Name: Birthday Cake Macarons with Colorful Sprinkles and Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 10 h
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 105 g Sifted Super Fine Almond Flour; 105 g Sifted Confectioners Sugar; 100 g Egg Whites; 100 g White Sugar; 3 g (1 tsp) Egg White Powder (meringue powder, optional but highly recommended); 1 tsp Artificial Vanilla Extract; Nonpareils Rainbow Sprinkles; 1 cup (130 g) White or Yellow Boxed Cake Mix; 1 cup (227 g) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature; 3 cups (360 g) Confectioners Sugar; 2 tbsp (28 g) Heavy Cream; 1 tsp Artificial Vanilla Extract; Pink Food Colouring (as needed)

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Introduction

These Birthday Cake Macarons combine the delicate texture of classic French macarons with the fun, nostalgic flavors of birthday cake. Topped with rainbow sprinkles and filled with a rich cake-flavored buttercream, they’re perfect for celebrations or any special treat.

A close-up view of several macarons lined up side by side on a white marbled surface, each consisting of two smooth, pale pink shells with a slightly rough and airy texture on the inside. Between the shells is a thick layer of creamy white filling speckled with small, colorful confetti-like pieces in red, blue, orange, green, and yellow, evenly spread in the center. Scattered around the macarons on the white marbled surface are round confetti pieces in bright colors including orange, red, green, purple, and pink, adding a festive touch to the scene. photo taken with an iphone --ar 4:5 --v 7

Ingredients

105 g sifted super fine almond flour
105 g sifted confectioners sugar
100 g egg whites
100 g white sugar
3 g (1 tsp) egg white powder (optional but highly recommended)
1 tsp artificial vanilla
Nonpareils rainbow sprinkles
1 cup (130 g) white or yellow boxed cake mix
1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups (360 g) confectioners sugar
2 tbsp (28 g) heavy cream
1 tsp artificial vanilla
Pink food colouring

Instructions

Prepare dry ingredients: Sift almond flour until you have 105 g, discarding any large pieces. Sift the confectioners sugar as well. Whisk the almond flour and confectioners sugar together until well combined. Set aside.
Make the meringue: In a stand mixer bowl, combine egg whites, white sugar, and egg white powder. Place the bowl over simmering water (bain-marie), ensuring the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Whisk continuously while heating until the mixture reaches 140°F (60°C).
Whip meringue: Remove bowl from heat and attach to stand mixer with whip attachment. Beat on low until soft peaks form, then medium for medium peaks, and high until stiff peaks are achieved. Add vanilla and mix until just combined.
Macaronage: Sift the dry ingredients into the meringue using a sieve. Fold the dry ingredients gently into the meringue by scraping the bowl edges in a circle and cutting through the center (like the Greek letter phi, Φ). Be careful not to overmix. The batter is ready when it ribbons off the spatula smoothly and passes the figure 8 test without breaking.
Pipe and dry shells: Transfer batter to a piping bag with a medium round tip. Pipe small 1½” circles onto baking sheets lined with parchment or silicone mats. Tap sheets firmly to release air bubbles; pop any remaining bubbles gently with a toothpick. Sprinkle with rainbow nonpareils.
Form the skin: Let piped shells rest at room temperature until a skin forms, about 8 minutes to 1 hour. The shells are ready to bake when you can touch lightly without batter sticking.
Bake: Preheat oven to 300°F (275°F for convection). Bake shells for 15-20 minutes, checking at 15 minutes. They are done when tops are firm and do not wobble on their feet.
Cool and pair: Cool shells completely before removing from sheets. Match pairs of similar-sized shells for filling.
Prepare buttercream: Microwave cake mix in a microwave-safe bowl for about 1½ minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until it reaches 170°F. Let cool 10 minutes. Beat butter in stand mixer with whip attachment until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Gradually add cooled cake mix and confectioners sugar until smooth.
Finish buttercream: Add heavy cream, vanilla, and pink food colouring. Mix until fully combined. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
Assemble macarons: Pipe buttercream onto the flat side of one macaron shell of each pair. Top with the matching shell. Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to mature and meld together.

Tips & Variations

Use a stencil or macaron mat to pipe consistent circles for even baking.
Make sure to form the skin on the shells before baking to get perfect feet and avoid cracking.
If you don’t have egg white powder, fresh egg whites work but may affect stability slightly.
Customize food colouring for different birthday themes or create multi-colored shells by dividing the batter.
Allow assembled macarons to mature in the fridge overnight for the best texture and flavor.

Storage

Store baked macarons in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For best texture, bring to room temperature before serving. Assembled macarons with buttercream can also be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the fridge before enjoying.

How to Serve

The image shows a row of pastel pink macarons with a smooth, slightly rounded top shell and a ruffled bottom edge. Each macaron is made of two light pink cookie layers with a creamy white filling in between, speckled with small colorful confetti pieces in red, blue, yellow, green, and orange. The macarons are closely lined up on a white marbled surface scattered with flat, round confetti in bright colors like red, orange, green, purple, and pink, adding a festive touch. The focus is on the middle macarons, making the background and foreground softly blurred for a delicate, inviting look. Photo taken with an iphone --ar 4:5 --v 7

Serve this delicious recipe with your favorite sides.

FAQs

Can I make these macarons without a stand mixer?

While a stand mixer helps achieve the proper meringue texture more easily, you can whisk by hand using a balloon whisk. It will take longer and require more effort to reach stiff peaks but is possible.

Why do I need to let the macaron shells rest before baking?

Resting allows a thin skin to form on the surface, which helps create the characteristic feet during baking and prevents cracking or spreading.