Need a gorgeous butterfly birthday cake?
This Butterfly Birthday Cake is bursting with springtime colors. A delicate and beautiful theme like this is perfect for 1st birthday cakes. And just wait till the kids discover you can eat the chocolate butterflies…pure bliss!
The butterflies look impressive but they’re super easy to make. Once you learn this easy chocolate painting technique you’ll use it over and over on all your cakes to add amazing (and amazingly easy) decorations that everyone will be talking about.
If you like this design, you’ll also like these beautiful butterfly inspired designs - Colors Of Spring Butterfly Cake, Pastel Butterfly Birthday Cake.
To complete your party theme, check out these fantastic co-ordinating party supplies
ingredients
1st birthday cakes - butterfly birthday cake
- Cake - Lemon Ginger Pound Cake is perfect
- Filling - Gingernut Crunch is a great choice
- 1 batch of buttercream
- sky blue, royal blue, yellow, brown, red and black gel food color
- White candy melts
- Black candywriter
- disposable decorating bags
or gallon sized Ziploc bags
- Candy makers mini queeze bottle
- About 1 cup of brown sugar
- Plate or board to hold finished cake
baking
1st birthday cakes - butterfly birthday cake
- bake the cake(s) and cool completely.
- level the cake(s) and split each into two layers horizontally.
- fill and assemble each cake on a separate cake circle
and secure with a dollop of frosting to stop it from sliding around.
- add a crumb coat - this is a very thin coat of un-tinted buttercream you apply to 'set' the crumbs.
- refrigerate the cake(s) for at least one hour.
the Chocolate Butterflies
1st birthday cakes - butterfly birthday cake
- print out the butterfly wings to about 1 ½” high, using the template shown below.
- tape to a firm work surface and cover with a piece of wax or parchment paper.
- melt about 1/2 cup of candy melts in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds on high, stir and repeat until completely melted.
- using the tip of a teaspoon handle, fill in the wing shapes to about 1/8" thick (below, left). Move the wax paper so you have a clear space and repeat until you have 10 sets of wings.
- using the candywriter, dab on some black dots along the outer edge of the wings (below, right).
- let set for about 30 minutes then gently peel off the paper and flip the wings over.
- using a disposable decorating bag or a Ziploc bag with a tiny hole snipped in one corner and the pink frosting, fill in the other wing details, as shown (below, right).
- that’s it. You now have butterfly wings!
assembly
1st birthday cakes - butterfly birthday cake
- divide the buttercream in to six bowls with only two tablespoons or so of frosting in one of the bowls .
- Leave one white and tint the others yellow-green, yellow, medium green and brown. Tint the two tablespoons or so of frosting light pink.
- frost the top and sides of your cake(s) with the yellow-green frosting.
- put your Butterfly Cake on to a plate or board now and secure with double sided tape to stop the cake from sliding around.
- using a disposable decorating bag or a Ziploc bag with a small hole snipped in one corner and the medium green frosting, pipe an uneven number of sunflower stems around the sides of the cake, making sure that they run the full height of the cake, as shown.
- using a disposable decorating bag or a Ziploc bag with a small hole snipped in one corner and the yellow frosting, pipe an uneven number of sunflower petals on each stem, with some of the petals on the cake’s side and some on the top – more interesting this way!
- using a disposable decorating bag or a Ziploc bag with a small hole snipped in one corner and the brown frosting, fill the center of each sunflower with tiny dots on in circular pattern, as shown.
- Use a small serrated knife to make eight pairs of cuts about 1” long and ½ ” deep around the outside top of the cake, making sure to space them evenly. Angle the knife about 45° away from center when you’re making the cuts so the wings will sit at a natural angle.
- make two more pairs of cuts in the top center of the cake in the same fashion.
- gently push one pair of the chocolate butterfly wings into each pair of cuts, as shown.
- using a teaspoon, sprinkle brown sugar around the base of the cake to act as dirt.
You're done! Now go get a well deserved cup of coffee and sit back for a few minutes to admire your handiwork. Remember to take a picture while your masterpiece still looks perfect.
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co-ordinating party supplies
Got a great Butterfly Birthday Cake idea? Check. Now all you need for the perfect celebration is great co-ordinating party supplies.
You can find everything you need right here. Check it out:
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