Cake Centerpiece Display Ideas

A well-decorated cake makes an eye-catching centerpiece for any special occasion. When you're planning your celebration and designing the centerpiece, consider the guests and the purpose of the party. A birthday party for young kids, for example, might not be the best time to bring out an elegant edible centerpiece, while individual wedding cakes may work well at wedding with multiple round tables.

Fourth of July Centerpiece

Fireworks help make Independence Day a glitzy, attention-grabbing holiday, and a red, white and blue cakes makes a patriotic centerpiece for an outdoor dinner. Use a flat spatula to frost a round or rectangular sheet cake with white buttercream frosting. Tint smaller batches of icing red, white and blue using gel food coloring, and use a pastry bag and round tip to pipe on firework designs.

Start birthday festivities right away by placing the cake in the middle of the table. Decorate the cake with the birthday person's favorite colors or hobbies in mind, or make it match the party theme. For a general birthday theme, bake a two-layer round cake, and frost it with white buttercream frosting and a flat spatula. Pipe borders in wild colors with a shell pastry tip and bag, then place a thin cardboard party hat or kazoo on top.

Rather than having one large, multilevel wedding cake, save the bride and groom some expense by placing smaller cakes in the centers of each table at the reception. This option also allows for more variety for guests; each cake can be a different flavor or texture. Cover the cakes with white fondant and embellish each with small fondant designs. Using tinted fondant as you would modeling clay, shape small polka dots or swirl designs and apply them to the cakes with dabs of buttercream icing.

Decorate a spring cake with real or edible flowers. Wash and dry real flowers well, and place them on the cake right before serving. Or, make icing flowers by piping them on using buttercream icing, a pastry bag and a rose tip, or form them by hand from fondant or gum paste. Apply them to your cake with buttercream, and pipe a bright border around the bottom of the cake with a star tip.