Buttercream Painted Cake - Beach Cake

It is not just flowers that you paint with Buttercream and Palette Knife - Check this Painted Beach Cake 🤩 With just a palette knife and some coloured buttercream, you can create a unique and stunning edible masterpiece that will impress anyone.

(Video at the end of the blog)

Materials You’ll Need:

• A cake (your choice of flavour). I am making a vanilla/lemon cake here.
• Buttercream (stable/good for painting)
• Palette knives (small and medium)
• Oil-based food colors: blue, white, and caramel (get 10% off Colourmill: Use code NEETHA10)

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Prepare Your Buttercream: Start with a smooth and stable batch of buttercream. You’ll use this as your canvas.

2. Prepare Your Cake: Layer your cakes, Fill them with buttercream & choice of filling. Apply a thin, even layer of buttercream all over your cake. This is known as Crumb Coating. This base coat will help the colours blend smoothly and give your cake a clean, fresh look. Want to learn all the Cake Basics and Baking?

Check out >> Flower Piping Course to learn our Unique Classic Buttercream recipe and learn Flower Piping

Check out >> Science of Baking Course to learn our Award Winning Cake recipes.

3. Mix Your Colours with Buttercream:

• Blue: Mix a small amount of blue and white food colouring into a portion of buttercream to create different shades of blue. You can create variations by adding more or less buttercream.
• Caramel: Mix caramel colour into another portion of buttercream to achieve a sandy hue.
• White: Keep some buttercream white for the waves and highlights.

4. Create a Beach Effect using Buttercream :

• Sand: Apply the caramel coloured buttercream to the bottom portion of the cake. Use the palette knife to spread it unevenly, mimicking the natural texture of sand. 

5. Start Painting the Ocean using Buttercream:

• Sea: Begin by applying the different shades of blue buttercream to the top half of the cake using your palette knife. Start with the lighter shades at the top to mimic the sky and blend into darker shades as you move down to represent the sea. Use broad, sweeping motions to create a gradient effect.
• Waves: Use the white buttercream to add waves. Gently drag the palette knife horizontally across the blue areas, creating wave-like textures. You can add more white for frothy waves closer to the "shore."

6. Blend and Perfect your Cake: Step back and look at your cake. Blend any harsh lines where the colours meet by gently running the palette knife over them. You can also add more details like little mounds of sand or extra waves if you feel creative.

7. Final Touches of the Cake Design:

• Boats: If you want to add more detail, you can use small amounts of coloured buttercream to create tiny boats/umbrellas/trees on shores etc.

Tips for Buttercream Painting:

• Smooth Buttercream: Ensure your buttercream is smooth and at the right consistency for spreading. 
• Palette Knife Technique: Practice on a tray before working on your cake. This helps you get a feel for the palette knife and how the buttercream spreads.

Creating a painted beach cake with buttercream and a palette knife is not only simple but also an opportunity to unleash your creativity. With just a few colours and some practice, you can craft a beautiful and unique cake that captures the essence of a serene beach.

Enjoy the process, and don’t be afraid to let your artistic side shine!

Happy baking and painting!

Much love,

Neetha x