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    Decorated Treats » Preparing Cakes for Decoration

    How to Decorate Cake Boards Like a Pro (5 Easy Ideas)

    Published: Aug 25, 2020 · Modified: Aug 4, 2022 by Priya Maha

    Learn how to decorate cake boards like a pro with these 5 cool ideas. They are easy and creative and will definitely elevate your cakes to a professional finishing.

    Poster for cake board ideas with 3 cakes in the background.

    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 buttercream 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).

    The thing is, it’s really not necessary to decorate cake boards but I am so used to it that I find the cake 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. You can also make your own cake board with this easy tutorial.

    A tall cake with yellow and white roses and green sides.
    Jump to:
    • 1. Decorating with Fondant
    • 2. Decorating with Flowers
    • 3. Decorating with Ribbon
    • 4. Decorating with Candles
    • 5. Decorating with Doilies
    • ❤️More tips and techniques you will love

    1. Decorating with Fondant

    This is the most basic decoration 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.

    A cake board covered in orange fondant.

    Brush the cake board with shortening. Roll the fondant thin and cover the whole cake board.

    Trimming excess fondant of a cake board.

    Trim the excess fondant off the cake board with a sharp knife. Let the fondant set before placing your 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. 

    Covering a cake board with white fondant.

    Place your fondant covered cake on the cake board. Roll a long strip of fondant and attach it all around on the cake board.

    Trimming excess fondant off a cake board.

    Trim off excess fondant with a sharp knife.

    Once the cake board is covered, decorate the side of the board with ribbon. Attach the ribbon with hot glue to secure it in place.

    A cake board covered in orange fondant.

    2. 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.

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

    A 2 tier unicorn cake.

    3. Decorating with Ribbon

    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 puppy dog 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.

    A square cake with a dog figurine.

    4. Decorating with Candles

    Most of the time, candles are placed on cakes. But I have also used candles as part of the cake board decoration.

    See the Belle cake and the 21st birthday cake 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.

    5. 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 I 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 so that it is not visible.

    A round cake decorated with red roses and a doily covered cake board.

    These are some of the ideas I use to decorate my cake boards. 

    ❤️More tips and techniques you will love

    • A round cake tin line with parchment paper.
      How to Line a Cake Tin (3 Easy Methods)
    • Pointing to the water level in a cake tin filled with water.
      How to Calculate Cake Recipes
    • A 2 tier cake stacked on pillars.
      How to Make Tiered Cakes (With and Without Pillars)
    • A 5 tier wedding cake decorated in orange and yellow.
      How to Transport A Cake

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Tania

      June 14, 2021 at 4:08 am

      Your work is amazing

      Reply

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    I'm Priya, and I'm so excited that you dropped by 🙂 Welcome to DECORATED TREATS, a place where I share all my cake decorating ideas & true and tried recipes for all things sweet.

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