Create a stunning Thanksgiving cake for your get together this year with my favorite decorating trick!
Anymore, when I decorate a cake, I want it to be a table centerpiece. When I make a Thanksgiving cake for my family, I want it to scream Fall! I think that’s why I always gravitate towards fresh flowers when designing a cake. I love when the dessert and floral arrangement are seamlessly intertwined. Even better, I love it when I can create stunning decorations without touching a piping bag! Here are some tips and tricks for how you can turn foraged items from around your home into quick and easy Thanksgiving cake decorations!
What Items Can I Use to Decorate My Thanksgiving Cake?
You’ll be surprised by all the things you can find that will go really nicely on your cake. The first place I look is my perennial flower bed. When using fresh flowers on a cake there are a couple of things to remember. First, you want to check and make sure that the plants you intend to use are not toxic. An example of this is hydrangeas, which are so beautiful this time of year but SHOULD NOT be placed on a cake as they can be toxic if consumed. Do a little research before cutting your blooms and you’ll be good to go! I also like to use flowers that I know have never been fertilized.
When choosing your decorations, make sure that you don’t use anything that will “shed” on your cake. This is another reason I love to use sedum on Fall cakes, it will not lose petals onto the cake. Give your florals a little shake, and if a fine dust falls you may want to skip that particular variety.
Get creative on your hunt for decorations! This time of year there are so many unexpected treasures just in our backyards. Pinecones add a wonderful rustic touch to the cake. Also, seed pods that might be hiding in your flower bed are a great addition. Keep in mind that it doesn’t take a large volume to decorate the top of a cake.
Prepping your Decorations
After you have gathered together your decorations, lay them out and inspect them for dirt. Wash items that can be cleaned and dried. I scrubbed my pumpkins, rinsed off the sedum and laid them on a towel to dry. The more fragile items such as the seed pods and wheat I thoroughly inspected and gently brushed off any debris.
Another way to minimize the contact between your foraged items and your cake is to wrap the stems with a little bit of floral tape. This is especially handy if you plan on stabilizing your bloom by inserting it into the cake. For this Thanksgiving cake, I simply laid the decorations on top of the buttercream, but if I had wanted to decorate the side of the cake, I would have wrapped floral tape around the stems and pushed the stem 1-2 inches into the cake.
Arranging your Decorations
Decide What you want to use as the base of your decoration. Typically, this is the largest piece you’ve collected. I decided to start with the mini pumpkins. When I am placing fresh decorations on the top of a cake I like to arrange them in the shape of a crescent moon. I place my central elements just off center and I will continue to add flowers and decorations to each side, following the curve of the cake.
Use smaller flowers to fill in any open spaces where stems can be seen. I used sedum to fill in the gaps between the pumpkins, and to hide the stems on the grasses and wheat stalks.
Just keep adding until you love your cake! Bear in mind that sometimes less is more, but there are so many ways to make this cake your own! I definitely have a tendency to keep adding and adding and sometimes have to take a step back and make myself stop! I personally think when you are working with fresh decorations you can’t mess up. It’s the easiest way to create a Thanksgiving cake that is sure to impress!
Presenting Your Thanksgiving Cake
Choose a rustic cake plate to display your work of art in all its glory! I chose a wooden cake stand to complement the neutral color palette of the cake. Proudly present your Thanksgiving cake as the centerpiece of your dessert table and not only will your family be so impressed, it will serve as a beautiful fall decoration that you won’t want to cut into!
Searching for the perfect cake recipe to be the base of your Thanksgiving Cake? This Simple Moist Chocolate Cake never disappoints!
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