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Perfect Cap and Diploma Decorated Sheet Cake Easy Homemade Buttercream Recipe

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A simple and reliable sheet cake decorated with homemade buttercream piping in the shape of graduation caps and diplomas, perfect for celebrations and especially graduations.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (230 g) unsalted butter, softened (for buttercream)
  • 4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2–4 tablespoons (30–60 ml) heavy cream
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract (for buttercream)
  • Pinch of salt (for buttercream)
  • Food coloring (black and gold gel colors recommended)
  • Mini fondant pieces or edible gold dust (optional)
  • Thin licorice or black piping gel (for diploma ribbons)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9×13-inch pan or line with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In a separate bowl, beat softened butter until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  4. Gradually add dry ingredients to the butter and eggs, alternating with buttermilk and vanilla extract. Start and end with dry ingredients. Mix just until combined.
  5. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Tap pan gently to release air bubbles.
  6. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
  7. Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. Beat softened butter for buttercream on medium speed until creamy (about 2 minutes). Gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add heavy cream to reach desired consistency.
  9. Divide buttercream and color portions with black and gold gel food coloring.
  10. Spread a smooth, even layer of plain buttercream over cooled cake using an offset spatula.
  11. Pipe small graduation caps with a star tip evenly across the cake.
  12. Use a round tip to pipe diploma shapes and add ribbons with licorice or piping gel.

Notes

[‘Use room temperature butter for smooth buttercream.’, ‘Sift powdered sugar to avoid gritty frosting.’, ‘Do not overmix cake batter to keep cake tender.’, ‘Practice piping on parchment paper before decorating.’, ‘Keep workspace cool to prevent buttercream from melting.’, ‘Prepare buttercream while cake bakes to save time.’, ‘Bring refrigerated cake to room temperature before serving for best texture.’]

Nutrition

Keywords: graduation cake, sheet cake, buttercream, homemade cake, easy cake recipe, celebration cake, decorated cake, piping decorations

Find it online: https://junomeals.com/perfect-cap-and-diploma-decorated-sheet-cake-easy-homemade-buttercream-recipe/