Graduation Sheet Cake Buttercream (Printable)

Moist vanilla sheet cake adorned with creamy buttercream and delicate piped roses for special occasions.

# What You'll Need:

→ Sheet Cake

01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
04 - ½ teaspoon salt
05 - 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
06 - 2 cups granulated sugar
07 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
09 - 1¼ cups whole milk, room temperature

→ Buttercream

10 - 1½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
11 - 6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
12 - ¼ cup whole milk
13 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
14 - Gel food coloring in assorted colors for roses and leaves

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 12x18-inch sheet cake pan and line with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 3-4 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
05 - Alternately add flour mixture and milk to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until combined.
06 - Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
07 - Allow cake to cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
08 - Beat butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, then milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes.
09 - Divide buttercream into separate bowls. Tint portions with gel food coloring for roses in red, pink, and yellow, and green for leaves. Keep some white for base layer.
10 - Spread a thin layer of white buttercream over cooled cake to create a smooth base.
11 - Fit piping bags with petal tips for roses and leaf tips for foliage. Pipe roses and leaves across the cake, focusing on corners or creating a decorative border.
12 - Using a small round tip, pipe a congratulatory message or personalized graduation greeting on the cake.

# Chef’s Tips:

01 -
  • The cake stays impossibly moist for days, so you can actually bake it ahead without stress.
  • Those piped roses look like you hired a pastry chef, but nobody needs to know you practiced for twenty minutes.
  • One sheet cake feeds a crowd, making it the perfect centerpiece for any celebration.
02 -
  • If your roses aren't perfect on the first try, remember that piping is genuinely a skill that improves with practice, and slightly wobbly roses still look charming and homemade.
  • Gel coloring is non-negotiable here; liquid food coloring will water down your buttercream and your roses will look dull and lose their structure.
03 -
  • Always bring all your ingredients to room temperature before starting; this one step prevents half the texture problems people run into with cake baking.
  • If your frosting looks grainy after you add the powdered sugar, keep beating it; the heat from the mixer friction will smooth it out in another minute or two.
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