Two-Tier Balloon Cake (Printable)

Moist two-tier vanilla sponge layered with creamy buttercream and finished with playful balloon toppers.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vanilla Sponge Cakes

01 - 4.5 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 3.5 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 0.5 teaspoon salt
04 - 2.5 cups granulated sugar
05 - 1.5 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
06 - 8 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
08 - 2 cups whole milk, room temperature

→ Buttercream Frosting

09 - 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
10 - 8 cups powdered sugar, sifted
11 - 0.5 cup whole milk or heavy cream
12 - 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
13 - Pinch of salt
14 - Gel food coloring, optional

→ Decoration

15 - Balloon cake toppers
16 - Edible confetti or sprinkles, optional

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans and two 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract until fully combined.
05 - With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and milk in three additions, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
06 - Divide the batter evenly between the 8-inch and 6-inch pans. Tap pans gently on the counter to release air bubbles.
07 - Bake 8-inch cakes for 35 to 40 minutes and 6-inch cakes for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
08 - Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
09 - Beat butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating well. Mix in vanilla, salt, and milk or cream 1 tablespoon at a time until smooth and spreadable. Tint with food coloring if desired.
10 - Level cake tops if needed. Place one 8-inch layer on a cake board, spread a layer of buttercream, and top with the second 8-inch cake. Repeat the process for the 6-inch cakes.
11 - Apply a thin crumb coat of buttercream to each cake tier. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
12 - Frost both cake tiers smoothly with remaining buttercream. Stack the 6-inch cake tier centered on top of the 8-inch tier, using dowels or straws for structural support if needed.
13 - Arrange balloon toppers and edible confetti or sprinkles as desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The moist, tender crumb stays soft for days, so you can bake ahead without stress.
  • Buttercream is incredibly forgiving and can be tinted in any color scheme your graduate chooses.
  • Two different pan sizes create visual impact without requiring you to master advanced decorating skills.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients are genuinely essential—I once used cold eggs thinking it wouldn't matter, and my frosting broke into greasy flecks that no amount of mixing could fix.
  • Don't skip the crumb coat step; it's the difference between a cake that looks homemade in a charming way and one that looks slightly amateurish with crumbs visible in your final frosting.
  • Dowels or straws are not optional for stacking—I learned this when my top tier started sliding sideways an hour before serving.
03 -
  • If you're making this cake for delivery, assemble it in a sturdy cake box and secure it carefully—don't stack it until you're at the venue if possible, then add dowels and the top tier on-site.
  • Tint your frosting in a test batch first using a tiny amount of gel coloring to confirm the shade before you commit to coloring the whole batch.
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