Communion party sheet cake (Printer-friendly)

Moist sheet cake topped with smooth pearl fondant, perfect for festive occasions.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Sheet Cake

01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon salt
04 - 2 cups granulated sugar
05 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
08 - 1¼ cups whole milk

→ For the Buttercream

09 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
10 - 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
11 - 2 tablespoons whole milk
12 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
13 - Pinch of salt

→ For the Pearl Fondant Decoration

14 - 2 pounds white ready-to-roll fondant
15 - Pearl luster dust, food-safe
16 - Edible pearls or sugar pearls, optional
17 - 1 tablespoon light corn syrup, optional
18 - Small amount of water for fondant adhesion

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 12x18-inch half-sheet pan and line with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
05 - Alternately add flour mixture and milk in three additions, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined without overmixing.
06 - Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
07 - Remove cake from oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
08 - Beat butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat until fluffy and smooth.
09 - Once cake is completely cool, spread a thin, even layer of buttercream over the entire surface and sides.
10 - Roll out fondant on a surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar to approximately 1/8-inch thickness. Drape fondant over cake, smoothing with your hands or a fondant smoother.
11 - Trim excess fondant. Brush lightly with water where you wish to adhere edible pearls or decorations.
12 - Dust the surface with pearl luster dust using a dry food-safe brush for a shimmering effect. Optionally brush lightly with a mixture of corn syrup and water. Arrange edible pearls as desired to create a Communion motif.
13 - Let cake set for 30 minutes before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The cake stays impossibly moist and tender, nothing like those dry sheet cakes you've endured at church potlucks.
  • That pearl fondant finish makes people think you spent hours on decoration when you really just need steady hands and a little patience.
  • It feeds twenty people without requiring you to bake multiple layers or play Tetris with your cooling racks.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients are not a suggestion—cold eggs and butter simply won't incorporate properly, and you'll taste the difference in every bite.
  • Overmixing the batter after adding flour is the quickest way to end up with a tough, dense cake, so mix just until the streaks of flour disappear.
  • Decorating a warm cake is a setup for disaster; the fondant will slide right off, so patience during cooling is actually part of the recipe itself.
03 -
  • If your fondant develops air bubbles after you drape it, use a small needle to poke it and gently smooth the surface back down.
  • Pearl luster dust photographs beautifully, so if this cake is going on social media or in photos, apply the dust right before the event for maximum shimmer.
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