Butterfly Cake

1. Stage

Bake 1 white cake recipe in two 6-inch round cake pans (the layers may take a few extra minutes to bake).

2. Stage

Cool the layers to room temperature. Remove them from the pans and place each on a sheet of parchment paper. Stack the cakes and wrap them in plastic wrap. Freeze for no less than 6 hours, preferably overnight.

3. Stage

Remove the cakes from the freezer, but leave them covered in plastic wrap until ready to use. Bake the second white cake recipe in a 9- by 13-inch cake pan.

4. Stage

Level the cakes if needed.

5. Stage

Make the buttercream.

6. Stage

Sift the powdered sugar to remove any lumps. Mix it in a bowl, along with the milk, corn syrup, and 2-3 drops of pink gel food coloring, until combined. Add more milk as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Set the glaze aside.

7. Stage

Center a 2-inch cookie cutter on top of one layer and gently press down to create a guideline. Repeat on the second round layer.

8. Stage

Insert a small, thin knife about 1 inch into the center of your cake at a 45-degree angle. Cut around the cake as far as the guideline. Remove the excess cake and crumbs.

9. Stage

Using a small spoon or dull knife, start carving around under the guideline, pushing the spoon slightly under the line and keeping a peak in the middle. This is the “small wing,” or lower portion, of the butterfly and thus the bottom of the cake.

10. Stage

Repeat these cuts on the other round layer, only make the cavity wider and slightly deeper. This is the "large wing," or top, layer.

11. Stage

Make a cake mixture using the 9- by 13-inch cake by removing any dark or hard spots from the cake, crumbling 3/4 of it into a large bowl, and mixing in 3 to 6 tablespoons of buttercream and 2 to 4 drops of pink gel food coloring. To add eyes to the large wings, crumble the remaining cake into a medium bowl and mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons of buttercream.

12. Stage

To get the dark rim you see on the lower wings, pour 1/4 cup of the pink glaze into the well of the bottom layer of the cake. Set the cake aside so the glaze can settle evenly.

13. Stage

Roll a small piece of the pink cake mixture into a snake. Softly flatten the snake in your hand and gently press it into the sides of the "large wing" (top) layer and up the center point. Repeat with more pink cake mixture so that the hole and point are covered in a layer of pink. Repeat with the second layer, taking care not to disturb the pink glaze.

14. Stage

Roll a small piece of the white cake mixture into a snake about 1 inch thick. Tuck the snake into the "large wing" (top) cake layer. Then go back and fill in the open areas of both layers with pink cake mixture.

15. Stage

Place a thin layer of white buttercream around the top outside rim of the “small wing” (bottom) layer, taking care not to get any frosting on the pink part, then transfer the bottom layer onto a cake stand. Gently turn over the "large wing" (top) layer and place it on top. Freeze the cake for at least 1 hour, then cover it in a crumb coat (a thin, even layer of buttercream meant to seal in any loose crumbs).

16. Stage

Tint the remaining buttercream pink (except for a tiny bit for the butterfly) and cover the cake in a smooth coat of pink buttercream. Using a #104 tip, pipe out a white butterfly (4 wings) to sit on the edge of the cake. Or add more butterflies for more impact! Chill the cake until serving.