Spring Birthday Cake Pastel (Print)

Tender vanilla cake with creamy buttercream and pastel floral decorations, perfect for festive gatherings.

# Components:

→ Cake

01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
05 - 2 cups granulated sugar
06 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
08 - 1 cup whole milk, room temperature

→ Buttercream

09 - 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
10 - 6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
11 - 1/4 cup whole milk
12 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
13 - Pinch of salt
14 - Gel food coloring in pink, yellow, lavender, green, and blue

→ Decoration

15 - Edible flower petals, optional
16 - Sprinkles, optional

# Method:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
03 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
05 - Alternately add the flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined without overmixing.
06 - Divide batter evenly among prepared pans and smooth the tops.
07 - Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
08 - Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
09 - In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt. Beat until fluffy and smooth, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
10 - Divide buttercream into separate bowls and tint each portion with desired pastel gel food coloring.
11 - Place one cake layer on a serving plate and spread a layer of buttercream on top. Repeat with remaining layers.
12 - Apply a thin crumb coat of buttercream over the entire cake and chill for 20 minutes.
13 - Decorate the cake with pastel buttercreams using piping bags fitted with various tips to create floral designs. Garnish with edible petals or sprinkles if desired.
14 - Chill for 15 to 20 minutes before serving to set the buttercream.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The vanilla cake stays impossibly tender and moist, which means you can actually make it a day ahead without it drying out.
  • Pastel buttercream is forgiving enough that you don't need professional piping skills to make something beautiful and Instagram-worthy.
  • It's the kind of cake that tastes homemade in the best way—genuine butter flavor and real vanilla, nothing artificial tasting.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients aren't just a suggestion—they're the difference between a silky batter and one that breaks and becomes grainy, and you'll taste it in the final cake.
  • Overmixing the batter after you add the flour is the quickest way to create a tough, dense cake, so stop mixing the second you don't see any streaks of flour.
  • Your buttercream will be too soft to pipe if it's warm, so chill it for at least 30 minutes before you fill your piping bags, or you'll be chasing melting frosting across your cake.
03 -
  • If you're nervous about piping, practice your designs on parchment paper first with a piping bag—it takes the pressure off and your hands will remember the movements when it matters.
  • Gel food coloring is your friend, but remember that colors deepen slightly as buttercream sits, so make your pastels just a shade lighter than you want the final result to be.
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