Decorating with the spatula painted technique has proven to be one of my very favorite ways to add color and texture to cakes. It’s one of the easiest techniques ever, and I’ve found it to be really therapeutic to put on a great album, mix up a fun buttercream color palette, and swipe away. Since it’s such great art therapy, I was pondering other ways to incorporate the technique into cake decorating when I realized – why not try it on cupcakes? I tested it out over the weekend and am so in love with how they turned out!
The thing that I love the most about the spatula painted technique is that you literally can’t mess up. It makes my urge to be a perfectionist melt away, and all that’s left to do is have fun and be creative (a magical place to be!). If you’re bored of topping cupcakes with buttercream swirls and rosettes, this is 100% the easiest way to add some creativity and change up your look. It works in any color palette you could think of, so pick your favorites and swipe away! Here’s how to get the look:
You Will Need:
- Baked cupcakes
- One batch of vanilla buttercream (or other light colored buttercream)
- Icing color gels of your choosing
- Bowls and spoons for color mixing
- A small icing spatula
- Paper towels
Step 1: Mix Up Your Buttercream Color Palette
Divide your buttercream into separate bowls (one bowl per color you’re mixing). For this specific color palette I’ve gone with five different colors, which I feel is the perfect number. Add your color gels and mix away!
The colors I used for these are all Americolor: Navy, Turqouise, Orange, Fuschia, and Regal Purple. I love this brand of gels because the colors are so concentrated, you don’t need to add much to get rich colors.
Step 2: Swipe The Edges Of The Cupcakes
Dip your small icing spatula into the first color and make one swipe inward from the edge of the cupcake to the middle. Make another swipe with that same color on a different edge of the cupcake.
It’s good to have some paper towels handy for this part, because you’ll need to wipe the spatula clean before dipping it into another color. Repeat swiping the edges with all the different colors until you’ve got all of the edges covered. Just make sure you don’t place two of the same colored swipes next to one another.
Step 3: Swipe The Middle Of The Cupcakes
Repeat the same process of swiping inward to cover the middle of the cupcake. These last few swipes should just cover where the buttercream starts to thin from the previous edge swipes.
You really can’t go wrong with this technique, so get as creative as you want to be! The cool thing about these cupcakes is that no two are exactly alike. It makes for such a fun painterly look that is sure to add color to any occasion.
Did you try this spatula painted look on your cupcakes? I want to know what color palette you ended up with! Let me know in the comments or by tagging me on Instagram. I love to see your creations!
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