There’s nothing like an Australian Summer to make you question why you bake and decorate.

But 2014 has started with a bit of a bang for cake decorators and it’s hard to resist the urge to start a passion project or two! This month I’m here to offer you inspiration and trend predictions for what will be hot in Australian cakes this year.

So grab yourself a nice cool (or warm) drink, you’re about to fall down the ’cake decorating trends and predictions’ rabbit hole; Alice style.

Colour Trends for 2014:
Pantone declared Radiant Orchid the colour of 2014 and I’m seeing it everywhere. It’s such a strong colour; just limit it to accents, flowers, ribbons, polka-dots and stripes. It’s perfect for bold birthday and wedding cakes. For more eye candy head over to Pinterest.

But for many, a bold colour choice draws too much attention. Radiant Orchid is a bold choice, but it’s easy to use it sparingly or to use a muted shade. This allowing the cake to be perfectly on trend, but not garish, making radiant orchid perfect for all sorts of girls cakes.

Children’s Cake Trends for 2014:
As usual movies play a huge part in what kids want and this year is no exception.

Paddington Bear is making a comeback, with a new movie and baby clothing line at The Gap expect lots of requests for Paddington inspired birthday, and baby shower cakes. They have deviated from the traditional bright red and blue and have gone with a baby blue and yellow colour scheme which although not what some of us are used to seeing on Paddington, the colours are perfect for beautiful cakes. For older children expect them to remain minion mad. Minion’s are a joy to make, incredibly effective and yet easy as pie.You can whip up a minion in less than an hour; now that’s my kind of cake! In the last 6 months Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have also been making a comeback. For girls, expect more cakes inspired by Frozen and Tangled (using pantone’s radiant orchid!) to be on the request speed dial. We’re seeing more and more structural kids cakes that are both beautiful and awe-inspiring. There are plenty of Tangled towers doing the rounds and it’s only a matter of time before we see a ’3d’ model ninja turtle or Paddington Bear. I hope I’ve given you a little bit of inspiration and I can’t wait to see your creations.

About The Sweet Source The Sweet Source is a website and monthly newsletter keeping Australians up-to-date with everything sweet happening offline and on. The Sweet Source lists classes, trends, interviews, sales, tips and tricks and everything in-between. Perfect for people who want to stay in the ’sweet’ loop; without the effort! Please say hello and tell your friends! ;) 

About Justine Spalding

Justine runs Australian website and newsletter The Sweet Source.   >> Visit Justine’s website