Choose a snowflake cake design to create an elegant winter cake. Snowflake birthday cakes, retirement cakes, wedding cakes and even anniversary cakes can all incorporate the pretty falling snow in their designs, too. From simple to complex, a snowflake design is one that is sure to wow anyone who sees it on your cake.
Simple Snowflake Designs
Snowflakes are a relatively simple design idea for cakes. With a few tools and some simple cake decorating techniques, virtually anyone can create a beautiful design.
Snowflake Stencils
Hold a Christmas cake stencil in the shape of a snowflake over a blue frosted cake. Sprinkle powdered sugar, white sprinkles or edible white sugar crystals to create the snowflake design on the cake. Airbrushing over the stencils works well, too.
Snowflake Cookie Cutters
Lightly press snowflake cookie cutters on the top of a frosted cake in a random pattern. Outline the marks with royal icing and then flood. Alternatively, outline with buttercream icing and fill the snowflake design in using a small star tip.
Cookie cutters can also be used with fondant or gum paste. Create a cake topper by rolling out gum paste or fondant, cutting out a snowflake shape and adding cake wire to the snowflake. Make several sizes, allow them to dry and place in the top of a tiered cake or even on top of a snowflake shaped cake.
More Snowflake Tools
Stencils and cookie cutters are just a couple of cake decorating tools to use with your snowflake design. Additional tools to use in making a simple snowflake cake include:
- Impression mats or rollers: Use an impression mat to cover an entire cake in fondant with a snowflake design. A roller can cut out fondant strips and be used to create ribbons and bows on cake tiers or on a gift cake design.
- Sugar decorations: Purchase sugar cake decorations in the shape of a snowflake from a grocery store, cake decorating supply store or craft supply store and top a cake with them.
- Inedible decorations: Not everything on the cake needs to be edible. Print snowflake tags and stick them in cakes or cupcakes with a toothpick, or use store-bought ribbon with a snowflake pattern to circle the cake. Just remember to remove the decorations before serving.
Complex Snowflake Cake Designs
More complex snowflake cake designs allow advanced decorators to show off their cake decorating style and technique. While snowflakes are a fairly simple shape, you can still create a stunning design if you feel up to the challenge.
Brush Embroidery Snowflakes
Although brush embroidery cake decorating is usually associated with floral cake designs, it is a stunning technique to use with snowflake cakes. This is a pretty technique for a winter anniversary cake or as a birthday cake for a female.
Incorporate brush embroidery snowflake designs into a tiered cake wedding cake by using the technique on every other tier. On the opposite tiers, simply cover the outside of the frosted cake in white luster dust or clear/white sugar sprinkles to add some shimmer to the cake.
Royal Icing Figures
Use royal cake icing to create a delicate snowflake that dries hard. Outline pretty snowflake designs on a piece of parchment or wax paper. Flip the paper over and use a fine round pastry tip and outline the snowflake design in a continuous flow. Allow the snowflake to dry and then carefully move it to your cake. If you are transporting your cake, it may be best to wait until you reach your destination before adding the royal icing figures to the cake.
Snowflake Frosting Tip
Most decorators making snowflake cake designs want their snowflakes to be a true white. However, many buttercream frostings for cake decorating use real butter, which has a slight yellow tint. Consider using shortening instead of butter when making buttercream icing that needs to be a true white. Alternatively, make snowflakes light blue or even silver if you choose to use real butter in your buttercream icing.
