Graduation Sheet Cake Buttercream (Printable)

Moist vanilla sheet cake layered with smooth buttercream and decorated with colorful piped roses.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Sheet Cake

01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
04 - ½ teaspoon salt
05 - 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
06 - 2 cups granulated sugar
07 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
09 - 1¼ cups whole milk, room temperature

→ Buttercream Frosting

10 - 1½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
11 - 6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
12 - ¼ cup whole milk
13 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
14 - Gel food coloring in assorted colors

# How To Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 12x18-inch sheet cake pan and line with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, approximately 3-4 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract until fully combined.
05 - Alternately add flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
06 - Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
07 - Beat butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, then milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes.
08 - Divide buttercream into separate bowls. Tint portions with gel food coloring for roses (red, pink, yellow) and leaves (green). Reserve white buttercream for base layer.
09 - Spread a thin layer of white buttercream over the cooled cake to create a smooth foundation.
10 - Fit piping bags with petal tips for roses and leaf tips for foliage. Pipe roses and leaves across the cake, emphasizing corners and borders.
11 - Using a small round piping tip, write a congratulatory message or graduation inscription on the cake.

# Top Suggestions:

01 -
  • It feeds a crowd without demanding you be a professional baker, which is honestly the dream.
  • The buttercream roses steal every compliment while the cake itself stays moist and tender enough to serve days later.
  • Decorating feels like play rather than work, especially when you realize imperfect piping is actually more memorable than picture-perfect.
02 -
  • Never skip the cooling step—even slightly warm cake will melt buttercream, making you want to throw the whole thing in the freezer and start over (I learned this the hard way).
  • Gel food coloring isn't just better for consistency; it also won't turn your buttercream slightly runny or change the flavor, which matters when you're serving 24 people.
03 -
  • Invest in a good offset spatula and a piping bag coupler—they make decorating feel less chaotic and give you more control than you'd expect.
  • If your buttercream feels too soft while piping, pop the filled piping bag in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm it up without melting it completely.
Go Back