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Recipes  / 

Buttercream Autumn Wreath Cake

by Jennifer Preston
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This Buttercream Autumn Wreath Cake is the perfect design for your fall-themed cake. Read below for all the tips on how I decorated this autumn beauty.

Buttercream Autumn Wreath Cake

Now that I have a baby–I mean, toddler (that sure came fast) I don’t bake cakes as often as I’d like to. And I especially don’t bake cakes just for fun anymore. Those days are over. Maybe just temporarily on hold. I was asked to bake a cake for a local fundraiser auction in my small town and this was the perfect occasion for me to go all-out.

I was given no direction or requests. I could literally decorate it however I wanted to! Having so much freedom can either make one really glad and excited about the challenge, or it can make one stressed out because there’s just too many ideas. I’m always the latter. I love direction and guidelines. Give me a box and I’m happy to make myself a home inside of it.

I kid you not, I woke up the morning of with zero clue as to how I was going to decorate it. I just took it one step at a time. Stacked and filled the 3 layers of marble cake with a simple vanilla buttercream frosting, crumb coated, and smoothed out the final layer of frosting until I had a clean slate of a cake. Then, the creativity started flowing.

I knew I wanted to keep it with the season, so a fall colour palette. And I knew I wanted it to actually look like something that I did, that Flour & Floral did. So…not Halloween-themed covered in spiders, or zombie brains. 😛

Wreath Cakes

So, of COURSE I decided to do a Buttercream Autumn Wreath Cake. You guys, I’m in love with wreath cakes! If you don’t believe me, just look below at some of my previous cakes, floral WREATHS galore!

Which one is your fave?? Let me know in the comments below! I think I love my purple hydrangea buttercream wreath cake the best. If you love the middle left one and need a wreath cake for the Christmas season, I’ve written a tutorial on the Cranberry Orange Christmas Cake! (Go check it out after!)

Step One: Buttercream

American Buttercream:

Every single one of my cakes has been decorated with American buttercream, except for ONE cake which you can see above. (The top left cake was created with Swiss Meringue Buttercream–super silky and luscious.)

I choose to go with an American Buttercream because I just find it the easiest and it’s simply what I grew up with. Perhaps one day I’ll venture out more, but right now I’m content. 🙂

You can find my buttercream recipe at the bottom of this blog post, but in short I always use:

  • Salted Butter
  • Confectioners Sugar
  • Pure Vanilla Extract
  • Cream or Milk

Keep the consistency stiff:

Here’s a pro tip about buttercream: when you know that your buttercream frosting is going to be divided and coloured into bold colours (so, not faded pastels), then you want to make sure that you keep the consistency stiff.

Add a little less milk/water than the recipe calls for because the gel food colouring along with the mixing, and the warmth from your hands in the piping bag will soften that frosting right up–which is not ideal for piping buttercream flowers!

Divide & Conquer/Colour

Buttercream Autumn Wreath Cake

Mixing colours is my LEAST favourite part of cake decorating, but I suck it up because it’s gotta get done. For my Buttercream Autumn Wreath Cake I divided the buttercream into 5 bowls for 5 different colours:

  1. White (uncoloured)
  2. Chocolate Brown by Americolor
  3. Orange by Americolor (to give the orange a more burnt-orange look, I mixed in a few drops of chocolate brown)
  4. Juniper Green by Wilton
  5. Cornflower Blue by Wilton

I’m so pleased with how the colours turned out! Always keep in mind, that colours deepen over time.

Step Two: Piping

I highly recommend putting couplers on your piping bags. Couplers make it so that you can switch the piping tips between different colours without having to remove the tip and put it into a new bag. AKA-Best invention ever!

Buttercream Autumn Wreath Cake

Piping The Brown Wreath

So the very first thing I did was put Tip Wilton 6 in a piping bag with the brown frosting. I started on the left side piping wavy strands around the perimeter of the top of the cake. One long wavy strand at a time and not connecting the two ends. Did 4 strands.

Piping the Flowers

I never pipe the large flowers directly onto the cake. I cut out a bunch of small parchment paper squares that are the size of the flower nail. I pipe a dab of buttercream onto the flower nail, stick a square onto it, and then I pipe the flower. Then I carefully slide the parchment paper/flower onto a cookie sheet and put it in the freezer. I always pipe more flowers than I need, in case one breaks and also I can choose the best ones!

The 4 large flowers are the only designs that I used a flower nail for. I used tip 104 for the top flower, and then tip 102 for the rest.

Buttercream Autumn Wreath Cake

Placing Flowers on the Wreath Cake:

The reason you put the flowers in the freezer (for 10 min) is so that they’ll be solid enough for you to place onto the cake without them smushing! It’s genius. But still, always be gentle!

Pipe a nice blob of buttercream on the cake where you want to place the flower. Not only does it act like glue to stick the flower to the cake, it elevates the flower so it looks bigger and stands out more. I like to place the flowers at different slants too for some subtle variety.

Once you have your large flowers placed, it’s time to fill in all the gaps!

Piping Tips Used:

This is my absolute FAVOURITE part of cake decorating: the filling in/perfecting the imperfections, piping leaves, and just making it look full! I always start from big to small. So first I started with placing the large flowers onto the cake, then I piped the swirl designs, then the round “pumpkin” shapes, then the leaves, and then all the cute little star shapes.

Buttercream Autumn Wreath Cake

Here is a list of all the piping tips I used for this cake:

  • Brown Wreath: Tip 6
  • Brown stems on pumpkins: Tip 6
  • Blue Large Flower: Tip 104
  • Orange & Blue Flowers (Smaller): Tip 102
  • Swirls: Tip 32
  • Pumpkins: Tip 4B
  • Green Leaves: Tip 352
  • White Stars: Tip 27
  • Orange Stars: Tip 14
  • Blue Stars: Tip 16

  • Wilton Cake Decorating Piping Tip Set
    https://amzn.to/3jzplhd
  • Ateco Revolving Cake Stand
    https://amzn.to/3myFjdn

All of the piping tips can be found in this Master Decorating Kit pictured above, which I highly recommend! I use these all the time! The larger 4B Piping Tip I bought separately. Also pictured above are:

  • Piping Bags
  • Flower Nail
  • Couplers
  • My trusty Ateco Revolving Cake Stand. This thing is STURDY. It has a cast iron bottom, and a metal plate on top, and spins so smoothly. I 100% recommend!

Say Hi!

Do you feel inspired to recreate this Buttercream Autumn Wreath Cake for your fall dessert table? If you make this, be sure to tag me/DM me on Instagram or let me know in the comments below. If you have any questions at all, please ask!! I’m so happy to help. 🙂 Happy decorating!

Buttercream Recipe Autumn Wreath Cake
Print This Recipe

American Buttercream

The perfect buttercream recipe for piping beautiful buttercream flowers

Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Canadian
Keyword Buttercream, Vanilla
Prep Time 10 minutes
Author Jennifer Preston

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Salted Butter softened to room temp
  • 4-5 Cups Confectioners Sugar
  • 4 Tbsp Cream/Milk
  • 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Instructions

  1. Beat butter in bowl of a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, on medium speed until smooth, fluffy, and turns lighter in colour.

  2. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add in confectioners sugar, cream, and vanilla.

  3. Mix on low until all powdered sugar is incorporated, then mix on high for about 2 minutes until fluffy.

  4. You'll want a stiffer consistency. If it's too stiff, add more cream. If it's too thin, add more sugar.

Tags

  • Autumn
  • Buttercream
  • Buttercream Flowers
  • Cake
  • Cake Decorating
  • Cake Tutorial
  • Fall/Winter
  • Recipes
  • Wreath Cake

Post navigation

Halloween Rice Krispie Pumpkin Treats

AmeriColor Gel Food Coloring Kit

Wilton Juniper Green

Wilton Cornflower Blue

Decorating Tip Set

Ateco Revolving Cake Stand

Couplers

Piping Bags

Flower Nail

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Jennifer Preston Flour & Floral food photographer cake decorator (1)

Hi! I’m Jennifer and I LOVE to bake, style, and photograph beautiful desserts–I also have an eternal weakness for pastels, berries, and silky buttercreams.

What brings me even more joy is sharing my love of baking with others. Whether that is through recipe development, decorating how-tos, or food photography tips, I want to share everything I have learned with YOU!

I believe in creating food with high quality ingredients and making it look GORGEOUS. I also believe that every dessert deserves a photoshoot, and that food is meant to be shared.

And butter; I believe in lots of butter.

Flour and Floral about me

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Follow My Baking Adventures On Instagram

Today, I turn 30! THIRTY. 😱 I’ve officially e Today, I turn 30! THIRTY. 😱 I’ve officially entered into a whole new decade. As eventful and exciting as my 20s were, I’m actually OK with saying goodbye to them. But before I say adios, I just wanted to do a fun recap what happened in my 20s:

I turned 20 while at Bible school in Germany. It was where I met my husband and was probably the best year of my life.

We then started our long distance relationship.

I got my associates degree in Social Sciences (yeahhh, not using that at all today haha!)

Got engaged! 💍 

Went to culinary school (that was so fun) near Niagara Falls.

Got married, had a big outdoor wedding and my bridesmaids wore pastels.

Moved to the USA and honeymooned at DisneyWorld.

Worked 3 different chef jobs, (never getting that bakery job I always wanted).

Got a digital camera for Christmas and started taking photos of my baking just for fun.

Started selling my baking/even made wedding cakes! 

Launched my food blog and got paid by brands to content create for them.

Ate out at the most incredible restaurants and had soo much brunch and southern cuisine. 🤤

Explored and fell in love with some amazing places in the US like Charleston, NYC, and Alys Beach.

Moved back to my hometown in Canada.

Bought a 1970s house.

Gave birth to a baby boy. 🥰

Celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary!

And oh yes, backed our van into our garage door. 💁🏼‍♀️

Hello 30!! 💕
I think it’s safe to say that 2020 has been toug I think it’s safe to say that 2020 has been tough on everyone. ❤️ So I say that this month we give ourselves grace in the kitchen. At this point any delicious homemade treat, no matter how easy/simple the recipe may be, is such a WIN and should be celebrated! 

My recipe for Puppy Chow is my favourite treat to make this time of year and it’s SO EASY. (And before we go any further—it’s for humans, not doggos!😅) 

Let’s take the time to celebrate any and everything we whip up in the kitchen and enjoy indulging in these delicious treats with our families. 

And your kiddos will love participating in making the Puppy Chow! (And let’s be honest, any situation that involves powdered sugar and kids is always a recipe for a mess, but it’ll be a beautiful mess!)

With just 6 everyday ingredients and one pot, this might be the easiest recipe EVER. 🙌🏻 I documented the whole thing in my stories for you to watch just how simple it is!

I’m so happy for this partnership with @SaveOnFoods and for the great reminder to celebrate all the little wins and beautiful messes despite the exhausting year we’ve had! 💕

Are you gonna make this? 🥰

RECIPE:

3/4 cup Butter
1 1/2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
3/4 cup Peanut Butter
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 box Crispix Cereal (or Chex)
2 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar

In a large pot melt the first 4 ingredients together until smooth.
Remove from heat, pour in cereal and gently stir until evenly coated.
Dump in powdered sugar and with the lid securely on the pot, shake shake shake!
Once cooled, store in containers or baggies at room temp, fridge, or freezer. (They taste really good chilled!) Enjoy!!

#SaveOnFoods #MyWesternFamily @WesternFamilyCA #LetTheHolidaysBegin
I baked these vanilla bean sugar cookies a year ag I baked these vanilla bean sugar cookies a year ago and I’m still in love with them. 😍 Those vanilla bean specks in the cookies and that pastel pink colour palette is what my sugar cookie dreams are made of. 💕

I’d totally eat these for breakfast. Would you??

If you’re looking for a sugar cookie recipe with buttercream frosting, head to my site! You’ll find it under Recipes! Happy baking!! 🥰
Is there a certain dish/dessert that just intimida Is there a certain dish/dessert that just intimidates you like crazy? One that makes you think “oh I could NEVER make that!”?

One of those desserts for me was cream puffs (choux pastry). But with 2020 being such a strange year with more time spent at home than ever, I’m proud to say that I’ve conquered cream puffs TWICE this year! 🥰

Even though they’re definitely not perfect looking, they taste amazing!! And also, I feel super proud of myself for taking on this challenge and learning something new!

Baking is such a great activity at home with family and I really encourage it! Don’t take it too seriously and just have fun with experimenting. ❤️ Head to @SaveOnFoods to pick up the quality ingredients you need to tackle that certain dessert you’ve been too intimidated to try!

Have you ever made cream puffs/choux pastry before? Check out my stories to see the process!

#SaveOnFoods #MyWesternFamily @MyWesternFamilyCA
My Buttercream Autumn Wreath Cake tutorial is up o My Buttercream Autumn Wreath Cake tutorial is up on the blog! 😍

I wrote down all the deets about the exact colours I used, the piping tips, the buttercream recipe and MORE! 🍰 

I also included a little roundup of all my past wreath cakes. I obviously can’t get enough of that design! 

Check it out and let me know what you think! 🥰🧡
Wait, wasn’t this just yesterday?! 😅 James is Wait, wasn’t this just yesterday?! 😅
James is just over 13 months old now and is officially WALKING! My eyes can hardly believe what they’re seeing haha. 💕

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