Graduation Sheet Cake Buttercream (Printable)

Moist vanilla cake with buttercream and vibrant floral piped decorations 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

# Step-by-Step Guide:

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.
03 - In a large bowl, cream the 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.
05 - Alternately add flour mixture and milk to the creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
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 in the pan on a wire rack until completely cooled.
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 and leaves; reserve white frosting for base coat.
10 - Spread a thin layer of white buttercream over the cooled cake for a smooth foundation.
11 - Fit piping bags with petal tips for roses and leaf tips for leaves. Pipe roses and leaves across the cake surface, focusing on corners or border design.
12 - Using a small round piping tip, inscribe a graduation message or congratulatory text on the cake.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The vanilla cake stays impossibly moist for days, which means you can actually bake it ahead without stress.
  • Buttercream roses look like you spent hours learning cake decorating, but you'll nail them after the second attempt.
  • Feeds a crowd beautifully—24 servings means you're covered for any gathering without feeling like you're making ten cakes.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients aren't a suggestion—they actually prevent your batter from splitting and create a finer crumb structure than cold ingredients would.
  • Gel food coloring stays vibrant and won't make your buttercream grainy like liquid coloring does, which is the difference between roses that look painted and roses that look muddy.
  • Don't skip cooling the cake completely before frosting; warm cake melts the buttercream and your roses will slide right off.
03 -
  • If your buttercream looks greasy after adding powdered sugar, it probably got too warm—pop the bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes, then beat again and it'll come back silky.
  • Practice your rose piping on parchment paper first, then you can chill those practice roses and reuse the buttercream if they're not perfect.
Go back