Last year for Mother's Day, I made a wreath cake with easy pink rosettes for the flowers. It was my first attempt at a floral wreath cake, and since then I've still been longing to make a more complex wreath cake like the ones I've been seeing all over Instagram and Pinterest. So this year for Mother's Day, I decided to make another wreath cake, this time with more realistic piped roses.
The day before making the cake, I prepped by piping out my buttercream roses. For each rose, I took my flower nail, smeared a bit of frosting on it in order to attach a little square of waxed paper that I had cut ahead of time, and then used a piping bag fitted with a petal tip to pipe my rose petals one by one. (You can see this technique on the Wilton website to get a better idea.) Then I pulled the wax paper off of the flower nail, with the rose still on it, and placed it on a small tray which I then immediately placed in the freezer. Once all my roses were done, I placed them all inside an airtight plastic container, which went back into the freezer until the next day.
The next day I made the cake, using my favorite vanilla cake recipe (in my book, The Hello Kitty Baking Book). I only made half the recipe, which with give you two 6-inch round cakes. Once baked and cooled, I sliced each cake in half, giving me four layers of cake. Then I filled them with freshly whipped cream, sliced strawberries, and freshly grated lemon zest.
Next I covered the top and sides of the cake with more whipped cream, and used an offset spatula to smooth it out as best as I could. (I did this twice - first for the crumb coat, and second for the final coat.)
I let it chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes, and then I was ready to add the roses. I started by piping a ring of whipped cream on the top of the cake, for me to nestle my frozen buttercream roses. I placed them on one by one, as quickly as I could so that the roses wouldn't break or melt while I was handling them.
And then ... I breathed a sigh of relief. It was done!
I loved the way it turned out! From the color combination of the green leaves against the white flowers, to all-white roses on the all-white cake. It was the perfect floral cake for Mother's Day, and I think it would be great even for a small bridal shower or wedding!
Happy Mother's Day!
