Elegant Buttercream Wedding Cake Decorating Ideas For Beginners

Buttercream wedding cakes are a popular choice for couples due to their versatility, style, and delicious taste. The rich and sweet buttercream frosting, made from a combination of butter, sugar, and milk or cream, can be tailored to fit any wedding theme or colour palette. From simple and rustic designs to intricate and elegant creations, buttercream cakes offer a wide range of decorative possibilities. This includes adding fresh flowers, fruit, or greenery, as well as using different piping techniques to create textured, striped, or swirled patterns. With its crowd-pleasing flavour and ability to showcase intricate details, buttercream is an ideal choice for couples looking to make a statement with their wedding cake.

Adding fresh flowers, fruit, and herbs

Flowers

When using fresh flowers, it is important to ensure that they are food-safe. You can either use edible flowers, such as pansies, nasturtiums, and lavender buds, or prepare conventional flowers properly. For example, you can use a specific method to clean and prepare fresh flowers to ensure they are safe to decorate cakes with.

When adding flowers to a buttercream cake, you can opt for a minimalistic approach with just a few larger blooms, or go for a more extravagant look with cascading flowers. You can also choose to concentrate the flowers in the centre of the cake or on one side to create a focal point. If you want to add a pop of colour, consider using bright blooms such as yellow, pink, and orange mums. Alternatively, for a more subtle look, opt for white roses or peonies, which are a classic choice for wedding cakes.

Fruit

Fresh fruit is another great way to decorate a buttercream wedding cake, especially for outdoor or rustic-themed weddings. Some popular choices include apricots, figs, berries, and blood oranges. You can simply place the fruit on top of the cake or incorporate it into the cake layers, such as fresh raspberries in between cake tiers.

Herbs

Herbs such as olive leaves and greenery can also be used to decorate a buttercream wedding cake. They add a rustic vibe to the cake and can be paired with other elements such as chocolate drip or succulents.

Using different piping techniques

There are many piping techniques you can use to decorate a buttercream wedding cake. Here are some tips and techniques to help you create a beautiful and elegant cake:

Piping Tips and Bags:

• Round tips and star tips are the most commonly used piping tips. Round tips are used for writing, beading, and small detail work, while star tips are used for creating shell borders, stars, and rosettes.
• For piping words and messages, a #3 round piping tip is recommended.
• For creating borders, a star tip such as #14 or #18 is a good choice.
• Rose/ruffle tips (#103 and #104) are used for making buttercream roses and ruffles.
• Metal piping tips are generally more durable and easy to clean than plastic tips.
• When filling a piping bag, cut the tip of the bag so that the piping tip comes through, add buttercream, and twist the top.

Piping Techniques:

• For smaller round tips, use a soft/thin icing to prevent it from breaking as it flows out. Thicker icing is better for piping shells and swirls.
• Hold the bag securely by twisting the end and squeezing the frosting with one hand. Guide the bag with the other hand to keep it steady.
• Consistent pressure is key to achieving excellent piping. Hold the bag confidently and apply steady pressure when you want the icing to flow. Release the pressure completely when you want to finish a shape.
• Practice different piping techniques, such as beading, shells, rosettes, and ruffles, to improve your skills.
• To create a vintage cake look, layer your buttercream accents, starting with larger tips and moving to smaller ones.

By using these piping tips and techniques, you can create a beautiful and elegant buttercream wedding cake that will impress your guests and make your special day even more memorable.

Creating a semi-naked or naked cake

Naked and semi-naked cakes are a popular choice for weddings, as they are simple yet effective. This style of cake is made up of layers of cake stacked between buttercream or ganache. A naked cake has no outer covering of icing, whereas a semi-naked cake has a thin layer of icing over the sides, allowing some of the cake to peek through.

• Use good-quality cake tins to make nice, straight cake layers.
• Calculate how much cake you will need before baking. A general rule of thumb is that each tier will serve around 36 people.
• Trim the dome of your cake layers, but not the sides, to prevent the cake from losing moisture.
• Use a cake board that is slightly smaller than the width of the cake to support the weight of the cake.
• Apply a thin layer of buttercream to the top and sides of the cake, using an offset spatula.
• Use a bench scraper to remove the buttercream from the sides of the cake, creating a semi-naked effect.
• Smooth out the buttercream on the top of the cake with a spatula.
• Repeat this process for each additional layer.
• Refrigerate the cake for at least an hour before stacking to prevent the buttercream from melting.
• Use cake supports such as straws or dowels to support the weight of the cake tiers.
• Decorate the cake with fresh flowers, fruit, or greenery.

Adding colour with food colouring or cocoa powder

Adding colour to a buttercream wedding cake is a great way to make it stand out and fit the wedding's colour palette or theme. Buttercream is naturally white due to the butter and powdered sugar in the recipe, but adding food colouring or cocoa powder is a simple way to change its colour.

When adding food colouring to buttercream, it is important to add it gradually and mix thoroughly until the desired shade is achieved. It is also a good idea to use gel or paste food colouring instead of liquid food colouring, as it is more concentrated and will not thin out the buttercream as much. Another option is to use natural food colouring, such as beetroot powder for red or spinach powder for green.

If a darker colour is desired, cocoa powder can be added to the buttercream. This will also add a chocolate flavour to the frosting, which can be a tasty surprise for guests. When adding cocoa powder, it is important to sift it first to remove any lumps and then add it gradually until the desired colour and flavour are achieved.

By using food colouring or cocoa powder, couples can create a buttercream wedding cake that is unique and personalised to their taste. Whether they choose a single colour or a combination of shades, adding colour to the buttercream is a great way to make the cake stand out and wow their guests.

Using buttercream as a filling between layers

Buttercream is a versatile and tasty filling for a wedding cake. It is easy to make and can be adapted to suit your preferences. For example, you can use a combination of Swiss meringue buttercream and regular buttercream to fill and cover the cake. Swiss meringue buttercream is made with butter and has a soft, fluffy, buttery taste, while regular buttercream is made with block butter and icing sugar and can be sickly sweet. Using a combination of the two can help reduce the sweetness of the overall cake.

When making a layered wedding cake, you can use buttercream as the filling between the layers. This will help the cake retain its shape and structure, especially in hot or humid weather. To assemble a layered cake, spread a thin layer of buttercream onto the cake layer, add an icing dam, and then add your chosen filling. This will prevent the filling from soaking into the cake layer.

If you are making a tall cake with multiple layers, you may need to use dowels to support the weight of the cake and keep it upright and secure. You can place a dowel down the centre of the cake and then cut it off at the third layer. You can then place a thin cake board on top of that layer before adding the remaining layers on top.

Buttercream is a great choice for a wedding cake filling as it is stable and can hold its shape. It is also versatile and can be adapted to suit your taste preferences.

Frequently asked questions