How to Make a Flower Cake with Buttercream
Discover how to make a Flower Cake with buttercream with this simple tutorial! Create stunning buttercream flowers on a cake for any occasion.
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Stand Mixer
- 9x13-inch Baking Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Spatula
- Piping Bags
- Ateco Tip #846
- Ateco Tip #864
- Ateco Tip #32
- Ateco Tip #104
- Ateco Tip #18
- Ateco Tip #68
Ingredients
Batter
- 680 grams cake flour
- 454 grams cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 226 grams canola oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 lemon (zest)
Frosting
- 340 grams salted butter softened
- 680 grams powdered sugar sifted
- ½ lemon (juce)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 to 3 tablespoons milk
Decorating Ingredients
- Strawberry powder
- India Tree Nature’s Colors Orange Dye
- Wild blueberry powder
- Raspberry powder
- Blue spirulina
- Suncore Foods Green Dye
- India Tree Nature’s Colors Nonpareils
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cake flour, baking powder, salt, and cane sugar and mix together for a few rotations to combine the dry ingredients.
- Add the zest of 1 lemon, canola oil, eggs, and milk. Mix on low until combined into a smooth cake batter.
- Transfer to the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the pan.
Make the Frosting
- To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
- Mix on low until combined, add the milk in as needed and continue to mix until you have a smooth buttercream. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl party way through to ensure you have a uniform and smooth frosting.
- Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of frosting into a small bowl. Then divide the remaining frosting into 5 bowls.
- Add a 1 to 2 teaspoons of strawberry powder into one of the bowls. Add a little water to help mix in the powder and stir to combine until you get the desired pink color. Transfer to a piping bag with Ateco tip #846.
- Add a few drops of the orange dye into another bowl and stir to combine. Add food coloring until you get desired color. Transfer to a piping bag with Ateco tip #864.
- Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of wild blueberry powder to another bowl with a little water and stir to combine until you get the desired color. Transfer to a piping bag with Ateco tip #32.
- Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of blue spirulina to another bowl with a few drops of water and stir to combine until you have desired color. Transfer to a piping bag with Ateco tip #104.
- Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of raspberry powder to another bowl with a few drops of water and stir to combine until you have the desired color. Transfer to a piping bag with Ateco tip #18.
- Add a little bit of matcha powder and a few drops of water into the last small bowl with the least amount of frosting and mix together. Transfer to a piping bag with Ateco tip #68.
Decorate the Cake
- Remove the cake from the baking pan and place on a serving platter.
- Begin by piping the light pink frosting with Ateco tip #846 first as these are the largest roses. Start anywhere on the cake you like. Hold the piping bag straight up and apply good pressure, pipe a spiral, starting in the middle and working your way out until you get the desired size rose you like. Continue to do this in different spots around the cake.
- Next, use the orange frosting with Ateco tip #864 and repeat the same movement by piping a spiral, starting in the middle and spiraling your way outwards until you get the desired rose size. Space them out on the cake however you like.
- Using the raspberry powder frosting with Atecto tip #18, pipe small dollops of frosting in a circle and fill in the center with one dollop. This technique is making a hydrangea flower! Continue to do this around the cake.
- Next, using the blue spirulina frosting with Ateco tip #104, hold the piping bag with the larger part of the tip pointed towards the cake and the smaller side pointed towards the ceiling. Pipe upside down “U”s in a circle motion to create the petals of a wildflower. I add a small amount of the nonpareils into the middle where all the petals connect for the center of the flower.
- Using the wild blueberry frosting with Ateco tip #32 repeat the same spiral you did with the pink and orange, starting in the middle and working your way out. Continue around the cake with these smaller rosettes.
- Once you have some of the flowers where you like them, then it’s just time to go back and forth with all the colors and flower styles and fill in the cake!
- Once the cake is completely covered in flowers, then it’s time to add in the leaves with the green. To pipe the leaves, just ensure to use a good amount of pressure and pipe a small little wave movement anywhere you want a leaf to be. Continue to do this around the cake, adding leaves on the sides of flowers.
- Cut the cake into 12 slices. Store extra cake in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Video
Notes
Tips
- Always use a digital food scale for the best results.
- I use my stand mixer to make the batter as it’s a big cake. But if you prefer to use a hand mixer you can do that as well, just be sure you have a large mixing bowl.
- You can also use a hand mixer for the buttercream frosting if you prefer. If you do this, I suggest adding in butter first and then powdered sugar slowly, this will ensure nothing goes flying!
- You can apply this buttercream flowers technique to any cake that you like. I use this technique on the Vegan Lemon Chamomile Tea Cake and Strawberry Almond Cake. You can also use it on any other sheet cake like Eggless Coconut Sheet Cake or Vanilla Buttermilk Sheet Cake with Vanilla Frosting.
- Feel free to use different colors for the flowers, depending on your preference.
- Make sure to store extra cake slices in an airtight container so they stay fresh.
- Gluten Free: Replace the all purpose flour with a gluten free flour blend. I tested this recipe using the Namaste Organic Perfect Flour Blend, which is what I recommend using.
- High Altitude — Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Nutrition
Calories: 976kcalCarbohydrates: 137gProtein: 10gFat: 45gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 118mgSodium: 478mgPotassium: 119mgFiber: 1gSugar: 95gVitamin A: 823IUCalcium: 90mgIron: 1mg
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