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!
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 cake is sure to impress.
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.
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.
Melt and temper chocolate, or melt candy melts, in a small heatproof bowl.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Attach Sixlets to the center of your completed flower using a small dab of melted chocolate or candy melts.
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.
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 learn how to make tulips and more complex flowers in my online Chocolate Flowers Class. 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!
YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY:
Chocolate Tulip Cake
Marbled Chocolate Easter Eggs
White Chocolate Flower Cake
Chocolate Daffodils Cake
Chocolate Floral Wrap Cake
Thanks so much for this great and EASY idea! When I asked my niece what style of cake she wanted for her 8th birthday she said “a flower”, so this was perfect. It’s no where near as beautiful as yours but I had fun making it and I think she’ll love it regardless. Can’t wait to see her little face tomorrow. Thanks again 😊
What would be the best way to store a cake with this flower for the next day?
The flower itself is best stored at room temperature, but that may or may not work with your cake, depending on if the cake needs to be refrigerated. If needed, you can store the petals themselves in an airtight container, at room temp. Then assemble the flower on top of your cake on the day of the event.
Where can I find the recipe for an edible version?
I’m not sure if I understand your question – the flower is made of chocolate candy coating and is completely edible. If you’re looking for a good cake recipe, you’ll find a lot of good options in our recipe section: https://thecakeblog.com/category/cakes
I just made this and it turned out fantastically. One note I have is I learned as I was making the chocolate flower petals, is that tape doesn’t stick to wax paper. At all. Not to either side of wax paper. Not scotch tape, nor low tack painter’s tape, nor the kind of plastic tape you use on the outside of boxes you’re mailing.
Fortunately I have dishes (10″ and 12″) that are not flat but almost like wide, shallow soup bowls. I wound up laying the petals to set across the raised edges of the plate, and where there was a ripple in the paper, I simply cut a notch (3/4″ or an inch”) so that the wax paper would flatten out and allow the chocolate to follow the curve of the plate. That might be hard to visualize, but I don’t know how to verbalize it any more clearly. Anyway, it worked!
Thanks for this amazing tutorial!
Thanks for the feedback Mary! Yes, tape and wax paper can be a tricky but I’m glad that you found a way to make it work! Happy to hear that you’re happy!
wow thats awesome
Hello, will these wilt or droop if the cake is left out at room temperature? And if so, about how much time before they wilt? Anyone experienced this?
The candy melts are pretty stable at room temperature – but if your room is hot, or the cake is in direct sunlight, they will droop faster than if it’s the middle of winter and your room is quite cool.
How do you cut the cake when serving? Do you have to remove the petals?
Depending on how big your cake is and how big of slices you want, you could cut in between the petals. Alternatively, you could slide your knife underneath the petals when cutting, so that each piece of cake takes some petals with it. Lastly, yes, you could always the remove the petals and then serve one along side each slice of cake. Completely up to what you feel comfortable doing!
Is there a actual name for this flower?
I don’t think so Tati – it’s more of a fantasy flower than modeled after a specific flower — which is great because then there’s right or wrong way to create it!
¿Deseas frases bonitas para compartir en imágenes?
What a fantastic idea! Will be trying it out on my Mum’s birthday cake in her favorite colour, blue! Thank you!
When I made this for a nurse I work with, the comment made by one of the doctors was “that cake is going to make somebody feel very special!” And it did…thank you so much for the idea/tutorial!
I plan to make this flower cake this week and wondered how much white chocolate I will need to make the flower for an 8″ cake.
Thank you