Birch Tree Cake Tutorial

As a 'tester' for a bride weighing wedding cake options...

I made a tiered birch tree cake with cream cheese frosting not too long ago! I won’t lie - I was was intimidated a bit when I started. 'Birch tree bark' involved an unfamiliar set of techniques. And I was unsure how it would turn out with the frosting that I was using.

But - it turned out to be a super easy process; and I’d absolutely do it again!

So I'm posting this Birch Tree Cake Tutorial as I learned a few lessons along the way – and wanted to pass them on to you here!

• (Please note - you can decorate ANY cake size this way! 3 tiers not required! 😉 
• If you do want to make a tiered cake and need a tutorial you can find instructions and tips at 'How to Make a Tiered Cake.' 
• While tiered cakes aren't exactly difficult, it is important to get the base tier level for stability reasons. For more details on stacking cake layers so that a tiered cake will turn out even and level, please check out this post on assembling and frosting a cake. 

Why make a Birch Tree cake? 

• (Variety of reasons! 😉  )
• First - birch tree cakes are simple to decorate, and you can dress them up with leaves / flowers - or not! 
• Next - (obviously) - you don't have to be a skilled cake decorator to pull off a convincing birch tree cake. Rustic and rough looking is the whole point! Honestly, I probably got the frosting a touch too smooth in the cake in the photos. 
• If you want to DIY a wedding cake - this is a great low-stress option. 
  • Budget tip - should you want to customize your cake without paying for a custom topper, you can 'carve' whatever you want into the top! 

FAQS: 

"Does it matter what kind of cake or frosting I use?" 

• Choice of cake is completely up to you!
  • A couple of my favorite recipes can be found here (vanilla) and here (chocolate).
    (I use 1.5x each recipe when making the 10" base tier, 1 recipe for the middle tier, and 1/2 a recipe for the top tier.) 
  • Whichever flavor you choose, make sure you crumb coat well and apply a second layer of frosting after your crumb coat has set in the fridge for about 10 minutes. 
• Choice of frosting is also up to you - though I recommend a butter-based frosting that comes out white (or mostly white). 
  • My favorite vanilla cream cheese buttercream recipe is a great option if you’re looking for a frosting recipe! Don’t stress too much getting it perfectly smooth; birch trees are never smooth anyway!

Two more quick decorating notes - 

• Though I liked the dark look of the gel food coloring, you can also color the 'birch tree lines' with melted chocolate. It won't look quite the same, but it'll taste amazing! 
• I left the top of the cake alone (per request), but SarahHardyMakes has a great tutorial on carving the top of the cake to look like a tree!)