Flowerbaby cake: Strawberry Rose edition

Before we get into the recipe, I want to introduce the Flowerbaby Cake as a whole. At its core, this dessert has three constants: the sponge cake, the sweet milk soak, and the buttermilk whipped cream. These are non-negotiable—they’re what make a Flowerbaby, a Flowerbaby. But just as important are the elements that shift with the seasons: the fruit and the edible flowers. While those may change—rhubarb at seasons opening, strawberries in spring, stone fruit in summer, jam and dried petals in the colder months—what doesn’t change is their presence. There must be fruit, and there must be flowers.

Think of the cake, milk soak, and whipped cream as your base. From there, you can create your own seasonal versions to suit what’s available or what you love most. While this cake feels especially at home in spring and summer, it adapts beautifully year-round. I have a version for every month, but strawberry and rose remains one of my favorites.

Somewhere between a tres leches and a shortcake, the Flowerbaby is light, fluffy, and just sweet enough. I created this recipe years ago during my farm-to-table meal delivery days, and it became a favorite at the lunch counter pop-up Clara’s ran inside Carne Butcher Shop in Bellingham, Washington. Over the years, it’s become one of my most requested recipes—yet I’ve never shared it publicly until now. For the time being, it will live exclusively here, in The Canning Club.

It’s perfect for spring and summer gatherings: showers, picnics, barbecues, graduations, birthdays, or no reason at all—any occasion that calls for a very special, yet deeply approachable dessert. It never fails to get compliments, and inquiries.

Important: Please read the edible flower disclaimer in Step 12 before continuing.

Flowerbaby Cake

A dreamy, strawberry-studded soaked cake topped with buttermilk whipped cream and fresh edible flowers. Light, nostalgic, and perfect for summer gatherings or any day that needs a little sweetness.

Yields: 12 servings
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
Chill Time (inactive): 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: About 2 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients

Cake
• Avocado oil spray or nonstick spray of choice
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 eggs, separated
• 1 cup raw organic cane sugar, divided
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

Milk Soak
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk — or make it yourself! (link to recipe)
• 1 can evaporated milk — or make it yourself! (link to recipe)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Buttermilk Whipped Cream & Garnish
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 Tbsp raw organic cane sugar
• 1 tsp unflavored gelatin powder, (optional; see note)
• A few drops rose water (optional)
• 1 small handful rose petals (washed well & patted dry)

Fruit
• 20 oz (about 1 1/4 lbs or 3 cups) fresh ripe strawberries, washed & diced
• 1/3 cup raw organic cane sugar
• 1 washed lemon for zest
• Pinch of salt

Recommended Equipment
• 13x9-inch baking pan (glass or metal works)
• Hand mixer or stand mixer
• Large spatula
• Measuring cups and spoons
• 1 large mixing bowl
• 1 medium mixing bowl
• Microplane or fine grater

This recipe comes together easiest if you measure and organize all of your cake ingredients before you begin.

Directions

1. Prep the Pan:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 13x9-inch pan evenly with avocado oil or nonstick spray. Add about 1/4 cup flour, tap to coat all sides, then invert the pan over the trash and tap again to remove excess.

A 13×9-inch cake pan, about 2.5 inches deep, prepared with avocado oil spray and a dusting of flour. Do not use parchment to line the pan—the milk soak will turn it to mush and it can get into the cake.

2. Dry Ingredients:
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to sift, set aside.

Whisking is the quickest and easiest way to sift dry ingredients.

3. Separate Eggs:
Separate the eggs—whites into a large mixing bowl, yolks into another medium bowl.

4. Make Yolks Mixture:
Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup of the sugar and vanilla on high speed until pale yellow. Add in the flour mixture on low speed, then slowly stream in the milk and beat until smooth (no lumps), but do not overmix. Set aside.

Egg yolks after whipping with sugar and vanilla.

Beating the flour into the yolk mixture while streaming in the milk. Work quickly to avoid overmixing the flour, and scrape the bowl and fold at the end to be sure everything is fully blended.

5. Whip Egg Whites:
Beat egg whites on high speed until soft, frothy peaks form. Slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in increments, beating to stiff (but not dry) peaks.

Carefully adding the sugar to the softly beaten egg whites.

Egg whites beaten to stiff, glossy peaks—not dry or cracked.

6. Combine Mixtures:
Gently fold the yolk mixture into the whipped egg whites using a spatula, being careful not to deflate the mixture. Fold until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan and spread gently to level—do not tap out air bubbles.

Egg white and yolk mixtures about halfway incorporated—gently folding and scraping the bowl as you go.

The batter fully mixed and ready to go.

Batter smoothed and leveled into the prepared cake pan.

7. Bake:
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick or bamboo skewer inserted into the center comes out almost clean. Let cool completely on a rack in the pan.

Cake fully baked and cooling.

8. Prepare the Fruit:
While the cake bakes, wash and dice strawberries, combine strawberries with sugar, about half a lemon’s worth of zest, and a pinch of salt. Stir well and refrigerate to macerate. Stir a few times while chilling.

Use a small paring knife, insert it at a 45-degree angle, and rotate the strawberry around the blade to easily remove the stem and core before dicing. Feed the scraps to the worms, compost, chickens, fruit-loving dogs, or pigs.

Diced strawberries, sugar, a pinch of salt (trust me), and a bit of lemon zest to really make the berries shine.

Strawberries and sugar mixture all combined and ready to macerate in the fridge.

9. Make the Milk Soak:
In a bowl or blender pitcher, whisk or blend the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and cream until fully combined. Once the cake is cool, pierce it all over with a bamboo skewer or fork. Slowly pour the milk mixture evenly over the cake. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to absorb.

Poking holes in the cake to help it fully absorb the milk soak.

Soaking the cake with the sweetened milk mixture—be sure to pour around the edges as well for even absorption.

10. Make the Buttermilk Whip:
Optional but helpful: bloom 1 tsp gelatin in 2 tsp cold water for 5 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp boiling water and stir to dissolve.
Whip the cream with sugar until soft peaks form. Stream in gelatin mixture and rose water (if using) and continue whipping until nearly stiff. Drizzle in the buttermilk and whip just until thick and spreadable. Do not overbeat.

Note: The gelatin stabilizes the whipped cream, making it hold better for storage or transport. It’s optional, but recommended because with the addition of buttermilk, the whipped cream can be a big softer than what you may be used to.

blooming and melting the gelatin to stabilize the buttermilk whipped cream.

11. Assemble:
Run a butter knife gently along the cake edges in the pan. Evenly spoon macerated strawberries over the soaked cake. Spread the buttermilk whipped cream evenly over the fruit.

The cake has now fully absorbed the sweetened milk and is ready to finish.

Be sure to evenly dollop or pipe and spread the whip, as this is the finishing touch.

Fully sealed and ready to chill.

12. Chill and Serve:
Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour before serving. Just before serving, decorate with edible, we’re using fresh rose petals here, or any edible flower of your choice. Slice into 12 squares and serve chilled.

This cake keeps beautifully in the fridge for at least 3 days, and up to a week if tightly covered, but know it will change a bit over that time.

Edible Flower Disclaimer:
Most roses are technically edible, but not all flowers are safe to eat—and not all roses are safe for food use. Never use flowers from a grocery store floral department, as they are typically treated with preservatives, pesticides, or dyes that are not intended for consumption and may be harmful even through minimal contact with food.

For safe use, choose flowers that are specifically labeled as edible, grown in your own untreated garden, sourced from trusted farmers markets, or foraged responsibly—with 100% positive identification and confidence that they haven’t been sprayed. When in doubt, leave it out.

The strawberry rose Flowerbaby Cake, fully finished and ready to serve.

Flowerbaby Cake: Strawberry Rose Edition

Flowerbaby Cake: Strawberry Rose Edition

Yield 12 slices
Author Ona Lee
Prep time
35 Min
Cook time
30 Min
Inactive time
1 H & 30 M
Total time
2 H & 35 M

A dreamy, strawberry-studded soaked cake topped with buttermilk whipped cream and fresh edible flowers. Light, nostalgic, and perfect for spring gatherings or any day that needs a little sweetness.

Ingredients

Cake
  • Avocado oil spray or nonstick spray of choice
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 5 eggs, separated
  • 1 cup raw organic cane sugar, divided
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Milk Soak
Buttermilk Whipped Cream & Garnish
  • 1 pint heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 2 Tbsp raw organic cane sugar
  • 1 tsp unflavored gelatin powder, (optional; see note)
  • A few drops rose water (optional)
  • 1 small handful rose petals (washed well & patted dry)
Fruit
  • 20 oz (about 1 1/4 lbs or 3 cups) fresh ripe strawberries, washed & diced
  • 1/3 cup raw organic cane sugar
  • 1 washed lemon for zest
  • Pinch of salt
Recommended Equipment
  • 13x9-inch baking pan (glass or metal works)
  • Hand mixer or stand mixer
  • Large spatula
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • 1 large mixing bowl
  • 1 medium mixing bowl
  • 1 small mixing bowl
  • Microplane or fine grater

Instructions

Instructions
  1. Prep the Pan: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 13x9-inch pan evenly with avocado oil or nonstick spray. Add about 1/4 cup flour, tap to coat all sides, then invert the pan over the trash and tap again to remove excess.
  2. Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to sift, set aside.
  3. Separate Eggs: Separate the eggs—whites into a large mixing bowl, yolks into another medium bowl.
  4. Make Yolks Mixture: Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup of the sugar and vanilla on high speed until pale yellow. Add in the flour mixture on low speed, then slowly stream in the milk and beat until smooth (no lumps), but do not overmix. Set aside.
  5. Whip Egg Whites: Beat egg whites on high speed until soft, frothy peaks form. Slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in increments, beating to stiff (but not dry) peaks.
  6. Combine Mixtures: Gently fold the yolk mixture into the whipped egg whites using a spatula, being careful not to deflate the mixture. Fold until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan and spread gently to level—do not tap out air bubbles.
  7. Bake: Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick or bamboo skewer inserted into the center comes out almost clean. Let cool completely on a rack in the pan.
  8. Prepare the Fruit: While the cake bakes, wash and dice strawberries, combine strawberries with sugar, about half a lemon’s worth of zest, and a pinch of salt. Stir well and refrigerate to macerate. Stir a few times while chilling.
  9. Make the Milk Soak: In a bowl or blender pitcher, whisk or blend the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and cream until fully combined. Once the cake is cool, pierce it all over with a bamboo skewer or fork. Slowly pour the milk mixture evenly over the cake. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to absorb.
  10. Make the Buttermilk Whip: Optional but helpful: bloom 1 tsp gelatin in 2 tsp cold water for 5 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp boiling water and stir to dissolve. Whip the cream with sugar until soft peaks form. Stream in gelatin mixture and rose water (if using) and continue whipping until nearly stiff. Drizzle in the buttermilk and whip just until thick and spreadable. Do not overbeat. Note: The gelatin stabilizes the whipped cream, making it hold better for storage or transport. It’s optional, but recommended.
  11. Assemble: Run a butter knife gently along the cake edges in the pan. Evenly spoon macerated strawberries over the soaked cake. Spread the buttermilk whipped cream evenly over the fruit.
  12. Chill and Serve: Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour before serving. Just before serving, decorate with edible flower petals (like fresh rose petals). Slice into 12 squares and serve chilled. This cake keeps beautifully in the fridge for at least 3 days, and up to a week if tightly covered.
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