Buttercream Flower Cake

Instructions

Fluffy Vanilla Cake Layers:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Line and grease three 8-inch cake pans with parchment rounds.
2. Add 1 cup of unsalted butter and 3 cups of granulated sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on a high speed with a whisk attachment for a couple of minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula. The mixture will become lighter in color as air is whipped into it.
3. Add 1 cup egg whites and mix at a medium-high speed until the mixture looks fluffy and increases in volume.
4. In a large bowl whisk together 1 1/2 cups of cake flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, and 1 tsp salt.
5. Mix 1/2 of the dry ingredients into the butter /egg mixture on medium speed until incorporated.
6. Add 1 1/2 cups of sour cream, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix at a medium speed until combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
7. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients at a low speed.
8. Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. I like to use a digital kitchen scale to weigh my pans, to make sure my layers will be the same height.
9. Bake for 34-36 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Rotate pans halfway through to help them bake evenly.
10. Allow the pans to cool for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around the perimeter of the pan to separate the cake from the pan.
11. Place cake layers into the freezer for 45 minutes to accelerate the cooling process. Once the layers are fully cooled, carefully flip the pans and remove the layers from the pans.
12. Use a serrated knife to level the top of each cake layer, then set aside. If you make these in advance, wrap and freeze them at this point.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

1. While the cake layers bake and cool, make the buttercream frosting.
2. Beat 2 cups of unsalted butter on a medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes with a paddle attachment until the butter becomes lighter in color.
3. Mix in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp salt on a low speed.
4. Slowly add in 7 cups of powdered sugar. Halfway through, add 1/3 cup of heavy cream to make the frosting easier to mix.
5. If desired, add in a small squirt of pink gel food coloring to make the base frosting that will be used to fill and cover the cake a pale shade of pink. Beat on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. 
6. If the frosting is too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tbsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time). Cover the frosting with plastic wrap to prevent it from crusting and set aside.

Assembling This Buttercream Flower Cake:

1. If possible, chill your cake layers in the freezer for 20 minutes before assembling the cake. It makes them cold to the touch, which minimizes crumbing and makes them so much easier to frost and stack.
2. Spread about 1 Tbsp of frosting onto a greaseproof cake board or plate, then place your first cake layer on top of the frosting smear. This helps the layer stay in place as you assemble the cake.
3. Spread a thick, even layer of buttercream on top of the cake layer.
4. Repeat with the remaining cake layers and flip the top cake layer upside down (cut side down). This makes it easier to frost your cake!
5. Chill the cake in the fridge (30 minutes) or freezer (10 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch.
6. Add a thick, second layer of frosting around the cake, then use a large offset spatula and bench scraper to smooth the frosting. Place the cake in the fridge to chill while you pipe the buttercream flowers.

Making the Buttercream Flowers:

1. Divide the remaining buttercream into four bowls. Color one pink, one purple, one yellow, and one green. Now this is going to sound strange but mix a small spoonful of each color of frosting into each bowl. This helps the colors blend together better and have a more cohesive look. It sounds crazy but trust me it works!
2. Place each frosting in its own piping bag fit with a coupler. This will allow you to swap out your piping tips and make different flower designs with the same color. Seal the top of each bag with a rubber band and set aside.
3. Cut out about 40 small, 1.5-inch squares of parchment paper. Pipe a tiny dab of frosting on top of your flower nail and press a square of parchment paper on top of it. Use the petal tip to make swirl roses and the grass-shaped tip and the c-shaped tip to make chrysanthemums.
4. Pipe 5 large chrysanthemums and 10 small chrysanthemums with the c-shaped piping tip (Ateco 80), and 25 small swirl roses with the petal tip (Wilton 103) in a variety of colors. After piping each flower, carefully remove the parchment square from the flower nail and place it on a flat baking sheet or plate. Place the flowers in the freezer for about 5 minutes, or until they're firm to the touch.
5. Remove the cake from the fridge and pipe a ring of buttercream on top of the cake. Carefully peel the flowers off the parchment paper and place them in a ring around the top of the cake.
6. Fill in any gaps with green buttercream by making leaves with the leaf tip (Wilton 352) and little flower buds with the round tip (Ateco 5). Then enjoy!