Garden Cake Recipe

I hope you have fun making this! 🙂

Ingredients

For the Cake Layers:

For the Buttercream Frosting (to coat the cake and as a base for decorations):

For the Fondant (to cover the cake and make decorations):

Ready-to-use white fondant: Approximately 3-5 pounds (depends on the size of the cake)
Gel food coloring: Various colors for tinting the fondant (green for the grass and leaves, blue for the pond, and multiple colors for the flowers)

Additional Decorative Elements:

Tools:

Specific Decorative Details:

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans.
Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Cream the butter: In a separate bowl, beat the butter until smooth, then gradually add the dry ingredients until well combined.
Add eggs and wet ingredients: Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract. Gradually add the milk until the mixture is smooth. Avoid overmixing.
Divide and bake: Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool: Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Beat the butter: In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy.
Add powdered sugar: Gradually mix in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well.
Add vanilla and cream: Beat in the vanilla extract and enough heavy cream or milk to achieve a smooth, spreadable consistency.

Level the cakes: Trim the tops of the cakes to make them level if necessary.
Layer and fill: Place one layer on a cake board and spread a layer of buttercream on top. Repeat with the remaining layers.
Crumb coat: Apply a thin layer of buttercream over the entire cake to seal in crumbs. Chill the cake for 30 minutes.
Final coat: Apply a final, thicker layer of buttercream, smoothing it out with a spatula or cake scraper.

Color the fondant: Tint your white fondant with gel food coloring to get the desired colors for the grass, pond, flowers, and other decorations.
Cover the cake: Roll out green fondant to a thickness of about 1/8 inch and cover the cake, smoothing the sides and trimming any excess.
Create the pond: Roll out blue fondant and cut into the shape of a pond. Attach it to the top of the cake using a bit of water or edible glue.
Add details: Use various fondant tools to create texture for the grass, wood, and stones. Attach these details to the cake.

Flowers and leaves: Use sugar paste or gum paste to form the various flowers and leaves. Allow them to dry slightly before coloring with luster dust and attaching them to the cake.
Fencing: Roll out a long strip of white fondant and cut into even pieces for the fence. Attach around the base of the cake using edible glue.
Final touches: Add any additional details like edible glitter, painted features, or extra buttercream piping to complete the garden scene.

Take your time: This cake requires patience, especially for the decorative elements.
Practice makes perfect: If you’re new to fondant work, practice the decorations before attempting the final cake.
Stay organized: Keep your work area clean and organize your decorations by color and type.
Have fun: Enjoy the process of creating this edible work of art!