Instructions

BUBBLE GUM CAKE

1. Adjust an oven rack to the center position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 3 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
2. In a 4 cup liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk, egg whites, extract, flavoring and sour cream.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment attached, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt on low speed until combined. Add butter one tablespoon at a time until the mixture forms pea-sized pieces, about 1 minute. Reserve ½ cup of the milk mixture and pour the remaining to the flour mixture and mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and add the reserved ½ cup milk mixture to the batter and mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Do not over mix. The batter may look curdled.  Give the batter a final stir by hand with a rubber spatula. Remove half of the batter and place in a bowl. Add the pink gel food coloring in one bowl to color the batter pink. Using spoons or ice cream scoops, add in one scoop of white batter to a cake pan, then one scoop of pink batter and then alternate until the batter has been divided between all 3 cake pans. With a wooden skewer or knife, slightly swirl the cake batter in a figure 8 pattern.
4. Gently tap cake pans on the counter to settle the batter and bake until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 30 to 35 minutes, switching and rotating pans halfway through baking.
5. Let cakes cool in their pans for 30 minutes on cooling racks. Then invert on cooling racks to cool completely.

BUBBLE GUM BUTTERCREAM

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment attached, beat the butter, shortening and extract and flavoring on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of water or milk and half of the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined.
3. Add the remaining powdered sugar and continue to mix on low speed for 3 minutes. Add more water or milk if needed to reach desired consistency. Use immediately of refrigerate in an airtight container.
   

ASSEMBLE

1. Place one cake layer on a cake board and place on a cake turntable. Spread about 2/3 cup buttercream over the top of the cake, spreading all the way to the edge in an even layer. Place the second cake layer on top and spread another 2/3 cup of buttercream on the top, spreading out to the edge in an even layer. Place the last cake layer on top (bottom side up) and apply a thin coat of buttercream over the top and sides of the cake, creating a crumb coat. Refrigerate the crumb coated cake for 30 minutes. Apply the final coating of buttercream over the chilled cake.
2. Place remaining buttercream in a piping bag fitted with Ateco piping tip #827. Pipe 8 swirls of buttercream around the top edge of the cake. Sprinkle white and pink sprinkles around the swirls. Place a pink gum ball on top of each swirl. Carefully transfer cake to a serving platter and serve.