Creating Birch Bark Wedding Cakes: A Step-By-Step Guide

Birch tree cakes are a popular choice for weddings, especially for couples who love nature and rusticity. The cakes are designed to look like birch wood, with a rustic, white-textured exterior replicating the bark. They are usually made with buttercream or fondant and can be decorated with fresh flowers, branches, greenery, or fruit. To make a birch tree cake, you will need a round cake, buttercream frosting in various shades of brown, a food-grade paintbrush, and an icing spatula. The process involves creating a crumb coat, preparing the frostings, and then carefully piping and smoothing the buttercream to create the birch tree effect.

How to make a buttercream birch tree cake

A birch tree cake is a cake decorated in buttercream frosting that is designed to look like a piece of wood cut from a birch tree. They are off-white with brown marks throughout, replicating the pattern of a birch tree. Birch tree cakes are popular for weddings, especially for those with a rustic woodland theme.

Ingredients/Materials:

• Round cake, crumb-coated
• 1/2 cup light brown buttercream
• 1/2 medium brown buttercream
• 1 cup dark brown buttercream
• 1 cup white buttercream
• Brown food colouring (optional)
• Food-grade paintbrush
• Straight icing spatula

Steps:

Step One: Crumb Coat the Cake

Place the cake on a turntable and add a thin layer of white buttercream, creating a crumb coat.

Step Two: Prepare the Frostings

Add food colouring to your buttercream to create different shades of brown. You will need dark, medium, and light brown buttercream. Adjust the number of drops to reach your desired shades. Alternatively, you can use chocolate buttercream instead of adding food colouring.

Step Three: Frost the Top of the Cake

Fill piping bags with light brown and medium brown frosting. Pipe a circle in the middle with medium brown, then add rings of light brown and medium brown buttercream, finishing with light brown on the outside.

Step Four: Smooth Out the Rings

Use a straight icing spatula to gently smooth out the rings. Position the spatula tip over the centre, tilt the blade up, and slowly spin the turntable to smooth the lines.

Step Five: Apply the White Buttercream

Apply a thick layer of white buttercream to the sides of the cake, being careful not to go above the top.

Step Six: Smooth the Cake

Use the straight icing spatula to smooth the sides and top of the cake.

Step Seven: Pipe Dark Brown Buttercream

Pipe thin, random horizontal streaks of dark brown buttercream around the sides of the cake.

Step Eight: Smooth the Frosting

Use a flat edge to smear the brown lines and repeat until you achieve the desired birch tree appearance.

Step Nine: Add Finishing Touches

Use the back end of a paintbrush to create small holes in the white frosting layer. You can also add buttercream leaves, initials, or other decorations to personalise your cake.

Your buttercream birch tree cake is now ready to be served or displayed!

Using fondant for birch bark

Fondant is a great way to achieve the birch bark effect on your wedding cake. It provides a smooth and flawless finish, making it an excellent choice for creating the distinctive bark pattern. Here are some detailed instructions on using fondant to create a stunning birch bark wedding cake.

Firstly, you will need to gather the necessary materials and ingredients. These include fondant in white or ivory for the base colour, as well as grey and brown fondant strips to replicate the bark pattern. You will also need food colouring in various shades of brown, grey, and white to create a realistic birch bark colour palette. Additionally, you will need tools such as a rolling pin, fondant smoother, paintbrushes, and a turntable.

Once you have your fondant and colouring ready, it's time to start creating the birch bark effect. Start by covering your cake with a thin layer of white or ivory fondant, ensuring a smooth and even surface. This layer serves as the base for your birch bark design.

Next, roll out small strips of grey and brown fondant and apply them randomly onto the cake, slightly overlapping each strip to mimic the natural variations in bark patterns. You can use a fondant smoother to gently blend the seams and create a seamless finish.

Now, it's time to add depth and dimension to the bark. Using a food-safe paintbrush, lightly brush edible brown food colouring onto selected areas of the grey and brown fondant strips. This step adds shadows and highlights, creating a more realistic bark texture.

To enhance the authenticity of your birch bark design, use a small paintbrush or a fondant tool to create additional details such as knots, cracks, or peeling sections of bark. These subtle elements will make your cake truly come to life.

For a more defined bark pattern, use a modelling tool or a knife to gently score horizontal lines onto the grey and brown fondant strips. Ensure that the lines follow the direction of the bark and vary in thickness and length for a natural look.

Finally, use a mixture of silver lustre dust and a small amount of edible liquid, such as vodka, to paint over the cake. This step will give your birch bark a subtle shine and bring out the colours beautifully. Allow the cake to dry completely before stacking the tiers or adding any additional decorations.

Using fondant for your birch bark wedding cake allows for a great deal of creativity and customisation. You can experiment with different shades of fondant and colouring to achieve the perfect birch bark effect. Additionally, fondant provides a smooth and elegant finish, making it a popular choice for wedding cakes.

Remember to pay attention to the small details, as they will make your cake truly exceptional. By following these instructions and adding your own creative touches, you will undoubtedly create a stunning birch bark wedding cake that will impress your guests and serve as a delicious centrepiece at your wedding celebration.

Birch bark cake decorations

Birch tree cakes are a popular choice for weddings, especially for couples who love nature and the outdoors. These cakes are designed to look like birch wood, with a rustic, white-textured exterior that replicates the bark of a birch tree. The cakes can be made with either buttercream or fondant, and can be decorated with fresh florals, branches, greenery, or even fruit.

To create a birch tree cake, you will need a round cake that has been crumb-coated. This crumb coat will help catch any crumbs that might appear through the frosting, ensuring a smooth finish. For the buttercream frosting, you will need light brown, medium brown, dark brown, and white buttercream. You can add brown food colouring to regular buttercream to get the desired shades of brown. Alternatively, you can use chocolate buttercream for a darker shade.

Once you have your crumb-coated cake and prepared buttercream, follow these steps:

• Add a thin layer of white buttercream to the cake, creating a crumb coat.
• Fill two piping bags with light brown and medium-brown buttercream.
• Pipe a circle in the middle of the cake with medium brown buttercream, followed by rings of light brown and medium brown buttercream.
• Smooth out the rings using a straight icing spatula.
• Apply a thick layer of white buttercream to the sides of the cake, being careful not to let it go above the top.
• Smooth the sides and top of the cake with the spatula.
• Pipe thin, random streaks of dark brown buttercream horizontally around the sides of the cake.
• Use a flat edge to smear and blend the brown lines until you achieve the desired birch tree appearance.
• Add finishing touches, such as small holes in the white frosting created with the back end of a paintbrush, or add buttercream leaves or carved initials.

You can further decorate your birch tree cake with fresh florals, branches, greenery, or fruit to match your wedding's aesthetic. Birch tree cakes can also be paired with cupcakes or other desserts for a beautiful and rustic dessert table.

Birch tree cake colour palette

Birch tree cakes are a popular choice for weddings, especially for couples who love nature and the outdoors. The cakes are designed to look like birch wood, with a rustic, white-textured exterior that replicates birch bark. This unique cake can be dressed up with fresh florals, branches, greenery, or even fruit to match the wedding's aesthetic.

When creating a birch tree cake, the colour palette is essential to achieving the desired wood-like effect. The colours used will depend on whether you choose to use buttercream or fondant. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you create a beautiful birch tree cake colour palette:

Step 1: Crumb Coat

Start by applying a thin layer of white buttercream as your crumb coat. This base layer will catch any crumbs and ensure a smooth finish for your cake.

Step 2: Prepare the Frostings

To create the birch tree effect, you will need different shades of brown buttercream. You can add food colouring to achieve the desired shades. For dark brown, add approximately 20 drops of colouring to one cup of buttercream. For medium brown, use five drops of colouring in half a cup, and for light brown, use three drops of colouring in one cup. Alternatively, you can use chocolate buttercream or fondant instead of adding food colouring.

Step 3: Frost the Top

Fill piping bags with light brown and medium brown frosting. Pipe a circle in the middle with medium brown and then create rings of light brown and medium brown buttercream.

Step 4: Smooth Out the Rings

Use a straight icing spatula to gently smooth out the rings. Position the spatula over the centre and tilt the blade upwards. Place the flat edge of the spatula on the buttercream and slowly spin the turntable to smooth the lines.

Step 5: Apply White Buttercream

Add a thick layer of white buttercream along the sides of the cake, being careful not to go above the top. This white layer will create the birch tree's bark effect.

Step 6: Smooth the Cake

Use your spatula again to smooth the sides and top of the cake, ensuring a neat finish.

Step 7: Pipe Dark Brown Streaks

Pipe thin and random horizontal streaks of dark brown buttercream around the sides of the cake.

Step 8: Smooth the Frosting

Use a flat edge to smear and blend the brown lines, repeating until you achieve the desired birch tree appearance.

Step 9: Add Finishing Touches

Create small holes in the white layer of frosting with the back end of a paintbrush. You can also add buttercream leaves, initials, or other decorations to personalise your cake.

By following these steps and using the specified colour palette, you can create a stunning birch tree cake that is perfect for a wedding or any special occasion. Feel free to add your own creative touches and decorations to make it truly unique!

How to make a birch tree cake stand

A birch tree cake stand is the perfect complement to a birch tree cake for an outdoor-inspired wedding. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make one:

Materials

First, you will need to gather your materials. You will need a cake stand, preferably one that resembles a tree trunk for added effect. You can find these at specialty baking stores or online. Additionally, you will need a birch tree cake, either homemade or purchased from a bakery. Other materials include fresh florals, branches, greenery, or fruit to decorate the stand.

Cake Preparation

If you are making your own birch tree cake, there are several recipes and tutorials available online that can guide you through the process. The basic steps typically involve baking a round cake, splitting it into layers, and adding buttercream or frosting to create the distinctive birch bark pattern. This can be done by using different shades of brown buttercream or frosting, from light to dark brown, to pipe on the bark pattern and then smoothing it out with a spatula.

Stand Decoration

Once your cake is prepared, it's time to decorate the stand. Using the fresh florals, branches, greenery, or fruit that you have gathered, create a natural display by artfully arranging these elements on the stand around the cake. For added impact, consider using bold jewel tones or incorporating cascading blooms.

Final Touches

As a finishing touch, you can add personal touches to the cake itself, such as etching your name and wedding date into the birch bark design or adding buttercream leaves or initials.

And there you have it! A beautiful birch tree cake stand that will impress your wedding guests and complement your outdoor-inspired celebration.

For further guidance, you may want to refer to specific tutorials and recipes, such as those provided by Cake Decorist, Sarah Hardy Makes, Cake Geek Magazine, and Brides.com. These sources offer detailed instructions and tips for creating birch tree cakes and stands, as well as additional ideas for decorations and themes.

Frequently asked questions