I used to scroll past cakes with piped roses thinking, “I could never do that.” But when I tried it for my mom’s birthday, I was shocked — it was actually so easy and fun. You don’t need to be a pro decorator. Just a steady hand, a piping tip, and a little patience. And the final cake? Pure flower garden magic.

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• 2 ½ tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

• 1 ¾ cups sugar

• 4 large eggs

• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

• 1 cup milk

Shortcut: Use 1–2 boxes of vanilla or white cake mix!

For the Buttercream:

• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened

• 5 cups powdered sugar

• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

• 2–3 tbsp milk or cream

• Gel food coloring: dusty rose, pale pink, cream (optional green for leaves)

Tools:

• Piping bags

• Wilton 1M or 2D tip for rosettes

• Leaf tip (optional for greenery)

• Offset spatula or spoon

Step-by-Step Instructions (Floral + Fun!)

1. Bake the Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

2. Grease and line two 8-inch cake pans.

3. In one bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.

5. Add eggs one at a time, then mix in vanilla.

6. Slowly mix in dry ingredients and milk.

7. Pour into pans and bake 25–30 minutes.

8. Let cool completely before decorating.

 2. Make the Buttercream:

1. Beat butter until creamy.

2. Add powdered sugar gradually.

3. Mix in vanilla and milk until smooth and fluffy.

4. Tint most of the frosting a dusty rose pink (or mix pink with a tiny bit of brown).

5. Set aside a little plain or light pink for accents, and green if you want leaves.

 3. Frost and Decorate:

Smooth Base:

1. Stack and fill the cake layers with a thin layer of buttercream.

2. Apply a light coat of frosting all over the cake (crumb coat). Chill for 10 minutes.

3. Add a smooth final coat of dusty pink or white as your background.

Pipe the Roses:

1. Fill a piping bag with a Wilton 1M or 2D tip.

2. Pipe rosettes by swirling from the center outwards.

3. Cover the top of the cake, and optionally, the sides.

4. Mix in some mini rosettes and stars using a smaller tip or second bag for texture.

    

Optional Leaves:

1. Use a leaf tip and green frosting to add a few small leaves between flowers.

Want to skip piping? No problem—you can also buy ready-made buttercream roses or sugar leaves to place on top. Same pretty look, no extra effort!

Nutrition (Per Slice, Approximate):

Calories: 450
Protein: 3g
Carbs: 57g
Fat: 23g
Sugar: 48g
Fiber: 0.5g