This Magnolia Blossom Cake is a lemon cake with a honey cake soak, lemon curd filling and a magnolia blossom buttercream. The magnolia blossoms bring a gingery floral note to this light pink cake.
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This cake was inspired by all of the foraging I have seen on TikTok lately. Specifically, by Alexis Nikole Nelson. When my sister’s large magnolia tree started to bloom I knew I had to jump at the opportunity to bake something with the blossoms. I also took inspiration on the squiggle and floral decoration from @bayousaintcake and @ibakemistakes on social media.
The base cake recipe is my favorite because it stays moist and you do not have to soften your butter. I used it as the base for my Blood Orange Layer cake, as well as my Chamomile Strawberry Layer Cake.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- The buttercream uses real magnolia blossoms.
- The cake soak is made in the microwave rather than stovetop.
- The filling is store bought, but can also be homemade.
- This cake stays moist for days!
- The buttercream is not overly sweet.
Ingredients
- This cake uses all-purpose flour because most people have that on hand rather than cake flour.
- I used granulated sugar to sweeten the cake and the frosting.
- Lemon juice and zest flavor the cake.
- The leavening agent is baking powder, as well as whipped eggs.
- I use fresh magnolia blossoms to flavor the buttercream.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here’s how to customize this cake to your taste:
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- Homemade lemon curd — try this recipe for a homemade lemon curd
- Cake mix — use a vanilla or lemon cake mix to save time
- Different filling — fill with more of the magnolia blossom pudding from the buttercream
- Buttercream flowers — pipe buttercream flowers instead of garnishing with real blossoms
- No honey — sub for a lemon or vanilla cake soak instead
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to assemble the cake
Step 1: Spread a thin layer of buttercream on top of the first layer of cake. Pipe a border around the outside to hold the filling. Fill with lemon curd.
Step 2: Place the second layer of cake on top.
Step 3: Cover the cake in a thin layer of frosting as a crumb coat. Freeze for 10 minutes to set.
Step 4: Cover with the rest of the buttercream, smoothing the sides and top with a warm bench scraper. Garnish.
Hot tips
- The buttercream’s flour milk mixture can be made ahead of time, but do not make the frosting as a whole until the day of. It pipes better fresh.
- Keep the bench scraper in a bowl of hot water in between smoothing the cake to remove air bubbles.
- If making squiggles for decoration, warm ⅓ of the designated buttercream in the microwave for 10 seconds and add it to the rest of the designated buttercream to make it smoother.
Recipe FAQs
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Yes, just fill it more with magnolia blossom buttercream instead.
Yes, just use 1 teaspoon more cake flour than what is called for in all-purpose flour.
More recipes you'll love
Lastly, if you make this Magnolia Blossom Cake recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Magnolia Blossom Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Lemon cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter (115g)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon honey
Magnolia blossom buttercream
- 20-40 g magnolia blossoms
- 1 ½ cups sugar (300g)
- 12 oz whole milk
- ½ cup flour (65g)
- 1 ½ cup butter (3 sticks) room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- few drops pink food coloring
Filling and garnish
- ¼ cup lemon curd store bought or homemade
- Magnolia blossoms
Instructions
Do ahead
- The flour milk mixture for the buttercream can be made ahead of time as it needs to cool completely before being added to the butter.
Make the cake layers
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round baking pans and line the bottom with a circle of parchment.
- Whisk together flour, salt and baking powder until thoroughly combined and set aside.
- Rub the lemon zest into the sugar using your finger to express the lemon oils and intensify the flavor.
- Crack eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat the eggs on medium speed for 1 minute. With the mixer running, slowly stream the sugar in.
- When the sugar is completely in, turn the speed to high and beat for about 7 minutes. The mixture should be light and fluffy.
- Combine the milk and butter in a saucepan and gently heat until completely melted. Do not let it overheat or simmer. Set aside but do not let it cool off too much (do not do this ahead of time).
- Add the flour mixture in three parts to the egg mixture just mixing until almost combined. If you still see flour, finish mixing by hand by folding the batter with a rubber spatula.
- Add vanilla and oil to the milk-butter mixture and whisk to combine.
- Remove two large spoonfuls of batter and add it to the milk-butter mixture and whisk to completely combine. This tempers your milk mixture so that it does not cook your egg mixture.
- Pour the milk mixture into the rest of the egg mixture with the beaters running on low. Continue beating just 10-15 seconds more until combined.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely. Level the cakes, if necessary. I use a serrated knife to slice uneven tops off.
- Combine the honey with 2-3 tablespoons of water and heat for a few seconds in the microwave to thin the honey. Brush this mixture onto the tops and bottoms of the cooled cake layers.
Make the frosting
- Crush the magnolia blossoms into half of the sugar using your hands or a muddler.
- Add the magnolia blossom sugar mixture to a medium saucepan with the milk. Cook over medium heat until simmering. Let steep for a few minutes before straining and discarding the blossoms.
- Combine flour and sugar in another medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk and cook for about 2 minutes to toast the flour.
- Slowly add the magnolia blossom milk, whisking to combine, and turn heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking continuously until it is thick and pudding-like. Once simmering, cook for an additional minute. Add pink food coloring, if desired.
- Transfer the magnolia blossom pudding to a heat-proof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap so that it is touching the surface without any air bubbles in between to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. Alternatively, Spread the mixture thin onto a sheet pan (covered with plastic) and chill for 30 minutes to cool it down faster. Ensure the mixture is cool, otherwise it will melt the butter.
- Add the room temperature butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on high until very light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the cooled magnolia blossom pudding gradually, by the spoonful, while still beating. Incorporating the mixture slowly ensures a smoother consistency.
- Add vanilla and salt, and mix until fully incorporated. Mix on low for a few minutes to remove large air bubbles. Transfer the buttercream to a large piping bag.
Assemble the cake
- Put a small dollop of buttercream on a serving plate or cake board (this will help the cake stick and not slide around). Place the first layer of cake on top.
- Cover the top of the first layer with a thin layer of buttercream with an offset spatula. Then pipe a border around the edge.
- Fill with lemon curd, if desired. Place the second layer of cake on top.
- Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of buttercream to create a crumb coat to seal in any crumbs. Freeze for 5-10 minutes to seal this coating.
- When the crumb coat is set, pipe or dollop more frosting around the outside and on top. Spread evenly with an offset spatula before scraping down the outside with a bench scraper. You may need to do this several times to get a smooth look.
- I found that keeping the bench scraper in a bowl of warm water before using it (drying it off in between) helped remove air bubbles on the outside and made smoothing even easier. If you need a visual on how to frost a cake, check out this video.
- I garnished with squiggles of buttercream using a small plain round piping tip, as well as fresh magnolia blossoms.
