Graduation sheet cake buttercream roses (Printable)

Moist vanilla sheet cake topped with creamy buttercream roses for a festive celebration centerpiece.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Sheet Cake

01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2.5 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 0.5 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 - 1.25 cups whole milk, room temperature

→ Buttercream

10 - 1.5 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
11 - 6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
12 - 0.25 cup whole milk
13 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
14 - Gel food coloring in assorted colors for roses and leaves

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 12x18-inch sheet cake pan 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 butter and sugar together 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 until fully combined.
05 - Alternately add flour mixture and milk to the creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
06 - Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
07 - Cool cake completely in the pan on a wire rack before frosting.
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. Reserve white buttercream for the base layer.
10 - Spread a thin layer of white buttercream over the cooled cake to create a smooth base for decoration.
11 - Fit piping bags with petal tips for roses and leaf tips for foliage. Pipe roses and leaves across the cake, concentrating on corners or creating a border design.
12 - Using a small round piping tip, add a congratulatory message or personalized graduation inscription to the cake.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It feeds a crowd without requiring you to master complicated techniques, just confidence and a steady hand.
  • The buttercream roses look restaurant-quality but forgiving enough that imperfect blooms somehow become charming.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients are the secret to this cake's tender crumb and fluffy texture; even one cold egg or cold milk will change how smoothly everything incorporates.
  • Overmixing the batter after combining wet and dry ingredients is the #1 cake killer—stop as soon as you don't see streaks of flour.
03 -
  • Chill your piping bags and tips in the freezer for 15 minutes before filling them; cold buttercream holds its shape better and pipes cleaner lines.
  • If your buttercream gets too soft while decorating, refrigerate the cake for 20 minutes to firm everything up and make piping easier again.
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