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Perfect Two-Tier Graduation Sheet Cake Recipe with Custom School Colors Made Easy

two-tier graduation sheet cake - featured image
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A reliable and crowd-pleasing two-tier sheet cake recipe perfect for graduation parties, featuring simple ingredients and customizable school colors with a creamy buttercream frosting.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2¾ cups (345g) all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened (room temperature)
  • 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, room temperature (or 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice, let sit 5 minutes)
  • For the Buttercream Frosting:
  • 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream or whole milk
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • Gel food coloring in your chosen school colors
  • Optional: 4 oz (115g) cream cheese, softened

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9×13-inch pans or line them with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. Using a mixer, beat softened butter with granulated sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
  4. Beat in eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Stir in vanilla extract.
  5. With mixer on low, alternately add one-third of the flour mixture and half the buttermilk, ending with flour. Mix just until combined.
  6. Divide batter evenly into prepared pans. Tap pans lightly to remove air bubbles. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely.
  8. For frosting, beat softened butter (and cream cheese if using) until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar alternating with heavy cream, beat on high until fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Add vanilla and salt, mix well.
  9. Divide frosting into bowls for each school color. Add gel food coloring gradually to reach vibrant shades.
  10. Assemble tiers by placing one cooled cake layer on serving board. Spread thin layer of frosting. Repeat with second layer of bottom tier, then stack second tier layers on top with frosting between layers.
  11. Apply a thin crumb coat over entire cake and chill for 20-30 minutes to set.
  12. Use colored frostings to decorate with stripes, borders, or piping in school colors. Use offset spatula for smooth sides or piping bags for accents.

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients for smooth batter. Avoid overmixing after adding flour to prevent toughness. Use gel food coloring to prevent frosting from thinning and bleeding colors. Chill cake after crumb coating and final frosting to set layers. Level cake layers for stable stacking. If frosting softens, refrigerate briefly before finishing.

Nutrition

Keywords: graduation cake, two-tier cake, sheet cake, buttercream frosting, custom school colors, easy cake recipe, celebration cake

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