Making a watercolor cake is a fun and creative way to decorate your cake, giving it a beautiful, colorful look that will impress everyone at any event. This technique lets you play with colors and create a stunning effect like a painting. It may seem intimidating at first, but with the right steps and tools, it's pretty straightforward.
First, you'll need to frost your cake with your favorite buttercream. I used Swiss meringue buttercream, but you can use American buttercream or any kind you like. The key is to get the cake about 90% frosted smoothly. It doesn't have to be perfect because you'll be adding more buttercream later.
Next, it's time to color your buttercream. Divide the remaining buttercream into a few bowls and use gel food coloring to tint each one with your chosen colors. I went with pink, peach, and yellow because they blend nicely together, but you can choose any colors you like. Remember, the goal is to have colors that still look good when they mix a bit.
Now comes the fun part: painting the cake! Using an offset spatula, smear the colored buttercream onto the frosted cake in random swipes. There's no right or wrong way to do this—just have fun with it. Try stacking the colors more vertically rather than side-by-side horizontally, as this will help them blend better when you smooth the frosting.
To smooth the frosting and create the watercolor effect, take an icing smoother and go around the cake horizontally. After each pass, stop to add more buttercream where needed. Be quick but deliberate, as you only have a few passes before the colors start blending too much and lose the distinct watercolor effect.
Creating a watercolor cake is a fun and artistic way to decorate your dessert, resulting in a beautifully unique and colorful presentation. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you achieve this stunning effect:
Tools You'll Need
- Rotating cake stand: Allows for easy frosting and decorating.
- Offset spatula: For smooth and precise spreading of buttercream.
- Gel food coloring: Provides vibrant colors without thinning the buttercream.
- Icing smoother: Ensures an even and polished finish on the frosting.
- Paring knife: For trimming and creating clean edges.
- Piping tips and bags: These are for adding decorative details.
How to Make a Watercolor Cake
Step 1: Frost the Cake
1. Initial Frosting: Using your favorite buttercream (Swiss meringue or American buttercream works well), frost the cake smoothly about 90% of the way. Perfection is not necessary at this stage since more buttercream will be added later.
2. Color the Buttercream: Divide the remaining buttercream into two or three bowls. Tint each portion with your chosen gel food coloring. For a harmonious blend, use colors that mix well together. For example, pink, peach, and yellow create a lovely gradient when combined.
Step 2: “Paint” the Cake
1. Apply Colored Buttercream: With an offset spatula, randomly smudge the frosted cake with swipes of the colored buttercream. Focus on vertical swipes for a more blended look, as the smoothing process will spread the colors horizontally.
2. Smooth and Blend: Using an icing smoother, gently smooth the colored frosting around the cake. Stop periodically to add more colored buttercream where needed. Work quickly but carefully to prevent over-blending the colors.
Step 3: Finish the Cake
1. Trim the Top: For a clean and crisp top edge, use a paring knife to trim off excess buttercream. This step helps maintain the integrity of the watercolor effect by preventing the colors from smearing onto the top. Alternatively, you can use an offset spatula to pull the top edges towards the center, continuing the watercolor pattern.
2. Clean the Sides: Make gentle passes with the icing smoother to tidy up the sides and edges. Avoid over-smoothing to maintain the watercolor effect.
3. Embellish: Use any remaining buttercream to pipe decorative details on the top of the cake. Piping rosettes with star tips, for example, can add an elegant touch. Colors that blend well together can be reused from the scraped-off buttercream, often tinted darker for contrast.
Tips for Success
- Quick Work: Smooth the frosting quickly to avoid the colors blending too much.
- Color Harmony: Select colors that blend well together to avoid muddy or unattractive shades.
- Piping Practice: Practice piping rosettes or other decorations on parchment paper before applying them to the cake for a polished look.
With these steps and tips, you'll create a gorgeous watercolor cake that will impress and delight your guests. Happy baking and decorating!