7 Easy DIY Cake Toppers for Special (or Any) Occasions

What you’ll need:

• Mixed berries or fruits
• Flowers or herbs (edible or decorative, but nonpoisonous and not treated with pesticides)
• Optional: Sugar and water
• Optional: Citrus fruits

For the minimalist, a “naked cake”—the kind with just a skim coat of frosting—with natural toppers seems just right. That said, if you’re against a mostly frosting-free cake because honestly what’s the point, spread it on thick instead.

Start with berries in different sizes—strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries are a classic combo—and scatter them over the top and onto the platter. Poke in a few handpicked flowers from your garden and you’re done.

Alternatives and add-ons

• Use seasonal fruits, like figs or cherries, or dried fruits.
• Herbs like lavender or mint can sub in for flowers, too.
• Try edible flowers like pansies, Johnny-jump-ups, marigolds, bee balm or chamomile. (Be sure they’re pesticide free!)
• Candy your flowers, petals and mint leaves by brushing them with powdered egg white mixed with a little water, sprinkling them with superfine sugar and letting them dry ’til crispy on parchment paper overnight.
• Make candied citrus slices. Slice seedless lemons, limes, oranges or small grapefruit suuuuuuuuper thin. Make simple syrup in a wide saucepan: Bring equal parts sugar and water to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and add the citrus slices in one layer. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the piths are mostly translucent, then let cool on a rack or parchment paper.

What you’ll need:

• Printable pineapple toppers
• Card stock
• Wooden skewers or toothpicks
• Tape
• Scissors or craft knife
• Yellow frosted cake and/or cupcakes

So this one’s extra simple: Print. Cut out. Tape to a skewer or toothpick. Stick in cake. Perhaps you noticed we included printable toppers for two cakes and a half-dozen cupcakes. This is no time for restraint.

Tassels are like tiny pom-poms. And depending on the colours and materials you use, they can be peppy, elegant or boho-chic.

What you’ll need:

• Pre-made tassels (search for “mini tassels with jump rings”)
• Two wooden skewers
• Gold cord
• Optional: Edible gold paint

To make the Mini Tassel Garland Cake Topper in the photo, just:

• Cut a piece of gold cord a little wider than your cake.
• Evenly space the tassels and tie them to the cord. The easiest way to do this is to start with the one in the centre and work your way out.
• Tie the ends of the cord to the tops of the skewers and stick them in the cake.
• If the cake is extra wide—like a sheet cake—you might want to use three or four skewers.
• If you want your skewers to shine, paint them with edible gold paint before you get started.

Want to make your own tassels? This video will show you how.

What you’ll need:

• LOVE printable (downloaded and printed)
• Decorated or colour card stock (you can decorate it yourself or buy it that way—or you could start with plain card stock and glue wrapping paper to it)
• Vellum or tissue paper in a coordinating colour
• Glue stick
• Hot glue and glue gun
• Paper straw
• Craft knife
• Scissors
• Optional: Flowers

What you’ll need:

• Crayola model magic
• Rolling pin
• Smallish bowl (or another circle-shaped thing to trace)
• Ruler or straight edge
• Craft knife
• Paint brush or foam brush
• Acrylic craft paint in the party palette
• About 13 4″ treat sticks (like for cake pops)
• Hot glue and glue gun
• Cake

We love daisy cake toppers as much as we love real daisies. They’re simple and iconic enough to stand alone on a simple white cake or cupcake or top a retro ’70s cake with marbled or ombre multi-colour frosting.

What you’ll need:

• White tissue paper (or get all fancy and do lots of different colours)
• 1″ Styrofoam balls (1 for each daisy)
• Round toothpicks (8–10 for each daisy)
• Wooden skewers (1 for each daisy)
• Yellow, green and white acrylic paint
• Scissors
• Paintbrush
• Mod podge
• Craft glue (optional)
• Paint palette or paper plate
• Foam block or Styrofoam egg carton
• Scrap paper

Start by painting the skewers green, leaving a few inches of the pointed ends unpainted for food safety. (Vary that up if you want your daisies to be different heights.)

Once the skewers are dry, stick the blunt ends into the Styrofoam balls. Paint the balls yellow and poke the skewers into an egg carton while they dry.

Editor’s note: You can paint the toothpicks white, so the wood doesn’t show through the tissue paper in the next step. This is an admittedly fussy step, but that’s who we are.