Vanilla Lavender Fluted Cake

Instructions

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1. - Bake the Cake: Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a fluted cake pan; set aside.
2. - In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. - In a separate large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add lavender and beat for 3 more minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, followed by the vanilla extract.
4. - Reduce speed to low and gradually add the yogurt, alternating with the flour mixture, mixing between additions until just incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl often.
5. - Spoon batter into the prepared fluted pan, spreading the batter so the sides are higher than the center. Bake in the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. - Cool in the pan on a wire cooling grid for 10 minutes. Invert onto the cooling grid. Remove from the pan and allow to cool completely before transferring to a serving platter (or the 2-in-1 Pedestal Cake Stand).
7. - Prepare Buttercream Frosting: Using an electric mixer fitted with beaters or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and shortening on a medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract and scrape down the bowl occasionally.
8. - Gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Start by mixing each cup on low speed then transition to beating well on medium speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each cup of sugar is added. When all the sugar has been mixed in, the frosting will appear dry and stiff.
9. - Gradually add small amounts of cream at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Continue to beat at a medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl once more and beat again to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated.
10. - Separate 1 cup of frosting into a small mixing bowl. Add a few more drops of cream at a time, mixing with a spatula, until it reaches a thick but spreadable consistency. Tint with Purple Gel Food Coloring to create a light pastel lavender color (about 1 drop). Set aside.
11. - Divide the remaining frosting into 6 portions in separate bowls. Leave one bowl the natural white buttercream color, then color the other 5 portions each with Red Gel Food Coloring (this should be a slightly bigger portion of frosting than the others; to make a dark pink color – 3-4 drops), Magenta Gel Food Coloring (to make a light pink color), Yellow Gel Food Coloring (this should be a slightly smaller portion of frosting than the others), Blue Gel Food Coloring (to make a pastel blue color – about 1 drop), and Green Gel Food Coloring (to create a light green color – 3-4 drops).
12. - Decorate the Cake: Using an Angled Icing Spatula, spread the LAVENDER frosting over the top cake and a little down the sides. Refrigerate the cake for a few minutes for the frosting to start setting before taking the next decorating steps.
13. - For the Tulips: These buttercream tulips are the biggest flowers on the cake, and the other flowers will be placed around them. You can make them directly on the cake, or using a flower nail and flower making squares as an option. Divide the DARK PINK frosting between two decorating bags, one fitted with a coupler (for using Tips #12 and #3), and another fitted with Tip #125. Pipe a small, flat mound of frosting where you want the center of your flower using Tip #12. Switch to Tip #3. Pipe one pull-out dot in center, then pipe six slightly shorter pull-out dots around center. Switch to bag with Tip #125. Hold bag with wide end of curved tip touching base and the narrow end tilted slightly inward. While squeezing, move your hand 1/3 around the stamens (or rotate your flower nail 1/3) to form a petal. Repeat with another petal, slightly overlapping the first, going around until you have two rows of petals. Repeat until you have six tulips spaced around the top of the cake.
14. - For the Mini Roses: Make mini buttercream rosettes placed on top of the lavender frosting. Fit a decorating bag with Tip #30 (Small Closed Star Tip) and fill with the LIGHT PINK frosting. Pipe a rosette on top of the cake by hold the bag straight up, with the tip just slightly above the surface, starting at the center of the rosette. Squeeze to form a star, then without releasing pressure, use a circular motion to pipe a tight circle around the starting point of your rosette until you reach the desired size flower. Repeat around the top of the cake until you have added your desired number of mini roses.
15. - For the Daisies: To make small daisies around the top of the cake, prepare one decorating bag with PLAIN WHITE frosting fitted with Tip #104 (Petal Tip), and a second bag with YELLOW frosting fitted with a coupler and Tip #5 (you will also use yellow for the next flower, which is why you will use a coupler). Hold the decorating bag with white frosting (and Tip #104) with the wide end lightly touching where you want the center of the flower. Squeeze briefly then pull tip. Repeat all the way around the flower (6-8 petals depending on size). For the flower center, add a center dot using the yellow frosting (and Tip #5). Repeat around the top of the cake until you have added your desired number of daisies.
16. - For the Forget-Me-Nots: Fill in the bigger remaining spaces of the top of the cake with small single flowers or clusters of a few small flowers. Fit a decorating bag with Tip #101 (Small Petal Tip) and fill with LIGHT BLUE frosting. Add Tip #2 to the bag of YELLOW frosting already fitted with the coupler. Hold decorating bag with blue frosting (and Tip #101) at a 45° angle at 3:00 (9:00 for lefthanded decorators) with the wide end lightly touching where you'd like the center of your flower; narrow end pointing out and angled slightly upward. Squeezing using consistent pressure, move the tip in a loop that ends back at the starting point of the petal. Relax pressure as you move back to the center, then repeat, rotating around until you have a total of five or six petals. Pipe a center dot using the yellow frosting (and Tip #2). Repeat around the top of the cake until you have added your desired number of flowers.
17. - For the Leaves: As final space fillers coming from the tulips and rosettes, fit a decorating bag with Tip #352 (Small Leaf Tip) and fill with GREEN frosting. From the outside edges of the tulips and rosettes, hold the bag at a slight upward angle from the surface of the cake. The two points of the tip must be vertical (so that it looks like an open beak). Squeeze hard to form the base of the leaf. As you squeeze, slowly pull the tip slightly upward (this will give the leaf a little lift). Relax pressure as you pull away to form a leaf point. Stop squeezing before pulling the tip away. Repeat until you have added your desired number of leaves.

How To

How to Pipe Buttercream Tulips

Make your cake and cupcakes bloom with beautiful buttercream tulips. Made by overlapping small petals, these buttercream flowers may look challenging, but they're really quite simple! Layer and mix icing colors to give your flowers a more realistic look or use varying shades of the same color to make flowers that really stand out!

How to Pipe A Rosette

Learn how to pipe beautiful rosettes, big and small, to add charming floral accents. Rosettes are a great way to create quick decorations. Different tips create different petal effects. Rosettes can be used to add a simple floral accent to a dessert, or cover a cake and cupcakes.

How to Pipe a Daisy

Try some fun color combinations: yellow petals with yellow or blue centers, violet or blue petals with yellow centers and peach petals with orange centers. Highlight centers with Wilton Cake Sparkles, or colored sugars.

How to Pipe Forget-Me-Not Flowers

As the name implies, Forget-Me-Nots will leave a lasting impression when used to decorate cakes or accent small treats, like petit fours or mini cupcakes. This flower is about half the size of a dime and grows naturally in shades of blue, pink and white, but you can pipe them in any color you'd like! Usually made using royal icing so they dry hard, these flowers are dainty, sweet and truly unforgettable!

How to Pipe Icing Leaves

Make a simple, versatile leaf to add realistic details to flowers. Leaf tips can also be used to make simple flowers, such as sunflowers.