Purple Ombre Buttercream Cake

Buttercream.  Buttercream.  Glorious Buttercream.  Today’s cake is all about the buttercream.  Ruffles, roses, petals, swags, swirls and dots.  This cake includes just about every popular buttercream technique from today’s cake scene.  Armed with shades of purple and a piping bag, Kristin Kirkpatrick , owner of Fat Girl Cakes in Virginia, proves that buttercream can be just as fabulous as fondant.  Each tier of today’s cake boasts a different piping style, giving buttercream lovers something to squeal about.  Long live buttercream!  Feast your eyes on this incredibly gorgeous Purple Ombre Buttecream Cake!

Kristin of Fat Girl Cakes tells us the story behind her cake:

“Every year, after Christmas I start working on some new display cakes for the upcoming bridal shows I attend.  I used to only bring fondant displays because they traveled better, held up longer, etc.  Of course about 80% of my cakes, both wedding and special occasion cakes, are iced in buttercream, so I felt like I wasn’t showing off much of what I actually do.  On top of that, I feel like the bridal world is starting to feature more buttercream-iced cakes, so I set out to do a buttercream display to really showcase the different buttercream techniques and textures.

When I started designing the cake, I knew I wanted to alternate heavy textures with some “lighter” tiers for balance.  Balance is big thing with me as my degree is in mathematics, and yes, I know it doesn’t need to be that way for everyone, but I need it to be!  I wasn’t sure all the textures would work together, but I figured it was worth giving it a shot.

My original plan was to make it all white, but in trying to add a little violet gel to whiten my icing, I added a little too much.  Instead of starting over, I decided to just go with it and make it ombre instead.  It ended up working out great as it was a real eye-catcher at the shows.  Hopefully this year I will get to step outside of the traditional smooth and rustic buttercream cakes, and start doing some interesting combinations of the fun techniques we have been seeing a lot lately.”

Kristin of Fat Girl Cakes tells us about her technique:

“The base tier was done with a large rose petal tip, just wiggling it up and down while spinning the tier on the turntable. I love the large ruffle look the tip gives without using fondant. The middle tier was the rosette technique you see all over the place. I did this one with the 2D tip instead of the 1M tip, just to see if there was a difference in the way it turned out.  The top tier was done using a large round tip, making dots, smearing them across the cake and then piping the next row of dots over the end of the smear.

The two plainer tiers were done using a #3 tip and doing various drop lines.  I just added a little bit of corn syrup to thin out the buttercream and add a little elasticity.”

Not that buttercream cakes ever ‘went away’…. but today’s feature is a gorgeous example of ‘the new’ buttercream cake.  Modern buttercream style at it’s best.  Full of texture, elegance and delicious details.  I think buttercream may just have a new outlook on life.

A big thank you to Kristin Kirkpatrick  of Fat Girl Cakes for sharing her stunning Purple Ombre Buttercream Cake with us today!  We are in buttercream heaven!

VENDORS & CREDITS
Cake:  Fat Girl Cakes
Photography:  Kitt Creative