Easy and impressive! This buttercream technique will knock your socks off.

With cake as your canvas let your creative juices flow.

There is no right or wrong way to this process.

Unique color combos and textures will surprise you each time this fun and creative decorating method is applied.

 

 

I use to watch Chopped on the Food Network religiously.  I think I’ve written about this before but man… does it bring forth ideas and creativity.

In one episode the ingredients were leftovers; some from last night’s dinner, some were the last scraps left at the bottom of a jar. It was a nail biter watching the judges taste the completed dishes.

A few months after seeing this episode I decided to give it a go with my own leftovers. Several containers with different colored buttercreams were piling up in my fridge.  I save everything, even a tablespoon of leftover frosting.

Knowing each color would never be enough to completely frost a cake I decided to experiment for an upcoming cake competition. As promised, the outcome was a fun and delightful surprise!

This tutorial demonstrates the process on a single tier of cake, but imagine a 3-tier cake adorned with flowers or different types of foliage or sea creatures?!?!

Print Watercolor Buttercream Instructions

 

Materials and Tools

 

This technique works best on cakes covered in fondant, ganache, modeling chocolate or buttercream.

If your cake is prepared with buttercream be sure it is completely chilled and the buttercream is stiff.

You can also apply this technique to cakes that are only crumb coated.

Before beginning, place a non-slip square between your cake plate and the turntable.

 

1. Using your icing knife, spread one color of buttercream around cake randomly.

 

2. Using your scraper, very gently drag it around the cake. Do not apply too much pressure. Go around the cake until you’re satisfied with the look.

At this point you can see a “sky with clouds” design emerging… if your buttercream is light blue.  This might be the effect you want to achieve. If so, congratulations! Add some birds or balloons and… viola!

 

3. Continue adding the remaining colors of buttercream with your icing knife.

 

4. Add the buttercream wherever you like until you are satisfied with the color combination.

 

5. There is no right or wrong way to this process.

 

6. Be Creative!!

 

7. With scraper, gently drag it around the cake again.

 

8. Drag your scraper very slowly applying light pressure. The colors will start to bleed together.

 

9. Go around the cake with scraper until most of the buttercream has a smooth finish.

 

10. At this point, clean the buttercream off your scraper.

 

11. There might still be some un-smooth areas.

 

12. With your icing knife, fill in these areas using any combination of your buttercream colors.

 

13. Once again, slowly drag your scraper around the cake.

 

14. As you drag your scraper around the cake apply pressure as    needed for a smooth finish.

 

15. Go around cake until you’re satisfied with the blended    composition.

Feel free to repeat steps 11 – 15 as many times as needed.

 

Show off your finished cake on a pedestal!

 

I’m excited to see your creations.

Share pictures with us in the comments.

With love and confection,

Connie