Rose Bouquet Cake

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 325ºF or 162ºC. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter and lightly coat with flour. Set aside. (Note: If you only have one cake pan, prepare as directed and just bake the cake layers in batches.)

In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a wire whisk until well combined, then sift through a mesh to break up large pieces.

In another large bowl, add butter and, using a hand mixer, cream butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar in small batches and beat until well combined. This takes about 1 minute. Add 1 eggs at a time and beat for 20–30 seconds after each addition. Add vanilla extract.

Add dry ingredients and milk into butter mixture in small batches, alternating between each one. Beat with mixer for just 20–30 seconds just until combined. Don’t over-beat for a long time because this makes your cake very dense.

Add Hershey’s syrup. Gently mix for 10 seconds. That’s it. Your batter is ready.

Split batter into equal halves. If you have two cake pans, pour batter into pans and put in oven at the same time. If you only have one pan, pour half the batter into the pan and bake, then wait for it to cool down and bake the remaining batter.

Bake at 325ºF for 25-30 minutes. Set your timer at 20 minutes, then check every 5 minutes until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

Carefully remove cake from oven and let it sit for 15 minutes. Invert cake onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely, about 3 hours. Keep refrigerated.

For the icing: We have two different frostings here. One is the slightly buttery peach-colored frosting which covers the entire cake. The other rose-colored icing is used for the icing decorations—roses and shells etc.

For the peach-colored vanilla buttercream frosting:
In a large bowl add butter and using a hand mixer, cream the butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add confectioners’ sugar in small batches and beat until well combined.This takes about a minute. Add the vanilla extract and milk. Then beat again until creamy.

If it is too creamy then add more sugar. If it is too thick add some milk. Adjust until the you get the right consistency.

Take a toothpick and take a little food coloring and spread it along the icing. Add coloring in little amounts until you get a nice peachy color.

How to layer the cake with the peachy buttercream frosting: After the cakes are cooled completely, it’s time to layer the cake. Place a tiny amount of frosting on the cake board. Place the first layer crumb side down so that the icing acts as a glue and your cake will not move.

Scoop a small amount of peachy vanilla buttercream onto the top layer and spread it gently. Be careful not to press it too hard. Apply the peach buttercream on the sides and top of the cake.

Take the icing scraper and take off excess coating until you get a smooth finish on the sides and top of the cake. This is how we crumb coat the cake. Place the cake in the refrigerator and let the icing set for about 30 minutes. Do not freeze.

After 30 minutes take the cake out and apply the same peachy buttercream again and spread it on all sides covering the entire cake. Take the icing scraper again and take off excess coating until you get a smooth finish on the sides and top of the cake. This is the base coating. Refrigerate for an hour until the frosting sets. Your cake is now ready to be decorated.

For the vanilla buttercream frosting (rose-colored):
In a large bowl add butter and using a hand mixer, cream the butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add confectioners’ sugar in small batches and beat until well combined.This takes about a minute. Add the vanilla extract and milk. Then beat again until creamy.

If it is too creamy then add more sugar. If it is too thick add some milk. Adjust until the you get the right consistency.

Take a fresh toothpick and just take a little food coloring and spread it along the icing. Add coloring in little amounts until you get a nice pink color.

Decorate your cake anyway you like. I used the following Wilton tips for decoration: Tip 1M for the roses; tip 32 for the shells on the border; tip 1 for the tiny dots; and Wilton sugar pearls for extra decoration around the roses.