Our Favorite Beautiful Floral Birthday Cake Ideas
There’s something so playful and fun about a floral birthday cake. Whether you’re planning a party for a flower-loving kid or teen or are looking for the sweetest upscale and understated version of a flower birthday cake for yourself, there’s a design out there to perfectly fit the theme of your event.
Flower birthday cakes are so versatile. Some are over-the-top and fabulous and others are refined and elegant. Some are decorated with buttercream flowers, sugar flowers, or edible painted flowers, while others are decked out in the real thing. You can make them yourself at home, or order from a pro.
Here, we’re answering all of your biggest questions about floral birthday cakes, from what to ask your baker before placing your order, to what the cake should look like, and more.
What Is a Flower Birthday Cake?
Ultimately, a flower birthday cake is really just what it sounds like: a birthday cake that’s decorated with real edible or non-toxic flowers, buttercream flowers, or sugar flowers (or another form of floral decoration). These cakes are the perfect show-stopping centerpiece for a milestone birthday, a summery garden party, or any of the flower lovers in your life.
Our Favorite Flower Cake Ideas
From the carefree and whimsical to the chic and romantic, here are a few of our favorite flower birthday cake ideas:
Flower Power Cake
Whimsical, retro, and so nostalgic, this fun flower cake features big, playful, hand-piped buttercream flowers over a buttercream base. Customize it with your favorite color and pick from a selection of cake flavors and fillings for a cake that’s undeniably you.
Garden Party Cake
Chic and elegant, this gorgeous cake is decorated with pressed edible flowers over a thick layer of Italian meringue buttercream. Sophisticated and stunning, this is one cake you won’t soon forget.
Marble Bloom Cake
This gorgeous cake is modern and absolutely stunning. Decorated with marble fondant (over a layer of buttercream, of course), edible gold leaf, and a fresh bloom (with some greenery to match), it’s the perfect choice for anyone looking for a classically beautiful cake.
Pinkies Up
Elegant, but still cute and sweet enough for a kid’s party, this pretty cake is decked out with cascading ivory buttercream flowers. Choose the color of buttercream you’d like the rest of the cake to be covered in—the luxe details go with everything.
Customizing an ECBG Cake
Of course, we love working with clients on completely custom cakes that bring their vision to life, but you also have the opportunity to customize the Cake Shop cakes in several different ways. Pick the cake flavor and filling type, select the colors you’d like featured, customize the special message on the cake (if applicable), or even add on extras like cherries, gold birthday candles, French macarons, and more. The Cake Shop order form will guide you through the process so that you can create your ideal cake.
why We Love a Floral Birthday Cake
We love making flower birthday cakes for so many reasons. Here are a few:
They feel fancy: Flowers make a cake feel just a little bit fancier, but without being too over-the-top. It’s a little soft luxury that adds to any event.
They’re easy to customize: Flower decorations can be dressed up or down and fit so many different themes. Switch up the colors, type of flower, and more for a completely different feel.
They look great on camera: Okay, so we know that cakes aren't just about that photo-worthy moment, but floral birthday cakes will look pretty great in photos from your special events, if that matters to you.
They can inspire the flavors used: We love working with floral flavors like elderflower. Pull the floral theme all the way through and let it inspire the inside of the cake as well as the outside.
Should You Use Real or Faux Flowers in Flower Birthday Cake Designs?
When you’re designing the cake for your special day, you need to determine what kinds of flowers you want to use—and if you want them to be real flowers or made from buttercream or sugar. Here’s some of what you should take into consideration:
Fresh Flower Cakes: If you want to use fresh flowers, you have two choices. One is to use edible flowers. The other is to use pesticide-free, food-safe flowers that you’ll pluck off the cake before slicing.
Sugar Flower Cakes: These sweet (literally) flowers are created by hand and super detailed. They add gorgeous dimension to floral cakes and hold up for ages.
Buttercream Flower Cakes: Soft and creamy, these flowers are subtly sweet and softly pretty. Plus, they’re super versatile because they’re created from scratch. You’re no longer limited to what you can source.
Painted Flower Cakes: Painted florals are sheer perfection. It’s such a romantic look—you’ll love it.
Questions to Ask Before Ordering a Floral Birthday Cake
What kind of flowers do you like to use?
How many flower options do I have?
Can I customize the color palette?
Are the flowers edible?
Where do you source the flowers from? Should I be doing that?
What's your substitution policy? Will you use similar plants?
Do you have a fresh flower guarantee? Since flowers are a perishable natural product, you'll want to make sure you're getting the freshest bouquet possible.
FAQs
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Many bakers work with a local florist to source floral products for celebration cakes and other beautiful desserts. If you have a specific special request, make sure your baker knows what it is. Many florists will make a reasonable effort to get the flowers you want (especially for special occasions), but it can depend on the regional availability of flowers.
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When thinking about the flowers you'd like on your cake, think about some of the different colors or color combinations you might want to use, the season of your event (consider flowers in bright spring colors for a May event, for example), or your birth flowers (each month has one, just like a birth stone).
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Some of them are, but some of them aren’t, so it’s important to know all the details about the flowers on your cake. Make sure any real flowers and greenery added to your cake are pesticide-free, food-safe, and non-toxic. It's also a good idea to make sure that you take pet safety precautions once you remove the flowers if you have any pets at the birthday party. Not every plant type is safe for them.
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Our cakes are semi-custom, which means you do have some power over how your cake looks. Generally, colors are fair-game when it comes to requests. Just make sure to note any specific colors on your order form.
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If you’re ordering a semi-custom cake from the Cake Shop, we need at least 5 days’ notice because we’re not a retail bakery. That means we bake each cake to order. If you’re looking for something custom, we’ll need at least 2 weeks to bring your vision to life.
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Yes! ECBG offers gluten-free and vegan offerings for those who want or need them. You can make those requests on your order form. It’s always best to flag any dietary restrictions or allergies to the team as soon as possible so that we can make sure we can accommodate your needs. Place them in the special instruction box on the order form.
Floral birthday cakes come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and types. They’re a great fit for summery birthdays, upscale teas, or anyone who loves flowers. It'll be your brightest birthday yet!
Want to make your own flower birthday cake? Brush up on your skills with our online or in-person cake decorating classes. Pick up a few of Erin’s favorite baking tools to set you up for success.
Work with ECBG to create your perfect wedding cake! Reach out to get the process started.
