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Chocolate Flower Cake

March 9, 2016 by Erin Gardner

Chocolate Flower Cake – how to make a giant chocolate flower cake, using candy melts and everyday tools. A new tutorial by our contributor, Erin Gardner!

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

My obsession with chocolate flowers continues! What could be better than a delicious and beautiful chocolate flower? A GIANT chocolate flower, of course!  Arranged on top of a cake to create a spring dessert pretty enough for any special occasion.  From Easter to Mother’s Day, birthdays to bridal showers, today’s Chocolate Flower Cake is sure to impress.

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

These blossoming beauties are a fun and easy way to quickly dress up buttercream iced cakes.  Use a few simple ingredients, and tools you probably already have around the house, to create a stunning spring-inspired cake garden.  These techniques could just as easily be used to create smaller flowers for the tops of cupcakes.  Create your delicious buds with tempered white chocolate tinted with candy coloring or cocoa butters, or keep it simple and use candy melts — either works beautifully.

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

CHOCOLATE FLOWER CAKE
a tutorial by Erin Gardner

Supplies:
Buttercream iced cake
Small amount of extra buttercream
Chocolate or candy melts.
Sixlets
Small icing spatula
Piping bag
Parchment paper
Small bowls or round plastic containers
Black marker
Scissors
Tape


Use a black marker to draw triangles on parchment paper in various sizes. These triangles will serve as a guide for creating your chocolate petals. For an 8-inch round cake, I used three sets of triangles, approximately 2, 3, and 4 inches long. For a 6-inch round cake, I made two sets of petals using the 2 and 3 inch triangles.  It’s easiest to work on petals individually, so cut the templates out leaving about a 1/2-inch space all around the outline.

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

Melt and temper chocolate, or melt candy melts, in a small heatproof bowl.

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

Flip the pieces of parchment paper over before spreading on the chocolate.  Use a small icing spatula to spread melted chocolate onto the triangle template. Work from the tip to the base of the triangle, leaving lines and ridges in the melted chocolate. The base of the triangle will be the outer edge of your petal.  Spread the chocolate in a rounded, messy way, not in a solid line.  This will give you more of a petal-y look.

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

While the petal is still wet, place it into a bowl or plastic container to give it shape. Use tape to help hold the petal into place while it dries. Repeat with the rest of your petals, making 6-8 in each size. It’s always a good idea to make an extra petal or two just in case one breaks as you’re assembling the flower.

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

Once petals are completely set, peel away the parchment paper.  Place the largest petals in a circle on the top of a buttercream iced cake.

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

Fill a piping bag with a small amount of buttercream.  Feel free to color match your buttercream to your petal color if you’re concerned about the buttercream showing.  I simply used the leftover buttercream from icing my cake.  Use the buttercream to attach a second layer of smaller petals on top of the first layer.  Repeat with more layers of petals as desired. Make your flower as full and fluffy as you like!

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

Attach Sixlets to the center of your completed flower using a small dab of melted chocolate or candy melts.

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

Use the rest of your sixlets to dress up the sides of your cake.  Arrange them in rows or in a pretty Swiss dot pattern.

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

Use this technique to make a mini chocolate flower to top a freshly iced cupcake or as part of a beautiful chocolate flower arrangement. You can make chocolate tulips, chocolate daffodils, chocolate lily of the valley, sunflowers and more!  Spring blooms come in all sorts of color combinations and sizes, so feel free to mix up the shades and get creative with your flowers!

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

DIY Chocolate Flowers. How to make chocolate flowers to top cakes and cupcakes. | By Erin Gardner for TheCakeBlog.com

 


 
MORE CHOCOLATE FLOWERS TO MAKE:

  • Chocolate Tulip Cake
  • Chocolate Sunflower Cake
  • White Chocolate Flower Cake
  • Chocolate Daffodils Cake
  • Chocolate Lily of the Valley

March 9, 2016 by Erin Gardner

Erin Gardner , CONTRIBUTOR

Erin Gardner is a pastry chef and cake designer. Her main focus is ErinBakes.com where she shares fun and accessible recipes and techniques. Read more about Erin on her bio page.

connect with Erin :

Make the most of citrus season with one of these cake recipes!

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Comments

  1. theresa says

    March 9, 2016 at 2:43 pm

    I. Am. Loving. That. I want to leave work immediately and make it! Thanks for sharing it!
    T

  2. shaloea James-Harrison says

    March 9, 2016 at 6:24 pm

    Love this! !!!!Trying this!!!!

    One question I have is when you say to tape the parchment when I put it in the bin to dry.

    Where do I put the tape?

    • J weisbeck says

      April 26, 2016 at 2:20 pm

      Tape goes on edge of paper parchment onto side of bowl to hold it in place.

  3. Kimme says

    March 9, 2016 at 10:10 pm

    Lo ame!!*_*

  4. Danielle says

    March 13, 2016 at 12:24 pm

    Love! I adapted this idea on cupcakes for a birthday brunch! So fun!

  5. Nicole says

    March 14, 2016 at 9:11 pm

    So gorgeous!

  6. Itee says

    March 15, 2016 at 3:51 pm

    Beautiful. Can’t believe how simple you make it look and it has such a stunning effect. Thanks for sharing

  7. K. Armstrong says

    March 18, 2016 at 10:59 am

    Gorgeous!

  8. Patricia says

    April 15, 2016 at 8:12 am

    Finally! Something that is doable for non-professionals, but that gives professional results! Beautiful!

  9. Michele D. Sanders says

    April 20, 2016 at 12:50 pm

    Beautiful!!!

  10. Nell says

    April 21, 2016 at 9:04 am

    This is beautiful! I love doing fun creative things with melted chocolate. My children can arrest to several birthday cakes with the decorations made from chocolate!

  11. Linda says

    April 21, 2016 at 12:43 pm

    I will be making this for the top of my daughters wedding cake. Thank you.

  12. Sylvia says

    April 24, 2016 at 1:01 pm

    Love, love love this! Thank you so much for sharing 😊

  13. SweetLisa says

    April 27, 2016 at 9:00 am

    Hello! Beautiful idea!
    Can I use royal icing too?
    Thank you

    • Carrie Sellman says

      November 29, 2016 at 12:29 pm

      We’ve never tried this out with royal icing, but it has potential! Let us know if you give it a try!

  14. Sarah says

    April 28, 2016 at 8:36 pm

    This looks amazing! The instructions make this look so easy and fun! I’m definitely going to have to try this! It looks like something that I could put on a birthday cake and have everyone impressed!

  15. Concetta Petruzziello says

    June 29, 2016 at 10:45 pm

    This is beautiful and inspiring! I will definitely be trying this.

  16. Tamara says

    July 3, 2016 at 8:19 pm

    Stunning! I thank you for sharing and your exquisite talent.
    Thank you, Tamara

  17. Angela says

    July 6, 2016 at 5:13 pm

    My petals all broke:(
    What did i wrong?
    I was so exited and now im a sad..i thought i finaly found the cake for my daughters Birthday. But id like to try it again if anybody could help me ..?

    • Carrie Sellman says

      July 10, 2016 at 10:09 am

      Hi Angela! Sorry to hear your petals broke. Perhaps they were too thin and that made them extra fragile. If you give it another go, try making them a thicker so they’ll be more sturdy when you remove them from the paper and assemble the flower. Good luck!

  18. Gerlandia says

    August 20, 2016 at 12:05 pm

    Thank you for you choice to share your talent so we can do this beautiful flower and cakes…God bless you with more and more ideas…

  19. Robyn says

    September 5, 2016 at 8:44 am

    I also wish to express my thanks, as a grandmother and getting older it is a relief to find something that I might be able to accomplish. Also thank you for you careful instructions and photos of steps.

    Cheers from “Down Under”.

  20. Cat says

    September 5, 2016 at 9:22 am

    How long does it usually take the petals to become hard enough to use?

    • Carrie Sellman says

      September 7, 2016 at 1:49 pm

      The petals will firm up pretty quickly, depending on how thick you make them. If needed, place them in the refrigerator to speed up the process.

  21. lilia says

    September 29, 2016 at 12:27 pm

    how many big petals did you use for an 8 in cake?? Beautiful cake love it!! thank you for sharing.

    • Carrie Sellman says

      November 29, 2016 at 12:26 pm

      The yellow flower is on an 8″ round cake – so it will be the best guide for you. In all, it has 19 petals (three different sizes were used). Scroll back up and give it a look so you can see how they all fit together. Enjoy!

  22. Jodi says

    November 19, 2016 at 1:36 pm

    Where do you find the pearl sixlets?

    • Carrie Sellman says

      November 29, 2016 at 12:28 pm

      Some grocery stores carry them, along with stores like Target and Walmart. There’s also an online shopping link for you in our supply list above. Enjoy!

  23. vicki says

    November 29, 2016 at 2:34 pm

    This is stunning, and the cake is pretty too! Do you use 3 or 4 layer cakes?

  24. Michele Garrin says

    December 16, 2016 at 11:34 am

    Thank you for this beautiful design! I just made a cake using your idea and I think it is just lovely!

  25. Cindy Garrett says

    January 1, 2017 at 2:06 pm

    I made this for my granddaughters’ birthday today and my leaves came out perfect but they wilted lol after I put them on still pretty though!!

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