Flower Easter Basket Cake
Want to make a glorious Flower Easter Basket Cake that will be the highlight of your holiday brunch buffet? With tulips and daffodils popping up and the Bunny hopping by, celebrate the arrival of Spring and sunshine with a song in your heart.
My creative niece, Tagan, made this fabulous flower basket wedding cake for her sister, Tessa, when she was married. I loved the idea and have made it for holidays ever since. It’s so nice because you can vary the flowers according to the seasons. As you can see, it’s lovely for holidays, birthdays, and I think it’s a perfectly appropriate wedding cake too!
Tessa and Adam cutting into their cake, are an extraordinarily beautiful couple!
Flower Easter Basket Cake
Begin by washing and drip-drying several bunches of flowers from your garden or local market. Next, bake a 2, 3, or even 4-layer cake of your choice. I made my favorite chocolate cake, (recipe below) but I also like banana-nut, carrot, hummingbird, luscious lemon, really, whatever your heart desires! Line the cake plate with wax paper. I used 3 strips for easy removal.
I made a simple cream-cheese frosting and tinted it a soft yellow. I’ve also included the best Chocolate Frosting that I love to use with this cake, if you prefer chocolate. Either one works, just make it up and slap it between the layers. It doesn’t have to be beautiful because you are going to cover it all up anyway.
Consider the frosting your glue…don’t work too hard…I didn’t. Mrs. Priest, my 7th grade cooking teacher would have given me an F, but it works…just wait and see! You’ll need approximately 2 cans of wafer roll cookies. Saving money, I used an off brand that was a little extra flaky. I will forever use a premium rolled wafer cookie, I DID get what I paid for! Trim cookies if need be. If you are making a 4 layer cake, you won’t need to trim at all. Make sure to place the flat edge against the cake plate.
Work your way around. I did not even try to get them all perfectly cut…but I like it rustic.
Now gently hold the cookie wafers with one hand while you carefully remove the wax paper strip with the other. Secure the cookies with a fun ribbon tied around your cake. Again your favorite, you’re the designer!
Poke your first flower in the center to set the height of your cake-rangement. Continue to place your flowers and soon your cake will be a fabulous Easter Basket Bouquet that can also be served.
Note the jagged edges on the cookies…what do you think? It’s kind of fun and interesting. I arranged tulips, and lilies, with filler, mums, daisies and baby carnations. What would you use?
The Spring Flower Show is on at Macy’s in Manhattan this week. A chunk of my heart is there! Spring is my favorite time of the year and I think this is my very favorite cake to make. Thanks Tagan for a fun idea.
Flower Easter Basket Cake
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Renée
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Serves: 16 servings
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- ¾ cup soft butter
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ¾ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 1½ cups milk
Chocolate Frosting:
- 1 (12-ounce package) semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup butter
- 1 (8-ounce carton) sour cream
- 41/2 cups sifted powdered sugar (about 1 pound)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 12-ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 11/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
For Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three 8 x1½ -inch round cake pans. (I recommend Baker's Secret!). In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until well mixed, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute with each addition. Alternate adding milk and dry ingredients to creamed mixture, beating on low speed until you've added all of it. Beat on medium-high for 2 more minutes. Spread evenly into prepared pans.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Cool cake layers in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.
- Fill and frost cake layers. If desired, top with chocolate curls and toasted nuts. Store cake in refrigerator.
For Chocolate Frosting:
- In a large saucepan, combine semisweet chocolate chips, and butter, heat over low heat until melted, stirring often. Cool for 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Gradually add powdered sugar beating on medium speed until mixture is smooth.
Cream-Cheese Frosting:
- Cream the cheese and butter together. Slowly add the powdered sugar and fully incorporate it, (no lumps) about 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and lemon juice and mix well. Now add paste-color if you'd like!
Thanks for joining us and Happy Easter all. Please pin and share our Flower Easter Basket Cake with your friends and followers.
We're Alison and Renée, and we're so glad you've joined us! Our kitchens are our happy place, where we're whipping up memories. Get comfy and check things out. We hope you find inspiring dishes and ways to better your life. Feeling optimistic, trying new things and sharing with those we love brings joy in all we do. It's time to cook, create and celebrate. CHEERS! 
Bee-You-Tee-Full! …and thanks for the recipe! I’m dropping by from The Persimmon Perch linky party and am so happy that I did! I hope to see you back at my place soon! until later…
What a gorgeous cake! I found you by way of “Making the World Cuter Monday”….
wow, what a beautiful cake. It’s so pretty, I would hate to cut into it. Thanks for sharing.
That is a beautiful cake. Perfect for Easter.
What a fabulous looking cake!!! Thanks so much for showing off your pretty banner for “Brag Monday”.
This is beautiful! Maybe I will be doing some easter baking afterall!
Beautiful cake, looks Delicious too.
Ah! What a classy family I have! I love the look of this cake. I’m going to have to try it someday. Beautiful photos, Auntie.
Yummy! What a great idea! The cake and flowers is so pretty. I wanted a special cake for one of our girl’s “gotcha” day in May. This is just perfect for May flowers too. Happy Easter!
This is so beautiful. The choice of flowers looks amazing! I bake and I’d love to make this sometime. I do have a question about the flowers, though. Are the bare stems in the cake or are they covered with some kind of plastic? I know some flowers ooze from the stem and that kind of sounds gross going into something you’d eat. How did you do it?
I actually haven’t worried about it at all. I’ve always washed the flowers well and cut the stem to the height I’d like. You could use cut straws to stem the flowers if you’re really concerned. I have not seem any signs of oozing, discoloration, and I’ve always made it fresh the day it’s been eaten. We’ve enjoyed every bite and never had a problem. Good question though!
That is so pretty and looks easy enough for a cake destroyer like me to make! Thank you for linking to Favorite Things Friday!
This is a beautiful cake! It would make a fabulous center piece.
THAT looked like an awesome reception and an even grander cake! How sweet and simple and yet so elegant! Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving some comment love. I appreciate it so much! I’m your newest follower, too!
Beautiful…this has to be on my table Easter!
WOW!! This is so pretty!!! (How do you cut and serve a cake like this? Do you pull the flowers out?)
So beautiful! I love the uneven cookie cuts that form the basket ~ just the prettiest! Thank you for sharing 🙂
This is so amazing! Wish I could also have this talent. Thanks for sharing the recipe, though I know that I can never make it perfect. 🙂
Ana, you’ll be surprised, our Flower Basket Easter Cake is anything but perfect. You can totally make one step by step. Thanks for coming by!
What a beautiful cake! Not only would it work well for Easter, but also any spring get together, wedding, birthday, etc! I love the look of the rolled cookies around the cake.