Spring Floral Drip Cake (Printable)

Layered sponge with lemon frosting, white chocolate drip, and edible flowers for a fresh spring centerpiece.

# Ingredient List:

→ Vanilla Sponge

01 - 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2.5 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 0.5 teaspoon salt
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1.75 cups granulated sugar
06 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 1 tablespoon 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 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
12 - 2 teaspoons lemon zest
13 - 2 to 3 tablespoons whole milk

→ White Chocolate Drip

14 - 1 cup white chocolate chips
15 - 0.33 cup heavy cream
16 - Gel food coloring, optional

→ Decoration

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

# Directions:

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.
03 - In a large bowl, beat softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, beating thoroughly after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
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 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
07 - Beat softened butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Mix in lemon juice, lemon zest, and milk to achieve spreadable consistency.
08 - Level cooled cakes if necessary. Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread generous layer of lemon frosting on top. Repeat with remaining layers. Frost top and sides smoothly.
09 - Heat heavy cream until just simmering without boiling. Pour over white chocolate in 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 spoon or squeeze bottle, gently drip white chocolate ganache around the edge of cake, allowing it to run down sides. Pour remaining ganache on top and spread gently.
11 - Arrange edible flowers on top of cake. Add sprinkles and lemon zest as desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The lemon frosting has this perfect balance of brightness and richness that keeps people coming back for another slice.
  • It looks like you spent hours decorating, but the white chocolate drip is honestly forgiving and foolproof once you get the temperature right.
  • You can make it up to three days ahead, which means less stress when you're actually serving it.
02 -
  • Don't skip bringing your eggs and milk to room temperature—I learned this the hard way when my batter looked curdled and my cake came out dense and crumbly.
  • The white chocolate ganache temperature is everything; too hot and it slides right off, too cold and it hardens into unusable chunks, so timing matters more than you'd think.
03 -
  • Make the cake layers a day ahead and store them wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature; the crumb actually sets better overnight and makes frosting easier.
  • If you're nervous about the drip, practice on a test cake or even a cardboard circle first to get the flow right before you do it on the actual cake.
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