Cake Board Ideas - How to Decorate Cake Boards

So this page is going to be all about cake board ideas, i.e. ideas for decorating cake boards.

Do you decorate your cake boards? I do, and I find it a must to have my cake boards decorated for all my cake projects, except for butter cream cakes. Even then, I find some way to decorate them (by adding the birthday message on it, for example or adding a doily to it).

Poster for cake board ideas with 3 cakes in the background

The thing is, it’s really not necessary to decorate cake boards but I am so used to it that I find the cake deco incomplete if my cake board is not decorated. At the very least, I will cover my cake boards with fondant. At other times, I add matching deco elements on the cake board so that it matches the overall theme of the cake.

A tall cake with yellow and white roses and green sides.

How to Decorate Cake Boards

Here are some of my cake board ideas:

Decorating with Fondant

This is the most basic deco I do to cake boards for all my fondant covered cakes. I either use the same fondant color as the cake or use a different color but matching to the overall theme of the cake.

There are a number of different ways in which I cover my cake boards. For smaller ones, I tend to cover the whole cake board with fondant and then place my cake on it. For larger cakes, in order not to use too much fondant on the cake board (basically avoid wastage as most part of the cake board will be covered by cake), I place my cake on the cake board first and then roll a long strip of fondant around to cover the cake board.

Decorating with Flowers

I have used both flowers and flower petals to decorate my cake boards. For example, this wedding here is decorated with real roses. And in order not to leave the cake board with just the plain white fondant, I placed fresh rose petals randomly all around the cake board to add a touch of elegance to the whole cake.

A 3 tier cake on pillars with fresh rose petals on the cake board

Cake Board Ideas - Rose petals on the cake board

And in this unicorn cake here, I have extended the flowers (unicorn’s mane) all the ways to the cake board.

Decorating with Ribbons

Almost all my cake boards are wrapped with ribbons at the edges. And I always chose colors that match the overall theme of the cake. See the cake below. I used a pink ribbon to wrap its edges. The thickness of the ribbon depends on the thickness of the cake board. The idea is to not show the sides of the cake board. So when I choose my ribbons, it’s not only to match the overall color theme of the cake but also the thickness of the cake board.

Decorating with Candles

Most of the time, candles are placed on cakes. But I have also used candles as part of the cake board deco! See the 2 examples below. I have not only decorated the cake boards with fondant, I have also added candles to them. And to make the candles stand upright, I have attached tiny fondant cut-outs on the cake board and poked the candles into them. This has to be done while the fondant is still soft and the cut-outs itself must not be too thin or else they will not be able to hold the candles in place.

A Belle cake with cake lettering on the cake board

A 2 tier square birthday cake decorated with candles on the cake board

Cake board ideas - Candles on the cake board

Cake Board Ideas - Decorating with Doilies

I use doilies mostly for buttercream cakes. Since the butter in the buttercream tends to seep into fondant, I do not use fondant to cover the cake boards of my buttercream cakes. Instead, I use doilies. I choose doilies that are of the same diameter as my cake boards. And secure them to the boards with some double-sided adhesive tape. And then I place a large piece of cellophane plastic on the doily. Cellophane is a clear plastic sheet that can be bought from craft shops. These are secured in place with a small piece of tape in the center. The purpose of this cellophane plastic is really to avoid any contact between the cake and the doily. And in doing that, we get to avoid the butter from the cake and buttercream from leaving unsightly grease marks on it.

I cut the cellophane paper slightly larger than the cake board itself. And then I place my cake on it and decorate it as usual. Once the entire deco is completed, I use a small blade to trim the cellophane plastic as close to the cake as possible before presenting the cake.