Name: Spring Flower Cake
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 225 min
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature; 1/2 cup vegetable oil; 2 cups granulated sugar; 6 large whole eggs; 2 large egg yolks; 3 cups cake flour (or 2 ¾ cups ap flour & ¼ cup cornstarch); 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 cup buttermilk; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 cups or 4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 7 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted; 3 Tablespoons heavy cream

Learn how to make this spring flower cake that is perfect when learning a new skill.

This spring flower cake is bright and beautiful and the best way to bring springtime inside your home.

This spring flower cake is made with fluffy vanilla cake layers and creamy vanilla buttercream. Then it’s decorated with bright colors, and delicate flowers are piped on the side of the cake.

I’ll show you how to layer the buttercream in between the cake layers with alternating colors.

The inspiration for this cake came from the bright colors of the new spring flowers and the trendy fault line cake. I made this cake tutorial very simple and easy to follow so that any home baker can succeed!

Tips for Success:

Read through all the ingredients and instructions so you can get a better idea of how much time and what you need to make this cake.
A single batch of this cake recipe makes three, 6-inch round cake layers or two 8-inch round cake layers. Double the cake recipe to make enough cake batter for three, 8-inch cake layers.
In this cake recipe, you need 1 cup buttermilk; if you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can easily use 1 cup whole milk mixed with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to make your own.
To make cake flour at home, mix 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour and ¼ cup cornstarch. Sift or whisk together to get rid of any lumps.
Be careful not to overmix this cake batter, or else the cake will come out dense. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
You can bake the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze up to one month.
You can make the buttercream a day ahead and refrigerate it overnight. Then take them out to come back to room temperature. Make sure the buttercream is at room temperature before re-whipping.
Serve at room temperature and enjoy!

What Tools You’ll Need to Make This Cake:

5-quart, Stand Mixer with mixing bowl & paddle attachment
3, 6-inch cake pans or 2, 8-inch cake pans
Offset spatula
8-inch or 10-inch white cake board
Serrated knife or cake leveler
Turntable
Cake scraper or bench scraper
Whisk or sifter
Rubber Spatula
Non-Stick Cooking Spray and Parchment Paper
Ice Cream Scooper with Trigger Release (for dividing cake batter evenly)
Deep Pink Gel Food Coloring
Georgia Peach Gel Food Coloring
Lemon Yellow Gel Food Coloring
Neon Green Gel Food Coloring
Piping Bags (I use reusable silicone bags)
Couplers & Piping Tips:
Edible white pearls
Cake Stand, optional

Here’s how to make this bright and bold spring flower cake!

Let’s Get Baking!

Made From Scratch Vanilla Cake

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk and stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on medium-high for 5 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time to the stand mixer bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated.
Turn the mixer on low and add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until fully incorporated.
Pour in the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Mix on medium for another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three cake pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely. Wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place them into the freezer to chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

How to Make Creamy Vanilla Buttercream

In the stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Turn the mixer to low and add the salt and vanilla.
Next, gradually add powdered sugar, followed by the cream. Mix on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Divide the buttercream into two parts 1/3, and 2/3 leave the larger part white and divide the 1/3 part into four small bowls. Color each bowl a different color with pink, peach/orange, yellow, or green gel food coloring.
Place each colored buttercream into a piping bag with a coupler and set aside for later.
Before using the white vanilla buttercream, turn the mixer on low and mix for 2 minutes to push out any air bubbles or use a rubber spatula to push out the air bubbles. (You may need to repeat this step when frosting the outside of the cake).

Putting It All Together

Remove the cake layers from the freezer and unwrap the cake layers. Next, use a serrated knife to cut off the dome of the cakes to make the layers flat and even.
Add a small amount of buttercream onto the center of the cake board. Layer one cake layer, cut side up onto the cake board. Pipe a ring of green buttercream in the center of the cake, followed by rings of yellow, peach/orange and pink buttercream on the outside. Use an offset spatula to smooth the buttercream layer.
Place another cake layer cut side down over the top. Repeat the process for another layer — Crumb coat with white buttercream and freeze for 30 minutes.
Add a thicker layer of white buttercream to the tops and sides of the cake except for a 2-inch section in the middle. Leave the 2-inch section unfrosted. Use an offset spatula and cake scraper to make the sides as smooth as possible.
Then pipe large pink rosettes in the 2-inch section on the side of the cake, followed by yellow and peach-colored stars or small rosettes.
Pipe leaves with green buttercream to fill in any spaces and add white pearls for the centers of the small flowers.
Serve cake at room temperature and enjoy!

Happy Spring!

Hey, if you liked this tutorial, you really should check out, Cake Decorating Creator Program, my online cake course. I coach you on everything I teach on these cake tutorials so that you can uplevel your baking and decorating skills. We 10x it so you get the results you want most. Like any new skill, it’s important to learn from the ground up to build a foundation, so take on any cake challenge. It is an investment your future self will thank you for. Check it out at XOKatieRosario.com/online-cake-course. I will see you there.

Watch The How-to Video Below:

Print Recipe

Spring Flower Cake

Soft vanilla cake layers with creamy vanilla buttercream. Decorated with colorful buttercream that resembles spring flowers. Makes 3(6-inch) layers or 2(8-inch) layers

Prep Time1 hr

Cook Time45 mins

Cooling/Decorating Time2 hrs

Total Time3 hrs 45 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Buttercream, Cake Decorating, Cake Recipe

Author: Katie

Ingredients

Vanilla Cake

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
6 large whole eggs
2 large egg yolks
3 cups
cake flour (or 2 ¾ cups ap flour & ¼ cup cornstarch)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Vanilla Buttercream

2 cups or 4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
7 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 Tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

Vanilla Cake

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk and stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on medium-high for 5 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time to the stand mixer bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated.
Turn the mixer on low and add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until fully incorporated.
Pour in the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Mix on medium for another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three cake pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely. Wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place them into the freezer to chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Vanilla Buttercream

In the stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Turn the mixer to low and add the salt and vanilla.
Next, gradually add powdered sugar, followed by the cream. Mix on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Divide the buttercream into two parts 1/3, and 2/3 leave the larger part white and divide the 1/3 part into four small bowls. Color each bowl a different color with pink, peach/orange, yellow, or green gel food coloring.
Place each colored buttercream into a piping bag with a coupler and set aside for later.
Before using the white vanilla buttercream, turn the mixer on low and mix for 2 minutes to push out any air bubbles or use a rubber spatula to push out the air bubbles. (You may need to repeat this step when frosting the outside of the cake).
Assemble
Remove the cake layers from the freezer and unwrap the cake layers. Next, use a serrated knife to cut off the dome of the cakes to make the layers flat and even.
Add a small amount of buttercream onto the center of the cake board. Layer one cake layer, cut side up onto the cake board. Pipe a ring of green buttercream in the center of the cake, followed by rings of yellow, peach/orange and pink buttercream on the outside. Use an offset spatula to smooth the buttercream layer.
Place another cake layer cut side down over the top. Repeat the process for another layer — Crumb coat with white buttercream and freeze for 30 minutes.
Add a thicker layer of white buttercream to the tops and sides of the cake except for a 2-inch section in the middle. Leave the 2-inch section unfrosted. Use an offset spatula and cake scraper to make the sides as smooth as possible.
Then pipe large pink rosettes in the 2-inch section on the side of the cake, followed by yellow and peach-colored stars or small rosettes.
Pipe leaves with green buttercream to fill in any spaces and add white pearls for the centers of the small flowers.
Serve cake at room temperature and enjoy!

Notes

Read through all the ingredients and instructions so you can get a better idea of how much time and what you need to make this cake.
A single batch of this cake recipe makes three, 6-inch round cake layers or two 8-inch round cake layers. Double the cake recipe to make enough cake batter for three, 8-inch cake layers.
In this cake recipe, you need 1 cup buttermilk; if you don't have any buttermilk on hand, you can easily use 1 cup whole milk mixed with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to make your own.
To make cake flour at home, mix 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour and ¼ cup cornstarch. Sift or whisk together to get rid of any lumps.
Be careful not to overmix this cake batter, or else the cake will come out dense. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
You can bake the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze up to one month.
You can make the buttercream a day ahead and refrigerate it overnight. Then take them out to come back to room temperature. Make sure the buttercream is at room temperature before re-whipping.
Serve at room temperature.