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Hey all!  I am a hobby baker and decorator so I am not super experienced with decorating. One of my friends is getting married and asked me to make her cake. I would be happy to. The issue is the cake she would like hers to look similar to I have no clue how to do. I have practiced a few times but it never comes out looking really anything like this cake. I have attached the image of the cake. Would love and appreciably help on how to achieve  a similar looking cake  TIA

This is achieved by first icing cake in a white buttercream. Semi stiff. Then make make the raspberry coloured buttercream. Apply a generous amount of the coloured buttercream to bottom left of the cake. Using a palette knife, press gently into the buttercream pull up to the right and up  to the top of the cake, swooshing.  Do several times. You may not be able to replicate this cake exactly. Because you don’t know what type of buttercream was used, what type of colouring, what type of knife they used to achieve the swirl. I never copy a cake 100%, but use as inspiration to create something similar. You can turn a large plastic container upside down and practice. 

First time seeing that technique, but it is pretty.  I would attempt it as June recommended, but not sure I could bet the color to go all the way from the bottom to the top.  The is the closest thing I've ever done to that style and it is less than half the height of the tier.

https://www.cakecentral.com/gallery/i/3426105/sues-2020-birthday-cake

I guess, just keep practicing over and over with the same buttercream.  No need to refresh the color with each attempt.

I would probably cover it in white buttercream and airbrush the color over that. Then use the spatula to get the swirl effect and go back again with the airbrush on the lower part to color back in the more saturated areas.

Good idea, Crystal72384

what a gorgeous cake! yeah idk how to do that but I think I would test out holding the air brush at an angle cross ways to the cake, spraying it at a spinning cake because of how the color pools on the ridges, with the spray on low, round and round a few times -- I think I could get there doing it like that at least that's where I'd start --

Airbrush is a good idea. But we can’t assume everyone has an airbrush. 

Wilton, and probably other brands, makes a spray color that could be used similar to an airbrush.

the question of course is how to replicate this -- spraying color on, typically with an airbrush is the method of choice -- I mean how could we know what's in someone else's cake arsenal -- regardless that's how that was done --

back in the day, airbrushes were at least $200 -- nowadays you can easily pick one up for a song -- I've also used Wagner paint sprayers and spray bottles besides the aerosol sprays sandra mentioned -- 

and I think i would use a paint mixed just right with a powdered color and alcohol -- not a regular airbrush color --