# What You'll Need:
→ Cake
01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
03 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
04 - 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
05 - 6 large eggs, room temperature
06 - 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
07 - 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
08 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
→ Buttercream Frosting
09 - 2 cups unsalted butter, softened
10 - 8 cups powdered sugar, sifted
11 - 1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream
12 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
13 - Gel food coloring, as needed for roses, leaves, and diploma
→ Decorations
14 - Edible gold or silver pearls, optional, for accents
15 - Fondant or white chocolate for diploma and ribbon, optional
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 12x18-inch sheet cake pan with parchment paper.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, beat unsalted butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
03 - Add eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
05 - Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with whole milk. Begin and end with the flour mixture. Mix just until combined.
06 - Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface evenly.
07 - Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean.
08 - Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
09 - In a mixing bowl, beat unsalted butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk or cream, mixing until smooth and fluffy. Adjust consistency with additional milk or powdered sugar as necessary.
10 - Portion buttercream into separate bowls. Tint with gel food coloring to create desired shades for roses, leaves, and diploma accents. Reserve some white for base coating.
11 - Cover the entire cooled sheet cake with a smooth layer of white buttercream using an offset spatula.
12 - Using piping bags fitted with a rose tip, pipe buttercream roses in choice of colors. Pipe leaves with a leaf tip.
13 - Shape a diploma scroll from fondant or white chocolate and tie with a fondant ribbon. Position the diploma decoratively on the cake.
14 - Accent the cake with edible pearls and any additional decorative touches as desired.
