Simple Vanilla Sheet Cake (Printer Friendly)

Moist vanilla sheet cake with smooth buttercream and colorful piped flowers, ideal for festive occasions.

# What You Need:

→ Sheet Cake

01 - 2½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon salt
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
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 - 1½ cups unsalted butter, softened
10 - 6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
11 - ¼ cup whole milk
12 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
13 - Food coloring in pink, yellow, and green

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
03 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
05 - Add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
06 - Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
07 - Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
08 - Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
09 - Beat butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, alternating with milk, beating until smooth and fluffy. Mix in vanilla extract.
10 - Divide buttercream into bowls and tint portions with food coloring for flowers and leaves.
11 - Spread a generous layer of plain buttercream over the cooled cake.
12 - Fill piping bags fitted with flower and leaf tips with colored buttercream. Pipe flowers and leaves decoratively across the cake, focusing on corners and edges.
13 - Optionally pipe a cross or add First Communion text using a small round tip.

# Pro Advice:

01 -
  • The cake stays moist for days, so you can bake it ahead without stress.
  • Buttercream piping is easier than it looks, and the flowers hide happy little imperfections.
  • One pan means less cleanup while you focus on making those delicate decorations shine.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients are not a suggestion—cold eggs and milk won't incorporate properly and will leave you with a separated, uneven batter that bakes into a dense cake.
  • Don't skip sifting the powdered sugar; lumps will frustrate you when you try to pipe, and they'll show up as grittiness in bites.
  • Gel food coloring changes everything about frosting piping—it keeps the buttercream stiff and pipeable while liquid coloring thins it out into a frosting that collapses under the weight of detail work.
03 -
  • Invest in gel food coloring and a few basic piping tips (petal, leaf, round)—they're inexpensive and transform any cake from plain to Pinterest-worthy without requiring years of practice.
  • Chill the frosted cake for 15 minutes before adding piped decorations; the firm base helps delicate piped work stay clean and defined instead of sinking into warm frosting.
Go Back