Learn how to make a number cupcake cake so that you can impress all of your guests at the next birthday party you host! With this guide, you'll be able to create any number you need using your favorite kinds of cupcakes and frostings! It's so simple and fun to do that your entire family will want you to make number cakes for their birthdays!
Pull-Apart Number Cake Using Cupcakes
What's not to love about pull-apart cakes? They taste great, are simple to make, look amazing, and you don't have to deal with slicing and serving a cake!
After you give it a shot, you won't be able to believe that you ever dealt with making cakes any other way. Then, after you've mastered this super easy method, you can use it to make any shape, number, letter, or design you like!
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If you are celebrating a birthday or having another type of party, take a look at these tasty and easy party desserts to round out your treat table!
🥣 Materials Needed
You'll only need a few things to prepare your number cake, all of which you most likely already have on hand! If not, these materials are relatively inexpensive and can be found at any standard grocery store or supermarket.
- Cupcakes - Of course, the star of the show is the cupcakes! The exact amount that you'll need will vary based on what number you are making.
- Frosting - You'll also need some frosting! I recommend using some homemade buttercream frosting, but you could also use the store-bought variety if you prefer. Try to have more than one color (or flavor) available for decorations!
- Piping Bags & Tips - You could just use a knife to spread the frosting over the cupcakes, but the number would be pretty plain. To add some texture or decorations, you'll need to have some piping bags and tips.
- Cake Board or Platter - You'll need to have somewhere to set your cake in order to serve it! You could use a cake board, a large platter, or a serving tray. Just make sure it is large enough for your number cake.
- Decorations (optional) - This is where you can get super creative! Add sprinkles, fondant shapes, candles, or anything else you may like for some amazing decorations! You could also just make some nice designs with the frosting itself, so do whatever you feel comfortable with.
🍰 Cupcake & Frosting Recipes
You can use store-bought boxed cake mix if you like, or go ahead and use your favorite homemade recipes! Here are some delicious cupcake and frosting recipes for you to try out!
For more tasty ideas, check out my collection of homemade buttercream frosting recipes!
👩🍳 How To Make A Number Cake With Cupcakes
When you realize how easy it is to make a number cake, you're never going to bother with making a trip to an expensive bakery again!
- Bake the cupcakes. Use your favorite recipe or boxed cake mix to bake your cupcakes. Then, let them cool completely before you add any frosting or decorations.
- Plan. While the cupcakes are cooling, go ahead and plan the layout of your number cake. If you're a visual person, you can sketch it out on a piece of paper.
- Frost. Add a layer of frosting to all of your cupcakes separately, as if you were not making a pull-apart cake.
- Arrange the cupcakes. Place your cupcakes onto your board or serving tray in the shape of your desired number. Rearrange them, if needed, until you are happy with how they look (you want them all to be touching!)
- Frost again. Use a variety of piping tips, colors, and decorations to connect your cupcakes to one another and make them look amazing. The key is to make sure that your frosting overlaps so that it creates one large image rather than multiple small cupcakes.
- Decorate. Add any sprinkles, frosted flowers, or any other final decorations you may like.
- Serve. When ready to serve, all of your guests can just grab a cupcake! There's no need for a knife or any messy slicing.
Alternatively, if you would like a smoother look, you can arrange your cupcakes and then put a scoop of frosting onto each one. Then, use a knife or spatula to spread the frosting over the top of all of the cupcakes to make one even surface.
Table 1: Cupcakes Needed Per Each Number
| Number | Single Layer | Double Layer |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 12-14 cupcakes in a circular arrangement | 24-28 cupcakes in a circular arrangement |
| 1 | 5 cupcakes in a straight line | 10 cupcakes in a straight line |
| 2 | 12 cupcakes in a 2-shape arrangement | 24 cupcakes in a 2-shape arrangement |
| 3 | 10 cupcakes in a 3-shape arrangement | 20 cupcakes in a 3-shape arrangement |
| 4 | 8 cupcakes (5 cupcakes in a straight line for the vertical part, and 3 cupcakes for the horizontal part) | 16 cupcakes (10 cupcakes in a straight line for the vertical part, and 6 cupcakes for the horizontal part) |
| 5 | 10 cupcakes in a 5-shape arrangement | 20 cupcakes in a 5-shape arrangement |
| 6 | 12 cupcakes in a circular arrangement with an extra cupcake in the center | 24 cupcakes in a circular arrangement with an extra cupcake in the center |
| 7 | 7 cupcakes in a 7-shape arrangement | 14 cupcakes in a 7-shape arrangement |
| 8 | 14 cupcakes (two circles of 7 cupcakes each) | 28 cupcakes (two circles of 14 cupcakes each) |
| 9 | 10 cupcakes (similar to 6, but remove the center cupcake) | 20 cupcakes (similar to 12, but remove the center cupcake) |
Remember that you can adjust the spacing between the cupcakes based on your frosting and decorating plans. It's always a good idea to sketch out your design, or use plain cupcakes to make a mock design before starting to fully assembling the arrangement.
🎂 Other Pull-Apart Cake Ideas
Now that you understand how to make a pull-apart number cake, you can easily apply this same method to make tons of other cake designs using cupcakes! The possibilities are pretty much endless, so you can great as creative as you like!
Essentially, you can turn any design you like into a pull-apart cake! Search for some pictures on the internet if you need some ideas or inspiration.
🧁 Tips For Making A Number Cupcake Cake
- Bake your cupcakes in cupcake liners that will complement the overall design of your cake.
- If you've never piped frosting before, you can practice on a piece of parchment paper before you get started on the cake.
- Don't fret if your number cake isn't perfect. Part of the beauty and fun is that it's homemade!
>>>>See all of my recipes here<<<<
Now that you know how to make a numbered cake, which number are you going to make first? Leave a comment down below and let me know what you think!
🎈 More Birthday Sweets
- Chocolate Birthday Cake - A classic birthday cake that is fantastic for anyone who loves chocolate.
- Sprinkle Cookies - Vibrant sugar cookies that have been rolled in rainbow jimmies.
- Sugar Cookie Bars - Sweet and tender bars that are topped with homemade buttercream frosting.
- Rainbow Cake - A multi-tiered cake that features every color of the rainbow.
- Cherry Blossom Cookies - Beautiful cookies that are filled with maraschino cherries and topped with chocolate candy.
- Fudge Brownies - Traditional brownies that are rich, fudgy, and completely delicious.
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📖 Recipe Card
How To Make A Number Cupcake Cake: Birthday Cake Funfetti Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2¾ cups cake flour (spoon and leveled)
- 1½ cups sugar
- 4 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 2 large egg whites (at room temperature)
- ⅔ cup milk (at room temperature, use whole milk or half & half)
- ½ cup sour cream (use full fat)
- ½ cup butter (melted, or use shortening)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup rainbow funfetti sprinkles
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and place your cupcake liners into a standard-sized cupcake pan.
- Add all of the dry ingredients (2¾ cups cake flour, 1½ cups sugar, 4 teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt) to a large mixing bowl then whisk together.
- Make a well in the center of the mixed dry ingredients to add the wet ingredients into.
- Add all of the wet ingredients (2 large eggs, 2 large egg whites, ⅔ cup milk, ½ cup sour cream, ½ cup butter, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract). Mix until just combined, and then gently fold in the ½ cup rainbow funfetti sprinkles.
- Portion the batter into your prepared muffin pan, filling each cavity only ⅔ of the way full.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted and removed into the cupcakes with no batter on it.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before removing them from the pan. They need to cool completely before frosting them.
Notes
- If you don't have any cake flour on hand, you can easily make your own or check out these cake flour substitutes.
- Choose some fun and colorful cupcake liners to make them look extra festive!
- You'll only want to fill your cupcake pan about ⅔ of the way full so that the cupcakes can rise without overflowing from the pan.
- Let your cupcakes cool completely before you frost them. If they are even the slightest bit warm, the frosting could melt and become runny.
- You can use any of your favorite buttercream frosting flavors for these cupcakes! However, I recommend using this homemade Funfetti buttercream frosting for a fun and traditional look.
- To store: Your Funfetti cupcakes (without any frosting) can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Once frosted, the cupcakes will only last 2-4 days. If using dairy-based frosting (such as buttercream), keep them stored in the refrigerator.
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