Spring Floral Drip Cake (Printable)

Layered cake with lemon frosting, vanilla sponge, white chocolate drip, and edible flowers for a spring celebration.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vanilla Sponge

01 - 2½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2½ tsp baking powder
03 - ½ tsp salt
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1¾ cups granulated sugar
06 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 1 tbsp vanilla extract
08 - 1 cup whole milk, room temperature

→ Lemon Frosting

09 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
10 - 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
11 - 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
12 - 2 tsp lemon zest
13 - 2-3 tbsp whole milk

→ White Chocolate Drip

14 - 1 cup white chocolate chips or finely chopped white chocolate
15 - ⅓ cup heavy cream
16 - Gel food coloring, optional for pastel shades

→ Decoration

17 - Edible flowers such as violets, pansies, or rose petals, pesticide-free and food-safe
18 - Sprinkles, optional
19 - Lemon zest, optional

# How To:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 3-4 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
05 - Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
06 - Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
07 - Beat softened butter until creamy. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Mix in lemon juice, lemon zest, and enough milk to achieve spreadable consistency.
08 - Level cooled cakes if necessary. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread a generous layer of lemon frosting on top. Repeat with remaining layers, then frost the top and sides smoothly.
09 - Heat heavy cream until just simmering without boiling. Pour over white chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Let sit 2 minutes, then stir until smooth. Tint with gel food coloring if desired. Cool until slightly thickened but still pourable.
10 - Using a spoon or squeeze bottle, gently drip white chocolate ganache around the edge of the cake, letting it run down the sides. Pour remaining ganache on top and spread gently.
11 - Decorate the top of the cake with edible flowers, sprinkles, and additional lemon zest as desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The lemon frosting is tangy enough to feel fresh but sweet enough that even lemon-skeptics come back for seconds.
  • Three layers of vanilla sponge stay impossibly moist, making this cake forgiving even if your timing isn't perfect.
  • That white chocolate drip makes people think you spent all day in the kitchen when really it took fifteen minutes.
02 -
  • Never skip bringing your eggs and milk to room temperature—cold ingredients won't blend smoothly and your batter will look broken and separated.
  • The white chocolate will seize into a grainy mess if it touches water or gets too hot, so use a heatproof bowl and watch the cream carefully as it heats.
03 -
  • Use an offset spatula or bench scraper to get frosting smooth and even on the sides—your fingers will warm the frosting and make it slide around unpredictably.
  • If your white chocolate ganache sets too firm before you can drip it, gently reheat it for five seconds at a time over a bowl of warm water, stirring between each warming.
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