Strawberry Pocky Cake

Ingredients:

Cake

• 220 g unsalted butter at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the pans
• 3.5 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting pans
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1.5 tsp of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 cups of sour milk or kefir
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Glaze

• 900 g powdered sugar (about 8 cups)
• 450 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 0.5 cups whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 tsp strawberry extract
• 4 packs of 70g strawberry-glazed Pocky sticks (Japanese sweets)
• Red gel food coloring
• Multicolored Confetti sprinkles for decoration
• Special equipmentcake stand

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C, generously grease and flour two 20cm round cake pans. Line the pans with parchment paper circles, then grease the parchment with butter.
2. Cake:
   
   Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and fine salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
   
   
   When measuring flour, spoon it into a dry measuring cup and remove any excess. Scooping flour directly from the bag with a measuring cup will compact it, resulting in dry baked goods.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale yellow and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the buttermilk and vanilla extract, mixing until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Gradually add the flour mixture and knead until smooth.
4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Bake the cakes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely, about 2 hours.
5. Glaze:
   
   Meanwhile, combine the powdered sugar, butter, milk, coarse salt, and strawberry extract, if using, in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 5 minutes.
6. Pour 1 cup of frosting into two separate bowls. Using red gel food coloring, tint one portion of the frosting the same color as the strawberry sticks. Color the second bowl of frosting slightly lighter than the first. Cover all three bowls tightly with plastic wrap, placing it directly on the frosting, and set aside until ready to use.
7. Assemble the cake:
   
   Using a serrated knife, cut each cake layer in half horizontally, leaving four layers of equal thickness. Place one cake layer on a cake stand and frost it with dark pink frosting. Top with another cake layer. Frost this layer with light pink frosting and top with a third cake layer. Frost with 1 cup white frosting and top with the final cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining white frosting.
8. Place the sticks vertically around the cake, side by side, touching, with the pink ends facing down. Sprinkle with confetti and serve.