Buttercream rosettes are such an easy and gorgeous way to decorate a cake.

With the help of an open star tip like a Wilton 1M, these swirls of frosting make your cake look like a total masterpiece with minimum effort.

If this technique is new to you, don’t worry! I walk through everything you need to know below to make the perfect rosette cake.

I chose to make a purple rosette cake, but you can color your buttercream any color you want and you can even try an ombre effect by using 3 different shades of the same color!

What Frosting Tip Works Best for Piping Rosettes?

My go-to piping tip (and in my opinion the best piping tip) to use to make buttercream rosettes is an open star tip.

Different brands make different versions of this, but the most common are a Wilton 1M or an Ateco 824.

I used a Wilton 1M to pipe the rosettes on this cake and I love the way they look.

You can also use a closed star piping tip like a Wilton 2D or an Ateco 34 but the ridges on the rosettes may not be as defined.

What You Need to Make a Rosette Cake

One of the best parts about this cake design is that you really don’t need a ton of tools or fancy equipment.

In fact, you don’t even need a spinning cake stand.

The things you will need are:

• Open or closed star frosting tip (like a Wilton 1M or Wilton 2D)
• 1 large frosting bag
• Food coloring – You can use liquid, gel, powder, or natural coloring like raspberry powder!

How to Make Vibrant Buttercream Frosting

Now that we’ve covered what tools you need, let’s talk about making beautifully colored buttercream frosting.

You can do this with gel food coloring or with natural food coloring (like this powder).

Liquid food coloring can work too, but it can throw off the consistency of your frosting and give it a bitter taste if you add too much.

I recommend using gel food coloring. Gel food coloring is concentrated so it allows you to use less. A couple squirts will create a beautiful shade of purple!

Gel food coloring is also thicker so it won’t change the consistency of your frosting.

Americolor and Chef Master are my go-to brands of gel food coloring and I order them on Amazon.

Properly Crumb Coating a Buttercream Rosette Cake

The next thing to consider is the crumb coat, which is the thin layer of buttercream you cover a cake with to trap in any rogue crumbs.

I’m sure you’re thinking a crumb coat is a crumb coat, but there is actually a bit of strategy to it when it comes to making a rosette cake.

If you want to use colorful buttercream to pipe your rosettes, I highly recommend using the same color of buttercream to crumb coat your cake. This will help camouflage any little gaps between your rosettes.

Practice Makes Perfect

If you aren’t super comfortable with a piping bag or you haven’t piped a buttercream rosette before, I recommend practicing on a piece of parchment or wax paper before you tackle your cake.

Tape down a small piece of parchment paper on your counter and practice the motion.

Hold the piping bag perpendicular to the counter and slowly pipe a spiral starting in the center and working your way out.

Once you get to the end of the rosette, stop squeezing and continue moving your hands in the same direction you were piping until the buttercream separates from the piping tip.

Try to focus on piping your rosettes in the same direction and making them roughly the same size.

Repeat and continue to practice until you feel comfortable with the motion.

Scrape the frosting off the parchment paper and place it back into your piping bag to avoid waste.

How to Pipe Buttercream Rosettes on a Cake

When you’re ready to pipe rosettes onto your cake, I recommend making two, evenly spaced lines around the cake with an offset spatula.

This will allow you to pipe three even rows of rosettes that are all evenly sized and spaced.

To give your rosettes a super clean, cohesive look I recommend ending each rosette in a place where you can hide the tail under another rosette.

On this cake I ended each rosette at the top of the swirl and hid the tails under the rosette above it.

However, you can stop the motion wherever you feel comfortable. Just be sure to be consistent with your pattern!

Tips for Making the Best Rosette Cake

• Chill your cake layers in the freezer for about 20 minutes before assembling the cake. This makes them easier to stack and frost.
• Level your room temperature or thawed cake layers with a serrated knife to make them easier to stack.
• Make sure your buttercream is the right consistency. It allows you to easily pipe your rosettes and have them keep their shape.
• Crumb coat your cake in the same color(s) you plan to pipe your rosettes! This will help camouflage and gaps between your rosettes.
• Chill your crumb-coated cake to help the rosettes stay in place as you pipe them.
• Make three, evenly spaced lines around the cake with an offset spatula before piping the rosettes. This will allow you to pipe four even rows of rosettes that are all evenly sized and spaced.
• End each rosette where you can cover the tail with another rosette! This will allow you to hide the tail of each rosette under the rosette next to it.

Making This Rosette Cake in Advance and Storage Tips

• Make your cake layers in advance and freeze them. It breaks the process up and makes it more approachable.
• Make your frosting ahead of time or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.
• This frosting can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months! Just be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to make it nice and smooth again.
• A frosted cake can last in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for a month. The buttercream locks in the moisture and keeps the cake fresh and delicious!

Let Me Know What You Think

If you try this rosette cake recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a rating below and a comment to let me know your thoughts.

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