# What You Need:
→ Butterscotch Cake Layers
01 - All-purpose flour — 2 1/4 cups
02 - Baking powder — 2 1/2 teaspoons
03 - Baking soda — 1/2 teaspoon
04 - Fine salt — 1/2 teaspoon
05 - Unsalted butter, softened — 3/4 cup
06 - Packed brown sugar — 1 1/4 cups
07 - Large eggs, room temperature — 3
08 - Pure vanilla extract — 1 tablespoon
09 - Sour cream or plain yogurt — 3/4 cup
10 - Whole milk — 3/4 cup
11 - Prepared butterscotch sauce — 1/2 cup
→ Butterscotch Sauce
12 - Unsalted butter — 1/2 cup (1 stick)
13 - Packed brown sugar — 1 cup
14 - Heavy cream — 1/2 cup
15 - Pure vanilla extract — 1 teaspoon
16 - Salt — pinch
→ Floral Earth-Tone Buttercream
17 - Unsalted butter, softened — 1 1/4 cups
18 - Powdered sugar, sifted — 4 cups
19 - Whole milk — 2 to 3 tablespoons
20 - Culinary rose water — 2 teaspoons
21 - Culinary dried lavender, finely ground — 1 teaspoon (optional)
22 - Natural colorants (matcha, beet powder, cocoa, turmeric, spirulina) — as needed to tint
→ Decoration
23 - Edible flowers (pansies, violets, roses) — for garnish
24 - Fresh herbs (thyme, mint, rosemary) — for garnish
25 - Gold leaf or gold dust — optional
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment; set aside.
02 - Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and cook 2 minutes. Add heavy cream, bring to a gentle simmer and stir until smooth, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and a pinch of salt. Cool to room temperature before incorporating into batter.
03 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and fine salt in a medium bowl until evenly distributed.
04 - In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the packed brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in the vanilla.
05 - Fold sour cream and the cooled butterscotch sauce into the creamed mixture until combined.
06 - Add the flour mixture and the milk to the batter in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix gently until just combined; avoid overmixing.
07 - Divide batter evenly among the prepared pans. Bake 28 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
08 - Beat the softened butter until pale and fluffy. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk as needed to reach a spreadable consistency. Stir in rose water and, if using, the finely ground lavender.
09 - Divide the buttercream into portions and tint each with small amounts of natural colorants to create a palette of earth tones (e.g., matcha for green, beet powder for rose, cocoa for brown, turmeric for yellow). Adjust color intensity sparingly.
10 - Place one cake layer on a serving plate, spread an even layer of buttercream, repeat with remaining layers and top. Apply a crumb coat, chill 20 minutes, then finish with a decorative outer layer using swirls of the tinted buttercream to evoke an earthy, floral appearance.
11 - Garnish the top with edible flowers, fresh herbs and optional gold leaf. Store covered at room temperature up to 3 days; refrigerate if using fresh flowers or if room is warm.
