Y’all, I’ve always had a thing for parades. One of my sweetest memories is tuggin’ on my daddy’s pant leg as a little girl, just as excited as all get out, and pointing as he and I watched the floats rolling by in our small hometown parades. I used to dream about being one of the princesses atop those floats, slowly waving to the other little children, wearing a long flowing dress and just grinnin’.

That’s why when I found out that I was elected to be the Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, well, I just about cried- out of happiness of course! You see, believe it or not, this has got to be one of the highlights of my career, and I mean that sincerely. I am so truly blessed to have been honored in such a marvelous way.

Having the opportunity to go behind-the-scenes of the parade was so special. I loved every minute of seeing just how the floats were assembled, and y’all- they call it the Tournament of Roses for a reason. There were so many roses and rose petals; it nearly took my breath away!

But y’all, I guess the real reason why it means so much to me is because of my grandbaby, Jack; he calls me Ginny and every time I see him, I just hug him to pieces.  I imagine that years from now, when he’s an adult with children of his own, he’ll be looking through old family photos, and he’ll pull out one of me waving atop that float, decorated to the hilt with roses of every color. He’ll remember tuggin’ on his daddy’s pant leg on that day, just as I did, and think to himself, “I am so proud of my Ginny.” That thought alone means the world to me.

In order to properly celebrate this honor, I created this extra-special recipe, my Sugared Rose Parade Layer Cake.

Paula’s Sugared Rose Parade Layer Cake
Click here to print recipe

For the Sugared Rose Petals:
50-75 petals (depending on size) from organically grown roses
2 egg whites, broken up with a fork
2 cups sugar

For the White Cake Layers:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups sifted self-rising flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Red Velvet Cake Layers:
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cup cake flour
1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter
2 ounces red food coloring
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 cups sugar
2   eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vinegar

For the Frosting:
2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 pound butter, softened
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6-8 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

A spectacular cake worthy of a Rose Parade Grand Marshal
Directions:
Prepare Sugared Rose Petals one day in advance:

Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside. Pour sugar into a medium mixing bowl. Using a craft paint brush, gently brush all sides of each rose petal with the egg whites and dip each one into the sugar completely coating the petal. Place on lined baking sheet. Repeat until all rose petals are covered. Allow to dry at room temperature over night.

To prepare cakes:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Prepare four 10” cake pans with non stick cooking spray and set aside.

For the White Cake Layers:
Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed. Divide batter equally among two of the prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4 inches above counter, then dropping it flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling racks. Cool completely.

For the Red Velvet Cake Layers:
In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat egg and sugar. In a separate small mixing bowl, stir together cocoa and food coloring. Add cocoa mixture to the butter mixture and mix well. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Add vanilla and mix just to combine. In a small bowl, combine soda and vinegar and add to mixture. Pour into the remaining two prepared pans. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until tests done. Cool completely.

For the Frosting:
In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and beat on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

To assemble cake:
Remove cakes from pan and place one layer of red velvet cake on a cake stand and top with a 1/2” layer of frosting. Top with one layer of white cake and top with 1/4” layer of frosting. Continue until all cake layers have been stacked and frosted in between, ending with a white layer. At this point, secure your cake in place with 4 wooden skewers pushed from the top to the bottom of the cake.

Apply a thin layer of frosting covering the entire cake and place in the refrigerator to harden slightly for 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and frost the entire cake again with a thick layer of frosting. Decorate cake with sugared rose petals and serve.

Servings - 10
PreHeat - 350°
Prep Time - 1 hr
Inactive Prep Time - 24 hrs
Cooking Time - 1 hour
Total Time - 26 hrs
Difficulty - Semi Easy