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Leo Cake

Leo cake with two vanilla sponge layers filled with passion fruit curd and finished in deep burnt-orange buttercream. A partial gold mirror glaze drip frames the top edge and trickles down the sides, topped with edible gold leaf and vivid orange marigold petals.
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Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 460
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 2.5 cup flour
  • passion fruit curd filling (store-bought)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
Cake batter
  • 2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tsp vanilla
Burnt-orange buttercream
  • 2 cup butter
  • 4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp orange extract
  • burnt orange
  • gold gel coloring
Mirror glaze and decoration
  • gold mirror glaze drip down the sides
  • edible gold leaf and deep-orange marigold petals (food-safe) to decorate

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake and cool the sponge layers
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line two 9-inch cake pans so the layers release cleanly after baking.
  2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in the bowl for even lift. Keep the dry mix ready while you combine the wet ingredients.
  3. Beat sugar with softened butter until the mixture looks light and cohesive. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until smooth before adding vanilla.
  4. Alternate adding buttermilk and the dry ingredients to the batter, mixing just until no dry streaks remain. Stop as soon as the batter is uniform to keep the sponge tender.
  5. Divide batter evenly between the two prepared pans and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20–25 minutes. Look for lightly golden tops and a toothpick coming out with a few moist crumbs.
  6. Cool the baked layers in their pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Let them cool completely so the filling and buttercream won’t melt.
Fill and frost
  1. Place one cooled layer on a serving stand and spread passion fruit curd evenly over the top. Add the second layer and press gently to level.
  2. Make burnt-orange buttercream by mixing butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Blend in orange extract, burnt orange coloring, and gold gel coloring until the color is deep orange-brown.
  3. Frost the entire cake with burnt-orange buttercream, covering the sides and top. Use an offset spatula to smooth the surface for crisp drip edges.
Add the gold mirror glaze drip and crown
  1. Pour or spoon a partial gold mirror glaze drip around the top edge so some runs down the sides artfully. Let it drip naturally without spreading it further to preserve the drippy pattern.
  2. Press edible gold leaf and deep-orange marigold petals into a crown arrangement on top. Place them while the glaze is still tacky so the petals and leaf adhere.

Notes

Pro tip: for the most regal color, keep the burnt-orange buttercream deep orange-brown rather than bright. Store assembled cake covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days; freeze only if you keep the mirror glaze and petals for fresh add-on after thawing. For a simpler texture, you can use a store-bought vanilla sponge substitute, but keep the passion fruit curd filling and gold leaf crown the same for the intended look.