Baking gives you the freedom to be creative and try new things. Whenever you decorate a cake, you have the chance to express yourself with every swirl and sprinkle. But sometimes your creative vision can feel daunting. How do you come up with the perfect design? How do you make sure that design comes through on your cake?
As with any skill, practice makes perfect. Experimenting with different ingredients and having the courage to try new techniques will help you build confidence and come up with some truly marvelous designs. If you’re looking for inspiration, try one of these creative cake decorating ideas to bring your masterpiece to the next level.
Cover in Ruffles
Ruffles, stars, and rosettes are all easy icing techniques to master, and they look great with any cake, color, or occasion. Use a star tip to get that elegant, ruffled texture and experiment with different motions and techniques to see what you like. A classic swirl or a simple drop gives you beautiful flower- or star-like designs, both of which are simple solutions that always looks great. You can also use these techniques to create stripes, borders, or simply cover the entire cake with rosettes of different colors.
Keep It Simple With Sprinkles
Not sure what look to go for with your cake? You can never go wrong with sprinkles. Whether you pour a thick pile of sprinkles in the center of your cake or cover the entire dessert with an even, consistent layer, sprinkles bring color, texture, and a ton of fun to your dessert.
Check out different options, such as holiday-themed colors, stars, or glitter, to find sprinkles that perfectly match your design. You can also pair them with a frosted cake top or a border of frosting to create a classic cake design that suits any occasion.
Get Crafty With Fondant
Using fondant opens the door for countless creative cake decorating ideas. When you use fondant on your cake alongside or instead of traditional frosting, you give yourself more room to really get creative. Fondant allows for bolder colors and sharper details, giving you more flexibility in your design. Plus, you can use special tools, such as cutters or molds, to make creating the perfect design a little easier. For example, try using leaf and flower molds to add beautiful, nature-inspired designs to your cake.
You can also use stencils or guides to create your design. Tracing designs onto fondant is much easier than tracing them with traditional icing. That means the possibilities for your cake are endless!
Plus, fondant lets you paint or airbrush with edible sprays, giving you more control over your cake’s colors. You can even add edible luster dust or other special effects to make a design that’s truly unique.
Try Chocolate Coatings or Accents
This one’s a treat for chocolate lovers. Chocolate makes the perfect addition to any cake. Keep it simple by swapping out sprinkles for chocolate chips on the top of sides of a frosted cake. You can also make your own chocolate shavings to add a bit of elegance to your design.
But there are other ways to use chocolate, too. Drizzle melted chocolate over the top of your cake for a delicious coating with that classic dripping look. Place chocolate bark or chocolate candies to match your specific design. Truffles can be a cozy addition to a holiday cake, while chocolate shells are great for beach-themed desserts. Experiment with milk, dark, or white chocolate to find what best suits the design and flavors of your cake.
Decorate With Other Candies
Chocolate isn’t the only candy you can use on your cake. Gummies, caramels, and other candies are great for adding extra color and character to your dessert. Candy is a great decorating tool for seasonal treats. You can use candy corn or pumpkin-shaped chocolates for a festive fall cake, chocolate eggs for a spring celebration, or crushed candy canes for a sweet Christmas treat.
Use smaller candies as sprinkles on the tops or sides of your cake. For bigger pieces, you can pair them with frosting to keep them in place and make fun designs on the cake’s top or borders. You can also implement your candies into the design itself. For example, create a candy basket cake for Easter, or place your candies in the shape of a face for a cute character cake.
Decorate With Fruit
Fruit is a versatile, sweet, and beautiful addition to your cake. Choose fruits that complement the flavors in your dessert. For example, raspberry is a delicious addition to a chocolate cake, while strawberry has the perfect amount of sweetness to complement a lemon cake.
You can keep it simple by placing whole fruits on top of the cake. Alternatively, cut your fruits into certain sizes or shapes for more control over the design. You don’t have to stick to fresh fruit, though. You can use fruit pie fillings to create a sweet, glossy topping for your dessert. Another idea is to use edible paint or glitter to make your fruits shimmer.
Add Cookies to Your Cake
Whole cookies, cookie pieces, or even a fine cookie crumble are all great ways to add texture to each bite of your sweet treat. Decorate with cookies by creating borders or adding an entire layer of cookies to your cake top. You can also incorporate your cookies as part of a seasonal or character design.
For example, add crushed cookies beneath some cool tractors or construction equipment for your little one’s birthday cake. You can also use cookie crumbs to create a tasty layer of sand on a beach-themed cake. Cookies are also great for making round faces, baseballs, planets, or other cool designs. Experiment with different ideas and see what you can come up with!
Nuts, Coconuts, and More
There are plenty of ways to adorn your cake with creative designs and delectable flavors. Nuts add a bit of crunch to your dessert. Sprinkle chopped nuts around the cake’s border or add a cluster of candied nuts to create an elegant design on your cake top. You can also use coconut shavings as a creative alternative to sprinkles or cover the entire cake with them for a classy white design.
Pretzels are another popular decoration that works well with chocolate, fruits, and more. Sprinkle chopped pretzels over your cake for a salty, crunchy topping or incorporate them into designs. Pretzel sticks are great for trees or campfire wood, making them perfect for outdoorsy designs. You can also break them apart and use them as spider legs in a Halloween cake or reindeer antlers in a Christmas cake.
Perfect Your Design With Damask Cakes
Creating a sweet masterpiece is easy when you follow the cake baking kits from Damask Cakes. Explore a wide variety of flavors and see what you can create when you try one of our baking bundles today.
