Theres something so grand and sweet about an artfully decorated cake. And enjoying your cake (visually) before you slice into it is one of the best parts of being a baker. Whether youre baking for a special birthday or hosting a small dessert gathering with friends, weve put together cake decorating tips that will help you impress your guests! From frosting to decorating to flavors that shine, here are some of our favorite cake decorating ideas for handmade and perfectly iced wonders.

How to Decorate a Cake for Beginners

From piping to glazes, here are some of our favorite beginners tips for decorating a cake. Theyll take you from baking novice to pastry pro in no time.

Use a Bench Scraper for Smooth Frosting

A bench scraper is a kitchen tool typically used for cleaning work surfaces or gathering chopped ingredients like carrots, but it can also be used for making cake frosting super smooth. After applying your final layer of frosting, youll rotate the cake and press the scraper gently into the frosting at the same time. This might take some practice, and it works best if your cake is placed on a turntable for easy rotation.

Experiment with Piping

Oftentimes, when you see beautiful cakes in the windows of bakeries, they look fancy due to the bakers piping skills and a few essential cake decorating tools. Piping refers to frosting that is placed in a piping bag (a plastic bag can be used, too) with a tip that allows you to pipe the frosting into fun shapes like stars, flowers, and swirls. To experiment with piping, try purchasing a few simple tips from a local craft store or online and practice on a cake (or even a piece of cardboard) at home. Once you get a hang of holding the piping bag, youll realize it doesnt take much to give your own cake that bakery feel.

When in Doubt Go for Sprinkles!

Sprinkles are always festive, fun and colorful. Sure, its common to opt for sprinkling some on top of the cake once its frostedthats what theyre for, right? But we like the idea of going wild and covering the whole cake with sprinkles. Its easy to do this if you pour the sprinkles into your hand and use your hand to press them lightly into the frosting.

Try a Simple Glaze

If you find yourself short on time yet still wanting your cake to look professional (without putting in extra effort) try a glaze. Glazes can be made from a simple mixture of powdered sugar, liquidlike orange juice, chocolate sauce or milkand a bit of salt. You can make glazes thicker for a frosted look, or add more liquid for a drizzled look.

Write Letters with Toothpicks

If youre thinking of writing letters on your cake with piped frosting, try the toothpick trick! Map out your letters beforehand on the frosting with a toothpick and if you mess up, no need to fear. Simply smooth the frosting over and try again.

Scallop That Cake!

Scallops are a fantastic way to make a simple cake elaborate, and the best thing is, they dont require any tools except for a simple plastic bag. without any tools. To make scallops, fill your bag with frosting and cut off the tip. Then, hold the tip to the surface of the cake (starting from the bottom) in a vertical line to pipe your dots. Once your dots have been piped, youll want to use a spoon or knife and swipe them horizontally to create their quintessential scalloped look. When this is done, youll clean off your spoon and repeat with additional columns until the cake is done and lovely!

Additional Topping Ideas

• dehydrated fruit
• crushed cookies
• sliced nuts or fruit
• fresh berries (like blueberries, raspberries)
• edible flowers
• marshmallows
• chocolate shavings
• colorful candles
• greenery (like eucalyptus or fresh herbs)
• edible glitter and sprinkles
• mini lollipops
• cereal

Cake Decoration Inspiration

From dehydrated citrus to meringue kisses, heres some cake decoration inspiration!

Triple Citrus Pound Cake

This Triple Citrus Pound Cake is as beautiful as it is tasty. To elevate the look of this pound cake, dehydrated citrus is used to make a bold (and orange) statement. This variation on a classic pound cake recipe packs a buttery, rich and citrus-filled taste. The best part is that this recipe makes two loaves and is the perfect addition to a springtime brunch gathering or an afternoon tea date outdoors. Make sure to note that if youre using salted butter, youll want to cut back the added salt to 1/2 teaspoon. This cake is made with the usual ingredients like butter, sugar, eggs and Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour, but the batter truly shines with additions like lemon, grapefruit, lime or orange zest and fresh grapefruit and orange juices. For the glaze, adjust the amount of juice to make it thicker or thinner, depending on your own preference. If you want to get extra creative and colorful, consider integrating a rainbow of additional dehydrated citrus slices on top, like grapefruit and lime.

Blackberry Lime Cake

[caption id="attachment_1173152" align="aligncenter" width="770"] Photo credit: Carrie Sellman from The Cake Blog[/caption] This Blackberry Lime Cake made its way to the Bobs Red Mill blog by way of the wonderful Carrie Sellman from The Cake Blog. The cake itself is a celebration of all things spring, with its shades of violet, flavors of blackberries and subtle notes of lime. For a whimsical and natural approach, the cake is decorated with edible flowers and fresh blackberries, which are also used to tint the frosting. To amp up the beautiful flavors of fresh blackberry, you can make a double batch of the blackberry reduction and spread a thin coat between the layers of the cake. Alternatively, you can also slice fresh berries in half and spread them across the cake layers. Make sure to add the flowers right before serving (so they dont wilt).

Peach Lemon Mini Bundt Cakes

[caption id="attachment_1173153" align="aligncenter" width="770"] Photo credit: Amy Williams from My Name is Snickerdoodle[/caption] When it comes to cakes, Bundt cakes are beautiful, delicate and delicious, especially when theyre in mini form. These Peach Lemon Mini Bundt Cakes are perfect for a special brunch or a spring buffet. This whimsical recipe came to us from Amy Williams of My Name is Snickerdoodle and can be made in a large muffin or standard cupcake tin if you dont have a mini Bundt tin. If youd like to make your bundts gluten free, use Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour instead of Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour. For a wonderful glaze, use powdered sugar, lemon zest and a few tablespoons of peach nectar. You can even top these baby Bundts with some orange edible flowers for an extra fancy touch.

White Chocolate Cake with Peppermint Frosting

[caption id="attachment_1173154" align="aligncenter" width="768"] Photo credit: Amanda Powell from A Cookie Named Desire[/caption] During the holidays, nothing is as festive as this White Chocolate Cake with Peppermint Frosting. What makes this moist and delicately flavored white chocolate cake super special is that it comes complete with a smooth and creamy peppermint Italian meringue buttercream frosting and peppermint meringue shells. Amanda Powell from A Cookie Named Desire decorates her cake flawlessly, and uses egg whites, salt, powdered granulated sugar, vanilla extract and crushed peppermints to create her meringue kisses. To make her powdered granulated sugar, she processes her sugar in a blender. This cake is a decadent beauty all year long.

Healthy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

[caption id="attachment_1173155" align="aligncenter" width="770"] Photo credit: Jessica Stier of Desserts with Benefits[/caption] This Healthy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is fluffy and moist with all the best flavors of banana bread (just in cake form). Its free of refined sugar and gluten, and is high in protein and fiber. The recipe is from the brilliant baker Jessica Stier of Desserts with Benefits and once created, the cake can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days (though be forewarned, its very easy to eat). We love how Jessica decorates the top of the cake with crushed almonds and slices of bananas. If youre just getting started in the wide world of cake decorating, this is an easy way to make your baked masterpiece look elegant, plus the added crunch is a nice variation your guests will love.

Rolled Strawberry Cream Sponge Cake

A rolled cake is surprisingly easy to make, yet always impresses a crowd. This Rolled Strawberry Cream Sponge Cake is airy and light and wrapped around a cream cheese filling for a decadent treat. The cake is made with Unbleached White Fine Pastry Flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, buttermilk, granulated sugar, vanilla extract and powdered sugar; the filling is a mix of cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, strawberry preserves and lemon zest. Once the cake is rolled and frosted, its wrapped in plastic wrap then placed in the fridge to set. Just before serving, dust with confectioners sugar andlike magicyoull have a beautiful cake to share alongside tea or coffee. Whether youre making a rolled cake, a Bundt cake or a plain vanilla cake with vanilla frosting, we hope you enjoy every moment of your baking extravaganza. In the end, however its decorated, theres nothing that tastes quite like a homemade cake (especially when its baked with love). From all of us at Bobs Red Mill, happy baking! We know youll make something wonderful. SOURCES: https://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/10-cake-decorating-tips https://www.marthastewart.com/1034015/icing-top-tips-decorating-and-displaying-cakes