‘The Pioneer Woman’: Ree Drummond’s Easy Birthday Cake Kit Is Ready at a Moment’s Notice

Ree Drummond has the perfect go-to move for making a birthday cake well in advance for a friend or family member’s big day so it’s ready to assemble at a moment’s notice. The Pioneer Woman star makes a chocolate sheet cake that she freezes, along with icing and sprinkles, and when she needs to make a quick birthday cake, there’s just a bit of thawing, assembly, and decorating involved.

‘The Pioneer Woman’ star makes the components of a birthday cake to assemble later

During an episode of The Pioneer Woman, Drummond demonstrated how to make the components of her birthday cake kit so it’s always ready when you need it. The kit’s pieces couldn’t be easier with her simple sheet cake and buttercream frosting recipes.

Drummond made the cake first, melting butter with cocoa and boiling water in a saucepan. After the ingredients came to “a really gentle boil,” she removed the pan from the heat. In a bowl, she combined sugar, flour, and salt, then poured the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients and allowed the mixture to cool slightly.

In a measuring cup, the Food Network host combined buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and baking soda. She slowly poured the buttermilk mixture into the batter, stirring it constantly.

She baked the cake and whipped up the frosting

Drummond poured the batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan that she sprayed with baking spray. She baked the cake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20 minutes and, after removing the cake and allowing it to cool completely, she cut it into four equal rectangles. Drummond then carefully wrapped each cake piece in plastic wrap.

For the buttercream frosting recipe, Drummond combined powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat the ingredients on medium-low speed for three minutes, until fluffy. She put the frosting in a resealable bag, flattening it before sealing the bag.

Ree Drummond builds the freezer birthday cake when ready

Drummond then put together the “kit” — four cake layers, buttercream frosting, and sprinkles — and placed it all in the freezer. “You might as well have the whole kit intact and ready to go,” she explained. The recipe notes that the cakes and frosting can be frozen for up to a month.

When you’re ready to build the layer cake, remove the kit from the freezer and thaw the cakes and frosting for 2 to 3 hours before assembling. Drummond placed a cake layer on a cake stand, spread frosting over the top, and drizzled caramel and chocolate sauces over the frosting, then repeated the process two more times. She topped the cake with the last layer, frosted it, and decorated it with sprinkles.

“Birthday cake from scratch, in kit form,” Drummond said as she showed off the final decorated dessert.

The full recipe is available on the Food Network website.