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Perfect Graduation Sheet Cake with Vibrant School Colors Frosting

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A moist, tender sheet cake topped with creamy, colorful frosting in vibrant school colors, perfect for graduation celebrations and easy to make under an hour.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 1/2 cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
  • 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened (for frosting)
  • 4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 4 tbsp (60 ml) whole milk or heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (for frosting)
  • Gel food coloring in your school’s colors

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch pan with butter or non-stick spray and lightly dust with flour or line with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. Using an electric mixer, beat softened butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  4. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
  5. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add one-third of dry ingredients, then half the buttermilk. Repeat, ending with dry ingredients. Mix just until combined.
  6. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Tap pan gently to remove air bubbles.
  7. Bake for 35-40 minutes, checking at 32 minutes with a toothpick; it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  8. Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
  9. For frosting, beat softened butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing on low speed.
  10. Add milk and vanilla extract, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
  11. Divide frosting into separate bowls and add gel food coloring to achieve vibrant shades.
  12. Apply a thin crumb coat layer of white or neutral frosting and chill for 15 minutes.
  13. Use an offset spatula or piping bags to spread or pipe colorful frosting in desired patterns.
  14. Refrigerate cake for at least 30 minutes to set frosting before serving.

Notes

Use gel food coloring for vibrant frosting colors to avoid runny or dull frosting. Chill the crumb coat before applying final frosting to prevent crumbs. Room temperature ingredients ensure smooth mixing and tender texture. Avoid overmixing after adding flour to keep cake light and fluffy. The cake keeps well refrigerated for up to 4 days and can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: graduation cake, sheet cake, school colors frosting, easy cake recipe, colorful frosting, celebration cake, vanilla sheet cake

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