Gay pride celebrations have come a long way since the first pride parade to commemorate the Stonewall riots—organized by “Mother of Pride” Brenda Howard— kicked off in N.Y.C. in June of 1970. These days, soirees toasting the LGBTQIA community light up cities around the world throughout the entire month of June, and queer folks and allies alike vie to be the season’s hostess with the mostess. Whether you are planning on being a guest this year or welcoming revelers into your rainbow-bedecked abode, these exquisite cake and cocktail pairings will make any gathering sweeter. Keavy Landreth and Allison Kave—the women behind Brooklyn’s amazingButter & Scotch bakery/bar—dreamed up the recipes below. Since 2016, they’ve been serving up their indulgent desserts beside themed cocktails named for famous women, selling merch emblazoned with their cheeky motto “Bitches Love Sprinkles,” and donating a portion of their proceeds to feminist orgs including Planned Parenthood, The Ali Forney Center, The Sex Workers Project, and The Sylvia Rivera Law Project. Activism has never been so delicious!
“BORN THIS WAY” BIRTHDAY CAKE
This super-moist vanilla cake with pink frosting and rainbow pride sprinkles was named the “Absolute Best Birthday Cake in N.Y.C.” by New Yorkmagazine! One bite and you’ll understand why. Makes one 9-inch, 3-layer cake.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. unsalted butter, cold
- 2 ¾ cups whole milk, at room temperature
- 2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 4 cups sugar, divided
- ¼ cup baking powder
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- egg whites from one dozen large eggs
- pink frosting
- rainbow sprinkles
Directions:
Chop the butter into small, pea-sized pieces and return to the refrigerator. Bring the milk to room temperature by zapping it in the microwave for 30 seconds, then add the vanilla and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, 2 ½ cups of sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low for 30 seconds. Add the cold butter to the flour mixture and bring the speed up to medium. Mix until the butter breaks down and the flour mixture is the texture of wet sand. Bring the mixer back down to low speed and add the milk mixture. Transfer mixture into a large bowl and set aside.
Fully clean and dry out the bowl of the mixer, swap out the paddle for the whisk attachment, and add the egg whites and remaining sugar to the bowl. Whisk on high until the mixture forms soft peaks of meringue. Gently fold the meringue into the flour and milk mixture until fully incorporated. Transfer the batter equally between three 9-inch cake pans, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees, rotating halfway through.
Make sure to wait at least ten minutes before removing the cakes from the pans. Once you’ve removed them, wait until the cakes are completely cool, then, using a serrated knife, trim the tops off the cakes to make them level and even, and frost in three layers. Decorate with rainbow sprinkles and frosting rosettes.
Once the cake is frosted, you’ll want to write something cool on top (like “Born This Way!”). For icing letters, add a few more drops of red food coloring to the ½ cup of frosting you set aside, and blend. Then fill a pastry bag with a small round tip with the dark pink frosting and spell out your message. It’s also fine to use writing icing tubes—you can find these in any grocery store.
PINK FROSTING
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 lb. cream cheese
- 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 lb. confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
Cream butter in the bowl of a stand mixer, making sure to stop the mixer every so often to wipe down the sides and bottom of the bowl.* It’s important to have all the butter nice and soft so you don’t get any clumps of cold butter when trying to pipe the frosting. Once the butter is creamed, add the cream cheese ½ cup at a time on medium speed. Once all of the cream cheese is incorporated, add the vanilla and food coloring. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and slowly add the confectioners’ sugar. Once all of the sugar is mixed in, crank the mixer up to high speed and beat it for 30 seconds. Set aside ½ cup of frosting for lettering.
*Pro tip: if the butter is a little too cold when starting this recipe, use a kitchen torch to warm the bottom of the bowl as it’s mixing and the butter will pull away from the sides on its own. Just be sure not to torch it too much or the butter will melt completely.
Pair it with:
“I WANT A DYKE FOR PRESIDENT”
Named after the first line of the 1992 poem “I want a president” by Zoe Leonard, this spicy, refreshing cocktail gets its heat from fresh ginger and hot honey syrup.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Copper Dog Scotch
- .75 oz lemon juice
- .5 oz Mike’s Hot Honey syrup
- 4 drops red food coloring
- .5 oz ginger syrup
- ginger beer
- Laphroaig Select single malt whiskey
Directions:
Shake Scotch, juice, and syrups, strain into ice-filled crystal collins glass, top with ginger beer and 2 spritzes of Laphroaig Select single malt whiskey. Garnish with candied ginger on long skewer.
L WORD LEMON LAVENDER CAKE
Pay tribute to the ’70s radical lesbian feminist group Lavender Menace with this floral-flavored confection. Makes one 9-inch, 3-layer cake.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. unsalted butter, cold
- 2 ¾ cups whole milk, at room temperature
- 2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 4 cups sugar, divided
- ¼ cup baking powder
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- egg whites from one dozen large eggs
- zest from 1 lemon
- lavender frosting
- silver sprinkles
Directions:
Chop the butter into small, pea-sized pieces and return to the refrigerator. Bring the milk to room temperature by zapping it in the microwave for 30 seconds, then add the vanilla and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, 2 ½ cups of the sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low for 30 seconds. Add the cold butter to the flour mixture and bring the speed up to medium. Mix until the butter breaks down and the flour mixture is the texture of wet sand. Bring the mixer back down to low speed and add the milk mixture. Transfer mixture into a large bowl and set aside.
Fully clean and dry out the bowl of the mixer, swap out the paddle for the whisk attachment, and add the egg whites and remaining sugar to the bowl. Whisk on high until the mixture forms soft peaks of meringue. Gently fold the meringue and lemon zest into the flour and milk mixture until fully incorporated.
Transfer the batter equally between three 9-inch cake pans, and bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees, rotating halfway through.
Make sure to wait at least 10 minutes before removing the cakes from the pans. Once you’ve removed them, wait until the cakes are completely cool, then, using a serrated knife, trim the tops off the cakes to make them level and even, and frost in three layers. Decorate with rainbow sprinkles and frosting rosettes.
Once the cake is frosted, you may want to write something cool on top (like “GAY”). For icing letters, add a few drops of red food coloring to the ½ cup of frosting you set aside, and blend. Then fill a pastry bag with a small round tip with the dark pink frosting and spell out your message. It’s also fine to use writing icing tubes—you can find these in any grocery store.
LAVENDER FROSTING
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 lb. cream cheese
- 2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. ground dried lavender
- 3 drops purple food coloring
- 2 lb. confectioners’ sugar
- a few drops of red food coloring (for icing)
Directions:
Cream butter in the bowl of a stand mixer, making sure to stop the mixer every so often to wipe down the sides and bottom of the bowl.* It’s important to have all the butter nice and soft so you don’t get any clumps of cold butter when trying to pipe the frosting. Once the butter is creamed, add the cream cheese one half-cup at a time on medium speed. Once all of the cream cheese is incorporated, add the vanilla. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and slowly add the confectioners sugar. Once all of the sugar is mixed into the butter and cream cheese mixture, set aside ½ cup of frosting for lettering, add lavender and food coloring to the bowl, and continue mixing until blended. Then crank the mixer up to high speed and beat it for 30 seconds.
Pair it with:
JANET MOCKTAIL
Named after author and trans-rights activist Janet Mock, this non-alcoholic punch is a fresh, fizzy delight.
Ingredients:
- 3 oz pomegranate juice
- 1 oz lemon juice
- .5 oz blueberry purée (buy pre-made or boil ½ pint of blueberries in 2 cups of water for 15 minutes until soft, then purée in a blender)
- 1 Tbsp. honey
Directions:
Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, strain over fresh ice in a collins glass, top with seltzer.
VA-VA-VOOM VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE
This vegan dark chocolate cake layered with rich dark chocolate frosting and bedecked with gold glitter “bling-kles” is glam enough to be an accessory and a snack. Makes one 9-inch, 3-layer cake.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. margarine, room temp
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 4 oz dark chocolate, melted
- 2 tbs vanilla extract
- 4 cups soy milk
- 4 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ cups cocoa powder
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- vegetable oil (for greasing the pans)
Directions:
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream margarine and sugars together till light and fluffy. In a liquid measuring cup mix together soy milk and apple cider vinegar and set aside. (This is supposed to curdle so don’t be shocked!) Add the melted chocolate and vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture. In a separate bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients. While mixer is running on low, slowly alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients to the butter and chocolate mixture. Mix till everything comes together and is smooth. Do not turn the mixer on high, as it could over beat the batter. Divide the batter into three oiled cake pans.
Bake at 350 degrees, rotating every 15 minutes. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until sides are pulling away from the pan.
Cool completely before removing from pans and frosting.
VEGAN CHOCOLATE FROSTING
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. margarine, room temp
- ½ lb. Crisco
- ½ lb. Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
- 2 lb confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- gold sprinkles
- a few drops of red food coloring (for icing)
Directions:
Cream margarine, Crisco, and Tofutti in the bowl of a stand mixer, making sure to stop the mixer every so often to wipe down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Once the fats are creamed, add the vanilla. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and slowly add the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder. Once all of the sugar is incorporated, set aside ½ cup of frosting for lettering. Add cocoa to remainder, and mix until blended. Then crank the mixer up to high speed and beat it for 30 seconds till fluffy.
Frost cake and coat the sides with gold sprinkles. Once the cake is frosted, you may want to write something cool on top (like “Smash the Patriarchy”). For icing letters, add a few drops of red food coloring to the ½ cup of frosting you set aside, and blend. Then fill a pastry bag with a small round tip with the dark pink frosting and spell out your message. It’s also cool to use writing icing tubes—you can find these in any grocery store.
Pair it with:
Q.E.D.
Named after Gertrude Stein’s first novel, this cocktail is smoky, dry, and surprisingly smooth.
Ingredients:
- .75 oz Banhez mezcal
- .75 oz Smith & Cross rum
- .75 oz Maurin dry vermouth
- .5oz Zucca
- 5 drops Bittermens Hopped Grapefruit Bitters
Directions:
Stir, strain over fresh ice in a crystal rocks glass. Garnish with orange twist and a pinch of maldon sea salt.
MAKE IT NICE: Perk up your pride party with these delightful decorations.
Rainbow Napkins, $4
Rainbow Unicorn Paper Straws, $3.99
Rainbow Confetti Hearts, $2.59
Rainbow Tassel Garland, $15.95
Mix-Or-Match Flags On A Stick, $2.50 each
Recipes by Keavy Landreth and Allison Kave
Photographed by Vanessa Rees
This article originally appeared in the May/June 2019 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!
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