Get inspired to make a pink & yellow spring cake that captures the season’s essence. Add a bird nest and cherry blossoms to accent your beautiful creation for your spring celebration.
A Pink & Yellow Spring Cake Inspired by Cherry Blossoms
Cherry blossoms are one of the most ubiquitous springtime symbols. Artists worldwide emulate their delicate pink, fragrant blooms, which remind us of nature’s spring renewal and splendor. Inspired by a plethora of these lovely trees in my neighborhood, I created a simple cake that captures their essence.
Designing the Pink & Yellow Spring Cake
This cake took its cue from the pink and yellow spring table I created using fresh Kwanzan cherry branches. I opted for a yellow buttercream frosting reminiscent of lemonade, perfectly contrasting the scattered pink blossoms across the surface. I piped delicate flowers using a star-shaped frosting tip to create the look of cherry blossoms that have gracefully fallen to the ground. This technique is easier than making realistic flowers but still adds texture and a charming character.
Creating the Nest for the Pink & Yellow Cake
A unique feature of this cake is the bird’s nest that I crafted from buttercream. Using a brown-tinted frosting, I piped the nest using a small round tip to create a rustic and natural look. The method involves piping a circular base to establish the size of the nest and then building the sides by piping circles. Vary the circles so they are a little uneven in places and aren’t perfect, making it appear as if a bird thoughtfully made it.
Adding Special Touches
To elevate the design further, I placed a cute Peeps chick nestled in the buttercream nest, surrounded by a few pink star-shaped flowers. It provides a sense of movement as if a gentle breeze is carrying the blossoms across the cake. I tied a thin pink ribbon around the chick to add a whimsical touch that brings the theme together. Alternatively, you might place colorful chocolate eggs in the nest.
Make Two-Layers or Two Separate Cakes
You can make this dessert as a two-layer cake or as two separate cakes with one layer (as shown in the photos). The advantage of a one-layer cake is that you don’t have lots of leftover cake if your gathering is small. The recipe makes two layers, so consider freezing the second layer without frosting and use it later.
However, for larger gatherings, this cake is simple enough to construct, so you can make two one-layer cakes and display them on pedestals as part of the table centerpiece.
Creating Your Pink & Yellow Spring Cake
As you embark on your baking creations this spring, let your surroundings inspire and guide you. Make a cake that celebrates the season’s rebirth, pausing to savor the fleeting moments of springtime beauty. Happy baking!
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Pink & Yellow Spring Lemon Cake
Equipment
- (2) 9-inch cake pans
- parchment rounds
- sifter
- 1 medium star tip
- 1 small round tip
- 2 piping bags or resealable plastic bags
- 2 baking strips (optional) (see Notes below)
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- ⅔ cup sour cream, room temperature
- ¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 egg whites, room temperature
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- (1) 15.25-ounce white cake mix (Duncan Hines used)
- shortening for coating pans
- confectioners' sugar for coating pans
Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 4-5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- gel food coloring: yellow, pink, and brown
- 1 Peeps yellow chick
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare (2) 9-inch cake pans by coating them with shortening and then dusting them with powdered sugar. Cut out round parchment circles and fit them into the bottom of each prepared pan. Set pans aside.
- Whisk the sour cream, buttermilk, vanilla, egg whites, and vegetable oil in a large mixing bowl.
- Sift the cake mix into the liquid mixture. Stir until combined and smooth, but don’t overmix.
- Place baking strips around the pans if using. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake at 325 degrees F for 25-27 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Buttercream
- Using a large mixing bowl and mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add the lemon juice, vanilla bean paste, salt, and cream. Beat well. Sift in the powdered sugar and beat until smooth, 3-5 minutes.
- If necessary, level domed cake layers with a knife by shaving off the peaks. Place one layer on a cake plate.
- Set aside a small amount of frosting (about 3-4 tablespoons) in a small bowl for the pink flowers.
- Add a drop of yellow food coloring to the frosting in the mixing bowl. Beat until the color mixes. Add more coloring if desired. This yellow buttercream will frost two layers. Use the leftover frosting to make the nest.
- Frost the bottom cake layer with the yellow frosting. Add the second layer and frost. Then, smooth the frosting with a spatula or smooth frosting comb.
- Add a few drops of brown food coloring to the leftover yellow frosting. Beat until the color mixes. Continue adding brown until you get the desired color. Cut the tip off a piping bag, insert the round tip, and add the brown frosting.
- Create the nest by piping a circle the size you want the finished nest to be. Use the Peeps chick to help you size it. Add a few more circles to establish the bottom of the nest. Then, build the sides by repeating circles on top of each other. Vary the circles and make them a little messy so the bird’s nest is a little more realistic.
- Add the chick to the nest. Place a thin pink ribbon around its neck if desired.
- Cut off the tip end of the second piping bag and add the star tip.
- Add 1/2 drop of pink food coloring to the white frosting you set aside earlier. Stir. If not pink enough, add a little more. Pink can be bright, so put a drop on a knife and then use a toothpick to pick up a little color to start the coloring. Add the pink frosting to a prepared piping bag with a star tip. Pipe stars randomly across the cake and add a few to the bird’s nest.