How to Make a Buttercream Flower Cake
Thursday, May 28, 2020
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Inspired by the colors of an autumn sunset, I created this flirty, flower cake. I combined my favorite watercolor buttercream technique with easy piped buttercream flowers in this How to Make a Buttercream Flower Cake tutorial.
I had the opportunity to take over the Wilton Cakes Instagram account to share this cake. Be sure to follow along with us. Keep reading for a more detailed look at the design:
Continuing with the sunset theme, I first created a subtle watercolor finish on the sides of the cake. This is one of my favorite techniques because not only does each cake have a unique pattern of colors but also because it is impossible to mess up!
The cake starts with a nearly smooth frosting finish (it doesn’t have to be perfect yet because we will smooth it all out later). Next, I randomly swipe on different shades of buttercream around the sides of the cake with an angled spatula. From there, place the cake on a rotating cake stand, give it a spin, then smooth out the sides with an icing smoother (as you would while smoothly icing a cake). The more you spin and smooth, the more the colors will blend together.
After the sides of the cake are complete, clean up the top edge of the cake as you would while smoothly icing a cake. I don’t mind the bits of colored buttercream just around the top edge, but I’ve kept it plain to allow the piped flowers to really POP!
Now on to those piped flowers…. Instead of spending hours piping buttercream roses and the like, I created a crescent of simple rosettes and flower blossoms.
My FAVORITE piping tip is the Wilton 1M. It makes perfect rosettes and the frilliest of cupcakes. The deep pink rosettes are the largest of the flowers that I created, so I started with the 1M tip first. To create the rosette, hold the piping bag straight up (perpendicular to the surface of the cake) and hover it above the cake just a tad. Starting from the inside then out, pipe a tight spiral of buttercream. As you complete the spiral, release the pressure on the piping bag so that the tail tappers around the rosettes. Continue and pipe 3 to 5 rosettes (I like odd numbers here).
Moving in order, select the second largest tip. I used tip 1G to create the large purple blossoms. To create the remaining flowers, simply hold the piping bag with tip straight up above the surface of the cake, squeeze the piping bag until the buttercream creates a flower, then release the pressure on the piping bag before pulling it up and away.
I like the crescent shape of the piped flowers. Alternatively, pipe a flower crown around the entire rim of the cake. Either way, I prefer to pipe the larger flowers first, then fill in the gaps with the smaller flowers. The remaining flowers were created with the following piping tips: 2F (orange), 2C (white), and 32 (light pink).
Adding sugar pearls the center of the piped buttercream instantly turns them into flowers, don’t you think?
And there you have it – a flirty, floral design for a fall celebration! You can also easily change up the colors for any season, birthday, or occasion you have coming up. Be sure to follow along on Instagram and tag us if you create your own version of this or any celebration cake! #wiltoncakes #stylesweetdailyxwilton #stylesweetdaily
A big THANK YOU to Wilton for providing the products used to create this cake design. For more cake decorating ideas, be sure to check out Wilton’s Birthday page! Seriously, so much inspiration here!
This recipe and image adapted from : https://www.stylesweetca.com
I had the opportunity to take over the Wilton Cakes Instagram account to share this cake. Be sure to follow along with us. Keep reading for a more detailed look at the design:
Continuing with the sunset theme, I first created a subtle watercolor finish on the sides of the cake. This is one of my favorite techniques because not only does each cake have a unique pattern of colors but also because it is impossible to mess up!
The cake starts with a nearly smooth frosting finish (it doesn’t have to be perfect yet because we will smooth it all out later). Next, I randomly swipe on different shades of buttercream around the sides of the cake with an angled spatula. From there, place the cake on a rotating cake stand, give it a spin, then smooth out the sides with an icing smoother (as you would while smoothly icing a cake). The more you spin and smooth, the more the colors will blend together.
After the sides of the cake are complete, clean up the top edge of the cake as you would while smoothly icing a cake. I don’t mind the bits of colored buttercream just around the top edge, but I’ve kept it plain to allow the piped flowers to really POP!
Now on to those piped flowers…. Instead of spending hours piping buttercream roses and the like, I created a crescent of simple rosettes and flower blossoms.
My FAVORITE piping tip is the Wilton 1M. It makes perfect rosettes and the frilliest of cupcakes. The deep pink rosettes are the largest of the flowers that I created, so I started with the 1M tip first. To create the rosette, hold the piping bag straight up (perpendicular to the surface of the cake) and hover it above the cake just a tad. Starting from the inside then out, pipe a tight spiral of buttercream. As you complete the spiral, release the pressure on the piping bag so that the tail tappers around the rosettes. Continue and pipe 3 to 5 rosettes (I like odd numbers here).
Moving in order, select the second largest tip. I used tip 1G to create the large purple blossoms. To create the remaining flowers, simply hold the piping bag with tip straight up above the surface of the cake, squeeze the piping bag until the buttercream creates a flower, then release the pressure on the piping bag before pulling it up and away.
I like the crescent shape of the piped flowers. Alternatively, pipe a flower crown around the entire rim of the cake. Either way, I prefer to pipe the larger flowers first, then fill in the gaps with the smaller flowers. The remaining flowers were created with the following piping tips: 2F (orange), 2C (white), and 32 (light pink).
Adding sugar pearls the center of the piped buttercream instantly turns them into flowers, don’t you think?
And there you have it – a flirty, floral design for a fall celebration! You can also easily change up the colors for any season, birthday, or occasion you have coming up. Be sure to follow along on Instagram and tag us if you create your own version of this or any celebration cake! #wiltoncakes #stylesweetdailyxwilton #stylesweetdaily
A big THANK YOU to Wilton for providing the products used to create this cake design. For more cake decorating ideas, be sure to check out Wilton’s Birthday page! Seriously, so much inspiration here!
This recipe and image adapted from : https://www.stylesweetca.com
