Frost Like A Boss With These 9 Creative Buttercream Ideas

Check out these fun ways you can decorate your cake with buttercream!

Fish Scale Cake

Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 4 different shades of blue buttercream 
• 1 frosted round cake
• Fondant, as needed

Directions

1. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, spoon the buttercream into small mounds and swipe with a spoon to create a scale shape.
2. Freeze the scales for at least 20 minutes, until firm and able to be pulled off the parchment paper by hand.
3. Arrange the scales on the cake to create a fish scale design. Use the fondant as fish fins, a tail, and an eye, and place them on the cake. Pipe some of the leftover buttercream to create a small smile and serve.

Sunflower Cupcakes

Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 chocolate cupcakes frosted with green buttercream 
• 6 mini Oreos
• 3 cups yellow buttercream

Directions

1. Fill a piping bag with yellow buttercream and cut the tip in a leaf tip shape.
2. Place the mini Oreos on the center of the cupcakes and pipe the yellow buttercream in a sunflower design.

Pretzel Trees

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• Large and small pretzel sticks
• Different shades of green buttercream filled in piping bags with a medium-small hole cut at the tip
• 1 frosted chocolate cake

Directions:

1. Place the pretzel sticks on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
2. Pipe the buttercream over the pretzels sticks in a tree shape design.
3. Freeze the trees for at least 20 minutes until set and easily picked up in one solid piece.
4. Remove the trees from the tray and decoratively place them on the cake.

Buttercream Ribbon Present

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups magenta buttercream
• 1 square cake frosted like a present

Directions:

1. Pipe the buttercream into a bow design on a parchment-lined baking sheet, first by piping a figure 8, rotating it by 90 degrees, and then piping the tassels.
2. Freeze the bow for 20 minutes until completely solid. Transfer the bow to the top of the cake and serve.

Grass Cupcakes

Total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• Green buttercream
• Cupcakes
• Fondant animals or sports balls

Directions:

1. Place the buttercream in a clean garlic press and press onto a cupcake to create a grass effect.
2. Place fondant ornaments on top as desired.

Wave Cookies

Total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup white buttercream
• 1 cup blue buttercream
• Shortbread cookies
• Fondant beach items, if desired

Directions:

1. Spoon the white buttercream on a flat plate and top with the blue buttercream. Swirl the 2 colors together lightly.
2. Smush the shortbread cookies, top down, into the buttercream and gently lift up to create a wave effect.
3. Top the cookies with fondant beach items.

Succulent Cupcakes

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups green buttercream
• ¼ cup white buttercream
• ½ cup red buttercream
• Chocolate cupcakes

Directions:

1. Cut the tip off a piping bag in a zigzag line and fill with buttercream.
2. Pipe the buttercream on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a tall cactus or succulent shape.
3. Dot the succulent with white buttercream and transfer to the freezer for at least 20 minutes, until the buttercream has solidified and can be easily transferred. 
4. Transfer the succulents to chocolate cupcakes and serve.

Campfire Cupcakes

Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 1 cup red buttercream
• 1 cup orange buttercream
• 1 cup yellow buttercream
• Chocolate cupcakes
• Mini Kit-Kats
• Ice

Directions:

1. Pipe the buttercream in 3 even rows on a flat piece of plastic wrap. Wrap the plastic wrap into a tube shape and transfer to the inside of piping bag fitted with a petal tip.
2. Fill a bowl with ice and top loosely with plastic wrap. Pipe the buttercream in waves to create a flame effect. Let the buttercream set for at least 10 minutes until solid and can be removed by hand.
3. Stack the Kit-Kats on the cupcakes to resemble a fire pit. Place the buttercream flames inside the pits and serve.

Clamshell

Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 2 cups light pink buttercream
• 1 sea-themed cake

Directions:

1. Line a ¼ sized sheet tray with parchment paper and cover one side with plastic wrap.
2. Pipe 2 clam shapes, one on the plastic wrap and one on top of the parchment. Lift the plastic wrap clam and place a large ball of foil on the trap. Place the clam on top of the ball and let the sides hang around the sphere.
3. Transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes, until the buttercream has frozen solid.
4. Remove the plastic wrap from the top clamshell and pipe a small mound of buttercream on the back part of the bottom clamshell. Place the foil ball on the bottom clamshell and place the top clamshell on top with the back of the shell sitting in the buttercream and the tip of the shell resting on the foil ball.
5. Freeze for 20 minutes, until the buttercream has frozen solid.
6. Place the clam on top of the cake and replace the foil ball with a fondant ball.