I was inspired by the spring flowers for this cake recipe and post. That is why I chose to cover the entire cake in flowers! I made this cake in the middle of spring when all of the flowers in Denver were blooming and it really encompasses that time in the year when the snow is melting and everything is coming back to life.
I had a couple of colors in my baking pantry that I wanted to use up which is why the cake is only a couple of colors. If this is too bright for you, you can of course tone it down to more muted tones or pastels. I also really wanted to practice making buttercream roses and other flowers because I hadn’t in quite a long time and I was eager to try out those buttercream flowers again! They were much harder than I remember but it might have been because I was baking on a rather hot day in Denver and my kitchen was hovering around 90 F. Pro tip: turn on your air conditioner before you start decorating a cake. Lol. I get so wrapped up in my baking projects that I don’t know how to stop until I am completely done. Do you get tunnel vision as well when trying a new project? It is probably from working in a restaurant kitchen and constantly being in a rush to get everything done. Does anyone relate??
For this sunshine cake recipe, have on hand a variety of piping tips as well as piping bags, and couplers so you are able to switch out your piping tips easily. I know that it can be challenging to know how to pipe flowers and what you might want to pipe onto your cake so I included a whole list of different ways you can pipe a flower and what tip is used for creating each type of flower. If you guys would like me to create some close-up videos showing how I pipe flowers let me know in the comments! I will try to add it to my list of things I want to get on the blog in the next couple of months. 🙂
Again, this sunshine cake really isn’t that difficult once you have all of your flowers piped. I like to pre pipe all of my flowers onto little pieces of parchment paper and then place them into the freezer to firm up. It makes it super easy to finally build the cake and makes clean up easier as well. Do you have a favorite flower that you like to add to your flower cakes?? I personally am a rose girl. Once I can buy a house, I swear I am going to have the biggest rose garden the world has ever seen. Thankfully, roses do surprisingly well in Phoenix! I will leave any products that I think you might helpful below for this recipe. *Affiliate links are present in this post. Should you be interested in using one of my links on my site I may receive a small commission if you decide to make a purchase. As always, any support is always appreciated and goes directly towards supporting My Daily Knead.
Flower Cake
Equipment
- Cake boards
- Piping tips for flowers
- Piping bag
- Offset Spatula
Ingredients
White Cake:
- 9 oz. AP Flour
- 10 oz. Sugar
- 3 Egg Whites
- 1 1/2 Cup Milk, any kind
- 1 Tsp. Salt
- 4 Oz. Crisco or vegetable shortening
- 1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda
- 2 Tsp. Baking Powder
- 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients together and measure out before you begin. Sift flour and leaveners together into a bowl. Place your fat into a mixer and 3/4 of the sugar and start beating until fluffy. Simultaneously, whip your egg whites with remaining amount of sugar until you have medium peaks. After your fat is light and fluffy, start alternating your milk and flour until both are fully combined. Do not over mix. Fold your meringue in by hand and then finish with vanilla extract. Pour into two 6 " cake pans that are lined with parchment and lightly greased. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before storing. These cakes should keep for 2 months well wrapped in the freezer.
Please note: I will not include the buttercream I used for this recipe. If you want to grab that recipe, I will leave the link right here. Check out how to prep your cake pans like a pro!
Happy baking guys!
Lizzy
