Pisces Sheet Cake Ocean (Printable)

Moist vanilla sponge layered with blue ombré buttercream and ocean-inspired piping for a striking finish.

# Ingredient List:

→ Cake

01 - 2½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon salt
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
05 - 1¾ cups granulated sugar
06 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
08 - 1 cup whole milk, room temperature

→ Buttercream Frosting

09 - 1½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
10 - 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
11 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
12 - ¼ cup whole milk, room temperature
13 - Blue gel food coloring in various shades
14 - White gel food coloring

→ Decoration

15 - Edible pearls or sugar pearls (optional)
16 - White chocolate or fondant for Pisces symbol (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9x13-inch sheet cake pan with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
03 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.
05 - Alternately add flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
06 - Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
07 - Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
08 - Beat butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing on low speed. Add vanilla and milk, then beat until fluffy and smooth.
09 - Divide buttercream into 3-4 bowls. Tint each with varying shades of blue, from deep ocean blue to pale aqua, and leave one portion white.
10 - Once cake is completely cool, spread a thin layer of white buttercream over the entire cake as a crumb coat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
11 - With an offset spatula, layer blue buttercreams in wave-like shapes across the cake, starting with the darkest shade at the base and working up to the lightest. Use swooping motions to mimic ocean waves.
12 - Pipe or swirl white buttercream on top to create sea foam effect.
13 - Decorate with edible pearls and add a Pisces symbol made from white chocolate or fondant, if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The moist vanilla base tastes like the cake you actually want to eat, not just admire.
  • Gel food coloring keeps the buttercream silky instead of watery, so your waves stay defined.
  • Decorating feels less intimidating once you realize ocean waves don't need to be perfect to look beautiful.
  • A 9x13 sheet cake feeds a crowd without the fussiness of stacking layers.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients aren't a suggestion, they're the secret to a batter that emulsifies properly and bakes evenly throughout.
  • Gel food coloring over liquid will save you from thinning out your buttercream, which ruins the texture you worked hard to achieve.
  • If your decorating lines look wobbly, chill the frosted cake between applications, it firms up the base layer so the next one doesn't smudge.
03 -
  • Investing in gel food coloring in multiple shades of blue upfront saves you from mixing colors later and wasting frosting.
  • Make the buttercream the day before if you can, it pipes and decorates more smoothly after sitting overnight than fresh frosting does.
Go Back