Fresh flowers atop a cake are definitely something spectacular. My own wedding cake was adorned with lavender and herbs, and anytime I see a cake with fresh flowers on the internet or in real life, I can’t help but want to use the heart eyes emoji.
Where do you begin if you want to design your own cake with fresh flowers? Is all that needs to be done to pile them on top of the frosting? Here’s how to make a cake into a show-stopper by adding a flurry of fresh flowers.
Know Which Flowers You Can and Cannot Use
There are many lovely flowers in the world, but not all of them may be used on food—like a cake—without risking contamination. Despite being common in bouquets, hazardous flowers like hydrangeas and baby’s breath should not be used. It is better to stick with edible flowers because even if you aren’t eating the real flowers, even touching the buttercream you will eat could be harmful.
“Among the flowers that are both lovely and delicious are roses, calendulas, nasturtiums, hibiscus, violets, and sunflowers. Herbs like rosemary, thyme, and chamomile are one category that is also quite secure from top to bottom, according to Susan Reid, food editor of King Arthur Flour’s Sift Magazine.
Can hydrangeas be used as cake decorations?
At her adorable small (pun intended) cake shop in west Asheville, I recently had the chance and pleasure of catching up with Jodi. We had a great time talking about weddings, cakes, and how her background in social work lead her to start baking cakes. If you stop to think about it, the process is actually reasonable. On that, however, later. Stay tuned as Jodi and I produce a little series on wedding cakes and her life in cake.)
The spring and summer flower seasons are now in full swing. To serve as a reminder, many daffodils are active in raising their gorgeous heads from the ground. I figured I’d leave Jodi with a few of her short suggestions for flower-decorating cakes for all you DIY brides and grooms out there.
Make sure your flowers are safe for others to consume. According to Jodi, she frequently receives requests for hydrangeas on wedding cakes. Hydrogeas are poisonous to people, says Jodi. Although it’s doubtful that someone at your wedding will pass away from eating hydrangea-decorated cake, they are just bad for people. Select non-toxic and/or edible flowers—note that these two terms are not necessarily synonymous. However, not all non-toxic flowers are edible, but all edible flowers are non-toxic.
Avoid flowers from the supermarket. You don’t want pesticides on your food, which are frequently used on supermarket flowers. They frequently originate from distant countries like South America, where pesticides like DDT that have been outlawed are nevertheless regularly used. In addition to the chemicals’ toxicity, bringing flowers in by truck from South America has a significant carbon imprint. Chemicals and pesticides can be used to treat even common florist shop flowers. Ask if you’re unsure. Search for non-toxic flowers with the designations “edible” or “organic.” The closest farmers market is an excellent way to find these.
The greatest flowers to purchase will be those that are in season and cultivated nearby. The majority of farmers’ and tailgate markets in western North Carolina sell fresh cut flowers that have not been exposed to pesticides.
What flowers are off-limits for cake decoration?
Lily of the Valley, Daffodils, Poinsettias, Azaleas, Calla Lilies, Hyacinths, Oleanders, Wisteria, Rhododendrons, Hydrangeas, Mistletoe, Holly, and Sweet Peas are among the flowers to stay away from.
Can real flowers be placed on a cake without risk?
Wedding cake decorations with edible flowers are becoming more and more common, and for good reason—they’re simple to apply and look stunning.
But first, a word of caution before you start piling handfuls of flowers into your wedding cake. Flowers are not always edible. Even our favorite gastronomic gurus appear to fall victim to the dangers of utilizing flowers in cooking and decorating—some flowers can even be severely deadly.
When Deliciously Ella, a wellness blogger, posted a picture of her wedding cake on Instagram in 2017, it drew criticism. She chose to decorate it with potentially deadly flowers, which botanist James Wong quickly pointed out.
When choosing a naked wedding cake or applying flowers directly on the cake or filling, it is recommended to pick flowers that have been grown with eating in mind. Search online for nearby producers or locate a licensed flower farm that sends edible flower petals directly. You’ll be astounded by the variety of flowers you can discover, from violas to pansies and roses. See our guide on edible flowers for more details.
Of course, one of the best things about using flowers to decorate your wedding cake is that there are countless design options. There are a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors available, especially in the summer. Comparing edible flower decorations to sugar flower decorations, edible flowers are also a more affordable choice. See our best advice on using flowers to decorate your wedding cake.
- If in doubt, leave it out when using edible flowers in cooking. This is the cardinal rule. Never consume flowers unless you are very certain that they are safe to eat. For ideas, refer to our list of edible flowers.
- If you want complete assurance that your edible flowers are safe to eat, make sure you get them from a certified grower.
- Make sure to give edible flowers a good wash before using if you have harvested them yourself. Don’t pluck flowers near the road or in areas where they may have had pesticide treatment.
- Make sure to remove the calyx, pistil, and stamens of larger flowers (such as roses, hollyhocks, and hibiscus), as well as the base of each petal, as most edible flowers only have petals that are safe to eat.
- Be brave! Don’t be scared to utilize color; even the brightest flowers will appear delicate when arranged on your wedding cake. Before decorating your cake, include edible flowers into the frosting for a confetti-style effect.
- Since edible flowers have a short shelf life and can wither in the heat, wait until the very last minute to add them on your cake. Until you absolutely need them, keep them in the refrigerator.
- Not everyone can consume edible flowers, even when they have been produced for human consumption. Various people may have allergies to the flowers, just like they do to some foods.
Using fresh flowers on your wedding cake is, in general, safe as long as you abide by these straightforward rules:
- Only for decorative purposes should you use fresh flowers. The majority of flowers grown for commercial purposes use pesticides or fertilizers, making them unfit for human consumption.
- The crucial point to keep in mind is that there needs to be a partition between the cake and the flowers. Fresh flowers go better on iced wedding cakes than on naked or almost-naked ones for this reason. If a florist is creating the cake flowers, they will take special care to prevent the blooms from touching the cake.
- Never poke cake with flower stems. You don’t want to introduce chemicals or bacteria from your flowers to your wedding cake if they were delivered in water.
- Before cutting and serving the cake, remove the flowers.
- Foxgloves, gypsophilia, hyacinths, Calla lilies, and Lily-of-the-Valley are among the toxic flower kinds that should be completely avoided.
How dangerous are hydrangeas?
a 3 m tall ornamental deciduous shrub grown for its stunning, big flowers.
Large, thick clusters of blue, pink, or—less frequently—white flowers are held at the ends of the branches. A flower has four or five petals.
A 3 m tall ornamental deciduous shrub that is grown for its spectacular, big flowers.
Flowers: At the ends of the branches, there are huge, dense clusters of blue, pink, or—less frequently—white flowers. A flower has four or five petals.
The opposite, roughly oval, shiny, light green leaves are 10–20 cm in length and 6–14 cm in width. They have a pointy tip and coarsely serrated margins.
Fruit/Berries: The fruit is a capsule with many tiny light brown seeds that is 6-8mm long and 1-3mm in diameter.
Symptoms: The plant is poisonous in all its components. If consumed, symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may occur.
How far in advance can you decorate a cake with fresh flowers?
Although cake layers and icing can be prepared ahead of time, I do not advise adding fresh flowers to a cake.
Water is necessary to keep flowers from wilting. They can definitely lose their appeal if they are added to cake more than a day before an occasion.
Cakes that will be consumed the same day often have fresh flowers added. Although this solution makes things a little more difficult, you must believe me on this. You will regret adding them the day before.
On the morning of my wedding, I intend to decorate my own wedding cake with fresh flowers. Unfortunately, there is no way to avoid this.
Which plants are safe for cakes?
We frequently have a tendency to overestimate the size of the leaves required when choosing foliage and greenery for cakes, even though a smaller leaf size frequently looks much better on the cake. The majority of regular flora and greenery typically has leaves that are too large to effectively decorate a cake.
Herb leaves frequently function ideal for cakes due to this and the fact that they are ingestible and unquestionably food safe. For instance, rosemary, thyme, sage, and bay leaves all look fantastic on cakes.
Olive leaves, fig leaves, and citrus leaves from lemon trees are also suitable options that are thought to be food-safe foliage.
You don’t have to worry about putting water tubes or florist’s vials into your cake because all of these may last for hours without water.
(If you require instructions on how to utilize water vials for fresh flowers on your cake, visit our Baby’s Breath Wedding Cakes feature here.)
A lovely and secure cake decoration is small white jasmine flowers and leaves. See a picture of it in our recipe for Croquembouche Wedding Cake.
The following plants make excellent edible leaves for cakes: blackcurrant leaves, fennel, lemon verbena, purple sweet potato leaves, pineapple sage leaves, Peruvian marigold leaves, and mint leaves. And all are successful in producing the pressed flower wedding cake in the very popular bohemian design. Here is a link to our tutorial: Wedding Cake Tutorial with Pressed Flowers and Wildflowers
If you need to enter greenery stems into the cake rather than just place them on top of it, poke a hole through the cake with a cocktail stick first, then completely cover the stems in sarin wrap or cling film before inserting them.
Can you put eucalyptus on a cake? is one of the most often asked topics at Cake Geek, presumably since it’s a bridal favorite. Are cakes OK to use eucalyptus?
Eucalyptus is not regarded as safe for consumption. But there is a workaround. After thoroughly cleaning the stems and leaves, mist them with edible glaze spray to create a barrier between the greenery and the cake.
Similar rules apply to common ivy. It’s not food safe, but if you apply the aforementioned method, you can still use it to decorate a wedding cake in a secure fashion. Just be sure to take it off the cake before serving.
To be clear, laurel, mistletoe, privet, yew, horse chestnut, broom, laburnum, cherry tree, plum tree, peach tree, elder leaves, and bracken are common garden flora and foliage that are toxic and should never be used on a cake in any way.
It’s also important to keep in mind that there are some excellent artificial plant and foliage options available right now that might work as well.
Can humans eat hydrangeas?
Hydrangeas can be poisonous, but seldom to the point of death. We worry about little children consuming things that could make them ill whether they have two legs or four legs. With kids, we worry about tiny toys, prescription drugs, and other things like plants. We worry more about our four-legged furry children eating our plants since they are curious animals and while many plants aren’t dangerous to them, there are still plenty that can result in serious illnesses or, sadly, death.
In addition to being poisonous to cats, dogs, and horses, hydrangeas are not edible. Due to the presence of cyanogenic glycoside, the plant is poisonous in all parts. You may experience depression, nausea, and/or diarrhea as some of the clinical symptoms. Even if they are not exhibiting any symptoms of illness, you should always seek the counsel of a veterinarian right away. Cyanide intoxication is often uncommon but can result in more stomach problems.
What flowers are harmful to eat?
Risky Outdoor Plants Popular garden plants that are poisonous include Azalea, Buttercups, Chrysanthemums, Gardenias, Gladiolas, Hibiscus, Hyacinth, Hydrangeas, Mums, Primroses, Rhododendrons, and Sweet Peas.
Can peony be used in cakes?
The floppy Peony flowers are really pretty. I presently have 4 of them in my garden, and I eagerly anticipate the abundant blooms they provide each spring. The cut flowers are only nice for about five days before they start fading, which is a shame because I wish they could stay longer. Every year, they spend a few days in my house, and I really like their sweet scent and stunning pink hues. It’s nothing unusual to add peonies to a cake, but what makes each Peony Cake distinctive is how each cake and bloom are unique.
I have around 4 inches of the peony plants peeping through the mulch now that spring has actually arrived. I always look forward to this time of year. I’ll go through the garden to check on any plants that have started to bud in response to the warmer weather.
Spring is a season of renewal, rediscovery, and acceptance of everything that has been and everything that is to come.
The robins are active in their search for a spouse and the construction of new nests. I often have two to three separate nests all throughout the house, and I look forward to watching the young each spring as they develop and thrive.
In my garden, I have three different varieties of peonies: Sarah Bernhardt, Sorbet, and an Imperial Red.
The Sarah Bernhardt ones that are most frequently found in shops and florists are the ones that were utilized on this cake. Before arranging the flowers on the cake, it’s critical to preserve them as fresh as possible.
Adding Peony Flowers to the Cake
Peony flowers can be added to a spring salad for a lovely flash of color because they are completely edible. Any edible flower that may have been sprayed with a pesticide should be considered. You shouldn’t be consuming that. I always wash my spring flowers instead of spraying them. Because of the flower’s lovely scent, ants and other insects are drawn to it, which is bad for a cake.
- If you intend to eat the blooms, refrain from using pesticides for 30 days.
- Don’t prematurely cut the blossoms. When the buds are still soft, you can cut them and store them in water for a few days. Or you might cut the blossom when it’s fully bloomed and use it right away.
- Flower cleaning.
- Before serving, keep the flowers submerged in water. When taken out of the water, they don’t endure very long.
- Trim the stem. SHORT! Avoid sticking the stem’s tip into the cake. Just place it atop the cake. The ideal practice is to wrap the stem in some florist tape or plastic wrap to protect the cake if you want to put them up the edge of the cake.
I’ve finished the peony cake. The guests will adore it and it is ideal for any spring celebration.