and break. (This is a great time to make your frosting and prep your decorations!)
Cream Cheese buttercream frosting
- Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add vanilla and salt if needed and beat until well combined.
Okay! The hard part’s done! All that’s left is the fun part – assembly and decorating!
- Place a smear of frosting on your cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center your first cake layer in the center of the circle. Spread the layer with frosting. (If desired, sprinkle a 1/4 c of chocolate chips between the layers and press into the frosting. Optional but recommended!) Add your second layer on top.
- Now you're ready to crumb-coat . If you're unfamiliar with crumb-coating, it's just what it sounds like – spreading a thin layer of frosting over the entire outside of the cake to keep crumbs out of your final layer.
- Once your crumb coat has set (this takes about 5-10 minutes in the fridge), add your final layer of frosting and smooth. I like to use an offset spatula and bench scraper for this part. It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth - you're going to cover most of it in fondant 'tp' squares.
Fondant TP Squares:
- Grab your ruler and measure your cake, then cut four fondant squares to match the height of your cake. (You could do this as a single sheet, but I found squares easier to work with). Press the fondant squares against the frosting to stick them to the sides of the cake.
- Once you have most of the cake covered, cut your last piece about twice as long as the others – stick as much as will fit to the frosting, and let the rest hang away from the cake like the first piece of a TP roll! Indent the fondant a bit in a criss-cross pattern with a serrated knife to resemble toilet paper!
- Cut a 6-inch fondant circle to cover the top of the cake (you can use a 6-inch pan as a guide). Cut a circle out of the center (you can use a knife, bottle cap, or the back end of a large piping tip). I wanted the center to look dark, so I melted about 1/4 cup of semisweet chocolate chips and used the melted chocolate to fill the center.
- (Note – if you're going to make Poop Emoji Cupcakes to go with this cake, save your fondant scraps! You can use them to make the emoji mouths to decorate the cupcakes!)
- Last final step – add the 'Holy Crap You're Old' cake topper! You can purchase a topper online, or print-and-cut one like I did! I used two toothpicks to hold it up on top of the cake.(I used ‘Harlow Solid Italic’ in Microsoft word; I think I used 72-pt font. My file got corrupted in a transfer and I can't double check the font size, but I made a PDF file I'm happy to email to you! Just send me an email and ask. :) )
Video
Notes
Please note nutrition information is an estimate and may not be exactly accurate.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice (1/8 cake)Calories: 745kcalCarbohydrates: 101gProtein: 9gFat: 39g
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