I love a rainbow and I love a shamrock, but this St. Patrick’s Day I was really feeling a “Kiss Me I’m Irish!” theme — so I ran with it and this cake was born. Don’t worry, I didn’t actually kiss the cake (please don’t!), though I did eat a lot of it myself. The kiss designs are created with pearl dust and a simple DIY stencil for a polished, playful look. Not Irish? No problem — this would be just as sweet for an anniversary or even Valentine’s Day.
Pssst… the cake should probably be green inside for extra fun! If you want a surprise when you slice it, tint the batter a cheerful green and serve smiles all around.
Supplies you’ll need:
Pearl dust (craft stores like Michaels carry it)
Clean/new paintbrush
Scrap cardstock
Pen
X-Acto knife
Cake (obviously)
Important: Work with a cold, firm cake. It’s much easier to stencil when the cake is chilled. Keep it in the fridge while you prepare your stencil and return it to the fridge between passess if needed.
Create your lip stencil. A few methods work well: find a lip image online and use your screen as a lightbox to trace it, freehand draw the shape, or have fun by applying lipstick and kissing the paper, then tracing the outline. Make sure the top and bottom lip shapes don’t connect at the sides. Once you have the outline, use an X-Acto knife to cut out both the top and bottom lip shapes from the cardstock.
Place the chilled cake on a flat surface and lay the stencil gently on top. Dip a dry paintbrush into the pearl dust and brush the dust within the stencil area. Vary the amount of dust to create dimension — some kisses can be more opaque, others lighter for a realistic effect. When finished, lift the stencil straight up with both hands so any excess dust doesn’t fall onto the cake.
Wipe the stencil clean after each use and repeat around the cake until you achieve the look you want. I recommend starting on one side and working your way around to keep the spacing consistent.
Stenciling the sides can be trickier. Use the same technique, and if the cake is already on a stand, place a paper towel underneath to catch any falling dust. Keeping the cake chilled and firm makes aligning and stenciling the sides much easier.
And that’s it — adorable, shimmery lips that give your cake personality and a bit of cheeky charm.
All photos by Studio DIY
I’ve got another Kiss Me project coming tomorrow — stay tuned! And if you want more St. Patrick’s Day ideas, check out other projects on the blog.