Here are 10 hacks to help you practice cake decorating without wasting time, ingredients or money!
Practice piping onto parchment paper
There are SO many different piping techniques and to master each one you’ll need to practice. Pipe onto parchment paper or wax paper or a silicone mat and then scrape the piping back into the piping bag to use for practicing again and again. You’ll save money on ingredients by re-using the frosting.
Even for simple techniques like piping these pointed dots, to make Christmas tree lights on a cake, it’s a good idea to practice them on paper or a plate before moving on to your cake, to get used to the consistency of the buttercream and the pressure you need to use when you squeeze the bag.
For writing message on cakes, it’s not just the technique you might want to practice, it’s also the spacing and positioning on a cake, which I think is the trickiest part! Choose a cake pan the same size as your cake, or the same size as the available space on the cake, if you’ve already piped a border onto it. Pipe your message onto the pan before the cake, to practice your lettering but also to practice centering it on the pan, scraping and repiping the message until you feel comfortable so that when you then pipe it onto the cake, you won’t make any mistakes and have to scrape it off and try again.
Practice cake decorating all over a cake!
When you make a practice cake, try out as many techniques as you can on the same cake! I often do one design on the front of the cake and another on the back, like with these two Valnetines Day designs:
After practicing a technique on the side of a cake I might practice something else on the top of the cake. And maybe try a border around the bottom of the cake and another style of border on top, too!
Use cake zombies to practice cake decorating
Another great hack for practicing is to use a cake zombie, which is a cake that you use again and again for practice. This is especially useful if you have kids at home, so maybe it takes you several days to get around to frosting and decorating the cake, and by then it’s gone stale. Instead of throwing it away, scrape it and try another frosting or decorating technique on top, or several different techniques, and then repeat by scraping again and decorating again!
Make cakes for every occasion
When I first started making cakes back in 2009 I was teaching English in Costa Rica and I made cakes for all of my students’ and friends’ birthdays, for every party I went to, and little by little my cakes got better and better until I ended up opening a cake shop and selling them! Make cakes for your neighbors, your kid’s teachers, school functions or community events, and of course your friends and family! Look at this half and half cake I made recently, with half banana cake and half chocolate vanilla marble cake, covered with half and half frosting and some piping, compared to my first half and half cake before LOTS of practice, back in 2012!
Use cake dummies to practice cake decorating
Styrofoam cakes, often called cake dummies, can be used to practice all sorts of techniques without having to bake a cake first.
The trickiest thing about these is that they’re so lightweight. They’ll slip all over the cake board if you don’t attach them. To attach styrofoam to a cake board use a blob of buttercream as glue. Then leave it to set for a few hours at room temperature or 30 minutes in the fridge. Now the cake dummy will be stuck securely in place and won’t move around.
Then you can frost it just like you would frost an actual cake. Now you can practice whatever techniques you like!
Practice cake decorating on mini cakes
Make mini cakes instead of large ones when you want to practice a technique. You’ll save time because the cake layers will bake quicker. You’ll spend less on ingredients for smaller cake and frosting recipes. You can practice the same designs as you’d use on larger cakes, trying out new tools or techniques or whatever you want to practice, but for a fraction of the cost!
Practice cake decorating on cupcakes
Take this even further and practice on cupcakes instead of cakes! Pipe swirls, the kind you would pipe on top of a cake, or try out a homemade stencil or drop flowers.
Freeze piping and then transfer it onto a cake
I think piping is one of the trickiest parts of cake decorating. You need to have the right consistency of buttercream and also the right amount pressure on the piping bag. And you’ll need to movethe piping bag not just with the right motion but also at the right speed.
Here’s a hack: Pipe your decorations onto parchment paper and the freeze them to make them hard. It’s easier to pipe down onto paper than sideways onto a cake. If you don’t like any of your piping, just don’t use them. If you pipe them straight onto a cake, if you don’t like them you’ll have to scrape them off which is messier.
When the piped details are frozen, lift them up and place them on your cake! Use a dot of fresh buttercream to attach them, like glue.
This way you can choose which decorations are the prettiest and only use those!
For the top of the cake, trace around the baking pan onto a piece of parchment or wax paper, and then pipe within the circle. If you don’t like any of the piping, it’s easier to scrape it off this paper than an actual cake! Put them into the freezer to chill and set so that they’re firm and then pick them up and place them onto your cake!
Practice cake decorating with my online courses
My favourite hack to practice cake decorating is to take my online courses! You’ll find hundreds of cake decorating ideas and designs to watch and instead of figuring them out yourself by watching hundreds of YT videos until you find the one that answers your questions, find EVERYTHING in one place on my cake school, and ask your questions below each video and they’ll come directly to me so I can answer them straight away! Start your FREE 7 day trial by going to BGB.com and click on CAKE SCHOOL. See you there!
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Here are all of my tips for how to serve a cake: tall cakes, tier cakes, shaped cakes, and more!
Serve cakes at room temperature
Cakes should be at room temperature when you serve them. They're easier to cut into when the cake, filling and frosting aren't cold and hard. Also, both cake and buttercream taste best when they’re not cold. Ideally, take cakes out of the fridge two to four hours before you cut into them.
When you finish making a cake you can serve it straight away at room temperature. However, it will be the most crumbly this way, since the filling and frosting haven’t set in the fridge. Your knife will drag through the slice and leave crumbs in the filling. It will still taste delicious though, which is the most important thing!
How to serve a cake with warm water
For the neatest slices, use a warm knife to cut the cake. Hold a knife under warm running water or fill a glass with warm water and dip your knife into it. Then dry the knife on a towel or paper towel. Do this in between each cut. The warm metal will slice cleanly through the cake, filling and frosting.
Cut sideways for the neatest slices
I saw this tip on Instagram, on Baked by Dan’s account. He shows that cutting sidewayswill prevent crumbs dragging through your filling. It's a bit awkward but look at the neat slice this makes, with no crumbs in the filling:
How to cut a tall cake
For tall cakes, avoid traditional wedge-style slices that make very large portions. Instead, use this cutting board technique. It’s less tricky than cutting wedges, where the middle part tends to get left behind as you lift each slice out.
Slice all the way across the cake, an inch or two from the edge. Tip the slice over onto a cutting board and then cut it in half and in half again. This makes four long, thin portions.
This is my preferred method because everyone can choose how much frosting they want on their slice. Frosting lovers can choose the edge pieces and people with less of a sweet tooth can choose a middle piece. With this method, even the final slices are easy to cut, compared to wedges where the final few tend to topple over!
How to save leftover cake
If you don’t finish a cake you can save the leftovers. Press cling film against the cut sides, pushing it flat against the cake. Use pressure along the cut edge of the frosting to attach it. This will stop the cake from drying out. Now you can refrigerate the cake for a week and enjoy the leftovers!
How to store leftover cake slices
To save leftover slices of cake, first put them in the freezer for 5 minutes to set the frosting. Then wrap them in cling film or saran wrap. The plastic won’t mess up the frosting because the frosting has already set in the freezer. Now freeze the wrapped slices until you have a craving for something sweet. It's also a great option when you need a last minute dessert for an unexpected guest! After freezing, take the slice out and leave it on the counter for about 4 hours to come to room temperature before eating.
How to serve a cake with supports
Tier cakes, double barrel cakes and shaped cakes may have an internal support structure. This just means there are support straws or dowels holding up a cake board in the middle of the cake for stability. In case you're wondering how to serve a cake with supports, it's easier than you think! Slice the top tier while it’s still on top on the cake. You'll feel your knife hit the cake board at the bottom of this cake. When you’ve cut all of the top cake into slices, lift up the board below. You'll see the bottom half of the cake underneath. Cut the bottom part of the cake as normal!
This is how to serve most sculpted or carved cakes, like this Bulbasaur Pokemon cake. They look intimidating but they’re just as simple to serve as a regular round cake!
How to serve a cake without a knife
If you forget to pack a knife, like on this camping trip, two forks work to cut slices. They’re not the neatest but in situations like this, no one will care!
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You'll love these 10 cake hacks to save money if you're on a budget! Avoid expensive tools, minimize waste, choose techniques wisely, use what you already have at home, and more!
#1 Avoid specialty pans
Instead of buying expensive pans for every shape of cake, use whatever you already have. Bake your cakes in pans you already have and then cut them out or attach them, or both! Drawing the shape onto a piece of paper first will help you get exactly the shape you want. Cut out squares or numbers from sheet cakes or hearts from round cakes:
You can also attach different shapes and sizes of cakes to make any shape you want. For example, I made this heart cake by attaching a square cake to a round cake cut in half:
You can make any shape you like with the pans you have and a serrated knife like a bread knife. To attach different shapes together, use buttercream as glue between the shapes. This cake is about to turn into a Pokemon Bulbasaur cake:
When you frost it, you'll cover up any seams or joins between different pieces of cake. And when you serve it, no one will know about the cake surgery you performed on the inside!
#2 Skip the cake boards and boxes
Don’t want to spend money on cake boards and cake boxes? Here are more cake hacks to save money and also time! Bake your cake in a pretty dish that’s oven safe and after it cools, decorate it in the dish!
Carry it to your event and slice it in the dish for maximum ease and minimum effort. Then take the dish home with you afterwards to re-use again and again!
#3 Make smaller cakes
One of the best cake hacks to save money is to downsize your cakes. You’ll use less of expensive ingredients like butter and eggs, and you won’t end up with lots of leftover cake! Did you know a 6 inch cake can serve 12-20 people? It’s all about how you serve it.
Large, traditional wedge slices are difficult to cut thinly. You'll end up with huge portions that hardly anyone will finish. Also, the last few slices will be really tricky to slice!
Instead, try the cutting board method. Slice your cake into strips, letting them fall over onto a cutting board.
Cut those pieces in half and in half again, to make perfectly size portions. The edge pieces will have more than the middle pieces so everyone can choose just how much frosting they like.
#4 Use cake dummies
Sometimes cakes need to be bigger than necessary, for example a tier cake that’s for just 6 people. To achieve the size without waste, use cake dummies or fake cakes for the additional tiers. Frost and decorate them just like you would for a real cake.
No one will know the difference when they see the cake. You can scrape and wash the dummies to re-use again and again, saving money each time!
#5 Make your own sprinkles
Yes, you can make your own sprinkles if you have a lot of time and patience. But realistically, simple sprinkles are very affordable to buy.
What’s not as affordable are sprinkles mixes. Good news: you can mix your own! Choose a few different sprinkle packets of different colours and sizes and shapes.
Mix them together and voila! Fancy sprinkle mixes, but homemade!
#6 Choose valuable tools and materials
The cheapest tools and materials won’t necessarily save you money. For example, a cheap plastic cake comb will get dinged after a few uses. Those dings will cause these trails or indents in your frosting:
You’ll have to replace that cheap cake comb almost as soon as you buy it! A more expensive metal cake comb can last years without a single ding. You’ll really get your money’s worth out of that investment.
The same goes for food colouring. Yes, liquid colours form the grocery store or supermarket might be cheaper than gel colours. But gel colours will last you years and years - I haven’t replaced any since I got this set in 2020! And the storage case for gel bottles has been one of my best purchases ever!
Gel colours are really concentrated so you don’t need much to tint buttercream. I made this same colour using half a bottle of liquid colour and just a drop of gel colour:
So, before choosing the cheapest tools and materials, think about how often you'll use them and how long they'll last.
#7 Cake hacks to save money on gel colours
For dark colours like black and red you need a lot of gel to make a bold colour. Gels are expensive so instead, use these cake hacks to save money. First, tint buttercream several shades lighter than you want. For example, make grey instead of black and coral instead of red.
Secondly, microwave the bowl for 5 seconds and the heat will darken the buttercream. Finally, cover the bowl and put it into the freezer for 5 minutes. This will bring the melted buttercream back to room temperature. The cold will darken it, too!
Stir it and optionally, cover it again and leave it to rest for an hour or two. You’ll notice dark grey turn to black and coral turn into a deep, bold red. Look at the difference in the colour between a few hours ago, and now!
#8 Toy characters
For character cakes you could buy fondant in every colour and roll out each shape individually. Making figures this way is time consuming and expensive. But the person you’re making the cake for probably has toy figures of that character. Clean the figures and use them on the cake for free! And honestly, the toy topper will probably have the best resemblance to the character anyway!
#9 Limit your tools
There are endlesstools you can buy for cake decorating. But there are also endless substitutes that you already have in your drawers and cabinets. Instead of textured cake combs, use a spoon or a fork or a spatula to create gorgeous textured frosting.
Instead of piping bags and tips for writing or drawing dots or lines, use a sandwich bag like a ziploc bag. Spoon your buttercream in and push it down to one of the bottom corners. Cut a small piece of the corner off and you have a homemade piping bag with a round piping tip!
When you’re learning how to make cakes, there are so many techniques and tools to try out. Trial and error is an expensive process! Instead, learn all of the techniques you like in concise, informative, clear videos that show you how to use minimal tools to create stunning cakes. As well as cake hacks to save money, you'll learn shortcuts and all the tips and tricks to decorate cakes like a pro! Find all of this on my cake school. I’m offering a FREE 7 day trial of my All You Can Cake membership, which includes EVERYTHING on my cake school, so you can try it out, risk free! See you there!
Now tell me in the comments which tip will save YOU money when you’re making cakes!
Improve cake decorating skills and take your cakes to the next level in 2025 with these 10 cake decorating tips!
#1 Practice makes perfect
You know the expression: practice makes perfect. With every cake you make you’ll improve cake decorating basics like smoothing frosting, but also cake decorating techniques. For example, look at the district bands of colour on the ombre cake on the left. Now compare those to the gradual blending on the cake on the right. The difference is five years of practice!
You’ll get better at every technique with practice, from smooth frosting to elaborate cake decorating techniques. So take every opportunity to make a cake for get togethers, events and occasions. Each time, practice a skill or technique you’d like to improve.
#2 Experiment to improve cake decorating
Experimentingis another way to improve cake decorating skills. Instead of practicing the same technique over and over again, try different ways to do something. For example, instead of filling different piping bags with different colours for a design, layer those colours within the same piping bag. This creates the easiest ombre effect!
And instead of piping flowers straight onto a cake like above, pipe them down. Line a tray or baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick mat. This is a much easier angle than piping onto the side of a cake. (This is my 4 Minute Buttercream, by the way!) After freezing them you can choose only your favourites to pick up and press onto your cake. By tweaking the method you create a very different cake design!
If you’ve tried carving buttercream, you might have found the result messy with little crumbs of buttercream along the edges. Experiment with different temperatures and yo'll be pleasantly surprised! You’ll find that dipping your tool into warm water before carving will give you much neater results.
Experiment with different tools like a metal or acrylic cake comb instead a plastic one. You'll see which tool works best for you for smoother frosting and for other techniques, too. Small changes in the way you do things can cause big improvements on your cake!
#3 Perfect smooth frosting
As far as WHICH techniques to improve, to improve your cakes the most, I would definitely choose smooth frosting. It’s the foundation of almost every cake design, so it’s worth really focussing on until you’re happy with the results. I have lots of tutorials to help with smooth frosting but also, here are 2 hacks to help you.
The first is the microwave hack. Scoop up a third of the buttercream and microwave it for 10 seconds. Then pour this melted buttercream back into the bowl. Stir it together and you’ll have silky smooth frosting without air bubbles, perfect for frosting a cake!
The second hack is to use a warm metal cake comb. Run it under hot water or dip it into a pan of hot water and dry it with a towel. Or use a hairdryer or blowtorch to heat it and wait a moment so that it’s warm, not hot. Scrape around the cake and the warm metal will glide over it, filling in shallow indents or air bubbles, leaving it super smooth!
#4 Get the right consistency
To improve your frosting but also your piping you’ll need the right buttercream consistency. Use room temperature butter to see the true consistency of your buttercream because temperature will change it. If your butter is cold, your buttercream will seem stiffer than it really is!
When you stir the buttercream, stiff peaks and lots of texture within the buttercream mean your buttercream is stiff. With this consistency it will hold its shape, which is perfect for piping.
To make buttercream less stiff, add some milk and stir it in. When the peaks droop over, the consistency is looser or softer. A loose consistency is perfect for frosting a cake.
#5 Vary your piping tips
To improve your cakes, try different piping tips. Almost everyone starts off with a 1M star tip, which is typically used for piping swirls on cakes and cupcakes. For variety try a 2D for softer, wavier ruffles.
And a 1M is fine for borders but use different piping tips for difference effects. Try a star tip with more prongs, shorter and closer together, like the 4B in the tie die cake photo below.Switching up your piping tips will add more variety to your cakes.
Also, choosing a smaller or larger size to match the size of your cake will make a big difference to the overall design. A small size makes the border a subtle extra detail whereas a large size makes it an eye-catching attention-grabber.
For easy variety, use the same technique with a different tip. You'll create a different effect without needing to master a new skill.
#6 Choose pretty packaging
Make your cakes look more professional with pretty packaging. Buying in bulk is cheapest or on Amazon they're only a few dollars each when you buy 10 or 20. These make your cakes look SO much better!
To use the same cake box for tier cakes, use this tall cake box hack! Cut two diagonal slits on opposite sides of the box lid. The shorter the slits, the higher the lid will sit. Then push the middle section (between the slits) into the box. You'll still be able to fit the lid on and keep your packaging looking professional.
#7 Use guidelines for piping
To space out patterns evenly on your cakes, create your own easy guidelines. Draw around your cake pan and cut out the circle and then fold it in half or thirds. Look at the outer edge of the circle to choose however wide you want the sections of your pattern to be. Unfold the circle and place it on top of your cake after the frosting has set, so it doesn’t stick. Now use the creases on the paper circle as guidelines for your pattern. Optionally, can poke toothpicks into the cake below each crease to make the guidelines more visible.
Now when you pipe you’ll have clear start and end points for each section of the design. This is especially useful for Lambeth or vintage cakes!
#8 Make really white frosting
Make your white cakes really white with this trick. Make yellow butter much lighter by beating it for several minutes before adding any sugar. After mixing in the sugar, add a tiny amount of violet gel, which will cancel out the yellow. Dip a toothpick into the bottle to get just a tiny bit, rather than trying to squeeze a small drop and accidentally ending up with purple buttercream!
Look at the difference in this buttercream before adding violet and after - it gets so much whiter!
#9 Improve your cake photos
As you improve your cakes in 2025, document them by improving your cake photos. The easiest improvement to draw attention to the cake will minimize any distractions. To do this, adjust the focus. On an iPhone, choose Portrait mode and tap the F at the top left of the screen. Drag the bar up and down to make the background more and less blurry.
You can do this on a camera, too! Adjust the Fstop or F number to make the background more or less in focus.
I have an online course on Cake Photography Like a Pro which will show you EVERYTHING about lighting, backdrops, props, taking photos with a phone and a camera, and editing. And while we’re talking about my courses, move on to the final tip to improve cake decorating!
#10 Take a cake decorating course
To really improve your cakes, start a FREE 7 day trial of my All You Can Cake membership. It gives you access to ALL of my online courses so you can take a deep dive into whatever you’re interested in: baking cakes, getting your frosting super smooth, piping flowers and borders, decorating with chocolate, colouring buttercream, growing your cake accounts on social media, designing custom cakes… And you can ask me any questions directly so I can answer them straight away! I hope to see you there!
Everything on social media looks like it's an easy cake decorating idea but they’re usually trickier in reality. In this tutorial I’ll show you 10 techniques that really are easy no matter how much experience you have!
#1 Textured frosting with a spoon
This first easy cake decorating technique uses a spoon and you could even do this without a turntable. Spread frosting to cover your cake, ideally doing two layers. This way any crumbs get stuck in the first layer. Then put the cake into the fridge for 30 minutes to set the first layer before adding another layer. Don’t worry about getting this frosting smooth because you’re about to add texture!
If you don’t have a turntable, try one of these two options. Point the spoon downwards and drag from the bottom of the cake upwards to make vertical grooves. Or curve the spoon in arc shapes, going in different directions for random, rustic texture. You can leave the texture at the top or flatten it by pushing sideways with an offset spatula.
If you have a turntable, try holding the spoon sideways and spin the cake to make horizontal grooves. As you spin, drag the spoon slowly up the cake to cover the sides with texture.
All of these textures make the cake look more interesting and mean that you don't need to perfect smooth fro
#2 Sprinkle border
For quick and easy colour, choose a few different sprinkles: different shapes, colours, sizes… and mix them together. Put your frosted cake on a tray and spoon or pour your sprinkles around the cake. The ray will catch any sprinkles that roll off the cake board so they don't fall onto the floor. Push the sprinkles into the bottom of the cake with the back of your spoon to make a pretty border!
#3 The easiest, neatest swirls
Here's the easiest way to pipe neat swirls onto the top of a cake! Drop a star shaped tip like a 1M or 2D into a piping bag and spoon buttercream into the bag. Twist the top of the bag so that it’s pushed tight against the buttercream. This means you don’t need to squeeze as hard to pipe so your hand won’t get tired or crampy! Pipe a ring of buttercream and then overlap that ring with another one right on top. Then stop squeezing the bag and pull away. Pipe the next swirl in the same direction (I always go anti-clockwise or counter-clockwise) and then pull away in the same direction as the previous swirl. This way all of your swirls will be uniform.
It’s much easier to make these short swirls look neat than taller swirls. Tall swirls tend to lean to one side and be different heights to each other. Also, these short swirls give the cake some height without adding a huge amount of buttercream to each slice!
#4 My favourite buttercream flowers
For the easiest flowers that also happen to be my favourite, use a closed star tip like a 2D. Layer different colours of buttercream in the piping bag to make multicolored flowers that will change colour. Line a cutting board with a piece of parchment or wax paper. Hold the piping bag down with the tip of the piping tip resting down on the paper. As you squeeze the bag to pipe, twist your wrist to make the buttercream fan out sideways to make petals. Piping down onto this flat surface is much easier than piping straight onto the curved side of a round cake.
As you pipe, the higher up colours will push through the lower down colours in the piping bag. You’ll see the colours of your flowers gradually change!
Put the flowers into the freezer for 5 minutes to get cold and hard. Then pick them up and press them onto your cake. If the frosting on the cake has set, spread buttercream or melted chocolate as glue to attach the flowers.
Since you’ve piped the flowers onto paper, you can choose only your favourites to add to your cake. I love the way the red comes through the flowers more and more as you go down the cake!
#5 Ombre frosting
Ombre frosting starts with a single bowl of coloured buttercream. Add more colour or some plain white buttercream to make a few darker or lighter shades. You’ll blend these together on the cake. Spread the colours around the cake with the darkest on top and the lightest at the bottom, or the other way around. This is one of the techniques I teach in my FREE online course 10 Frosting Techniques.
Wiggle your offset spatula to make zig zags in the frosting to blend the colours together slightly. This will create a gradual ombre instead of distinct bands of colour like stripes. There result is so simple but stunning!
#6 Easy cake decorating with homemade stencils
Make your own cake stencils by drawing a shape onto parchment or wax paper. Use a pencil because pen doesn’t write well on the surface of this paper. Cut the shape out by snipping the middle, poking one scissor blade through that hole and then cutting around the shape. Keep the paper around the shape intact because that will be your stencil.
Chill your cake in the fridge for at least an hour so that the frosting is cold and firm, not sticky. Then wrap the stencil around the cake. Spread buttercream over the stencil, pressing against the stencil to hold it in place. Smooth this frosting with your offset spatula or a cake comb. Or add some texture by pressing gently and dragging your spatula or a spoon upwards. Then peel the stencil off and voila!
#7 Tray bake cake
For the quickest cake, bake the cake in an ovenproof dish and then frost and decorate it in the dish. The easiest way to decorate these is to cover them with lots of texture using different piping tips and colours. If you don’t have piping tips you can just spread frosting onto the cake instead, smoothing it with the side of your offset spatula or palette knife. Leave it simple or add whatever design you like on top. I love this fun calendar design for a birthday cake!
#8 Number cakes for birthdays
One of my favourite easy cake decorating ideas for a birthday cake is a number cake. Cut the birthday number out of a sheet cake twice so you have two identical numbers. Use blobs of buttercream to attach one of the numbers to a cake board or plate or platter. Then pipe buttercream on top. I'm using a 1A round tip for this cake but you could pipe rosettes or swirls using a star shaped tip instead. And of course you could use coloured buttercream instead of plain white.
Lower your next cake layer down, positioning it on top, and then add another layer of piping. Buttercream is best because softer frostings like whipped cream will get squashed by the top number cake. Decorate this with flowers or chocolates or candies or cookies or fruit or whatever you like!
#9 Easy cake decorating with a petal piping tip
For pretty textured details in seconds, use a petal piping tip and any buttercream left after frosting your cake. Press the wide end of the piping tip against the cake with the pointed end facing away from the cake. Start at the bottom of the cake, squeezing the bag to push the buttercream out. Pull slowly upwards, wiggling a little bit to make these ruffles.
These ruffles are quick and easy and look so pretty. Overlap a few of these to make a little accent, or cover the whole cake with layers of ruffles! This is another technique I teach in more detail in my FREE online course 10 Frosting Techniques, which over 20,000 people have taken!
#10 Easy cake decorating with kids
For the easiest cake decorating - Let your kids decorate the cake for you! Frost the cake and then optionally, melt some chocolate chips and spoon them into a ziplock bag and cut a little piece off one of the corners. Squeeze the bag to draw a simple design with the melted chocolate, like something you’d see in a children’s coloring book.
Make a colour palette in a cupcake pan, using labels because it’ll be difficult to see what the colours are in the dark pan. You can use liquid or gel colours but if you use gels you’ll need other water them down to make a liquid.
Give your kids a paintbrush and let them paint the cake! They’ll love the activity and have extra fun eating their masterpiece.
I hope you’ve seen some easy cake decorating ideas you’d like to try! Ask me any questions in the comments and remember to take my free course or check out my cake school to learn hundreds of cake decorating techniques and designs.
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This adorable reindeer cake is so easy to make! Use chocolate chips, an Oreo cookie and some parchment or wax paper for the decorations.
Bake the reindeer cake layers
I started with my Perfect Chocolate Cake recipe. The ingredients and recipe are in the recipe box at the bottom of this page. I baked the batter in four 6 inch pans to make a nice tall cake. While the layers cool, make your filling and frosting.
Make the filling and frosting
Use chocolate chips and cocoa powder to make a really chocolatey buttercream for the reindeer’s fur. Start by making my 4 Minute Buttercream, which is an easy and delicious base for hundreds of different flavours. In a small bowl mix cocoa powder with hot water to make a thin paste. In another bowl melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or a double boiler. Let the chocolate and cocoa paste cool. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the buttercream in a small bowl to make the reindeer's eyes and nose later. Cover the bowl with cling film or Saran Wrap so the buttercream doesn't dry out and crust.
When the chocolate and cocoa paste have cooled, stir them into the buttercream. Mix it all together by hand or with a mixer. The chocolate buttercream will be smooth and the perfect consistency for frosting!
You can use this for the filling as well as the frosting. Or to add another flavour, scoop out half a cup of buttercream before adding the chocolate. Blend 3 peppermints or any other mint candy to make a fine powder. Or put the mints in a sandwich bag and crush them by banging them with a rolling pin. Add these to the half a cup of buttercream along with a spoonful of cream cheese. This makes a creamy peppermint filling that pairs perfectly with the chocolate!
Assemble and frost the reindeer cake
To assemble the reindeer cake, spread some buttercream onto the middle of a cake board to act as glue. Press your first cake layer down onto it, centering it on the board. The buttercream will attach it there while you frost and decorate the cake.
Spread on a layer of filling and then place another cake layer on top. Layer more cake and more filling, finishing with the final layer of cake. I alternated between the peppermint cream cheese and chocolate buttercream.
Put the cake into the fridge for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes. The cold will set the filling to keep the cake stable while you frost it. Spread half of the chocolate buttercream onto the cake, covering the top and the sides. This is a crumb coat and it’s going to be covered up so it doesn’t need to be really neat. It needs to cover the cake so there’s nowhere from crumbs to sneak through. It’s much easier to do this when the cake is cold, so that the layers don’t slide around.
Pop the cake back into the fridge for another 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes. This will set the crumb coat. Then spread on another layer of frosting, which is the final layer. You want to get it as neat as possible so use a straight edged cake comb to smooth it. I have lots of free tutorials on how to get smooth frosting in case you need tips for this part! Put the cake into the fridge and save your leftover chocolate buttercream for later, covering the bowl with plastic wrap.
Make antlers and ears
Now for the fun part - making the reindeer’s face. For the ears, cut an Oreo in half and push a toothpick into the filling in the middle. Spread some of the leftover chocolate buttercream to cover these and smooth it with an offset spatula or palette knife. Then place them on parchment or wax paper and put them in the fridge to harden. When the chocolate frosting is firm, push the toothpicks into the cake to attach the ears.
Draw the antlers onto a piece of paper or print an image to trace. Melt half a cup of chocolate chips in the microwave or double boiler. If you overheat chocolate it will seize or burn or get ugly white markings after the chocolate sets. To prevent this, microwave for 30 seconds at 60% power, stir, and repeat. This heats the chocolate gently and gradually.
Spoon the chocolate into a ziplock bag and cut a little piece off one corner. Put a piece of parchment or wax paper over the antler outline and place these on a cutting board or tray. This will make it easier to lift the antlers up later. Squeeze the chocolate through the hole you cut to trace the antlers and fill in the outline. Use a spoon to smooth the chocolate and then push a wooden skewer into the bottom of the antler. It should go up a few inches into the antler and the rest will stick out the bottom of the antler. Cover the part within the antler with more chocolate.
Put the antlers into the fridge to set. When they have hardened after about 30 minutes, lift them up and push the wooden skewers into the cake.
Add details to the reindeer's face
Next, make stencils for the eyes. Trace around something round like a large piping tip onto parchment or wax paper. Cut out the circle leaving the paper around it intact. Leave a bit of space around each eye for your stencils.
Put about 2 tablespoons of the leftover chocolate buttercream into a bowl and add some black gel colouring. When the frosting on the cake has set in the fridge, take the cake out. Press the eye stencils against the cake and spread the black buttercream over them. Scrape the black buttercream to take off the excess to leave a thin, smooth layer behind. Then peel off the stencil. Do the same for the other eye. You can touch up any smudges around the edges of the eyes with a toothpick.
Next you'll need the 2 tablespoons of white buttercream you set aside earlier. Spoon it into a piping bag with a small or medium round piping tip. Pipe a little white dot in the same place on each eye.
Squeeze the rest of the white buttercream out of a piping bag into a bowl. Add red gel to tint it red for the nose. (If you prefer a brown nose, melt a spoonful of chocolate chips and mix it with a spoonful of the leftover chocolate frosting instead.) Make another stencil for the nose that's oval shaped instead of round. Press the stencil against the cake and spread the red buttercream over it. Smooth the buttercream and peel the stencil off.
For the mouth, carve a smile using a petal piping tip. You could pipe it with black buttercream but my hands are too shaky to do that neatly! If you carve it, a toothpick is great for picking off any crumbs of buttercream along the carved lines.
Put the rest of the chocolate buttercream into a piping bag with a star piping tip. I used a 1M. Pipe a few rosettes or swirls onto the top of the cake to make a mane.
How to serve this reindeer cake
The cake is safe to transport because the ears and antlers are secured with skewers so they won’t topple over. I do recommend storing this cake in the fridge to keep everything fresh and stable. Take it out of the fridge two hours before you serve it, so the cake and filling and frosting come to room temperature. That’s when they taste the best!
This reindeer is so cute and also so delicious! If you have any leftovers, press plastic wrap against the cut surfaces to seal them so they don’t dry out. Then put the cake into the fridge and it will stay moist for up to a week!
Watch a video showing how to make this reindeer cake:
Save this tutorial for later by pinning this to Pinterest:
This adorable reindeer cake is delicious and so easy to make!
Ingredients
UnitsScale
For the cake layers:
2cups hot water
1cup cocoa powder
1cup unsalted butter
2 1/4cups white sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 2/3cups plain flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the filling and frosting:
2 1/2cups unsalted butter at room temperature
2lb powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2cup chocolate chips
1/4cup cocoa powder
5 tablespoons hot water
1 tablespoon cream cheese
3 peppermint candies
For the decorations:
1/2cup chocolate chips
1 Oreo cookie
Instructions
To make the cake layers:
In a bowl, whisk together hot water and cocoa powder until the cocoa has dissolved. Set aside to come to room temperature.
In a mixer with a beater (paddle) attachment, mix butter with sugar on medium speed until pale and creamy, about two minutes. Scrape down to the bottom of the bowl once during mixing to make sure no butter is stuck at the bottom.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing on the lowest speed after each addition until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
Add vanilla and mix on lowest speed for about 30 seconds to combine.
In a bowl sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add a third of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and mix on lowest speed to incorporate.
Add half of the cocoa mixture to the mixing bowl and mix on lowest speed to incorporate. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture, then the remaining cocoa powder mixture, and then the remaining flour mixture. Mix just until the ingredients are combined.
Grease the inside (base and sides) of four 6" pans with non-stick spray, butter or oil. Divide batter between the cake pans.
Bake at 160ºC or 325ºF for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Let cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Use a spatula to loosen cake from the edges of the cake pan and then turn onto a wire cooling rack. Leave to cool completely.
To make the filling and frosting:
Sift the sugar to remove any lumps and check that the butter is at room temperature - you should be able to slice through it easily with a spatula.
In a mixer with a beater (paddle) attachment, mix butter for a few seconds until smooth. Add a quarterof the powdered sugar and salt (if using) and mix on the lowest speed until incorporated, about one minute.
Scrape down to the bottom of the mixing bowl with a spatula to loosen any butter and sugar and add the next quarter of powdered sugar and mix for another minute on low.
Scrape down to the bottom of the bowl, add another quarter of the powdered sugar, mix for one minute on low, scrape, and add the final quarter of the powdered sugar. Mix for one more minute on low, adding the vanilla once everything is mixed together and continuing to mix until it's incorporated.
Set aside 2 tablespoons of buttercream to for the eyes and nose later, adding a few drops of milk to thin it out slightly.
Optionally, set aside 1/2 cup of buttercream. Blend peppermints in a mixer or food processor or put them into a sandwich bag and bang them with a rolling pin to crush them. Add them to the buttercream along with the cream cheese and stir to combine. Set aside to use for the cake filling.
Pour chocolate chips into a small, microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds at 60% power. Stir and repeat until the chocolate is smooth. Let is cool to room temperature.
In another small bowl, mix cocoa powder and hot water to make a thin paste. Leave to cool.
Add melted chocolate and cocoa mixture to the remaining buttercream and stir to combine. This will be your filling and frosting.
To put the cake together:
Spread some buttercream onto the middle of a cake board and press your first cake layer down onto it to attach it.
Spread on a layer of peppermint cream cheese filling and then place another cake layer on top. Spread on a layer of chocolate buttercream and then place another layer on top. Finish with another layer of peppermint cream cheese filling and then the final cake layer.
Put the cake into the fridge for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes to set the filling.
Spread half of the remaining chocolate buttercream onto the cake as a crumb coat.
Return to the fridge for another 30 minutes or the freezer for another 15 minutes.
Spread on another layer of chocolate buttercream. Smooth the frosting, saving the leftovers by covering the bowl with cling film until later. Put the cake Ito the fridge to set the frosting while you make the decorations.
To make the decorations:
For the ears, cut an Oreo in half and push a toothpick half way into the filling in the middle. Spread some of the leftover chocolate buttercream to cover the Oreo halves, smoothing it. Then place on a cutting board or plate lines with a piece of parchment or wax paper and put into the fridge to chill and harden.
Draw an antler onto a piece of paper and trace it to make a reverse image. Cover with a piece of parchment or wax paper. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave for 30 seconds at 60% power. Stir and repeat until smooth. Spoon into a ziplock bag and cut a small piece off one of the bottom corners. Squeeze the chocolate through the hole to trace the outline of the antlers onto the parchment or wax paper. Fill in the antlers with more chocolate and use a spoon or offset spatula or palette knife to smooth the chocolate. Press a wooden skewer into the bottom of each antler so that about 2 inches of the skewer is over the chocolate and the rest is sticking out below. Cover the top part of the skewer with more chocolate. Put into the fridge to chill and set.
When the ears and antlers have set, lift them off the parchment or wax paper and push the wooden skewers of the antlers and toothpicks of the ears into the top of the cake.
Make stencils for the eyes and nose by cutting three squares of parchment or wax paper about 6 inches wide. Draw or trace a circle (about 1 1/2 inches wide) onto the middle of two pieces of paper and an oval (about 2 inches wide) onto the other. Cut out the shapes leaving the paper around them intact.
Put about 2 tablespoons of the leftover chocolate buttercream into a bowl and add some black gel colouring.
When the frosting on the cake has set in the fridge, take the cake out. Press the eye stencils against the cake and spread the black buttercream over them. Smooth the black buttercream to take off the excess, leaving a thin, smooth layer behind. Then peel off the stencil. Do the same for the other eye. You can touch up any smudges around the edges of the eyes with a toothpick.
Find the 2 tablespoons of white buttercream you set aside earlier. Spoon it into a piping bag with a small or medium round piping tip. Pipe a little white dot in the same place on each eye.
Squeeze the rest of the white buttercream out of a piping bag into a bowl. Add red gel to tint it red for the nose. Press the oval stencil against the cake and spread the red buttercream over it. Smooth the buttercream and peel the stencil off.
For the mouth, carve a smile using a petal piping tip. Use a toothpick to pick off any crumbs of buttercream along the carved lines.
Put the rest of the chocolate buttercream into a piping bag with a star piping tip like a 1M. Pipe a few rosettes or swirls onto the top of the cake.
To store and serve this cake:
Store the cake in the fridge for up to a week. Take it out of the fridge 2 hours before you serve it to let the cake and filling and frosting come to room temperature. This tastes best and makes it easiest to serve!
This eggnog cake is festive and decadent! The eggnog frosting is rich, creamy and not too sweet. Buttery vanilla cake layers are optionally spiked with brandy or rum. The combination of flavours is incredible! You'll find the video of how to make this cake at the bottom of the page.
Bake the cake layers
The vanilla cake starts with butter and sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Then add buttermilk and a little bit of oil to keep it moist. Finish with the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
These bake in three 8” pans at 325F or 160C for 35 minutes. You'll know they're baked when yo poke the middle of the cake and it bounces back up. Let the cakes cool in the pans until you can lift the pans without burning yourself, about 10 minutes. Turn them out onto a wire rack and leave them to cool for about an hour.
Make the eggnog frosting
Meanwhile, make the eggnog frosting, which is one of my favorite things ever. This is an ermine frosting or boiled milk frosting or cooked flour frosting. All of the names sound awful but trust me, you definitely need to make this!
Put flour, milk and salt in a pan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Whisk it constantly until it simmers so it doesn’t get lumpy. The mixture will thicken suddenly so don't stop whisking for a moment!
As soon as it starts to thicken, switch to a spatula. Scrape along the bottom and sides of the pan. Stir for about two minutes until the mixture thickens enough to leave ribbons when you lift the whisk. It needs to be quite thick - somewhere in between being liquid and solid. Remove the pan from the heat and add vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mix that in and then pour it all into a bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for about an hour to cool to room temperature.
When you take the cooked flour mixture out of the fridge it should have thickened to a pudding-like consistency. Cream together butter and sugar by mixing for 3 minutes, until creamy and lighter in colour. Scoop the flour mixture into the mixing bowl and mix for another minute or two, until smooth.
This frosting is even better than eggnog, in my opinion! It was one of the bestselling flavors when I had a cake shop. If you like this frosting, you’ll love my cookie dough cake, which has a brown sugar version of this frosting!
Optionally, make a spiked simple syrup
While the eggnog frosting is cooling, make a spiked simple syrup. I don't like to drink brandy or rum but I love the flavour in this cake! Making the syrup is quick and easy. Mix water, sugar and half a tablespoon of rum in a pan. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Then let this cool.
Pour the spiked simple syrup into a squeezy bottle or use a pastry brush and pour it into a bowl instead. Drizzle or brush this generously over your cake layers.
For the best results, level the tops of your cake layers by trimming them with a serrated knife. The syrup will absorb much better into the cake this way.
Put the eggnog cake together
Attach the first cake layer to a cake board with a blob of the eggnog frosting. Now layer the cake with more eggnog frosting. It’s on theinside ofthe cake and also on the outside. Yum!
Cover the cake with a thin layer of frosting, called a crumb coat. This will trap any crumbs that come off the cake. I like to chill the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes before this. This way the cake is firmer and less crumbly, which makes it easier to frost. Smooth the crumb coat but it doesn’t have to be perfect because it’s going to be covered up soon.
Put the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes to chill and set the crumb coat. Then add another layer of frosting, the final layer. You can smooth this with a cake comb or use a textured cake comb. Or use a spoon to create texture like I did for this Pumpkin Spice Cake!
I added little rosettes of eggnog frosting on top using a #32 piping tip, which has a small star shape. However you decorate it, it’s going to taste amazing!
How to store and serve this eggnog cake
Keep the cake in the fridge but take it out about 2 hours before you serve it. This will give it time to come to room temperature. The cake and frosting will soften and not only be easier to slice, but also taste their best!
This is the perfect flavour combination for December cakes! If you want to save a slice for later, put it into the freezer for 30 minutes to set the frosting. Then wrap each slice in cling film or Saran Wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. This is perfect is you crave eggnog in January or February! Just pull a slice out and leave it on the counter for a few hours to thaw. It will taste just as good as when it was freshly baked!
Are you going to make this? Tell me in the comments and please leave a recipe review below! I hope you love this cake as much as I do!
This cake is festive and decadent! The eggnog frosting is rich, creamy and not too sweet and the vanilla cake layers are buttery and optionally spiked with brandy or rum. The combination of flavours is incredible!
Ingredients
UnitsScale
For the cake layers:
1 1/2cups unsalted butter
2cups white sugar (granulated sugar)
6 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 1/2cups plain flour (all-purpose flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the eggnog frosting:
1cup whole milk
1/3cup all-purpose flour (plain flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1cup unsalted butter
1cup granulated white sugar
For the spiked simple syrup:
1/2cup granulated white sugar
1/2cup water
1/2 tablespoon brandy or rum or bourbon
Instructions
To make the cake layers:
Using a mixer with a beater/paddle attachment (not a whisk), beat room temperature butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down to the bottom of the bowl once during mixing to make sure no butter or sugar is stuck at the bottom.
Add room temperature eggs one at a time, mixing on the lowest speed after each addition for 30 seconds. Scrape down to the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated before adding the next egg.
Add vanilla and mix for about 30 seconds to combine. Add room temperature buttermilk and oil and mix on the lowest speed to incorporate.
In a bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the mixing bowl and mix on lowest speed to incorporate, scraping down to the bottom of the mixing bowl to check that batter is evenly mixed.
Grease three 8" baking pans with non-stick oil spray or butter. Divide batter equally between the cake pans.
Bake at 160ºC or 325ºF for 35 minutes or until the cake bounces back up when you poke it.
Leave cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Use a spatula to loosen the cakes from the edges of the pans and then turn onto a wire cooling rack. Leave to cool completely.
Optionally, when the cakes have cooled you can use a serrated knife like a bread knife to trim off any domed tops of the cake layers to leave them level.
To make the eggnog frosting:
Put flour, milk and salt in a pan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Whisk it constantly until it simmers to prevent lumps. When the mixture thickens, switch to a spatula. Scrape along the bottom and sides of the pan, stirring for about two minutes until the mixture thickens enough to leave ribbons when you lift the spatula.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. Pour the mixture into a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap (e.g. cling film / Saran Wrap), pressing it down to touch the surface of the mixture. Put it into the fridge for about an hour to cool to room temperature.
Mix butter and sugar at medium speed until creamy and lighter in colour, about 3 minutes. Add cooled flour mixture and mix for another minute, until smooth.
To make the spiked simple syrup:
1. Mix water, sugar and rum, brandy or bourbon in a pan. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Let this cool and then drizzle generously over cake layers with a squeezy bottle or brush with a pastry brush.
Then pour it into a squeezy bottle or use a pastry brush to drizzle or brush this over your cake layers. You can do this on the top of the layers as they are, or if they’re domed, level the tops with a serrated knife and the syrup will absorb much better like this.
To put the eggnog cake together:
Spread a bit of eggnog frosting onto the middle of a cake board or plate and press your first cake layer down to attach it. Spread eggnog frosting to cover the top of the cake and then place another cake layer on top. Repeat with another layer of eggnog frosting and the final cake layer.
Put the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes to chill and set. Then spoon half of the remaining eggnog frosting on top and spread with an offset spatula or palette knife to cover the cake. Use a straight edged cake comb or frosting smoother to smooth the frosting but it doesn't need to be perfect yet! Chill in the fridge for another 30 minutes or freezer for 15 minutes to set this crumb coat of frosting.
Spoon the rest of the eggnog frosting onto the cake and spread to cover the cake. Smooth with a cake comb and optionally, add piping around the top using a star shaped tip like a #32.
You can refrigerate this cake for 2-3 days but take it out 2 hours before serving so that the cake comes to room temperature.
Here are 7 tips for how to make red buttercream that's truly bright red. Use this for cakes at Christmas, Valentine's Day cakes, or any other occasion!
#1 Choose gel colouring over liquid colouring
First of all, I don’t recommend using liquid colours to make red. Liquid colours are watered down so your frosting will be light, even if you use a lot. Using too much liquid colour will make buttercream runny and difficult to work with.
Use gel colouring instead, starting with white buttercream or adding it to leftover orange or pink buttercream. Gels are much more concentrated than liquids and can tint buttercream with just a few drops.
#2 Start with a lighter red than you eventually want
Tint your buttercream to be much lighter than you want it to be. The coral shade above is perfect. With the next few tips you'll make this red much brighter without needing to use any more gel. If you make your perfect shade of red, keep in mind that it will darken significantly!
#3 How to make red buttercream darker with heat
Next, microwave the light red buttercream for 5 seconds for a small bowl or 10 seconds for larger quantities. You can use a double boiler to do this over a pan of simmering water on the stovetop instead. You’ll melt the butter in the buttercream and the heat makes it much darker!
Obviously, melted buttercream is not the right consistency to frost a cake or pipe with. So after stirring, move on to the nex tip for how to make red buttercream that's truly red!
#4 How to make red buttercream darker with cold
Put the bowl of melted red buttercream into the freezer for 5 minutes. The cold will darken the red colour even more. It will also thicken the buttercream so it comes back to the right stiffness or consistency.
#5 Let red colouring develop in the buttercream
Time alone will make red buttercream darker! Cover the bowl with cling film or saran wrap and leave it for a few hours. While the buttercream rests, the colour will develop further. You’ll notice it happen after an hour or two.
#6 Don't use too much gel colouring
If you tint buttercream the exact shade you want, it will only stay that shade for a short time. Without using the microwave, freezer, or resting period, the colour will develop and darken while you decorate the cake.
For example, within a few hours this heart went from bright red to ruby red to burgundy! So if you skip tricks #3, #4 and #5, tint the buttercream a bit lighter than you want it to be. By the time you finish decorating the cake, the red will be much brighter.
#7 Avoid the aftertaste of colouring
A common question about red buttercream is whether it has an after-taste. If you use the microwave and freezer and resting hacks, you will need minimal gel. Red details and accents won't have a noticeable flavour.
But if you use a lot of gel or if the whole cake is covered with red buttercream, you will probably notice a gel after-taste. For these cakes I recommend adding another flavour to disguise it. Clear vanilla and clear almond extracts are my go-to choices. They pair well with almost any flavor of cake and the do a great job of masking unwanted gel tastes without really changing the flavour of the cake.
Here are some pins from this tutorial to save to Pinterest for later:
Don’t let a December birthday get swallowed by Christmas or Hanukkah or New Year’s with these December birthday cake ideas!
#1 Make a traditional birthday cake
Of course, you can ignore the December holidays completely and make a standard birthday cake. Piped swirls and cheerful sprinkles are fun but they're not unique to December birthday cakes. You’re not reading this for an obvious idea like that!
If you want to incorporate elements of December in a birthday cake, you’ll prefer the next ideas.
#2 Zodiac vintage cake for a December birthday cake
Zodiac cakes are really trendy, with catchy messages combined with the vintage or lambeth style of excessive piping. Use different colours and different piping tips to create elaborate designs.
Popular piping tips for vintage cakes are star tips like a 4B or #32. For more details, check out my tutorial on 10 secrets for vintage cakes.
Check the zodiac calendar because December birthdays could be either Sagittarius or Capricorn!
#3 Add a funny December birthday cake message
Turn the birthday date into a joke with this funny message! Use a small round piping tip to pipe thin lines for the letters.
Here are some tips for piping messages. Use a toothpick to scrape off any lines you don’t like or an offset spatula for several letters. This works best if you chill the cake before piping the message so the frosting underneath is firm. To fit a word into a gap or space, start with the middle letter and work your way out. And leave piping borders until the end so you don’t knock them as you pipe!
#4 Combine Christmas and a birthday on a cake
Blend Christmas with birthday vibes with this fun, colorful design. Pipe zig zags with a petal tip like a #104 or #125. Hold the wide part of the tip against the cake with the pointed side facing outwards, wiggling back and forth. Make the lines shorter and shorter as you go up, to make Christmas trees.
If you’re using several colours it’s quickest to pipe all of the trees of one colour first. Then switch the piping tip to another piping bag with the next colour to pipe all of those trees. Add sprinkles to make it even more celebratory, attaching them now while the buttercream trees are still soft and sticky.
#5 Make a tray bake calendar cake
For a low effort cake that still delivers all of the flavour, bake your cake in an oven-proof dish . After it cools, decorate it right there in the dish! You can pipe the frosting on or spread it and smooth it.
Make a calendar by piping the days of the month and circling the birthday date. You can add letters for the days of the week at the top, if you like.
Good news: this tray bake cake will be just as effortless to serve as it was to make!
#6 Make a winter themed cake
Focus on winter with a cake decorated with snowflakes. I think the most striking was to do this is with buttercream carving. Cover a cake with a crumb coat and then another layer of frosting, which will be the colour of the snowflakes. Let it chill and set in the fridge for at least an hour and then add another colour on top. Or several colours, like with this watercolor style:
I teach watercolour frosting in my free online course on 10 Frosting Techniques. Chill this frosting for another hour in the fridge. Then carve the buttercream using a petal piping tip or a special tool. Clay modeling tools are ideal and you can buy them on Amazon.
Dip the metal into warm water before carving for the neatest results. Dry it off before using it because water on the cake can make the colours run.
#7 Use seasonal ingredients for a December birthday cake
Use seasonal ingredients in your cake, for example eggnog. This eggnog cake has decadent eggnog filling and frosting that tastes even better than the drink!
Peppermint is another great seasonal flavour for cakes. I like to crush and add them to cream cheese buttercream for a delicious filling between cake layers.
#8 Make a seasonal figure or character cake
Make a December figure cake, like a Gingerbread man or snowman or reindeer. I used my Best Chocolate Buttercream to frost this cake to turn into a reindeer. For ears, frost two halves of an Oreo cookie with a toothpick stuck in the middle of each half.
The antlers are made out of melted chocolate, piped through a ziplock bag with a hole cut off the corner. Use a wooden skewer so that after they set you can poke them into the cake.
The face is easy with shapes cut out of parchment or wax paper to make stencils. Spread frosting over them and then peel them off to make neat shapes. I used a petal piping to carve out a smile.
Pipe white details onto the eyes with plain white buttercream. Pipe more chocolate buttercream for fur on top of the cake, between the antlers and ears. To make this more of a birthday cake you could add a party hat!
#9 Make a Christmas themed cake as a December birthday cake
Embrace the season with a Christmas themed cake like this gingerbread house cake. Admittedly, it has nothing to do with birthdays but I’m sure your time and effort will be appreciated! If the person loves cake then I’m sure they won’t mind what shape it is.
#10 Make a party themed cake
For a New Year's Eve birthday, make this fun party llama birthday cake!
This pumpkin spice cake has buttery vanilla cake layers, not-too-sweet cream cheese buttercream filling and lightly spiced pumpkin buttercream frosting. YUM! And I can’t wait to show you how to make these buttercream pumpkins!
Buttery cake layers
You'll only need two quick recipes to make this easy pumpkin spice cake. Start with the cake recipe and while the cakes are cooling you'll make buttercream for the filling and frosting.
The vanilla cake starts with butter and sugar, creamed together for a few minutes. The mixture should look light and creamy like this:
All of your ingredients should be at room temperature so that they mix together easily. Add eggs, vanilla for richness, and then buttermilk and oil to make it really moist. Finish with the dry ingredients: flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt. You'll find the full recipe below and you can toggle between measuring cups and grams for the ingredients!
Divide the batter between three 8 inch pans and bake at 325F or 160C for 35 minutes. The cake should bounce back up when you poke it. If you divide the batter between two pans instead, the cakes will take about 10 minutes longer to bake. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes and then turn them out onto a wire rack.
Buttercream filling and frosting for the pumpkin spice cake
For the filling and frosting, start with my 4 Minute Buttercream. The ingredients are just butter, icing sugar or powdered sugar, vanilla and salt. Normally you’d add milk to thin this out but don’t do that for this cake. Mix for 4 minutes and it will be quite thick or stiff, which is perfect!
Scoop out one cup and add 2 tablespoons of cream cheese at room temperature. Stir it together and it will get looser or runnier. This is why you skip the milk for this recipe - you don’t want it to be too runny. Spread some onto the middle of a cake board or plate and press your first cake layer down onto it. The buttercream will hold the cake still while you frost it.
Spoon half of the cream cheese buttercream onto the top of the cake. Spread it with an offset spatula or a spoon right up to the edges. Then position the next cake layer on top. Another layer of cream cheese buttercream and then the final cake layer.
It's important that the filling sets before you frost the cake, otherwise the layers will slide around. Put the cake into the fridge for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes to chill and set. Meanwhile, make the pumpkin frosting with the rest of the buttercream. Add pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice and mix together. You can make your own pumpkin pie spice with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. If you don't have those, just use cinnamon instead. I love the colour of this pumpkin buttercream!
How to frost this pumpkin spice cake
Take your cake out of the fridge or freezer and spoon about half of the buttercream on top. Spread it to cover the top of the cake, pushing it over the edges. Hold your offset spatula or palette knife at a 45 degree angle and spin the cake to smooth the frosting.
For the sides, spread the frosting by moving your offset spatula or palette knife from side to side. Completely cover the cake so there’s no naked cake showing through. This is a crumb coat - the first layer of frosting to trap any crumbs that come off the cake. This is much easier with a cold cake because room temperature cake is very crumbly.
Use the side of your offset spatula or palette knife or a cake comb to smooth this frosting. It doesn’t need to be perfect because it's going to be covered up soon. Next, put the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes to set this frosting. For more details on how to frost a cake, check out this tutorial on how to frost a cake.
Cover the pumpkin spice buttercream while you’re not using it so it doesn’t dry out and crust. When the crumb coat has set, cover the cake with the rest of the pumpkin buttercream. Smooth it the same way and then add some details to jazz it up. Read on for three rustic frosting ideas and how to pipe buttercream pumpkins!
Use a spoon to create three different rustic textures
With a spoon you can create all sorts of rustic textured frosting. Hold the spoon sideways and press the back against the frosting and spin the cake to make grooves going around the cake. Drag the spoon slowly upwards to cover the whole cake with texture.
For another rustic texture, hold the spoon vertically and start at the bottom, dragging the spoon gently upwards.
Or curve the spoon around in little arc motions. These rustic textures are great because nothing needs to be precise or neat! For any of them, leave the top uneven or level it by swiping sideways with your offset spatula or palette knife. Check out this tutorial for more cake decorating ideas using kitchen utensils!
How to pipe pumpkins with buttercream
Make pretty piped pumpkins with a piping bag and any star shaped piping tip. I used a #32 and a #18. Add a drop of orange food colouring to the leftover pumpkin buttercream or make a few different shades. Put the tinted buttercream into a piping bag and pipe two curves for the outer edges of a pumpkin.
Work your way in towards the middle with smaller curves. By piping the lines in this order you’ll make the pumpkin appear more rounded.
Try different sizes of pumpkins and you can experiment with different piping tips too. To make pumpkins on top of the cake, squeeze out a blob and then pipe curved lines around it.
For the stems or stalks you'll need brown buttercream. Squeeze out any buttercream left in the piping bag and add brown colouring or melted chocolate. Switch to a piping bag with a small round or star piping tip like a #4 or #16. Pipe little lines going up from each pumpkin, pausing at the top while still squeezing. This makes a wide top of the stem or stalk, instead of leaving a point or peak.
How to store and serve this pumpkin spice cake
You can keep this pumpkin spice cake in the fridge for two or three days. Make sure you take it out 2 hours before you serve it so the cake and buttercream come to room temperature. That’s when they taste the best!
If you have any leftovers, cover the cut sides of the cake with cling film or Saran Wrap. Push the plastic firmly against the cake so it doesn't dry out.
Tell me in the comments if you’re going to make this cake! And remember to save this recipe to Pinterest!
Buttery spiced vanilla cake is layered with not-too-sweet cream cheese filling and frosted with lightly spiced pumpkin buttercream.
Ingredients
UnitsScale
For the cake:
1 1/2cups unsalted butter
2cups white sugar (granulated sugar)
6 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 1/2cups plain flour (all-purpose flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
For the filling and frosting:
2 1/2cups unsalted butter at room temperature
2lb powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1/4cup pumpkin puree
1/8 teaspoon pumpkin spice or cinnamon
Instructions
To make the cake layers:
Using a mixer with a beater/paddle attachment (not a whisk), beat room temperature butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down to the bottom of the bowl once during mixing to make sure no butter or sugar is stuck at the bottom.
Add room temperature eggs one at a time, mixing on the lowest speed after each addition for 30 seconds. Scrape down to the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated before adding the next egg.
Add vanilla and mix for about 30 seconds to combine. Add room temperature buttermilk and oil and mix on the lowest speed to incorporate.
In a bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon. Add to the mixing bowl and mix on lowest speed to incorporate, scraping down to the bottom of the mixing bowl to check that batter is evenly mixed.
Grease three 8" baking pans with non-stick oil spray or butter. Divide batter equally between the cake pans.
Bake at 160ºC or 325ºF for 35 minutes or until the cake bounces back up when you poke it.
Leave cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Use a spatula to loosen the cakes from the edges of the pans and then turn onto a wire cooling rack. Leave to cool completely.
Optionally, when the cakes have cooled you can use a serrated knife like a bread knife to trim off any domed tops of the cake layers to leave them level.
To make the buttercream filling and frosting:
Take butter and cream cheese out of the fridge 2-4 hours before making this. Sift the sugar to remove any lumps and check that the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature.
In a mixer with a beater (paddle) attachment, mix butter and a quarter of the powdered sugar on the lowest speed until incorporated, about one minute.
Scrape down to the bottom of the mixing bowl with a spatula to loosen any butter and sugar and add the next quarter of powdered sugar and mix for another minute on low.
Scrape down to the bottom of the bowl, add another quarter of the powdered sugar, mix for one minute on low, scrape, and add the final quarter of the powdered sugar and salt. Mix for one more minute on low, adding the vanilla once everything is mixed together and continuing to mix until it's incorporated.
Scoop about 1 cup of the buttercream into a small bowl. Add cream cheese and stir until combined. Cover the bowl with cling film or Saran Wrap until you're ready to assemble the cake.
Add pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon to the rest of the buttercream and stir until combined. Cover and set aside.
To put the pumpkin spice cake together:
Spread a bit of cream cheese buttercream onto the middle of a cake board or plate and press your first cake layer down to attach it. Spread cream cheese filling onto the top of the cake and then place another cake layer on top. Repeat with another layer of filling and the final cake layer.
Put the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes to chill and set. Then spoon half of the pumpkin buttercream on top and spread with an offset spatula or palette knife to cover the cake. Use a straight edges cake comb or frosting smoother to smooth the frosting but it doesn't need to be perfect yet! Chill in the fridge for another 30 minutes or freezer for 15 minutes to set this crumb coat of frosting.
Spoon the rest of the pumpkin buttercream onto the cake and spread to cover the cake. Smooth with a cake comb and optionally, add texture with the back of a spoon.
To decorate the cake with pumpkins, add orange food colouring to the leftover pumpkin buttercream and spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small star shaped tip e.g. #32. Starting at the bottom of the cake, pipe two curves for the outer edges of a pumpkin. Pipe curves within those, working towards the middle of the pumpkin. For pumpkins on the top of the cake, pipe a blob of buttercream and then pipe curves to cover that. For stems or stalks, add brown food colouring or melted chocolate to the leftover orange buttercream and spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip e.g #4 or small star tip e.g. #16. Pipe a line on top of each pumpkin.
You can refrigerate this cake for 2-3 days but take out 2 hours before serving so that the cake comes to room temperature.