Use these colorful cake ideas to brighten up your cakes for any occasion! In this tutorial I’ll walk you through 8 fun and creative ways to decorate cakes with colour to make eye-catching showstoppers.
Homemade stencils are easy, cheap, and so versatile! To create your stencil, write a message or number on parchment or wax paper and then carefully cut it out. Leave the surrounding paper intact, which will be your stencil.
Chill your cake in the fridge for at least an hour to firm up the frosting so it's not soft or sticky. Then wrap the stencil around the cake. Spread buttercream over the stencil, using the same colour or any other colour, and place your cake onto a tray. Then press edible glitter or colourful sanding sugar into the buttercream. The tray will catch any falling sparkles.
When you peel the stencil off, you’re left with a fabulous, glittery message! Tip: Make sure your stencil covers up the cake all the way own to the cake board or wrap a second strip around the base to protect the frosting from stray sprinkles.
Watercolour frosting is one of the quickest and easiest ways to create striking, colorful cake ideas. Start by dabbing different colours of buttercream randomly around your cake. Make sure they blend nicely, since they will mix together. Scrape around the cake a few times to smooth and blend the colours. Then use any leftover frosting you scraped off to fill in gaps. The more you scrape, the more the colours will merge into a dreamy watercolour effect.
To take it up a notch, try carving into the buttercream to reveal layers of colour beneath. I teach this technique in my free course on 10 frosting techniques.
Incorporate multiple colours without blending with buttercream stripes. Start by covering your cake in your first colour and then use a striped cake comb to carve out grooves. Chill the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes (or 15 in the freezer) so the first layer sets. Then pipe or spread your second colour into the grooves.
Use a cake scraper to smooth the frosting but remember to trust the process! It’s fine if you smear the second colour everywhere before you've scraped all of the excess off. Keep going and you'll reveal perfect, clean stripes by the end.
Don't forget the inside of the cake! A checkerboard cake adds a burst of colour with every slice. Use a light-coloured recipe you can tint like my Very Vanilla cake, which you can bake in four 6 inch pans for even checkerboard squares.
First, level the layers. Then use cookie cutters (2" and 4") to cut concentric rings from each cake layer. Alternate the rings to create a checkerboard pattern, for example a pink outside, white middle, and pink center. Then for the next layer, reverse the colours:
Stack the layers so the colours alternate all the way up. It’s a stunning surprise when you serve the cake!
If you love piping or want to practice, vintage cakes are perfect for packing in colour. Choose a rainbow palette or any other colour scheme and experiment with different piping tips to build up layers of ruffles, shells, beads, and scrolls. I go into much more detail in my vintage piping tutorial 🙂
This next technique is quick but stunning. Pour multicoloured sprinkles into your buttercream but be sure to set aside a few spoonfuls of plain buttercream first. Spread the sprinkled frosting onto your cake as usual. When you smooth it with a cake comb, some sprinkles may drag and leave trails and that’s what the plain buttercream is for. Just spread it over the trails and scrape again until the surface is smooth. The embedded sprinkles create a fun, festive effect.
For an eye-catching cake topper try this sprinkled chocolate trick. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave at 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring between each. Spoon the melted chocolate into a ziplock bag, snip the tip, and pipe letters or numbers directly onto a plate of sprinkles. Remember to pipe them in mirror image, since you’re working from the back.
For the neatest results, outline each letter or number first and then build up the shape to make it thicker. While the chocolate is still soft, press in a toothpick at the base so it’ll stand upright on your cake. Leave it to set, either at room temp for an hour or about 15 minutes in the fridge. Lift the toothpicks up and press them into your cake for sprinkle-covered chocolate toppers!
Stencils are one of my favourite cake decorating techniques and using multiple colours makes them even better. Cut out your own stencil from parchment paper or wax paper and wrap it around a chilled cake. Tint small amounts of buttercream (a cupcake pan is perfect for this!) and spread two or three colours across your stencil. Scrape gently to blend and remove excess buttercream. Peel off the stencil to reveal a smooth, vibrant design that really pops!
Whether you love sparkly stencils, textured piping, or whimsical sprinkles, there’s something here for everyone. These colorful cake ideas are perfect for birthdays, parties, or anytime you want a cake that really stands out. Leave a comment to tell me your favourite colourful cake ideas or ask any questions you have! And don’t forget to check out my cake school with my free frosting course or explore more courses and membership options.
You can also watch a video of this tutorial on 8 colorful cake ideas:
