Whats New In Cake Decorating

We can't wait to bid goodbye to 2020! What a year it has been! As we look forward to 2021 with positivity and hope, so does the caking world. Cake making and cake decorating styles for 2021 feature bright and cheerful colours, vibrant decorations and patterns, simple techniques that create intricate and beautiful designs and much more. Continue reading to find out the top cake decorating trends for the upcoming year.

#1: Jelly Island Cakes

Cakes are set with jelly instead of frosting. This creates a beautiful underwater effect. The transparent jelly along with the cake creates a stunning effect. You can decorate the top of the cake completely or partially with jelly to create an ocean landscape or an aquarium.

Cake decorating tips to make a jelly island cake:

Carve the top of the cake and frost it using yellow buttercream. This creates a sand bed like effect.
Create aquatic creatures and plants in jelly using a silicone mould.
Then wrap the top of the cake with butter paper and wrap it tightly using plastic wrap.
Arrange the jelly decorations carefully and then pour the remaining jelly.
Let it set. Remove the wrappers and your jelly cake is ready.

#2: Leopard Prints

Leopard prints are making a huge comeback in fashion. These prints are also popping up in cake designs. Not just leopard prints, other animal prints are also incorporated in toppers, frosting and other cake details.

#3: Bright and Bold Cake Colours

Everyone is looking for some ray of positivity in 2021 and so does the caking world. This is going to be the year of bright and bold colour combinations. Think rainbows, neon colours and more. If 2020 was the year of black, greys and plain cakes, 2021 is going to be bursting with colour.

Here are some quick cake decorating tips to create a rainbow effect frosting:

Pipe strips of different buttercream icing on a piece of cling film.
Roll it up well and drop it down a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
Pipe the swirls on top of the cake to create a beautiful rainbow effect.

Smart Cake Making Tip: To achieve really bold colours that pop out, use colour gels instead of liquid colours.

#4: Mini Cakes

Not just social gatherings, cakes too were downsized in 2020. Expect this trend to continue in 2021 as well. Mini cakes are perfect for small parties at home or when you want to just chill at home with your loved ones. Mini cakes are perfect for one person or a couple to eat in one sitting. And, did we say, they are so adorable?

Here are some cake making tips to create mini cakes:

You can cut mini cakes using a round cookie cutter from a regular sheet cake.
Alternatively, you can stack several cupcakes together to create mini cakes.
Easier still, buy mini cake moulds available on the market.

#5: Textured Frosting

This is one trend that will continue in 2021. Textured frosting in 2020 started off with rustic designs created using the back of a spoon and moved to complex patterns created using cake combs. Expert textured cakes to be big in the next year also.

Look out for cakes with

Double texture that is created by chilling the first layer before applying another layer on top
Neat and polished textures created by using cake combs
Half and half textures, where the frosting is divided right in the middle or at a diagonal
Another texture trend that is growing in popularity is pointillism. Think thousands and thousands of tiny dots of frosting to create a finished picture or design.

#6: Square Cakes

This is another trend that creates truly jaw-dropping cakes. Expect more square cakes with sharp angles and flat sides. This is one complicated cake decorating trend that is sure to be a challenge for even experts. Cake making gets doubly complex and time-consuming, especially when there are sharp angles to create.

Having four distinct sides allows cake decorators to pipe different embellishments on each side or adding a separate theme on each side.

#7: Isomalt Toppers

Isomalt cake toppers create the "wow" dramatic effect to your cakes. If you're looking for an over-the-top cake that will impress your guests as soon as they set their eyes on it, then go for large oversized isomalt decorations.

#8: Loaded Cakes

Just because cakes are getting smaller in 2021, it doesn't mean the toppers too should be small. Expect to see large oversized toppers: heavy sails made with chocolate, cookies, doughnuts, brownie bites and much more.

#9: Spherical Decorations

The hot chocolate bomb was one of the biggest food trends of 2020. Expect bakers to repurpose these spherical moulds to create other decorations.

#10: Cake Decoration Trends made using Regular Things at Home

2021 cake decorating is not all about fancy. Simple, elegant designs that can easily be made at home by beginner bakers will also be a huge hit in the New Year. Here are some trends that you can expect:

Cake designs made using parchment paper
Textures created using cutlery – spoons, knives, forks and even chopsticks

#11: Sprinkles

Sprinkles have soared in popularity in the last couple of years. Today, sprinkles are available in a variety of colours, metallic and even themes. We believe that sprinkle cakes will make a huge comeback next year as well.

#12: Buttercream Painting

Buttercream painted cakes using palette knives were one of the biggest hits on Instagram for 2020. This technique is not going anywhere and is here to stay. Look out for buttercream painted cakes with flowers, marble effects and much more.

#13: Treat Boxes

Treat boxes were one of the biggest hits this year, especially during the lockdown. Box-sized sweet treats that were themed or customised were a great way to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions. These boxes could be delivered to friends and family, who couldn't meet. Opening a box of sweet treats was the "in" thing to do in 2020. Expect this trend to continue in 2021 too.

#14: Dried Flowers

Green succulents were one of the biggest cake trends in 2019 and 2020. This year, expect dried flowers to feature predominately on top of cakes. Pampas grass, eucalyptus, single palm leaves are some examples of cake toppers that will make the rounds in 2020.

#15: Arty Effect on Cakes

This year, expect arty finishes on cakes to trend. Rustic, unfinished cakes are en vogue. Made with buttercream, sprinkles, etc. will be a huge trend in 2021. Make sure to look out for these cake making and cake decorating trends throughout the upcoming year! Stay tuned and expect these cakes to feature on our menu, pretty soon! Happy New Year and enjoy a sweet 2021.