It’s that time of year when you’re filling orders for decidedly spookier cakes than usual, and it’s easy to fall back on tried-and-true Halloween imagery. This season, freshen up your fright-filled designs by defining your customer’s vision and seeking out new sources of inspiration!

1. Let’s say your customer wants a Gothic-inspired cake for their Halloween bash. Determine if they have any particular colors, images or accents from their party decor that they would like included in the design.

Special requests: Color palette of purple, gray and silver, with crows incorporated.

2. The next step is to make an inspiration board. We find Pinterest especially useful for brainstorming cake conceptions. Look for specific design elements that inspire you, from jewelry to fabric swatches, as opposed to finished cakes.

3. Create a sketch of your cake. Start with a blank canvas of cake tiers. Use colored pencils and/or watercolor paints and sketch out how you see your inspiration translating into sugar. Use notes to describe each element.

Click here for more blank templates.  

4. Decorate your cake. Display your inspiration board and sketch near your workstation so they can be easily referred to while you work. While you are decorating, your plan may evolve and stray from your sketch. You might decide to add or take away from your original design once you see it on the cake.

Was your imagination sparked by these dark and spooky design elements? Click here to post a sketch of your own!