Paint a Cake

To paint a cake you will need:

• Clean paintbrushes
• Frosting
• Black icing-either homemade or you can buy black frosting in a tube
• Bake, cool and frost your cake

Cake Decorating Instruction on Painting a Cake

Painting using a Picture

Find a picture you like either online or a kids coloring book has good basic designs. Cut your picture out and draw the outline of your design with a toothpick in your frosting. If you are worried to place your paper right on your frosting layer a sheet of waxed paper or lightweight cardboard like a cereal box under your picture and cut the design out of waxed paper. Then place the design on top of your frosting and outline with a toothpick.

With your black frosting use a tip 1 or 2. This is a writing tip and you will fill in the lines of your toothpick outline with black frosting. You can use a different color icing for the outline if you'd like.

In small bowls, color your icing whatever colors you will need for your design. You will use a basic buttercream frosting.

Using a pastry tip #2 or #3 and the icing color you desire, fill in each section. Then with a paintbrush smooth out your frosting.

Here are some examples of painted cakes done this way.

Using Cookie Cutters for Decorating

You can do the same idea above but instead of using a picture, press cookie cutters in your frosting gently to make an outline. Continue as you would above by filling your outline with black writing and painting inside the design.

Outline and Use Cake Decorating Techniques

You can still use cake decorating techniques by first outlining your design with a toothpick.


Using your black frosting with a writing tip outline your toothpick design.


Fill in your picture with stars or other techniques.

Painting using Food Writing Pens

You can buy food markers that you can use for decorating. You use them just like normal markers but they are safe for food. These work best writing on fondant frosting, royal icing or directly on sugar cookies.