Whether you’re a busy parent or tackling your very first birthday cake, we’ve put together some super simple decorating hacks to help you create a cake that looks amazing without the stress.
Licensed or Themed Cake Toppers:
The easiest way to decorate a cake? Add a themed cake topper! Just smooth buttercream (try our buttercream recipe) over your cake using a spatula or smooth knife, then pop on your licensed or themed topper. You can even skip baking entirely and use a store-bought cake. Finish it off with a number candle and a “Happy Birthday” topper for a professional look with minimal effort.
Beautiful Butterfly Cake
Butterfly wafer toppers are a gorgeous, easy option and you can prep them in advance. Cut them out a few days ahead so they’re ready to go.
To recreate the piped icing look in the photo, use a 1M piping tip. Fill your piping bag with buttercream (use a single colour or add multiple shades for an ombre effect) and pipe little rose swirls starting from the centre. Finish with a touch of edible glitter for some extra sparkle!
We stock several different wafer butterflies and flowers to suit your theme.
Edible Image Cake
Edible images are one of the easiest ways to personalise a cake! Choose a round, rectangle or custom shaped edible image to suit your cake. Trim the image while it’s still on the plastic backing, then gently apply it to your buttercream or fondant-covered cake.
Want to take it to the next level? Use a favourite photo or themed image and order a custom edible image from us.
Need help? Check out our blog on using edible images. You can even take your image to a local supermarket or bakery for application.
Colourful Sprinkle Cake
Sprinkles make everything more fun! Try icing your cake with buttercream in different shades (great for ombre or rainbow effects), then match your sprinkles to the theme.
Match your cake colour to your theme, for example this cake below is perfect for parties like Space, LOL Surprise or Fortnite. You can also add a themed topper to tie it all together.
Be creative with a Themed Cake
Choose a theme that you can easily add figurines or toys, lollies, cake crumbs etc to look fantastic! Dinosaur, Construction, Fairy are some examples of themes where you can add items to the cake and cover up any "mistakes' with cake crumbs etc.
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Easy Cake Decorating Tips:
Here are our top tips for stress free, budget friendly cake decorating:
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Think about the recipient. What are their favourite characters or colours? Narrow it down to a theme that’s easy to work with.
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Keep it simple! Especially if it’s your first time, simple designs can still have a big impact - less is more.
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Get inspired and do your research. Check out our Cake Decorating section or have a scroll through Pinterest for ideas.
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Ask for help - we’re always here if you have questions. Email us at sales@buildabirthday.co.nz and we’ll be happy to help!