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Eight ways to turn your baking recipes into showstoppers

Whether you’re a brilliant baker or new to the kitchen, turn your simple baking recipes into sparkling centrepieces with these irresistible ideas. From a gravity-defying showstopper to a decadent drizzle cake, these top tips will inspire you next time you’re mixing up your favourite cake recipe.

  1. Defy gravity

    Make the ultimate statement with a glorious gravity-defying cake. This showstopper features delicious sweets pouring over the top and cascading down the sides. Learn how to recreate this decoration using our easy step-by-step guide

    Defy gravity
  2. Perfect your piping

    Piping buttercream or frosting onto your cakes instantly gives them a professional finish, so get practising with your piping bag for the perfect swirl. A wide star-shaped nozzle will give a gorgeous ridged effect, as on these vegan salted caramel cupcakes, while a plain nozzle will give a more delicate swirl, like on these cute bee cupcakes

    Perfect your piping
  3. Use pancakes

    If you don’t have time to bake a cake and want to do something spectacular, try faking it and generously icing a stack of pancakes. 

    Use pancakes
  4. Show off the sides

    Ditch the full cover of icing and show off your layers with a stunning naked cake. Try letting the fresh fillings be the star as with this towering Victoria celebration cake, or turn a classic carrot cake into something extra special with barely-there icing sides.

    Show off the sides
  5. Give it a glaze

    Give the mirror glaze trend a go with this easy mirror-glazed cheesecake recipe. Try with a readymade cheescake to start, then once you've mastered the glossy icing, you can try on iced cakes and bakes as well.

    Give it a glaze
  6. Hide something

    Don’t stop at making the outside of your cake look fabulous, try hiding tasty treats inside, too. Follow our recipe and amaze your guests when they bite into this clever surprise Piñata cake

    Hide something
  7. Mess it up

    Get messy and drizzle sweet sauce down the sides of your cake to get a really modern look. It's best to use contrasting colours for icing and sauce, such as with the orange syrup over this impresseive Negroni stripe cake, or the chocolate and caramel contrast of this popcorn cake.

    Mess it up
  8. Use spectacular sprinkles

    Even if you haven't got time to make a full-blown masterpiece from scratch, you can still make your everyday bakes look extra special with some clever sprinkles and toppings. We love how these readymade doughnuts are transformed into gorgeous pink treats with sugar decorations, edible flowers and chopped nuts. 

    Use spectacular sprinkles