Sprinkle New Years Eve Cake – a quick guide to making a sparkly NYE cake using a free stencil template and sprinkles. Updated with a 2019 template!
Hello friends! I hope you’re enjoying the holiday season and that your Christmas was wonderful. This is one last cake tutorial for the year—perfect for a quick New Year’s Eve project. If you’ve left NYE planning until the last minute, this easy, festive cake will get you to midnight in style.
This simple design starts with any cake you like. Use your favorite recipe or choose from a variety of cake ideas—just frost with a white icing that firms when chilled, such as Swiss meringue buttercream. I used a classic vanilla cake, but a champagne-flavored cake would be lovely for New Year’s.
The centerpiece of this design is a 2019 stencil you can cut in about ten minutes from the free downloadable template. Once the stencil is ready, you’ll decorate the numbers with metallic sprinkles in gold and silver. A simple trick—brushing a light layer of corn syrup before applying sprinkles—helps hold the design so you can remove the stencil cleanly without losing detail. The result is a sparkly, stylized year that’s perfect for toasting at midnight.
SPRINKLE NEW YEARS EVE CAKE
a cake tutorial by Carrie Sellman
Supplies:
8″ round cake, chilled and frosted with a firm white buttercream (Swiss meringue buttercream recommended)
2019 stencil template (free download)
Parchment paper
Craft knife
Old magazine or cutting board
Scissors
Fine gold sanding sugar
Gold pearlized sugar
Silver pearlized sugar
Pastry brush
Corn syrup
Toothpick or tapered offset spatula
Stack and fill your cake as desired and apply a thin crumb coat. Smooth on a final layer of buttercream and refrigerate until the icing is completely firm.
Print the free 2019 stencil template. Cut a piece of parchment paper slightly larger than the template, tape it over the printout, and place the whole assembly on a cutting surface. Carefully cut along the outside edges of each black number with a craft knife to create the stencil. Save the half-circle piece removed from the zero—you’ll use it to restore the zero’s shape on the cake.
Trim the stencil into a circle sized for an 8″ cake and place it on top of the chilled cake. Smooth it gently so it lays flat. Add the small half-circle piece in the appropriate position inside the zero.
With a pastry brush, apply a thin layer of corn syrup over the exposed numbers and about an inch beyond their edges. The corn syrup will act as a light adhesive to hold the sprinkles in place and help preserve crisp edges.
Cover the corn syrup-coated areas with a layer of fine gold sanding sugar, pressing gently so the sprinkles adhere. Place the cake back in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes, keeping the stencil in place so the sugars set.
Locate the stencil edges, lift a short distance to free them, then hold both sides and pull the stencil up and away in a single swift motion. The corn syrup helps the sprinkles stay in place, but a few stray pieces may fall—don’t worry, they clean up easily when the icing is cold.
Use the edge of an offset spatula or a toothpick to tidy any stray sprinkles. Gently nudge misplaced grains back into the design if needed.
Finish by decorating the cake edge with a mix of gold pearlized sugar, silver pearlized sugar, and the fine gold sanding sugar used on the numbers. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve to keep the buttercream firm and the sprinkles in place.
If you try this Sprinkle New Years Eve Cake, I’d love to see your photos. Tag @thecakeblog on Instagram or use #thecakeblog. Cheers and happy New Year!
MORE NEW YEARS EVE DESSERTS:
Champagne Mimosa Cake
Raspberry Champagne Cake
Gold Sequin Cake
Champagne and Raspberry Cupcakes
Cranberry Orange Cake