Flowerfetti Cake

By miss5elements

With this show stopping triple-layer dessert, swirls of white icing provide a blank canvas for an arresting cascade of vibrant edible petals. "The pansies taste a bit like spearmint, which works well with the batter's lemony flavor," says Bacher.
InStyle Magazine, May 2013

Ingredients

• Cake
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 3 c sugar
• 3 small lemons, zest & juice
• 4.5 c cake flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 3/4 t salt
• 1.5 c (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 9 eggs
• 1.5 c full-fat Greek yogurt
• Frosting & Decorations
• 3 8oz. packages cream cheese, softened
• 3 c confectioners' sugar, sifted, plus more to taste
• 6 T milk
• 3 t pure vanilla extract
• For decorating
• 1 c assorted flower petals

Details

Preparation time 100mins
Cooking time 150mins
Adapted from instyle.com

Preparation

Step 1

Cake
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line the bottoms of three 8" round cake pans w/ parchment paper; coat interior of pans w/ nonstick spray.
2. Blend sugar & lemon zest in a food processor for 30 seconds.
3. Sift flour, baking soda & salt together in a large bowl.
4. In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter & lemon sugar on medium speed for 5 min.
5. Beat in eggs one at a time. Reduce speed to low; add half the flour mixture, then mix in yogurt & lemon juice. Beat in remaining flour mixture.
6. Distribute batter among the pans; bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Let cakes cool in pans, then turn them out & flip upright. Cool at least 1 hour, then tightly cover each layer in plastic wrap; keep at room temperature until ready to frost.

Frosting & Decorations
1. Put cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, milk, & vanilla in the bowl of a mixer. Beat slowly at first, then increase speed to medium-high. Beat for 3-4 minutes until smooth.
2. Taste & beat in more confectioners' sugar, if desired. Be careful not to overbeat.
3. Prepare the cakes by using a long serrated knife to slowly saw off any uneven cake tops.
4. Place one layer cut-side down on a serving dish; frost the top with a flexible spatula. Top with another upside layer of cake & repeat the process once more. Then frost outside of cake.
5. Toss petals onto cake.