Rhiannon Hendricks
Decorating the sides of a wedding cake is an essential part of creating a visually appealing dessert. While many people focus solely on the top surface, paying attention to the sides can elevate your creation to a whole new level. Before you begin, it's important to ensure the surface is smooth and ready to be adorned. You can do this by applying a thin layer of frosting or icing to the entire cake, which will help seal in any crumbs and provide a smooth surface for the final layer of decoration. Once you've prepared the surface, you can decorate the sides of your wedding cake with flowers, greenery, or other embellishments that cascade down the side or front of the cake in a waterfall effect. You can also use edible sugar balls, which are typically coated with silver, gold or colourful chocolate, to create a studded effect. For a more rustic look, you can try faux bois, which is French for fake wood, and mimics the texture and appearance of tree bark.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Preparation | Apply a crumb coat of frosting or icing to the entire cake, then smooth it out with a cake scraper or offset spatula |
| Flowers | Use flowers to cover the base of each tier like a border or edge, or make clusters of flowers all over the cake, alternating sides on each tier |
| Fruit | Use fresh fruit like berries, peaches, plums, apricots, and cherries to decorate the sides of the cake |
| Sprinkles and nuts | Scatter sprinkles, chopped nuts, or coconut around the sides of the cake |
| Sugar balls | Use edible sugar balls coated in silver, gold, or colourful chocolate to create a studded effect |
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What You'll Learn
- Flowers: use flowers to create a classic, full look, with clusters on each tier
- Fresh fruit: berries, peaches, plums, apricots, cherries, and mint leaves are all good options
- Sprinkles: use sprinkles or edible sugar balls coated in chocolate to create a studded effect
- Cookie crumbs: scatter crumbs, sprinkles, or chopped nuts around the sides of the cake
- Icing: apply a crumb coat of icing to seal in crumbs and create a smooth surface
Flowers: use flowers to create a classic, full look, with clusters on each tier
Flowers are a great way to decorate the sides of a wedding cake, creating a classic, full look with clusters on each tier. You can use fresh flowers to add a personal and unique touch to your celebration. There are two main methods for prepping flowers for cake decoration. Firstly, remove excess leaves and the entire stem, leaving only the bud and petals. Secondly, trim food-safe wire to 8 inches and thread 2 inches through the base of the flower, then twist tie both ends at the base of the bud. The longer end will be used to anchor the flower to the cake.
Before you start, it's important to consider the cake's shape, size, and any existing decorations, such as piping or frosting patterns. Sketch out a rough plan of where you'd like to place the flowers to create a harmonious and balanced look. You can create a cascading effect with blooms flowing down the cake's tiers, or go for a simple and elegant statement with a single large flower on each tier.
Garden, spray and Juliet roses are most frequently used for wedding cakes, while passion flowers will also perfectly complement a cascading arrangement. Pansies, lavender, violas, carnations, peonies, cornflowers and sunflowers are also safe to use. Roses and cornflowers are edible and can add a unique taste to your cake.
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Fresh fruit: berries, peaches, plums, apricots, cherries, and mint leaves are all good options
When decorating the sides of a wedding cake, it's important to ensure that the surface is smooth and ready to be adorned. Start by applying a thin layer of frosting or icing to the entire cake, which will help seal in any crumbs and provide a smooth surface for the final layer of decoration. Then, use a cake scraper or offset spatula to smooth out the crumb coat and remove any excess frosting.
Fresh fruit is a great option for decorating the sides of a wedding cake. Berries are a classic choice, but don't be afraid to think outside the box. Halves of peaches, plums, and apricots can look great, especially when combined with smaller varieties of fruit like cherries and mint leaves. For a monochromatic look, consider using all reds, such as strawberries, raspberries, and currants, or go for a snazzier look with all blacks and blues, such as blackberries, plums, blueberries, and currants.
If you're looking for a more traditional wedding cake design, consider using flowers, greenery, or other embellishments that cascade down the sides of the cake in a waterfall effect. You can also use edible sugar balls coated in gold, silver, or colourful chocolate to create a studded effect. For a rustic wedding theme, faux bois, which is French for "fake wood," can be used to mimic the texture and appearance of tree bark.
Another option is to pile on other delicious treats, such as cookies or nuts, to add texture and interest to your cake. You can also use sprinkles or coconut to cover up any messy frosting jobs!
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Sprinkles: use sprinkles or edible sugar balls coated in chocolate to create a studded effect
Sprinkles are a fun and easy way to decorate the sides of a wedding cake. You can use classic rainbow sprinkles, or get creative with edible sugar balls coated in chocolate. These pearl-sized sweets are a great way to add a bit of glamour to your cake. They can be used in clusters, like traditional sprinkles, or individually placed to create a studded effect.
To achieve this look, start by applying a thin layer of frosting or icing to the entire cake. This will help seal in any crumbs and provide a smooth surface for the sprinkles to adhere to. Use a cake scraper or offset spatula to smooth out the crumb coat and remove any excess frosting.
Once your cake is prepared, it's time to add the sprinkles! If you're using traditional sprinkles, simply pour them over the sides of the cake, allowing them to cascade down for a fun and festive look. For a more elegant approach, use edible sugar balls coated in chocolate. Place them individually around the cake, creating a stunning studded effect.
You can also combine sprinkles with other decorations for a unique look. Try alternating sprinkles with fresh flowers or fruit on each tier, or create a border of sprinkles around the base of each tier. Get creative and experiment with different colours and textures to make your wedding cake truly unique.
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Cookie crumbs: scatter crumbs, sprinkles, or chopped nuts around the sides of the cake
Decorating the sides of a wedding cake is an important part of creating a visually appealing and professional-looking dessert. While many people focus solely on the top surface, paying attention to the sides can elevate your creation to a whole new level.
One way to decorate the sides of a wedding cake is to scatter cookie crumbs, sprinkles, or chopped nuts around the sides of each cake. This technique can also be used to cover up a messy frosting job! To do this, start by applying a thin layer of frosting or icing to the entire cake. This will help seal in any crumbs and provide a smooth surface for the final layer of decoration. Then, use a cake scraper or offset spatula to smooth out the crumb coat and remove any excess frosting. Finally, scatter your chosen toppings around the sides of the cake.
You could also consider adding fresh fruit to your cake, such as berries, peaches, plums, or apricots. A monochromatic look can be particularly effective, such as using all red fruit (strawberries, raspberries, currants) or all black and blue fruit (blackberries, plums, blueberries, currants).
If you're looking for a more traditional wedding cake design, consider using flowers, greenery, or other embellishments that "cascade" down the side or front of the cake in a waterfall effect. This style is popular for classic and formal wedding themes.
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Icing: apply a crumb coat of icing to seal in crumbs and create a smooth surface
To decorate the sides of a wedding cake, it is important to first apply a crumb coat of icing to seal in crumbs and create a smooth surface. This will ensure that your cake has a professional finish and is ready to be adorned.
To do this, start by applying a thin layer of frosting or icing to the entire cake. This will help seal in any crumbs and provide a smooth surface for the final layer of decoration. Use a cake scraper or offset spatula to smooth out the crumb coat and remove any excess frosting.
Once the crumb coat is smooth, you can begin to add your chosen decorations. Fresh flowers are a popular choice for wedding cakes and can be used to create a classic, elegant look. Alternatively, you could use edible sugar balls, which are often coated in silver, gold, or colourful chocolate, to create a studded effect. If you're feeling creative, you could even try a faux bois design, which mimics the texture and appearance of tree bark and is perfect for a rustic wedding theme.
Another option is to scatter cookie crumbs, sprinkles, chopped nuts, or coconut around the sides of the cake. This is a great way to add texture and visual interest, and it can also help to cover up any imperfections in your frosting. Finally, fresh fruit is always a good option for a wedding cake. Berries are a classic choice, but don't be afraid to think outside the box with halves of peaches, plums, or apricots.
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Frequently asked questions
Before you start decorating, make sure the surface is smooth and ready to be adorned. Apply a thin layer of frosting or icing to the entire cake to seal in any crumbs and provide a smooth surface for the final layer of decoration. Then, smooth out the crumb coat with a cake scraper or offset spatula to remove any excess frosting.
Flowers are a classic choice for wedding cake decorations. You can make clusters of flowers that alternate sides on each tier or keep them on the same side and cluster size all the way down. You can also use flowers to cover the base of each tier like a border or edge, giving the cake a full, rounded-out look. Another classic option is to use fresh fruit, such as berries, peaches, plums, or apricots.
If you're looking for something unique, you can try a "cascade" effect with flowers, greenery, or other embellishments that flow down the side or front of the cake like a waterfall. This is a popular choice for classic and formal wedding themes. Another option is to use edible sugar balls coated in gold, silver, or colourful chocolate. These pearl-sized sweets can be used in clusters or individually placed around the cake to create a studded effect. For a rustic wedding theme, consider a faux bois design, which mimics the texture and appearance of tree bark.
If you're not happy with your frosting job, there are a few ways to cover it up! You can scatter cookie crumbs, sprinkles, chopped nuts, or coconut around the sides of the cake. You can also use fresh fruit or flowers to add colour and interest to the cake and distract from any imperfections.
