20 Icing Cake Decorating Ideas With Flowers, Swirls and Pretty Borders

Looking for icing cake decorating ideas with a little something extra? Think turquoise rosettes, pink drips or a whole cake covered in flowers.

These pictures include finished cakes plus a few close-up decorating details worth saving for your next project.

You can keep things simple or go all out with color. I especially love the vintage borders, but that little smiley cake is adorable too.

Pick a whole design or borrow just one detail.

Pretty icing designs to inspire your next cake

turquoise rosettes

We’re starting off strong with these gorgeous turquoise rosettes. I love the smaller blue and white swirls tucked between them.

The flowers curve around one side of the cake, leaving room for the white birthday message.

Keep that open space if you want to personalize yours. A few little white dots are such a cute finishing touch.

dark drips on brown icing

Don’t want to go all out with flowers or sprinkles? No problem!

This cake has smooth brown sides with glossy dark drips running down from the edge. I love how the drips stop at different lengths rather than forming one straight line.

burgundy heart borders

I am obsessed with this heart-shaped cake. The burgundy shells and ivory swirls are so pretty together, especially with those little silver-colored accents.

There’s plenty to borrow here even if you’re decorating a round cake. I’d keep the layered swoops around the sides.

pink drips and macarons

How cute is this pink cake? There’s so much going on, from the long pink drips to the macarons and pointed swirls on top.

The white stripe around the middle is a lovely detail too.

If you want a similar all-out look, gather the taller decorations toward the back and leave a little space at the front.

pastel flowers and exposed layers

This floral cake may just be one of my favorites here. Brown cake layers show through the thin ivory coating, with blue and mint flowers clustered at the top and bottom.

The tiny piped sprigs on the sides are so sweet. Keep those if you want more than flowers alone.

blue and peach petals

If you love flowers but want something a little different, this one is for you. The broad blue and peach petals spread across the ivory sides like little painted flowers.

I especially love the raised edges and tiny dotted centers.

pastel color sweeps

Don’t want to add piping or a topper? No problem there!

This cake mixes peach, pale blue and deeper teal patches over a light base, with the same colors sweeping across the top.

I’d leave this one without extra decorations. Those uneven patches are pretty all on their own.

pink drips and rainbow sprinkles

How adorable is this? A pink top spills into drips over ivory sides, with big pale swirls around the rim.

The rainbow sprinkles at the bottom are my favorite part.

For your version, try keeping most of the sprinkles around the base with a lighter scattering over the swirls.

blue piping and red cherries

I am obsessed with this blue and ivory cake. The little ruffles and looping borders are gorgeous, plus those red cherries are such a fun addition.

Save this one if you love vintage-style decorating. I’d keep the center plain just like this.

fine white waves

If you’re looking for a design without lots of color, go with these fine white waves. The brush shown against the cake leaves closely spaced lines that curve around the sides.

There’s no extra piping competing with that pretty texture.

pink and white roses

Who doesn’t love a cake covered in roses? These pink and white rosettes fill the top and continue right down the sides.

I love how some swirls have more pink while others show more white.

Read also: 20 Cupcake Ideas to Inspire Your Next Batch

You could try the same two-color look with pale purple instead of pink.

tall vertical lines

Here’s another white textured design, but this one runs from top to bottom. The red brush is shown against a strip of fine vertical grooves, with smooth icing still visible beside it.

If you’re trying texture with your cake decorating icing, this is a lovely detail to practice before adding any borders.

purple tulip garden

OMG, how gorgeous are these little tulips? I love the deep purple flowers beside the pale pink and yellow ones.

Pointed green leaves fill the spaces between them.

The other side is covered with tiny lavender flowers. Keep that mix of large blooms and little blossoms if you want to follow this design.

a tiny smiling face

Don’t want to go overboard with the decorations? This little cake is for you.

The ivory top has two dark oval eyes, a tiny curved mouth and round pink cheeks.

Honestly, those cheeks are too cute. I’d skip a border and let the little face be the whole design.

pale blue ribbon ruffles

The ruffle fans are going to love this! These pale blue practice strips range from narrow ripples to wide folded ribbons.

It’s such a pretty way to see several border styles side by side.

Try a few strips on a food-safe practice surface before choosing one for your cake.

a swirling night sky

This is one of my favorite colorful designs on the list. I love the pale yellow and blue swirls against the dark navy icing.

The dark silhouettes around the bottom give it that Starry Night-inspired look.

For your own version, you could swap the writing on top for a short birthday message.

gold-colored drips

Bring a little shine to a plain ivory cake with this gold-colored drip look. The close-up shows a thin line along the rim with longer drops beneath it.

If you want to try a metallic finish, choose a product specifically labeled edible. I’d keep the rest of the cake simple.

ivory basketweave

How pretty is this basketweave cake? The overlapping bands cover the sides, with a thick wavy border around the top.

It’s all one ivory shade, so you can really see the little ridges.

Read also: 20 Quinceanera Cakes With Pretty Flowers, Crowns and Sparkle

Leave the center plain like this or add a short message for your celebration.

pastel rainbow stripes

If you are looking for color inspiration, then this one is for you. Pink, orange, yellow, green, blue and lavender icing sit in neat rows on a clear sheet.

A striped cake in the background repeats the rainbow idea.

I love this softer take on rainbow colors. You could use the same palette for a ring of colorful swirls.

a little piped shell

Last but definitely not least, we have a close-up of a small ivory shell being piped onto a dark surface. You can see the ridges right beneath the piping tip.

If a whole decorated cake feels like a lot, start by practicing a short row of shells. A simple border is a lovely detail to work toward.