Buttercream Minions Cake

Instructions

Banana Cake Layers

1. Make the banana cake layers first. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C and grease and line 4, 6-inch cake pans. Set aside. If you don't have 4 cake pans, the batter can sit at room temperature for a few hours. Bake as many layers at a time as you can.
2. Mash 3 large bananas with either a fork or a mixer and stir together with 2 tsp of lemon juice. This prevents the bananas from browning. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk 3 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt together. Set aside.
4. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to beat 1 cup of butter, 1 cup of granulated sugar, and 2/3 cup brown sugar together. Mix on a high speed for about 3 minutes. The mixture should get lighter in color as air is whipped into it. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl if you notice butter is collecting there.
5. Mix in 3 large eggs and 2 tsp of vanilla extract on a medium speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
6. Mix in half of the dry ingredients on a low speed until just combined.
7. Add in 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk and mix until incorporated, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients on a low speed. Be careful not to over-mix the batter once you've added in the flour. The batter will be on the thick side.
8. Mix in the mashed bananas on a medium speed until just combined.
9. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out (relatively) clean.
10. Remove the cake pans from the oven and set on a wire rack. Run an offset spatula around the edge of the pan to help release the cake layers from the pan. Let the cakes cool fully in the pan.
11. Once cooled, level three of the cake layers with a serrated knife and leave one unleveled. Place one of the cake tops in a bowl and set aside to make our minion's feet later (you can "taste test" the other two cake tops).

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1. As the cake layers bake and cool, make the vanilla buttercream frosting.
2. Beat 3 cups of butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment or hand mixer until smooth.
3. Add in 1 Tbsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp salt and mix on a low speed.
4. Gradually mix in 11 cups of powdered sugar on a low speed. Halfway through add in 1/3 cup of heavy cream to make the frosting easier to mix.
5. Mix on low until the desired consistency is reached. If the frosting seems too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tbsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time).
6. Wait to color the buttercream until the cake is crumb coated. Cover the frosting with plastic wrap to prevent crusting, then set aside.

Minions Cake Assembly

1. Stack and frost the cake layers on a 10-inch, grease-proof cardboard cake round or flat plate. Use a dab of frosting to help stick the first cake layer to the board. Place the first cake layer off-center. You'll need a bit of room to add on the minion's legs.
2. Spread a thick, even layer of buttercream between each cake layer with an offset spatula.
3. Repeat with the remaining cake layers, placing the unleveled cake layer on top.
4. Spread a thin coat of frosting around the cake and smooth using a bench scraper or acetate sheet.
5. Add a couple teaspoons of buttercream into the bowl with the cake top we set aside earlier. Stir the mixture with a fork until the it's fully combined and has a consistency similar to cake pops. It should be easy to handle and shape.
6. Shape two legs and feet and place them in front of the cake.
7. Chill the cake in the fridge (20 minutes) or freezer (10 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch. This makes it easier to get a perfect second coat of frosting.
8. While the cake chills, color the buttercream! It's going to sound crazy, but all the frosting can be colored in one bowl. We start with the lightest colors and work our way to the darkest, so it works out great!
9. Place 1/3 cup of uncolored buttercream into a small piping bag fit with a large round tip or cut opening about 1/2-inch wide and set aside.
10. Color 2/3 cup of buttercream bright blue with royal blue gel food coloring to make our minion's overalls. Place in a small piping bag fit with a flat piping tip (like an Ateco 48) and set aside.
11. Color 2 Tbsp of buttercream brown using warm brown gel food coloring to make our minion's irises. Place in a small piping bag fit with a round piping tip (like a Wilton 10) and set aside.
12. Color 1/3 cup of buttercream gray using a tiny drop of black gel food coloring to make our minion's glasses. Place in a small piping bag fit with a large round piping tip (like a Wilton 1A) and set aside.
13. Color 2/3 cup of buttercream black with black gel food coloring to make our minion's shoes, hands, and glasses. Place in a small piping bag fit with a coupler and round piping tip (like a Wilton 10) and set aside.
14. Color the remaining buttercream yellow with yellow gel food coloring. Place in a large piping bag fit with a large round piping tip or cut with an opening about 3/4 inch wide and set aside.
15. Cover the cake in a thick layer of yellow buttercream. Make sure you save a little bit to pipe our minion's arms later! Smooth using an offset spatula and acetate sheet.
16. Chill the cake until the yellow frosting is firm to the touch. Then it's time to sketch out our little minion. Use a circle cutter to outline where the lenses should go (I used a circle cutter that was about 2-inches wide) and use an offset spatula or butter knife to trace out where the glasses strap should go. Then trace out where you want the overalls to be.
17. And then it's onto the piping! Pipe on the overalls first. Use the smooth side of the piping tip to pipe blue frosting around the base of the cake and over the minion's legs.
18. Then add on the minion's arms next with yellow buttercream. Use black buttercream to pipe the minion's hands, overall buttons, and shoes. I also piped on a small smile with black buttercream using a very small round piping tip (Wilton 5).
19. The last step is to make our minion's glasses! Pipe the lenses with white buttercream, then outline them with grey buttercream. Use brown and black buttercream to make the irises and pupils. Then pipe black buttercream around the cake to look like the glasses strap. And voila! Several hours later, you have an adorable buttercream minion cake :)