This Carrot Dome Cake Is a Showstopping Centerpiece for Your Next Spring Party

Dome cakes aren't going anywhere.

The whimsical desserts are just as popular on my FYP now as they were when they first started trending in 2022. They're often decorated with fruit, petals and artful squiggles of pastel-colored buttercream. What could be more perfect for spring?

My take on the dome cake is especially on-trend because it's butter yellow (I couldn't resist the color of the moment) and dotted with silk bows (all the cool girls are putting bows on their cakes, trust me).

The cake recipe itself is a carrot cake that's moist and dense. There are caramel-like notes in the crumb, complemented by a good dash of warm spice.

The Swiss meringue buttercream is silky and light, with a much more tempered sweetness compared to an American-style buttercream. Paired with the cake, it’s indulgent but not cloying or overwhelming. 

The technique takes time but is fairly simple. The key is to bake the top layer in an ovenproof bowl greased generously with baking spray and lined with two strips of parchment paper. The paper acts as a sling so you can easily lift the baked cake out of the bowl after it has cooled slightly.

The process is best spread out over a few days. Bake the cake layers on one day, wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze. Let the cakes thaw for 30 minutes in the plastic wrap before frosting. Make the Swiss meringue buttercream the day before decorating and store it in an airtight container at room temperature. Be sure to rewhip it just before using. 

When you're ready to decorate, a crumb coat (a thin layer of frosting before you actually apply the decorative frosting) is crucial. It locks in any stray crumbs so they don’t end up mixed into your final frosting. When applying the crumb coat, just make sure to wipe your offset spatula off on a separate bowl so any crumbs get left there instead of in the large batch of buttercream.

The extra garnishes on top are really personal preference. You can't mess it up, I promise. I like to use Ateco 789 piping tip for a dramatic squiggle, but a simple round tip looks just as cool. Experiment with adding sprinkles and different food-safe flowers — orchids, roses, and chamomile are all safe choices.

Most importantly, have fun! The coolness is in the chaos.

Carrot Dome Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Cakes

Baking spray with flour
3 cups (about 12 ¾ oz.) all-purpose flour 
1 Tbsp. baking soda
2 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon 
1 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. fine sea salt
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
2 ¾ cups granulated sugar
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 (16-oz.) pkg. baby carrots, shredded (about 3 cups)

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

10 large egg whites (about 1 ⅓ cups)
2 cups granulated sugar
3 cups (24 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. fine sea salt

1. Prepare the Cakes: Preheat oven to 350°. Generously coat 2 (8-inch) round cake pans and a 3-quart, 8-inch-wide ovenproof bowl with baking spray. Line bottoms of cake pans using parchment paper, and line bowl using 2 (16- x- 1-inch) strips of parchment paper placed perpendicularly to form a sling; coat parchment rounds and strips with baking spray. Set aside. Stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl until combined; set aside.

2. Place sugar, oil, and vanilla in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment; beat on medium speed until combined, about 15 seconds. Reduce mixer speed to low; add eggs and egg yolk, 1 at a time, beating just until combined after each addition, about 45 seconds total. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat on low speed just until combined, about 45 seconds. Fold in carrots. Divide and spread 4 ½ cups batter evenly between prepared 8-inch cake pans. Pour remaining batter into prepared ovenproof bowl. 

3. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, 32 to 35 minutes for 8-inch cake pans and about 1 hour for bowl. Let cool in pans and bowl on a wire rack 15 minutes. Loosen edges of cakes using a small offset spatula; remove cakes from pans and bowl, and let cool completely on a wire rack, 2 to 3 hours. (If small spots stick to pans or bowl, simply loosen and press back onto cake. It will all get covered with frosting later.) *

4. Prepare the Swiss Meringue Buttercream: Whisk together egg whites and sugar in bowl of a stand mixer. Place bowl over a pot of simmering water (do not let bottom of bowl touch water). Cook, stirring and scraping down sides of bowl often using a spatula, until a thermometer registers 160° or you cannot feel any sugar granules when rubbing some of the mixture between 2 fingers, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

5. Place mixing bowl on stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment; beat on high speed until stiff peaks form and bowl is no longer warm to the touch, about 10 minutes. With mixer on low speed, gradually add softened butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until incorporated before adding more butter, about 6 minutes total; mixture may look curdled, but continue beating until it comes together and is smooth and silky, 4 to 5 minutes more. Beat in vanilla and salt until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Beat on low speed for 10 minutes to remove any air bubbles. 

6. Remove and discard parchment paper from Cakes. Place 1 (8-inch) cake layer on a plate. Spread 1 ½ cups Swiss Meringue Buttercream evenly over top. Repeat layers once; top with bowl cake layer, widest side down. Spread a thin layer of buttercream evenly over top and sides to form a crumb coat. *Chill, uncovered, in refrigerator 30 minutes.  

7. Reserve 1 cup Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Spread remaining buttercream over top and sides of cake as needed. 

8. Place reserved 1 cup Swiss Meringue Buttercream and any extra in a piping bag fitted with a small to medium rose piping tip. Pipe ribbons, flowers, squiggles, and other designs randomly over cake. Garnish with flowers, herbs, and dragées. Remove flowers, herbs, and dragées before eating. 

Serves: 12
Active time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Total time: 4 hours, 45 minutes (including 2 hours of cooling time)