Hydrangea Cake

A beautifully decorated cake sits on a white pedestal. The cake is adorned with numerous light purple and lavender floral decorations, giving it a charming and elegant appearance. A purple flower lies next to the pedestal on a white surface.

I love hydrangea flowers, so combining them into a beautiful cake would be nice. This hydrangea cake is simple to create but looks like it came from a fancy pastry shop. There is no need to pipe buttercream, as this recipe uses fondant and a hydrangea cutout for the blossoms. This stunning flower cake is perfect for birthdays, showers, weddings, and more!

Course Dessert, Desserts

Cuisine American

Keyword Cake, Cake Recipe, Cakes, hydrangea cake

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 632kcal

Author Janine Waite

Equipment

3 6-inch cake pans or 2 8-inch cake pans
hydrangea cookie cutouts

Ingredients

Cake Batter

2¼ cups cake flour
1½ cups granulated sugar
3½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ cup shortening
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting

1½ cups butter room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar
⅓ tsp salt
1½ tbsp vanilla extract
⅓ cup cream

Hydrangea Flowers

1 lb white fondant
food coloring
edible pearl balls

Instructions

Cake

Heat oven to 350°
Grease and flour three (6-inch) pans.
Blend flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add shortening, ⅔ cup of milk, and vanilla extract.
Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.
Add milk and egg whites. Beat 2 more minutes, scraping the bowl frequently.
Pour into prepared pans.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool, and then remove from pan and set on drying racks.

Frosting

Beat soften butter with paddle in a kitchen aid mixer.
Pause mixing and add the powdered sugar. On slow speed, mix the frosting slowly.
Once the ingredients are incorporated, increase speed and mix thoroughly. Add vanilla extract and salt, and add half the milk.
If the frosting is runny, add more powdered sugar. If it's too stiff, slowly add cream.
Place one layer on a cake stand or plate. Top with frosting and spread evenly. Next, add the second cake layer and spread frosting on it. Place the final cake layer and frost the whole cake.

Hydrangea Flowers

Divide up fondant into bowls. Dye each group of fondants with food coloring.
Roll out fondant. You want it thin but not too thin that the flower falls apart when you cut it out.
Cut out flowers. Gently bend petals inward so they look natural and aren't flat.
Add pearl ball candy to the middle of each flower.
Place your hydrangea flowers on parchment paper and allow them to dry and harden a bit.

Decorating Cake

Once your cake is frosted and ready to decorate, start by placing the light-colored flowers on top. Gradually introduce the next darkest color, creating a bit of an ombre effect. The bottom of the cake should be primarily dark purple hydrangea blossoms.

Nutrition