Birthday Cake Macarons

These birthday cake macarons are the perfect delicate naturally gluten-free cookie for someone's special day! They're made with my classic vanilla macaron shells, paired with a light & creamy whipped cream cheese frosting, and of course topped with rainbow sprinkles! Want to know the secret to getting that classic birthday cake flavor without boxed birthday cake mix? It's the vanilla. Any cake, cookie, or frosting you had as a kid all have one thing in common: artificial vanilla extract. Add a generous dash of it to both the macaron shells and the frosting, and when you bite into one of these macarons, that nostalgic taste from childhood birthday treats will come right back to you!

For more macaron recipes, try Pistachio Macarons, Lemon Macarons, Coffee Macarons, and Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches.

Ingredient Notes

• White Vinegar: To ensure that your meringue remains stable, clean and wipe down all appliances with white vinegar.
• Powdered Sugar: You’ll need powdered sugar for both the macaron shells and the vanilla bean buttercream.
• Almond Flour: Be sure to use extra fine almond flour to get those super smooth shells!
• Egg Whites: You’ll need about 3 egg whites for the shells. Don’t worry about bringing them to room temperature because you’ll just heat them up over a double boiler to make a swiss meringue! Save the egg yolks to make these egg yolk chocolate chip cookies.
• Granulated Sugar: The sugar is going to be added to the egg whites when making the swiss meringue for the shells. It will only take a couple minutes for the sugar to dissolve into the egg whites, so whisk frequently and watch carefully! You will also need a ¼ cup for the frosting.
• Vanilla Extract: To give these macarons that classic cake batter flavor, add artificial vanilla extract!
• Heavy Cream: You'll need ½ cup of cold heavy cream for the whipped cream cheese frosting.
• Cream Cheese: Be sure to use full fat block cream cheese!
• Mascarpone: Adding mascarpone gives the whipped cream cheese frosting a light, yet unique taste that makes you want eat it by the spoonful.
• Sprinkles: Top each macaron shell with nonpareil rainbow sprinkles immediately after you pipe them onto the baking sheet!

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this birthday cake macaron recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

STEP 1: Make the batter. In a medium bowl, sift the powdered sugar and almond flour twice. Next, heat the egg whites and granulated sugar over a double boiler until the sugar has dissolved or until the temperature is about 120 degrees F.

Transfer the egg white mixture to a large bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until the meringue reaches soft peaks. At this point, you can add the vanilla. Continue whisking the meringue until stiff peaks form. A good way to test if it is ready is by turning the bowl upside down. If the meringue does not fall or move at all, then it is ready. Once the meringue is ready, start by folding in ⅓ of the dry ingredients. Mix carefully with a rubber spatula by scraping the sides of bowl, then through the middle of the mixture. Do this a few times until it is mostly combined.

Add the remainder of the dry ingredients, folding with the same gentle method. Once the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, begin gently spreading the mixture on the sides of the bowl to deflate it slightly. I find that this mixing method ensures that the shells do not bake up hollow. Continue scraping around the sides of the bowl and through the middle. The mixture is ready when you can draw several figure eights without breaking.

STEP 2: Pipe. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a small round pipping tip (I used Ateco 802). With the macaron template placed under the parchment paper on the baking tray, pipe at a perpendicular angle to fill in the circles. Carefully remove the template and tap the baking sheet on the counter a few times in order to release any air bubbles. It also helps to bang on the bottom of the baking sheet with your hand.

Immediately, top each with nonpareil rainbow sprinkles. Let the macarons rest for about 30-40 mintues, or until they are dry and no batter comes away when you touch them.

Toward the end of the resting time, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

STEP 3: Make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream, cream cheese, mascarpone, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whisk on low speed until fully combined, then turn up to medium high speed until thick (only about 30 seconds).

STEP 4: Bake. Bake the macarons for about 12 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet.

Expert Baking Tips

• After the batter has been piped and tray has been tapped on the counter, use a toothpick to pop the bubbles in the batter to ensure the shells bake up completely smooth.
• The flavor of macaron shells develop more by the second day, so I recommend making them the day before and chilling them overnight, then assemble the next day.
• If you have trouble peeling the macarons off of the parchment or silicone mat once they have cooled, pop them into the freezer for a few minutes and they should come off easily.

My 6 Essential Macaron Rules

1. Wipe down all bowls and appliances with white vinegar. This will ensure that everything is spotlessly clean and nothing will hinder the stability of the meringue. 
2. Beat the meringue until STIFF peaks form. The best way to test this is to turn the bowl upside down to make sure that the meringue is stable enough and does not move at all. 
3. SIFT SIFT SIFT! You need to sift the powdered sugar and almond flour twice to get those smooth macaron shells!
4. Mix the batter with a silicone spatula by circling around and straight through the middle. Once all of the dry ingredients are incorporated, deflate the macaron batter by spreading it against the sides of the bowl. This will ensure that the shells do not come out hollow.
5. Test the consistency of the batter frequently by drawing a figure eight with the silicone spatula. You should be able to draw a figure eight a few times in a row without the batter breaking. This is how you know the batter is ready to be piped onto a baking sheet. 
6. Allow the macarons to rest long enough before going into the oven. I would recommend 30-40 minutes of rest time before baking. As they rest, a skin forms on the surface, which is what forces the macarons to bake upwards and grow feet!

All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale. 

If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.

But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!

Happy baking! x