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How to Add a Floral Touch to Inspire Your Concrete Cake Designs

There is nothing more classic than adding florals to your cake design. Anything from delicate sugar flowers to full, fresh blooms, flowers are one of the most traditional accessories for cakes. Their natural beauty is undeniably eye-catching and almost certain to create a cake that guests will always remember.

When I was looking to find my own style as a cake artist, I realized I had to look beyond just cakes. Traditional cakes are beautiful, but I found myself searching outside of traditions and finding inspiration in architecture, interior design, and abstract art – all the places a person doesn’t normally look to for cake style inspiration. But that is how the concrete buttercream cake was born.

The wonderful thing about adding florals to a cake is they are so versatile. No matter what the theme is, there is almost certainly a way to incorporate flowers and nature that would fit in seamlessly. Concrete cakes by design are modern and exist somewhat on the outskirts of tradition. It might seem like florals don’t have much of a place in the concrete cake design world. However, adding florals to your concrete cake can create a beautiful and artful juxtaposition that can be adjusted to please just about any client.

To kickstart your inspiration, here are 10 concrete cakes featuring stunning floral designs.

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1.

Hint of Christmas

Concrete buttercream cake with red and green florals and a white chocolate sail by Don't Tell Charles
CAKE BY DON'T TELL CHARLES

This stunning cake features two tiers with two different shades of concrete buttercream. It’s topped with an emerald green marbled chocolate sail that ties with the concrete look perfectly. The hints of metallic copper streaks on the sail also accentuate the copper drips pouring down the sides of the cake. To achieve the copper drips, we first start with a dark chocolate ganache drip then paint over it with Rainbow Dust Metallic Copper Food Paint. The choice of two simple red blooms adds a beautiful pop of colour, which is further contrasted when paired with lush greenery. Like a perfect ‘from day to night outfit’, this cake can go from wedding to Christmas. 

2.

Touch of the Exotic

Concrete buttercream cake with orchid and watercolour decoration by Don't Tell Charles
CAKE BY DON'T TELL CHARLES

Orchids are gorgeous exotic flowers and definitely add a “wow” factor any time they’re used in cake decoration. This beautiful cake is a testament to how easy it can be to dress up a cake with the use of florals. Shades of pink and blue watercolour buttercream add just the right amount of colours to really complement the orchid blooms. The gold foil accents finally add a touch of glamour to complete the look.

3.

Pretty in Pink

Concrete Buttercream Cake with fresh pink roses and metallic pink sail by Don't Tell Charles
CAKE BY DON'T TELL CHARLES

Featuring gorgeous pink blossoms, this cake is a wonderfully pink confection. Gold foil accentuates the luscious blooms and crimson chocolate sails add an elegant flourish. The addition of small orange fruits brings in a touch of contrast while staying within the same the colour family. This cake would make a great showstopping display for any wedding, birthday or shower.

4.

A Sophisticated 21st Birthday

Concrete buttercream cake with fresh white florals, chocolate sail, and acrylic topper by Don't Tell Charles
CAKE BY DON'T TELL CHARLES

A custom acrylic cake topper gives an extra flourish to this amazing birthday cake. Although simple in design, this two-tiered cake has splashes of edible copper paint that adds movement and warmth to the all concrete cake. A simple white and green fresh floral arrangement adds a sophisticated touch.  For a twenty-first birthday, this cake exudes so much elegance and style. 

5.

Soft Pink Blooms

Two-toned concrete floral decorated buttercream cake by Don't Tell Charles
CAKE BY DON'T TELL CHARLES

Two toned concrete is a great way to soften up the concrete look. In this cake, the second tone – blush pink, perfectly matches the array of soft pink and crimson blooms.  Along with spatters of edible rose gold paint (made by mixing rose gold lustre dust with a bit of rose spirit), this stunning display makes for a charming centerpiece for any gathering.

LEARN THE TECHNIQUES

Learn how to create stunning concrete buttercream cakes like these with fresh floral arrangements, metallic and marbled chocolate sails, edible paint splashes and more in our A-Z, one-stop-shop Buttercream Cake Mastery online course.

6.

An Elegant Wedding

Concrete buttercream wedding cake with white roses and dalmatian topper by Don't Tell Charles
CAKE BY DON'T TELL CHARLES

This gorgeous concrete wedding cake is simply accented with traces of edible gold leaf as well as edible gold paint drips.  The beautiful arrangements of white roses and orchids were supplied by the couple’s florist, which tie in with the rest of the event’s florals.  The addition of bride and groom dalmatians on top (supplied by the couple) adds an adorable touch of quirkiness.

7.

The Last Branch of Winter

Concrete buttercream cake with a minimalistic branch decoration by Don't Tell Charles
CAKE BY DON'T TELL CHARLES

This beautiful cake, inspired by Jasmine Rae, is essentially a work of minimalist art. From its crisp, clean lines to its off centered tiers, it is a striking design that creates an incredible sculpture of a cake. Although the design doesn’t feature the usual flowery blooms that are most often seen on cakes, the single branch is dressed in gold with wafer paper leaves that is reminiscent of the last few leaves hanging on a tree before the winter chill. The branch is an actual tree branch, thoroughly washed, dried, dipped in chocolate and finally coated with gold lustre dust. 

8.

Trendy and Chic for Acute Couple

Trendy concrete buttercream cake with geometric shapes and florals by Don't Tell Charles
CAKE BY DON'T TELL CHARLES

This unique cake design uses various metallic shades, shapes and angles for a modern take on a wedding cake. The use of multicoloured  metallic chocolate shapes is a fantastic contrast to the soft, romantic yet striking florals provided by the couple’s florist. 

9.

A Playful Spring Welcome

Trio of concrete buttercream cakes with drip design and a spray of florals by Don't Tell Charles
CAKE BY DON'T TELL CHARLES

Concrete can also be lots of fun! This playful cake design breaks all conventions.  Instead of traditional tiers, we went for a deconstructed trio composition. Instead of the traditional drip on top of the cake, we went for marbled pink and yellow drips pooling at the bottom of the cake board. Sprays of coloured baby’s breath pair perfectly with a full, fluffy arrangement of white blooms and silver suedes. A note of precaution: this cake was a display cake made with styrofoam tiers which is why we could use baby’s breath. Baby’s breath is poisonous and cannot be used on real cakes that are going to be consumed. 

10.

Etches of Florals

Concrete buttercream cake with floral stems etched into it and painted with edible gold paint by Don't Tell Charles
CAKE BY DON'T TELL CHARLES

Although petite and simply designed, this cake uses florals in way that is a reminder to think outside of the box when it comes to cake design. Rather than have fresh flowers adorning the cake, stems and leaves are etched into the buttercream itself. The etching is achieve by using ceramic carving tools on a cold, chilled buttercream cake. The etched areas are then painted over with edible copper food paint

Concrete Cakes Are Extremely Versatile

Concrete on its own can be quite harsh, stark and cold.  However, a touch of fresh florals can bring some much needed softness and warmth that together makes for a well balanced, strikingly beautiful cake design. If you haven’t already, give the match made in heaven design combo a go. 

 

LEARN THE TECHNIQUES

If you’re wanting to but lack the foundation skills to do so, you may want to check out our Buttercream Cake Mastery online course. This course will show how to efficiently create stunning buttercream cakes from start to finish, including:

>>Baking and making buttercream from scratch

>>Filling and covering a straight, smooth and sharp buttercream cake

>>Achieving the DTC signature concrete and watercolour buttercream finishes

>>Stacking tiers and conquering square cakes

>>Creating modern cake decorations with chocolate

>>Working with fresh floral cake decorations and so much more.

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How to add floral elements to concrete cake designs

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