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+ servings
featured airplane cake.

Airplane Cake Recipe

Course: Cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 711kcal
This fun birthday cake is decorated with airplanes, perfect for a festive themed-party!
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • Kitchen Scale (optional)
  • 2 8-inch Round Cake Pan
  • Hand Mixer
  • Piping Tip Set
  • Airplane Cake Toppers (click to buy)

Ingredients

For the Cake

  • 15.25 ounces white cake mix 432 grams (1 box)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour 140 grams
  • 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • cups buttermilk 341 grams, room temperature (see note)
  • 1 cup full-fat sour cream 227 grams, room temperature
  • 3 large eggs 150 grams, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 8 grams

For the Buttercream Frosting

  • 5 cups powdered sugar 600 grams
  • cups unsalted butter 340 grams, slightly melted (3 sticks)
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 12 grams
  • Blue gel food coloring

Instructions

For the Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray and line the inside bottom of each pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
    overhead view of ingredients for airplane cake.
  • In a medium bowl, stir the dry cake mix, flour, granulated sugar, and salt together. Set aside for now.
    15.25 ounces white cake mix, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    overhead view of dry ingredients for airplane cake in a glass bowl.
  • In a separate large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the buttermilk, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract together on high until well combined.
    1½ cups buttermilk, 1 cup full-fat sour cream, 3 large eggs, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • Beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients on high until smooth, about 1 minute.
    overhead view of airplane cake batter in a glass bowl.
  • Pour cake batter evenly between both prepared cake pans (about 749 grams per pan). Try to get the same amount in each pan so that the cake layers bake up to the same size.
    overhead view of airplane cake batter in cake pans.
  • Bake for 33-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
  • Remove cakes from oven and let cakes cool in pans for 15 minutes before removing cakes from pans. Place cake layers on a wire rack and allow cakes to cool to room temperature.
    overhead view of baked airplane cakes in cake pans.
  • Once cakes have cooled to room temperature, cover cakes completely in food-safe plastic wrap (wrap each layer separately) and refrigerate cake layers for two hours. Chilled cakes are easier to decorate since they don’t crumble as easily.
  • Once cakes have been removed from the fridge, use a large serrated knife to cut the dome tops off both cakes so they both have a flat top. You won’t need these dome tops so feel free to snack on those while you work on the rest of the cake.

For the Frosting

  • In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla extract on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. If the frosting is too thick to smooth onto the cake, beat in a tablespoon of heavy cream. If the frosting seems too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.
    5 cups powdered sugar, 1½ cups unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
    overhead view of frosting for airplane cake in a white bowl.

For Assembly

  • Place a thin layer of frosting (about 2 tablespoons) in the middle of a cake board or cake plate then place one cake (cut side facing up) on top of that frosting. This small amount of frosting helps to secure the cake to the cake plate so it doesn’t slide around during the decorating process.
    overhead view of a leveled layer of airplane cake on a cake stand.
  • Add a generous layer of frosting on top of that first cake layer then place the second cake layer (bottom facing up) on top of the first cake layer.
    overhead view of stacked airplane cake layers on a cake stand.
  • Frost a thin layer of frosting around the top and sides of cake. This first thin layer of frosting is meant as a base to help secure crumbs to the cake. This first layer of frosting should be thin so it’s okay if you can still see the cake through the frosting. To get the layers of frosting smooth, use a tool like a cake scraper to smooth the icing out.
    side view of crumb coated airplane cake on a white cake stand.
  • Place the lightly frosted cake in the freezer for 10 minutes so the frosting hardens up a bit before frosting the next layer.
  • Place about 2 cups of white frosting into an icing bag with a large round piping tip (like the Ateco 808). Color the remaining frosting in the bowl blue (for this blue I used Chefmaster Liqua-gel in the color Royal Blue).
    Blue gel food coloring
  • Remove cake from freezer and apply the second layer of frosting – this will be the blue frosting. Spread this layer as smoothly as you can using the cake scraper.
    side view of a frosted airplane cake on a white cake stand.
  • Pipe a few white dots randomly around the sides of the cake. Not too many as we still want the cake to mostly be blue. Use the cake scraper to smear those dots smoothly onto the cake. This will give a cloudy look to the frosting.
    side view of clouds dotted on a frosted airplane cake on a white cake stand.
  • Use the remaining white frosting to pipe frosting around the top of the cake including a few clouds on the top of the cake. Place the airplane cake toppers on those clouds.

Notes

  • Buttermilk: If you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own by measuring out 1½ cups of milk, removing 1½ tablespoons, and adding 1½ tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon juice. Stir well and let stand for 5 minutes before using.
  • You can use any flavor cake mix you like, such as yellow, chocolate, strawberry, funfetti, or red velvet!
  • You can use plain or Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream.
  • Measure the flour using the spoon-and-level method to prevent a dense, floury cake.
  • Do NOT use regular milk in place of buttermilk. The acid in the buttermilk is necessary to create a light, fluffy cake. 
  • Do NOT over-mix the batter, or else you will end up with a dense, rubbery cake!
  • Do NOT skip chilling the cakes or they may begin to crumble apart when you frost them.
Storage: Store airplane cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 711kcal | Carbohydrates: 106g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 404mg | Potassium: 124mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 83g | Vitamin A: 937IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 148mg | Iron: 1mg