Hearts & Flowers Cake

Here's a simple iced cake made instantly festive with dozens of royal icing drop flowers. Make the flowers a few days ahead with just a twist of the wrist!

Cake serves 20.

Step 1: Make Drop Flowers

At least 2 days before decorating cake, make two sizes of rose and violet royal icing drop flowers using tips 129 and 225 (130 flowers were used for this project — make additional in case of breakage); add tip 3 white dot flower centers. Allow to dry completely.

Step 2: Prepare Cake & Cake Board

Bake your favorite 2-layer cake recipe or mix in Heart pan. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely. Wrap cake board with fanci-foil. Arrange cake on prepared cake board.

Step 3: Decorate

Spatula ice cake with yellow buttercream icing. Write "Happy Birthday" using tip 3 and buttercream icing, either imprinting message with pattern press into icing first, or writing message freehand. Add top and bottom buttercream star borders; press drop flowers to borders while still soft. Make tip 18 buttercream rosettes on cake top for candle bases; insert candles and press in drop flowers. Fill in tip 352 green leaves around all flowers.