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Leo Birthday Cake

Leo birthday cake with vanilla sponge layers, mango curd filling, and Swiss meringue buttercream. Finished with a vertical saffron-to-pale-yellow ombre stripe and a crown of edible sunflower petals.
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Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 480
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

vanilla sponge layers
  • 3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
mango curd filling
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 0.5 cup mango purée
  • 0.25 cup sugar
  • 3 tbsp butter
Swiss meringue buttercream
  • 5 egg whites
  • 1.5 cup sugar
  • 2 cup butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla
saffron-to-pale-yellow ombre and decorations
  • 0.25 sunflower yellow + deep saffron food coloring gradient
  • 1 edible sunflower petals (food-safe)
  • 1 oz gold dragées
  • 2 oz dark chocolate Leo symbol

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 stand mixer

Method
 

Bake and cool the sponge
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease three 8-inch cake pans.
  2. Bake three vanilla sponge layers for 30 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean, then cool completely.
Fill the layers
  1. Spread mango curd between the cooled cake layers to create a stacked filling.
Make and tint the Swiss meringue buttercream
  1. In a stand mixer, whip egg whites and sugar over a gentle heat until glossy and thick, then transfer to the mixer and continue whipping until fully cooled.
  2. Add butter gradually with the mixer running and mix until smooth, then mix in 1 tsp vanilla.
  3. Tint the buttercream saffron-to-pale-yellow ombre by adding food coloring in batches so you get pale yellow through deeper saffron bands.
Frost with vertical ombre stripes
  1. Frost the cake with vertical ombre stripes using a serrated scraper and make one smooth pass to create the crisp stripe effect.
Decorate for the Leo finish
  1. Arrange edible sunflower petals in a crown around the top edge so they form a ring.
  2. Scatter gold dragées in small clusters over the petals and along the center area.
  3. Place a dark chocolate Leo symbol in the center so it rises from the cake top.

Notes

Pro tip: for vertical ombre stripes, use a serrated scraper and commit to one smooth pass—going back over blurs the bands. Refrigerate assembled cake in a sealed container up to 3 days; for best texture, bring to room temperature 30–45 minutes before serving. Freezing: wrap unfrosted sponge layers up to 2 months (freeze buttercream up to 1 month), but avoid freezing the fully decorated cake. Dietary swap: use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend to keep the sponge structure similar (check your blend for baking powder compatibility).