So I did a wedding cake last week and the super-cute bride, Sid, wanted a ruffle tier. Here is the finished wedding cake.

While I was experimenting to get the ruffle technique down, I tried it for Megan’s birthday cake. I LOVE it for a 2 or 3 layer cake. I think the ruffles on the top add a lot. It is definitely a technique I’ll use again. It is so easy to do. Here is Meg’s cake, just 2 layers and made with some strawberries blended into the buttercream frosting. The strawberry was fairly subtle and SO yummy with the chocolate cake!

You can see that the consistency of the frosting makes a big difference in the finished look of the ruffles. I think both have their charms. For a more rounded ruffle, you’ll want your frosting to be the usual thinner consistency usually used for spreading.  The wedding cake frosting is a little thicker, like you would do for making flowers, etc.

This is my recipe for buttercream frosting:

1/2 c. butter at room temp.

1/2 c. shortening

2 lbs powdered sugar (about 2.3 lbs for the wedding cake consistency)

1/4 c. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1/4 tsp. salt

Cream the butter and shortening then add about 1/4 of the bag of powdered sugar. Then mix in milk and flavorings and salt. Finish adding in remaining sugar, a bit at a time, until desired constancy is reached. Tint and readjust sugar if needed. If the frosting is too thick, add no more than a teaspoon of light corn syrup and whip for a few minutes, then add a little more if needed. Make sure to give it plenty of time to mix before adjusting.

I also tried ruffles on some cupcakes. I thought it turned out cute and decided to share a tutorial that is a little rough, but get the job done. 😀