Flowers 'camp Meeting Ridge' Recipe

Prepare oven and pans

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans (or two 9-inch) and line bottoms with parchment; set aside.

Combine dry ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, 2 cups granulated sugar, 3 tbs cocoa powder, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp salt until evenly distributed.

Mix wet ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk 1 cup whole milk, 1 cup buttermilk, 3 large eggs, 3/4 cup vegetable oil and 2 tsp vanilla until homogenous.

Combine and add hot water

Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until mostly combined. Slowly add 1 cup hot water while stirring — batter will be thin and smooth. Scrape bowl to ensure even mixing.

Bake

Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake 22–27 minutes for 8-inch pans (25–30 for 9-inch), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Rotate pans halfway through baking for even color.

Cool

Allow cakes to cool in pans 10 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely. Trim domes with a serrated knife if needed so layers are flat.

Combine 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan. Add orange zest, lemon zest, 1 tsp dried lavender buds and 1 tsp dried rose petals. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 2 minutes, then remove from heat and steep 10 minutes to infuse. Strain syrup into a small bowl, pressing solids to extract flavor. Discard solids and let syrup cool to room temperature. Use to brush cake layers to keep them moist and lend a subtle floral-citrus note.

Make brown sugar caramel

Place 1 cup packed light brown sugar and 2 tbs heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until sugar dissolves and mixture thickens slightly, about 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. (Optional: for a smoother caramel, warm the butter with the sugar briefly.)

Beat butter and caramel

In a stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 1 cup room-temperature unsalted butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1–2 minutes. With mixer running, slowly add the cooled brown sugar caramel and 1 tsp vanilla until incorporated.

Add powdered sugar

Reduce mixer speed to low and add 3 cups powdered sugar in batches, scraping bowl as needed. Once incorporated, increase speed to medium and add 2 tbs heavy cream and 1/2 tsp salt. Beat 2–3 minutes until light and spreadable; adjust with more powdered sugar for stiffness or more cream for softness.

Crumb coat

Place one cake layer on your cake board or plate. Brush lightly with the citrus-floral syrup (about 2–3 tbsp per layer). Pipe or spread about 1/2 cup brown sugar buttercream between layers, stacking each layer and brushing with syrup before applying filling. Once stacked, apply a thin crumb coat of buttercream over the entire cake to lock in crumbs. Chill in refrigerator 20–30 minutes until firm.

Make decorating buttercream

In a clean bowl, beat 3/4 cup room-temperature unsalted butter until pale and fluffy (2–3 minutes). Gradually add 4 cups powdered sugar on low speed. Add 1 tsp vanilla and 3 tbs milk or cream, beating until smooth. If too stiff, add additional 1 tsp cream at a time. Divide frosting into two bowls: tint one pale pink with 1/4 tsp pink gel color, tint the other sage green with 1/8 tsp green gel color; leave a small portion white for highlights if desired.

Final coat and texture

Remove chilled crumb-coated cake from fridge. Apply a smooth final layer of frosting with an offset spatula using the white or pale-pink buttercream. For a rustic ridge effect (inspired by 'Camp Meeting Ridge'), use the edge of a spatula to create horizontal ridges around the cake, scraping lightly to reveal hints of the crumb coat for an aged look.

Decorative flowers and accents

Fit piping bags with small round and petal tips. Use pink buttercream to pipe clusters of small blossoms on the top and one side of the cake; use sage green to pipe leaves and stems around blossoms. Press a few edible dried rose petals into the frosting and arrange candied citrus slices as accent pieces if using. Place 4–6 fresh edible flowers sparingly (on top only) for a meadow-like appearance. Chill briefly (10 minutes) to set decorations.

Serve

Bring cake to room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Slice with a hot, dry knife for clean cuts. Store any leftovers refrigerated up to 4 days; bring to room temperature before serving for best texture.