Sunflower Cake

Sunflower Cake

Arguably the *best* time of the year...

Fall is my FAVORITE season! (Late summer when the weather starts to cool off is my second favorite, lol.) And I'm especially excited for it this year. With  fires ravaging the entire west coast as I write this, no one in the area can wait for less heat. I’m SO happy the weather’s finally going our way and starting to cool down! 

Sunflowers seem to show up everywhere in my area around this time. Obviously, including silk sunflowers in several of my favorite craft stores. I couldn’t resist the urge to put some on a cake! 😉

Easiest cake ever to decorate. Not even exaggerating. And especially for how little time and effort it took, I loved the way it turned out! Recipes below!

Why make this sunflower cake? 

  • Gorgeous cake idea for bridal showers, baby showers, Mother's Day, or even birthday parties
  • If you're feeling particularly adventurous, you could even add another tier and turn this cake into a Sunflower wedding cake! 
  • There are plenty of recipes showing how to pipe buttercream sunflowers - but I kept this one super simple with artificial flowers! No need for coloring frosting, special piping tips, practicing piping petals, or a sore cramped hand from piping! 
  • The rustic textured look to the frosting means anyone can easily make and decorate this cake! 

Quick decorating note if you have (a) really large sunflower(/s) - 

  • I saw this design online, and thought Erin (The Cake Blog contributor) did a great job. She decorated a cake with a large chocolate sunflower - and it doesn't look weird! Sometimes the size / shape of really large sunflowers make them hard to use to decorate. Placing it on top at an angle really shows off the sunflower and compliments the cake. 

FAQs - 

"Could I use real sunflowers instead of fake ones to decorate?" 

  • You absolutely can! 🙂 I had to do some google searching to find out, but sunflowers are 100% cake-safe. Not only are they non-toxic, most parts of the sunflower are edible! (Made sense once I remembered eating sunflower seeds, lol. Duh.) Only thing to be aware of is whether or not the sunflowers you choose have been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides. 

"Any tips for arranging the flowers on the cake?"

  • Trust your instincts! You can always follow the pattern in the photos / video. But sometimes I think it's a little more satisfying to do your own take on a design! 
  • Either way you come at it, there's a couple tips I always recommend for cakes with flowers. Start with the largest flowers first, then fill in around them with smaller flowers and leaves. 
  • I often start florals by picking a rough 'line' I want them to follow across or down the cake. The large flowers usually look the best to me spaced at the beginning and end of that line; sometimes some in the middle. 

(Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

Don't forget to pin this recipe for later! 

Sunflower Cake - pinterest pin

Sunflower Cake

Ready for fall - but not quite ready for Halloween? Artificial sunflowers make this Sunflower cake beautiful and easy to decorate!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time37 minutes
Decorating time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 17 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Easy Sunflower Cake, Fall cakes, Sunflower Cake
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 725kcal
Author: Sarah H

Equipment

Ingredients

Sunflower Cake Layers

  • 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter or 2 sticks room temperature
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
  • cup vegetable oil

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

  • 8 ounces cream cheese one package, softened
  • 1 cup butter two sticks, softened
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 2-4 Tablespoons milk
  • 1 Tablespoon clear vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter

Instructions

Cake layers

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare three 8-inch cake pans with baker’s floured cooking spray, or grease and line with parchment rounds.
  • Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined. Mix bits of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture becomes crumbly.
  • Pour in eggs and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix in the buttermilk on a low speed. Add in vanilla and oil, and mix at a low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
  • Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans (I find a kitchen scale helpful for this part). This guarantees your layers will bake to be the same height.
  • Bake for 34-37 minutes if using 8-inch pans (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans – it helps to run an offset spatula or knife around the perimeter of the pan first. Cool completely before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired.
  • Once the layers have fully cooled, they can be leveled and any caramelized bits can be trimmed from the sides / top of the cake using a serrated knife if desired. Be sure the layers are completely cooled or chilled before trimming. If you try to trim the layers while they’re still warm, they will crumble apart. While you’re waiting….make your frosting!

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

  • Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add vanilla and salt if needed and beat until well combined.

Assembly

  • Place a smear of frosting on your cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center your first cake layer in the center of the circle. Spread the layer with frosting. Repeat the process with your remaining cake layers.
  • Now you're ready to crumb-coat. If you're unfamiliar with crumb-coating, it's just what it sounds like – spreading a thin layer of frosting over the entire outside of the cake to keep crumbs out of your final layer. I usually do this with my large offset spatula.
  • Once your crumb coat has set (this takes about 5-10 minutes in the fridge), add your final layer of frosting and smooth. I like to use an offset spatula and bench scraper for this part – don’t stress about smoothing it too much; you’re going to texture it with a small offset spatula in a minute!

Decorating

  • Texturing the frosting is pretty straightforward – hold a small offset spatula against the side of the cake, and press gently while rotating the cake on the turntable. One tip – I did find that I got a much smoother and more even line with my spatula when I warmed it a bit with a lighter (or in hot water/dried with a paper towel) before each pass around the cake.
  • Once your cake is textured, place it into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to set the frosting.
  • Now you’re ready to decorate! Press your sunflowers into your frosting to decorate the cake – I ran mine in a bit of an irregular line from the side of the top of the cake to the base on the other side.
  • And you’re done! If you’re as proud of your cake as I was of mine, snap a few pictures before you cut in!

Video

Notes

Please note nutrition information is an estimate and may not be completely accurate. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice (1/16th cake) | Calories: 725kcal | Carbohydrates: 95g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 38g

Did you make this Sunflower Cake?

Let me know how it went - or find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo! You can also leave a comment or recipe rating at the bottom of the page! 

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Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

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