Balloon Cake Topper & Cake Painting Tips

DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper — This is a super quick and easy, customizable cake topper idea for your next party!

DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper by top Houston lifestyle Blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth - DIY DECOR #DIY #decor #balloon #balloongarland #party #celebrate #birthday #garland #diydecor

Let’s be honest. Baking a beautiful cake from scratch is a lot of work.

The thought of creating this cute DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper feels like even more work. But it’s surprisingly easy, I promise!

This tutorial will give you all the good DIY feels because I’ve got lots of helpful tips for how to make a balloon garland DIY cake topper. 

Perhaps you are opting to go with a store-bought cake to save the stress. Or perhaps you’ve baked and frosted your own cake but don’t have much additional time for the decorating?

Whatever the situation may be I, Alana am here to help you give that plain cake a quick and easy transformation into a bright and beautiful work of art.

With a colorful balloon topper inspired by that incredible balloon arch installations you see all over Instagram, plus Sugar & Cloth’s classic white cake stand and partywares to go with it!

You’ll have a finished cake that is sure to be the center of attention at any birthday party, wedding, or baby shower.

DIY Balloon Cake Topper by top Houston lifestyle Blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth - DIY DECOR #DIY #decor #balloon #balloongarland #party #celebrate #birthday #garland #diydecor DIY Balloon Cake Topper by top Houston lifestyle Blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth - DIY DECOR #DIY #decor #balloon #balloongarland #party #celebrate #birthday #garland #diydecor

Materials and Tools Needed to Make a DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper and to Paint a Cake

Classic white cake stand

Frosted cake — Store-bought or homemade

22 gauge floral wire

Heavy-duty scissors

5-inch balloons — Assorted colors

12-inch skewers

Food coloring

Small spatula

Cake decorating brush

See the step by step instructions for our balloon cake topper tutorial along with tips for painting your finished cake below!

DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper & Frosting Painting Tips by top Houston lifestyle Blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth - DIY DECOR #DIY #decor #balloon #balloongarland #party #celebrate #birthday #garland #diydecor #frosting

Tips On Prepping Your Cake Before Painting On It

Note: Before you start, you’ll want to make sure your cake is chilled. The frosting needs to be firm to the touch before you begin working on it.

To achieve the most ideal cake canvas, keep the cake in the refrigerator until the moment you are ready to start working on it.

Tight on time and your cake is still not completely chilled? Place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to speed up the chilling process.

Step 1 - DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper by top Houston lifestyle Blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth - DIY DECOR #DIY #decor #balloon #balloongarland #party #celebrate #birthday #garland #diydecor

Balloon Cake Topper DIY | How to Make a DIY Balloon Garland

When creating a large balloon arch or balloon garland, people usually use something called balloon tape, balloon strip or fishing line.

Since this is a mini version of a fun balloon garland, we’re going to do ours a little differently!

Step 1 – To create the balloon topper, blow up an assortment of colorful 5-inch balloons in varying sizes of balloons for bigger and smaller balloons.

For an 8-inch round cake, you’ll need roughly 25 balloons.

When blowing up the balloons, make sure not to fill them more than halfway full to keep the balloon size proportionate to the cake.

Feel free to blow them up by mouth or with a balloon pump.

Step 2 – Knot the end of each balloon to close, just as you normally would.

Step 3 – Using a pair of heavy-duty scissors, cut a 2-foot section of floral wire.

Additionally, you’ll need to trim one of your skewers so that you have 1 x 8-inch and 1 x 12-inch skewer.

Step 2 - DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper by top Houston lifestyle Blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth - DIY DECOR #DIY #decor #balloon #balloongarland #party #celebrate #birthday #garland #diydecor

Step 4 – Wrap one end of your wire around the top of the 8-inch skewer a few times until it is secure.

Step 5 – Begin to knot the balloons onto the wire, adding one balloon at a time.

Make sure to scatter the larger balloons, so that they’re not all in one section.

Play around with the positioning of the balloons, so that they don’t all face the same direction.

Step 3 -DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper by top Houston lifestyle Blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth - DIY DECOR #DIY #decor #balloon #balloongarland #party #celebrate #birthday #garland #diydecor

Step 4 - DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper by top Houston lifestyle Blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth - DIY DECOR #DIY #decor #balloon #balloongarland #party #celebrate #birthday #garland #diydecor

Step 5 -DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper by top Houston lifestyle Blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth - DIY DECOR #DIY #decor #balloon #balloongarland #party #celebrate #birthday #garland #diydecor

Step 7 – Once you’ve added all of your balloons to the wire, wrap the open end of the wire around your 12-inch skewer until it’s secure. Trim any excess wire.

Since you’re using a thick gauged wire, you’ll be able to add some additional shape to the garland by bending or twisting the wire.

Play around with it until you’re happy with the shape.

Step 6 - DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper by top Houston lifestyle Blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth - DIY DECOR #DIY #decor #balloon #balloongarland #party #celebrate #birthday #garland #diydecor Step 7 -DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper by top Houston lifestyle Blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth - DIY DECOR #DIY #decor #balloon #balloongarland #party #celebrate #birthday #garland #diydecor

How to Paint a Cake

Now that the balloon topper is complete, you’re ready to paint your cake.

Step 1 – For each desired color of buttercream that you want to add to your cake, add 1 drop of food coloring to a large spoonful of white buttercream frosting.

Step 2- Mix well until the color is combined.

At the bottom of the post, you’ll find our recipe for the perfect paintable royal icing recipe for this cake design!

Step 8 - DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper by top Houston lifestyle Blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth - DIY DECOR #DIY #decor #balloon #balloongarland #party #celebrate #birthday #garland #diydecor

Step 3 – To achieve the brushed buttercream look, add small dollops of colored frosting onto your chilled cake.

And gently smear each dollop using a small spatula.

Step 9 - DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper by top Houston lifestyle Blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth - DIY DECOR #DIY #decor #balloon #balloongarland #party #celebrate #birthday #garland #diydecor

For the painted dots, use a decorating brush (or an unused, food-safe paint brush) to add on small dots of frosting.

You can also use a brush to create a mini version of the brushed buttercream.

Step 10 -DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper by top Houston lifestyle Blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth - DIY DECOR #DIY #decor #balloon #balloongarland #party #celebrate #birthday #garland #diydecor

If at any point while you’re painting your cake you notice that your buttercream is softening and preventing you from being able to easily add your colored frosting, put the cake in the freezer for a few minutes to re-chill it.

Also read: DIY Abstract Watercolor Painted Cake

DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper & Frosting Painting Tips by top Houston lifestyle Blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth - DIY DECOR #DIY #decor #balloon #balloongarland #party #celebrate #birthday #garland #diydecor

DIY Balloon Cake Topper by top Houston lifestyle Blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth - DIY DECOR #DIY #decor #balloon #balloongarland #party #celebrate #birthday #garland #diydecor

Now that you know these two simple buttercream tricks and can make an incredible cake topper, why stop with just one cake when you can make one with all the colors and sizes?

With the endless colors of balloons and food coloring options, the colorful, customizable party decoration possibilities are endless.

I can’t wait to see how you customize yours for party and home decor!

DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper by top Houston lifestyle Blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth - DIY DECOR #DIY #decor #balloon #balloongarland #party #celebrate #birthday #garland #diydecor

I love the idea of recreating this with all white balloons for a DIY wedding cake topper in lieu of the traditional bride and groom, acrylic cake toppers, or rustic wedding cake toppers out there.

What do you think?! This DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper is a party decoration DIY that you can repurpose for lots of different occasions.

DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper

DIY Balloon Cake Topper by top Houston lifestyle Blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth

DIY Balloon Garland Cake Topper

Print
5 from 3 votes
We're bringing the balloon arch craze to your party table with this DIY balloon garland cake topper!
Total Time30 minutes
Course Desserts

Equipment

  • Scissors or wire cutters
  • Cake stand
  • Floral wire

Materials

Instructions

  • To create the balloon topper, blow up an assortment of colorful 5-inch balloons in a variety of sizes. For an 8-inch round cake, you’ll need roughly 25 balloons.
  • When blowing up the balloons, make sure not to fill them more than halfway full to keep the balloon size proportionate to the cake. Knot the end of each balloon to close, just as you normally would.
  • Using a pair of heavy-duty scissors, cut a 2-foot section of floral wire.
  • Additionally, you’ll need to trim one of your skewers so that you have 1 x 8-inch and 1 x 12-inch skewer.
  • Wrap one end of your wire around the top of the 8-inch skewer a few times, until it is secure. Begin to knot the balloons onto the wire, adding one balloon at a time.
  • Make sure to scatter the larger balloons, so that they’re not all in one section. Play around with the positioning of the balloons, so that they don’t all face the same direction.
  • Once you’ve added all of your balloons to the wire, wrap the open end of the wire around your 12-inch skewer until it’s secure. Trim any excess wire.
  • Since you’re using a thick gauged wire, you’ll be able to add some additional shape to the garland by bending or twisting the wire. Play around with it until you’re happy with the shape.

HOW TO PAINT YOUR CAKE FOR ADDED DECORATION

  • For each desired color of buttercream that you want to add to your cake, add 1 drop of food coloring to a large spoonful of white buttercream frosting. Mix well until the color is combined.
  • To achieve the brushed buttercream look, add small dollops of colored frosting onto your chilled cake and gently smear each dollop using a small spatula.
  • For the painted dots, use a decorating brush (or an unused, food-safe paint brush) to add on small dots of frosting. You can also use a brush to create a mini version of the brushed buttercream.
  • If at any point while your painting your cake you notice that your buttercream is softening and preventing you from being able to easily add your colored frosting, put the cake in the freezer for a few minutes to re-chill it.
Cost: $20
KEYWORD: arch, ashley rose, balloon, cake, decoration, diy, garland, how to, party ideas, sugar and cloth, topper, tutorial

Paintable Royal Icing Recipe

DIY Balloon Cake Topper by top Houston lifestyle Blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth

Paintable Royal Icing Recipe

Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes
Paintable royal icing is a really fun way to decorate cakes, cookies, or any other sweet treat that you can dream up!
Total Time25 minutes
Course Desserts
Cuisine Icing

Equipment

  • Mixer

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp meringue powder
  • 4 cup Confectioner's sugar
  • 5.5 tbsp warm water
  • Gel food colors in your choice of colors

Nutrition

Calories: 80kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 6mg | Sugar: 20g | Iron: 1mg
Servings: 24
Calories: 80kcal

Instructions

  • Mix all ingredients in a mixer for 7-10 minutes or until soft peaks form in the icing.
  • Divide the icing into separate bowls.
  • Add in a few drops of your favorite food colors and stir to make edible paints.
KEYWORD: diy easter macarons

More Easy Balloon Ideas

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16 thoughts on “Balloon Cake Topper & Cake Painting Tips”

  1. Where did you find the balloons that you used? I am looking for bright colors such as yours but can only find pastels or pearl style balloons.

    Reply
    • Hi! I ordered 5-inch balloons, but when I try to blow them up halfway, they’re oblong-shaped because there isn’t enough air, and not like your pictures at all. Not sure what I’m doing wrong! :(

      Reply
      • Hi Helen! How are you knotting them? You should blow up the ballon to your desired size but then squeeze them so they’re round and knot them when they are a round ball. If you only blow them halfway and knot them at the end of the balloon then it will be deflated since there’s still a lot of the ballon left. Hope this makes sense! You’ll have longer knotted “tails” but that can be trimmed and tucked within the wire.

        Reply
  2. Soooo cute and so many great tips and visuals for both the awesome balloon topper and painted buttercream cake! Cutest colours!!! Xo

    Reply

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