Our Top 5 Cake Decorating Trend Predictions for 2016

Always on trend-watch

What makes decorating trends so fun to watch is how they evolve with time. Take the ombré cake of 2009 for example. What started out as a simple sponge with graduated layers of pink colour very quickly transformed into buttercream piping effects on the outside of the cake, then into fondant ruffles, then into blues, greens and purples, and finally rainbow ombré.

Being immersed in baking and decorating day and night, the team here at Queen see the very best from decorators around the world and can spot a trend before it’s even a ‘thing’. Here are our predictions for the year ahead. Click the images to see the original recipe.

1. Watercolour

Taking cues from the bridal and home wares industry, watercolour painted fondant creations are set to transform cakes, cupcakes and cookies for 2016. Using our Food Colour gels, Fondant and a little alcohol such as vodka, watercolour fondant creations can be as simple or as complex as your skill level allows. Best of all, sometimes the simplest of designs give the most sophisticated of effects. Here’s some designs to inspire, or see our tutorial to create your own watercolour flower cupcakes.

Watercolour  Cookies

 

Watercolour Cake

 

Watercolour  Cookies 2

 

2. Marble

Marble has grown up in a big way. What has been a big kitchen trend for a couple of years now is making its way into fondant for 2016. We have started to see this trend emerge as a replica of high-end Calcatta and Carrera marble designs, but predict it will evolve into more colourful creations over time. Here’s the beginning of this big trend:

Marble Chantillyandcoco

Marble 2 Chantillyandcoco

3. 2D Fondant Shapes

Flat fondant shapes are nothing new for biscuits and cupcakes but they’re making their way onto cupcakes, full-sized birthday cakes and wedding cakes in a big way. This trend is achievable, easy and gives a wonderful understated look. Best of all you won’t be spending days (or a small fortune) on creating 3D fondant shapes. This is a trend to start adopting now!

2D cakes

 

2D cake 2

4. The Return of chocolate

Poor old chocolate, it has been given the flick over vibrant rainbow and ombré hues for the past five years. We are ever to slowly starting to see ‘the new chocolate’ style of decorating emerge and it is far more sophisticated than ever before. Say goodbye to piped chocolate shapes and chocolate curls and hello to beautifully piped chocolate ombre cakes. Get in on this trend now and win yourself a legion of chocolate fans – our rum, brandy, peppermint, orange and coffee extracts will give you lots of creativity with your chocolate icing flavours too!

Choc on Choc 2

Choc on Choc 3 Magnolia

Choc on Choc 4

Choc on Choc

 

5. Buttercream Flowers

The finest cake decorators in the world are piping incredibly intricate buttercream flowers everywhere and we can’t get enough of it! By using food colour gels, a variety of piping tips and buttercream icing, authentic roses, pansies, carnations and daisies are easy to create with a little practice. Here’s our favourite interpretations of this beautiful emerging trend, but jump over to our learn section as we have a buttercream flowers tutorial by Cake Style to create your own!

 

Buttercream Flowers 3. jpg

Buttercream Flowers

eatcakebemerry_purple+flower_buttercream_cake

 

How about you, are you spotting any trends in decorating at the moment, do you have any predictions for the year ahead? We’ve been talking to some professional cake decorators about the big trends too, take a look at some of our interviews with Katherine Sabbath, Vickiee_Yo and Sweet Bakes!

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Comments & Reviews

Great information for my project thanks

LeviFangirlForever