Tiniest Birthday Cake

Prepare batter for Yellow Cake as directed; fill a 5-inch-round, 3-inch-deep buttered cake pan with 2 cups batter, and use the remaining batter to fill 64 cups of three 24-cup mini muffin tins lined with paper liners (1 tablespoon batter per cup). Bake until golden and a cake tester inserted in middle comes out clean, 10 to 11 minutes for the cupcakes and 45 to 50 minutes for the cake.

Using a serrated knife, trim top of cake level, then cut in half horizontally. Place 1 cake layer on a small cake stand or a cardboard round wrapped in parchment paper. Spread with 1/3 cup frosting. Top with remaining layer. Thinly coat top and sides with 1/4 cup frosting. Refrigerate 10 minutes. Remove from refrigerator, and frost with 1/2 cup frosting. Refrigerate 10 minutes. Frost mini cupcakes with remaining frosting (about 1 1/2 teaspoons frosting per cupcake).

Place 1 cup buttercream in a small bowl; tint buttercream pink. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a coupler and a small plain round tip (such as Ateco #5). Using a toothpick, make an outline of a garland on the side of the cake. Pipe buttercream over design, doubling back and forth over the line to create a crocheted effect. Ruffles along the bottom border of the cake can be made by switching to a ribbon tip (such as Ateco #44). Gently press rounded gumdrop halves into frosting at the top of each garland strand; reserve flat gumdrop halves for another use.