Ivory frosting, deep pink blossoms and a butterfly outline turn a simple round cake into a little garden. The linked reference uses a lavish floral arrangement; this version recreates the mood with edible buttercream flowers. A strawberry cream layer adds a fruit note beneath the decorative piping.

An original Kumora recipe inspired by the linked cake design. The linked reference is decorating inspiration, not evidence of a kitchen-tested result from this recipe. The cover is identified in its caption.

A little preparation

Before you start

  • Digital kitchen scale
  • Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
  • Mixing bowls, silicone spatula and cooling rack
  • Offset spatula, cake board and turntable
  • Piping bags and parchment paper
  • Two 6-inch round cake pans
  • Small star tip, petal tip and fine round tip
  • Flower nail, parchment squares and food-safe butterfly stencil if desired
01

Prepare a strawberry filling that stays in place

Freeze-dried strawberry powder gives flavor without the water in fresh puree. Beat it into a small portion of the buttercream, then use that portion between the cake layers. A thin layer of thick strawberry jam adds extra fruit without making the cake slippery.

If the powder has seeds or coarse pieces, sift it before mixing. Keep the main outer frosting ivory so the pink flowers stand out.

02

Pipe the butterfly before adding flowers

Mark a small butterfly outline lightly on the chilled top using a toothpick or a food-safe stencil. Pipe the two upper wings, two lower wings and central body with a fine round tip. A simple outline is easier to read than a heavily filled shape.

Leave room for a short birthday message. If you are adding a candle or topper, test its position before placing flowers so the design does not become crowded.

03

Make a flower border in two shades

Reserve frosting in pale pink and deep pink, plus a very small amount of green. Pipe flowers on parchment squares and chill them until firm. Mix a few larger roses with smaller star-tip blossoms to vary the scale.

Place the largest flowers first around the upper rim, then fill some gaps with smaller blossoms and buttercream dots. Pipe small leaves where needed. The cake does not require fresh baby’s breath or unidentified decorative stems.

04

Finish the sides and plan transport

A cake comb can make horizontal ridges in the ivory coating. If you do not have one, hold the tip of a small spatula against the side as you rotate the turntable, moving upward in gentle steps.

Add a few matching flowers at the base and chill the cake until the frosting is firm. Transport it on a non-slip mat inside a level box, away from direct sun. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Keep this one

Strawberry floral butterfly birthday cake

Makes, at 1×
One 6-inch, two-layer cake; 8 slices
Prep
1 hr 35 min
Baking
30 min
Start to finish
About 4 hr 10 min

Allow about 2 hours for cooling, chilling the flowers and setting the assembled cake.

Original recipe draft · not yet kitchen-tested. Baking times are estimates; use the doneness checks in the method.

Batches

Ingredients

Cake

Buttercream

Filling

Decoration

Let’s make it

  1. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F conventional (155°C fan). Grease two 6-inch (15 cm) round cake pans, line their bases with parchment, and set them on the middle rack when baking. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.
  2. Beat the cake butter and sugar for 3–4 minutes until noticeably lighter. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions. Add the vanilla.
  3. On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions. Stop when the last streaks of flour disappear; do not keep beating.
  4. Divide evenly between the prepared pans and level. Bake for 25–32 minutes, checking toward the early end. The centers should spring back lightly and a skewer should emerge without wet batter. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn onto racks and cool completely.
  5. Beat the buttercream butter for 4 minutes. Add the sifted icing sugar in four additions on low speed. Add cream, vanilla and salt; beat until smooth, then mix on low for 2 minutes to reduce air pockets.
  6. Mix 160 g of the buttercream with the sifted strawberry powder. Reserve another 250 g plain buttercream for flowers, leaves and the butterfly.
  7. Level the cooled cake layers. Spread a little plain frosting over the bottom layer and pipe a dam at its edge. Add the jam inside the dam, followed by the strawberry buttercream. Place the second layer on top.
  8. Apply a thin crumb coat and chill for 20 minutes. Cover with ivory buttercream. Smooth the top and make shallow horizontal ridges on the sides with a comb or spatula. Chill again for 15 minutes.
  9. Tint the reserved frosting in two shades of pink and a little green, keeping some plain for dots. Pipe several flowers on parchment squares and chill or freeze until firm enough to handle.
  10. Mark and pipe a simple butterfly outline on the top with a fine round tip. Add a short message if desired. Attach the chilled flowers around the rim with fresh buttercream, then add small blossoms, leaves and dots.
  11. Add a few flowers at the base, keeping the design balanced. Refrigerate until stable and keep covered until serving.

Contains wheat, eggs and milk. The source photograph includes real floral elements; this version replaces them with edible buttercream. The exact flavor and frosting used by the source baker are not known.

From the notebook

The little details

  • Sift freeze-dried strawberry powder to prevent clogged piping tips.
  • Use buttercream dots instead of hard sugar pearls when serving young children.
  • Decorations in a reference photograph are not proof that every flower shown is edible.

Your questions, answered

Can I use fresh strawberry puree instead of powder?

Not as a direct substitution: puree adds water and can loosen the filling. Use the freeze-dried powder here or choose plain buttercream with a thin layer of thick jam.

How do I get a deep pink without soft frosting?

Use concentrated gel color and let the color develop for a while before adding more. Liquid coloring can make the buttercream too soft.

Can I leave the butterfly out?

Absolutely. Keep an open center for a name, age or candle and use the same floral border.

Make it your own. That’s the beautiful part.Find your next cake
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