Creating A Delicious Bark Wedding Cake

Creating a bark wedding cake is an impressive feat of cake decorating. The effect can be achieved using either buttercream or fondant, depending on your preference. For a buttercream bark cake, you can use a spatula to create a rough coat, before using a round tip to apply vertical strips of buttercream in varying lengths and intervals. A bladed tool, such as a cocktail stick, can then be used to create rings of varying depths in the buttercream. For a fondant bark cake, you can use a bark-patterned impression mat or silicone mould to create the effect. Alternatively, you can wrap a heart-shaped cookie cutter in foil and press it into the fondant, or use a ball of crinkled foil to stamp the icing and create a bark-like texture.

Use a bark-patterned impression mat to create the effect

Using a bark-patterned impression mat is a great way to create a detailed bark effect on your wedding cake. Here's a step-by-step guide to achieving this look:

Materials and Preparation:

Firstly, you will need to purchase a bark-patterned impression mat. These mats are typically made from flexible, food-safe silicone or plastic and can be found at specialty cake decorating stores or online. The mat should be large enough to cover the height and circumference of your cake tier.

Before you begin, ensure your cake is chilled and set. This will make it easier to handle and create a neater finish.

Applying the Impression:

Roll out your chosen medium for covering the cake, such as fondant, sugar paste, modelling paste, gum paste, modelling chocolate, or marzipan, to an appropriate thickness.

Place the impression mat on a flat surface, textured-side up. Gently lay the rolled-out medium over the mat, then use a rolling pin to carefully roll over it, applying even pressure. This will imprint the bark pattern onto the medium.

Covering the Cake:

Once you have imprinted the medium, carefully remove it from the mat and lay it over your cake tier, smoothing it out with your hands to avoid air bubbles. Trim any excess material from the base of the tier.

If you are using fondant, you can further enhance the bark effect by painting it with melted chocolate and dusting it with cocoa powder.

Repeat this process for each tier of your wedding cake, ensuring the pattern aligns as you stack the tiers.

Final Touches:

To add extra depth and realism to your bark wedding cake, consider painting the imprinted surface with edible dusts or food colouring in shades of brown, grey, and green to create the illusion of wood grain and moss.

You can also adorn your cake with additional decorations such as sugar or fondant flowers, leaves, or berries to give it a whimsical, woodland-inspired look.

And there you have it! A beautiful bark-patterned wedding cake, perfect for a rustic or outdoor wedding theme.

Create a bark texture with a spatula

To create a bark texture with a spatula, you can follow these steps:

Start by applying a crumb coat of frosting to your cake. This will help create a smooth surface for the bark texture and prevent any crumbs from showing through.

Next, use a spatula to apply a rough coat of buttercream to the cake. You can mix two colours of buttercream directly on the cake to create a more realistic bark effect. Make sure not to over-smooth the buttercream and go for a more textured look.

Then, use the tip of your spatula to create vertical strips of buttercream, some shorter and some longer, and with varying intervals between them. Use light pressure so you don't smooth the buttercream too much.

Finally, use the spatula to drag the buttercream up and down to create a bark-like texture. You can also use a fork to create a more defined "crenellation" effect.

If you want to add more depth to your bark texture, you can use different shades of buttercream and create streaks and patches of darker colours on the cake. You can also use a small paintbrush or piping tip to create fine lines and grooves on the frosted areas, mimicking the cracks and indentations in tree bark.

Additionally, you can use tools like a wrinkly wax paper or foil ball to stamp the icing and create a more intricate bark pattern. You can also use tin foil to create tools with round or flat points, which you can press into the buttercream to make lines and texture.

Use a wrinkly foil ball to stamp the icing

To create a bark effect on your wedding cake, you can use a wrinkly foil ball to stamp the icing. This technique works best if you've applied the icing in a rough coat with a spatula, mixing two colours directly onto the cake.

To start, create a ball out of foil, making sure to wrinkle the surface. Then, use the wrinkly foil ball to stamp the icing, gently pressing it against the sides of the cake. You can also use a spatula and turntable to remove any excess icing that may have built up. For the top and bottom tiers, repeat the stamping process, but this time, use the spatula to gently scrape the pointy bits from bottom to top.

If you want to add additional details, such as a heart shape, simply wrap a heart-shaped cookie cutter with foil and carefully press it into the icing.

Use a star piping tube to create a textured effect

Using a star piping tube to create a textured effect is a great way to decorate a bark wedding cake. This technique can be used to create a variety of shapes and designs, from stars and rosettes to zigzags, swirls, and spirals.

There are two types of star piping tips: open and closed. The open star tip has an open end with finely cut teeth, perfect for piping stars, rosettes, and borders. The closed star tip, also known as a drop flower tip, is tighter and more deeply grooved, ideal for creating flower and star shapes directly on cakes.

When using a star piping tube to create a textured effect on a bark wedding cake, consider the following steps:

• Choose the right tip: Select a star piping tip that is suitable for the desired effect. For a more polished look, a large French star tip can be used to create a textured buttercream petal effect.
• Prepare the piping bag: Fit a piping bag with the chosen star tip and fill it with buttercream frosting in your desired colour. You can use a single colour or create an ombre effect by filling the bag with several shades of frosting.
• Decide on the pattern direction: Determine whether you want the pattern to move horizontally, vertically, or diagonally on the cake.
• Pipe and smooth: Pipe a large dot of buttercream and smooth down half of it using a small spoon or spatula. Pipe the next dot, overlapping the previous one, and continue this process all around the sides and top of the cake.
• Admire your work: Stand back and admire the beautiful textured effect you have created!

Using a star piping tube allows for creativity and adds a unique touch to your bark wedding cake. Feel free to experiment with different tip sizes, colours, and patterns to achieve the desired look.

Add decorations like fresh flowers, berries, and greenery

Flowers, foliage, and fruits are a perfect way to decorate your bark wedding cake and play into the themes of abundance and feasting that are the markers of a wedding celebration.

When choosing flowers, opt for durable, food-safe varieties that will survive out of water. Good choices include carnations, mums, roses, and spray roses, which are non-toxic and readily available. In the summer, edible flowers like pansies, lilac, and lavender are also a lovely option. Avoid flowers like ranunculus, peonies, and eucalyptus, as while they are beautiful, parts of them can cause stomach upset. Wash the flowers gently with cold water and ensure you remove the pollen from each flower. If the flowers are inedible, use acetate to prevent them from touching the icing. To keep flowers fresh, use a water-filled stem holder, which you can buy at baking supply stores, or make your own by cutting a drinking straw to 2-3 inches long, bending the end upward, taping it against itself, filling it with water, and inserting the flower stem.

Greenery is an excellent choice for wedding cakes, especially in the winter months when many flowers are out of season. Leaves, ferns, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and olive branches are all great options that are easy to get a hold of, perfect for a rustic wedding theme. Use small sprigs to avoid creating a forest on top of your cake, and opt for leaves with bendable branches so you can shape them around the cake. As with flowers, use some form of acetate underneath the leaves to protect the cake. Remove the greenery before serving.

Berries are a wonderful way to decorate a wedding cake, especially during the late summer and autumn/winter seasons. Be mindful of which berries are in season at the time of your wedding, and always ensure the berries you choose are edible. In the summer months, opt for strawberries and raspberries, and in the winter, use blueberries, blackberries, and cranberries.

When adding decorations to your bark wedding cake, be creative and use them to hint at the cake's flavors or tie it to the broader wedding decor. Whether you choose an abundance of flowers and greenery or a more minimalist design, these natural elements are sure to make your cake visually memorable.

Frequently asked questions