Perfect Autumn Cake Technique – Autumn Cake Toppers!

Spring is so easy to decorate our cakes for. With so much color and life blossoming around you,  how can you not be inspired to make beautiful floral cake toppers? Autumn,  however,  also provides the savvy cake decorator with plenty of options to create a stunning cake topper – and perhaps even one with a bit more interest!

First,  you will need to create the color palette for your cake. This can include a mix of the colors selected for whatever event the cake is for as well as colors inspired by nature. Look at the trees and bushes around you for inspiration. You may even want to take a few pictures to keep your ideas fresh when you get back to the kitchen.

Next,  assemble the pieces for your cake topper. One technique that is a must-have in your skill set for autumn is creating flower paste leaves. To create stunning and realistic leaves, follow these steps:

1. Knead the flower paste to get it ready. It helps to start with a yellow or green-tinted paste,  as it means you won’t have to do quite so much color dusting later on.
2. Roll out your flower paste as thin as you’d like. Don’t go too thin or it will be impossible to work with!
3. Use a leaf shaped cutter to cut out as many leaves as you will need.
4. Use a pattern stamp or crinkled foil paper to press on top of the leaf and create that dry,  wrinkled effect of autumn leaves.
5. Let the leaves dry,  then use petal/luster dust to paint the different hues for the leaves. Colors to consider using are: gold,  light green,  dark green,  brown,  orange,  yellow,  and red. With just a few colors you can make a huge variety of color on the leaves!
6. As an optional touch,  you may wish to curl up the ends of a few leaves to give them more life and interest.

You may also want to add a few flowers to your arrangement. Flowers wich are perfect for autumn include: Amaranths,  Anemones,  Baby’s Breath,  Carnations,  Chrysanthemums,  Freesia,  Gerbera Daisies,  Irises,  Juniper,  Lilies,  Orchids,  Queen Ann’s Lace,  Roses,  and Sunflowers

Lace and ribbons can also be added to your cake topper to add more color and interest. This is an optional choice and shouldn’t be used if you want the cake to be 100% edible.