Name: Number Cakes | A Super Easy and Simple Step-By-Step Guide on How to Make Number Cakes (with Pictures, Recipes & Important Tips)
Prep time: 1H30M
Cook time: 40M Additonal Time: 20M
Total time: 2H30M
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: For the Cake:; 1 cup of butter (softened at room temp); 1¾ cup of granulated sugar; 1 Tbsp of vanilla extract; 4 eggs (room temp); 3 cups of cake flour; 1 Tbsp of baking powder; ¾ tsp of salt; 1 cup of whole milk (room temp) For vanilla cake:; 2 cups of sifted cake flour; 1½ cup of all-purpose flour; 2 cups of granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon of baking powder; 1 teaspoon of salt; 1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter cut into 1-inch cubes, room temperature; 4 large eggs, at room temperature; 1 cup of whole milk, at room temperature; 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon of pure almond extract Cream cheese whipped cream frosting:; 8 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature; 2 cups of heavy whipping cream, very cold; ¾ cup of powdered sugar; 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract Edible Toppings that can be used:; Sliced strawberries; Blueberries; Raspberries; Blackberries; Other fruits; Macarons; Amoretti cookies

Ever seen trending number cakes and ever wondered how you can make one especially for your children's birthdays? Then you are in the right place, because in this post today, you will learn how to make perfect number cakes for your birthday parties and other occasions!

Quick Facts About Number Cake

You will know everything you need to know about number cakes, how to make them, which crust and fillings to choose from, and all my tips to make them successful.

In this article, we will give you an easy step-by-step guide on how to make number cakes, and how you can be able to create one at home and for your next celebration.

Number Cakes – How Exactly Do They Look Like?

Making number cakes are very popular recipes on social networks and Pinterest, created by a young Israeli baker named Adi Klinghofer.

With its original and graphic shape which makes it a success, the number cake recipe is the ultimate cake for celebrating a birthday next to the layer cakes.

This recipe for number cakes is easily available in all shapes to make a letter cake (alphabet cake) or still under other symbols like a heart cake or in the shape of a ring, perfect for a wedding cake.

Mostly made of 2 sweet crust bases assembled in a sandwich and filled with creamy frosting. You can customize this birthday cake according to your tastes and desires and decorate it with fresh fruits, chocolate, and candies.

I am sure you have all seen the trend of number cakes on Instagram lately, and most times, I mean every time, your kids will demand mercilessly that they want number cakes for their birthdays and you get challenged to learn how to make number cakes.

You then ask for a step-by-step guide on how to make a number cake. Well, here it is!! Disclaimer: it is straightforward, and all you need are some secret weapons.

Many people are always skeptical when it comes to trying anything that is on-trend, especially during the hype of the trend. But what they never realized or realized late is that many of these trends are easy and quite funnily simple when you put your mind to learning and doing it.

People have researched how to create beautiful number cakes, as well as watched a few youtube videos and a lot of people were baking the cakes or cookies in a sheet pan and then using a stencil to cut out the numbers. But this is kinda stressful to the laziest baker there is and many are not down for that. There had to be an easier way to achieve this and this is done with the help of a numbered cake pan.

Out of several options that were explored, the Wilton cake pan is the best recommended. There were a few others but in the end, the value and numerous possibilities for the future are greater with this pan.

It is essentially one pan with pieces that shape out all the numbers and alphabets. Can you imagine that? One pan to make all the number cakes your heart desires and the alphabets.

Okay, now that we have the pan, the rest of the cake is really simple. Personally, I think you should get two of the pans. It makes baking easier and faster but you can survive with one though.

The Step-By-Step Guide On How to Make Number Cakes

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Additional Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Materials and Utensils Needed: Number Cake pan (like Wilton Countless Celebration Cake Pan), cake batter, large bowls, hand or electric mixer, section dividers, parchment paper, timer, spatula, toothpick, oven, freezer, wire rack, cake wire cutter, sharp serrated knife, pastry bag, cake plate or serving board.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

1 cup of butter (softened at room temp)
1¾ cup of granulated sugar
1 Tbsp of vanilla extract
4 eggs (room temp)
3 cups of cake flour
1 Tbsp of baking powder
¾ tsp of salt
1 cup of whole milk (room temp)

For vanilla cake:

2 cups of sifted cake flour
1½ cup of all-purpose flour
2 cups of granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter cut into 1-inch cubes, room temperature
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup of whole milk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of pure almond extract

Cream cheese whipped cream frosting:

8 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups of heavy whipping cream, very cold
¾ cup of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

Edible Toppings that can be used:

Sliced strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Blackberries
Other fruit
Macarons
Amoretti cookies
Candies
Chocolate
Marshmallows
Fresh flowers (be sure they are identified as edible)
Fresh herbs

Making a Number Cake is easy! All you need is a number cake pan, a good cake recipe or cake mix, frosting, and some edible decorations.

Assembling The Cake

Assembling the cake takes a little bit of patience and care.

One thing to be learned during my recipe testing is, the cake can drop lots of crumbs which got all over the frosting (which was not ideal!) To combat this, it is decided to freeze the cakes for a short while to firm them up and reduce crumbs, and it helped tremendously.

Start by cutting the cake into two layers and placing them all on a baking sheet lined with parchment.

Place the cake in the freezer to chill. Freezing the cakes for 30 minutes will help firm them up and make them easier to work with. It prevents breakage and excess crumbs from falling into the pretty buttercream dollops!

Once the cake is firm, prepare the buttercream and placed it in a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip.

For the first cake layer, I started by placing it on the serving tray.

Piping the Frosting

In order to achieve the look of the cake I made here, you'll need to pipe the frosting onto the first cake layer. If you are unable to pipe or are in a hurry, you can of course spread the frosting on with an offset spatula.

To achieve the perfect dollop shape, it's best to hold the piping bag completely upright, and squeeze. The key to achieving the trendy cake look, is to make sure all of the dollops the exact same size.

Once you cover the first cake layer with the frosting, gently place the second layer on top ensuring no crumbs fall onto the first frosting layer.

Ensure that the edges of the cake are lined up all around before you begin to add the frosting to the top of the cake.

Repeat piping dollops of frosting to cover the top layer of the cake.

Making a Number Cake

Align the sections of your cake pan using this Wilton Countless Celebration Cake Pan. Make sure you have your number outlined as directed by the instructions that come with the pan.
Grease your cake pan including the section dividers using the baking spray.
Prepare your cake batter. You can use your favorite cake recipe, vanilla or chocolate.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for the recommended time of your recipe. Note that since you are baking in a special pan, you will need to adjust your baking time. I started checking my cake after 12 minutes.

Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cool, slice each number cake into two halves for layering. I used a cake wire cutter to slice my cake but you can also use a serrated knife.
If using just one pan, repeat the process and bake your second cake/ number.

While the cakes cool, prepare your whipped cream cheese frosting, recipe below.
Gather your decorations. I used fresh flowers, meringue kisses, fresh fruits, and macarons (lemon macarons). Of course, you can use any combination of decorations, colors, etc. to personalize the cake for your celebration.
When ready to decorate, fit a pastry bag with a large round tip and fill it with the frosting.
Place your first layer of cake on a cake plate or serving board.
Pipe frosting all over the cake in dollops using the round tip. You want the dollops to be at least 2 inches tall.
Place the second layer of cake over the frosting gently.
Repeat the dollop of frosting on top of the second layer.
Top with your decorations.

There you have it, friends. The steps are truly easy to make number cakes or any letter cake. These are perfect for birthdays, baby showers, or special event celebrations.

Specific Instructions

For cakes:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Assemble your number in the number cake pan. Grease the pan with baking spray and set aside. The recipe as written will make two numbers. So if you only have one pan, you will need to bake each number.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the dry ingredients and mix at low speed until well blended.
Increase speed to medium-low and add the cubes of butter, one at a time mixing each one for a few seconds before adding the next. Mix until there are no large chunks.
Add eggs, one at a time, and mix well between each addition. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, vanilla, and almond extract.
Increase mixer speed to medium and add in the wet ingredients in 3 parts, mixing until incorporated and scraping down the bowls after each addition. DO NOT over beat otherwise, you will end up with dense cakes.
Divide batter into the prepared number cake pan, filling each about ⅔ full. Bake cakes, one at a time, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 17-20 minutes.
Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.
Using a wire cake leveler, slice each number cake into two equal halves.

For the cream cheese whipped cream frosting:

Pre-chill the bowl of your stand mixer and whisk in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
Beat the cream cheese until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Add the cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to the bowl. Whisk on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over whip the heavy cream.

Assembly:

Working with one number at a time, place one layer of the number onto a cake platter. Using a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip (or your favorite tip), pipe the whipped cream frosting over the cake in dollops. You can choose to evenly spread the frosting too.
Place the second layer of the number cake on top of the frosting. Pipe some more frosting on top in dollops.
Finally, decorate the cake with your desired toppings. I used meringue kisses, macarons, fresh flowers, and fresh fruits. Remember to save an equal amount of decorations for your second number if you are making a two-digit numbered cake.
Repeat the above steps for the other number if you are making a double-digit numbered cake.

Notes

You can find recommended pan-baking number cakes on Amazon.
For a one-digit cake, half the recipe above and bake one cake.
The recipe above is written for a double-digit cake.

Finding The Right Pan

There are a bunch of different number cake pans on the market, and you can choose whichever one you prefer.

Silicone number pans are also recommended. When working with such delicate shapes, many bakers find it is best to use silicone when possible, and they say they have never had an issue with silicone pans; they release perfectly every time and are easy to use and wash.

Some sets bought contain every number, 0-9. This is a lot of 'pans' to store, however, the great thing about silicone is you can roll them up and put them in a small box or storage bin.

Cream Cheese Frosting & Substitutes

You can use regular buttercream or Swiss meringue for making number cakes. As you start to whip the ingredients together, you may find that you need to thin it out a bit to get a perfectly smooth consistency. Bakers like to use milk for this, but you can use heavy cream, coconut milk, or whatever you have on hand.

Cream cheese frosting is generally saved for red velvet cake, but pairing it with vanilla cake is a total game-changer! The slight tartness of the cream cheese is the perfect combo for the buttery sweetness of vanilla-flavored number cake.

Another reason cream cheese frosting is the go-to for number cakes bakers is, it has a velvety lusciousness to it. It makes the bite of cake dreamier, in my opinion! Number cakes have very luxe looks when cream cheese frosting is used and would be the way to go to add richness.

Substitutes

If you don't have cream cheese on hand, or are looking for a dairy-free option, you could use a vegan cream cheese or cashew cream, but I would recommend searching for a buttercream that was developed to use those ingredients specifically, as I'm not sure how these would affect the recipe you choose.

Using mascarpone cream cheese would also be a good choice, but you may need to add more powdered sugar to make sure it's stiff enough for piping. The light sweet flavor would go nicely with the cake.

You could also use chocolate ganache frosting as well; I would recommend using a dark chocolate ganache for this cake.

Using whipped cream is not recommended as it is not sturdy enough to use in between the layers of cake.

Tips for Decorating a Number Cake

After the top of the cake is frosted, it's time to decorate!
You can use anything you have on hand; fresh fruit, small cookies, sprinkles, or other sweets like candies or dried fruit. Fresh fruit is great as the "main decoration" because it also adds a lot of flavor and freshness to the vanilla cake and cream cheese frosting.
It's easiest to start with the largest pieces first, and then work your way to adding the smallest items. This way, all the toppers are spaced out nicely and evenly spread out on top of the cake.
You don't want large groupings of one type of decoration so it's easiest to follow this, "large to small" approach.
If using berries, start with the halved strawberries, then add the remaining smaller berries, and tuck in the flowers at the end. This can help to achieve a very professional bakery-style look.
Decorating a number cake can be so much fun, and it's easy to do! All you need is some creativity and basic toppings.
You can also use small cookies, candies, chocolate pieces, fondant, or more buttercream designs to decorate your number cake.

Flowers are another essential that I see on a lot of number cakes

Just be sure that any flower you use is edible for safety. Even if the grocery store doesn't have the designated 'edible flowers' you can pick up some lovely pink Chrysanthemums. You do not have to eat the Chrysanthemums, but it will be good to know that you could eat the rest of the cake safely with the flowers removed.

Number Cakes Are the Solution for Easy Birthday Cake Ideas!

All you need is a number cake pan, your favorite cake recipe, frosting, and edible toppers. You can find number cakes pans at most stores that sell kitchen supplies, or online on Amazon.

The great thing about Number Cakes is that they can be decorated in so many different ways! Number Cakes are incredibly popular, with a wide range of designs. They're also very simple to make, and there's no wrong way to make them! If you're searching for a fun and easy birthday cake, look no further than the Number Cake!

This cake recipe makes enough for a double-digit cake. Feel free to also make it into a letter cake or alphabet cake. If you only need to make one cake, simply put any extra cake batter into a 9x9 pan and bake on the side for later.

You can use fresh fruit including cut-up strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, and I also added fresh-cut flowers. You can also use cookies like small amoretti cookies, macarons, or coconut clusters.

Another idea is to use fondant to make small decorations, or you could use different piping tips to make buttercream flowers as well. The possibilities are endless! With a little bit of creativity, you can decorate number cakes in any way you like!

Frequently Asked Questions About Number Cakes

Can I Make This Cake Ahead of Time?

Yes! You can make this cake a day ahead, but wait to decorate it until just ready to serve. If using fruit, the fruits could leak juice which will streak and make a mess! The other toppings, whether they are small cookies or candies can also be affected over time if they sit in the buttercream for too long. Cookies..... Read More »