Spring Birthday Cake Pastel (Printable)

A tender vanilla cake layered and frosted with soft pastel floral buttercream, ideal for festive spring celebrations.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cake

01 - 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ 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 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
10 - 6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
11 - ¼ cup whole milk
12 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
13 - Pinch of salt
14 - Gel food coloring: pink, yellow, lavender, green, blue

→ Decoration

15 - Edible flower petals
16 - Sprinkles

# How-To:

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 3–4 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 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 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
08 - Let cakes cool in 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 3–4 minutes.
10 - Divide buttercream into separate bowls and tint each with desired pastel gel food coloring.
11 - Place one cake layer on serving plate, spread buttercream layer on top, and repeat with remaining layers.
12 - Apply thin crumb coat of buttercream over entire cake and chill for 20 minutes.
13 - Decorate cake with pastel buttercreams using piping bags fitted with various tips to create floral designs. Garnish with edible petals or sprinkles as desired.
14 - Chill for 15–20 minutes before serving to set buttercream.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The vanilla sponge is impossibly tender and moist, staying soft for days thanks to the milk in the batter.
  • Pastel buttercream piping looks professional but doesn't require expert skills—just patience and a steady hand.
  • This cake adapts beautifully to any color palette, so it works for birthdays, bridal showers, or spring garden parties.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients aren't optional—cold butter won't cream properly, and cold eggs won't emulsify with the mixture, resulting in a grainy, separated batter that bakes into a dense cake.
  • Overmixing the batter after adding the flour is the most common mistake that ruins this cake; once you can no longer see streaks of flour, stop mixing immediately.
  • Gel food coloring is essential for pastels because liquid coloring thins the buttercream and makes it impossible to pipe clean lines.
03 -
  • Chill the cake between the crumb coat and final decoration so the buttercream is firm and holds piped details sharply without sagging or smudging.
  • If you only have two cake pans, bake one layer first, cool it completely, then bake the second layer using the same pans—the whole process takes longer but delivers the same three-layer result.
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