Fresh Flowers on Cakes
Fresh flowers can make a cake look beautifully elegant, romantic and luxurious — but flowers intended for a vase are not automatically suitable for use around food. Here's how Cape to Cake handles floral cake designs safely and practically.
Fresh flowers are decoration — not cake ingredients.
Unless a flower has specifically been sourced and confirmed for culinary use, fresh flowers used on a cake should be treated as decorative and removed before the cake is cut and served.
Cape to Cake reserves the right to decline flowers that we consider unsuitable, unidentified or unsafe for use on or around a food product.
Three ways to add flowers to your cake
The best option depends on your cake design, venue, florist and how involved you would like Cape to Cake to be in the floral arrangement.
We source the flowers
For selected cake designs, Cape to Cake may source suitable fresh flowers on your behalf.
Flower type, colour and availability can vary by season and supplier, so the final selection is confirmed as part of the order.
You supply the flowers
You may provide suitable fresh flowers for Cape to Cake to place onto the finished cake by prior arrangement.
Flowers must arrive in good condition and at the agreed time so that they can be assessed and prepared before placement.
Your florist supplies them
This works particularly well for weddings where your florist is already sourcing flowers that coordinate with the bouquets and venue arrangements.
The florist or client supplies the flowers and Cape to Cake handles the agreed cake placement.
Not every beautiful flower belongs on a cake
A floral arrangement intended for a table and a floral arrangement intended for a food product are two different things.
Some flowers are toxic
Certain flowers and plant material can be harmful if consumed or used incorrectly around food.
Florist flowers may be treated
Flowers grown for decorative use may have been exposed to pesticides, preservatives or other treatments that were never intended for food use.
Sap, pollen & residue
Stems, pollen, natural oils, sap and surface residue should be kept away from edible portions of the cake wherever reasonably possible.
Flowers can wilt
Fresh flowers naturally change after cutting and may wilt more quickly in warm venues, direct sunlight or outdoor conditions.
Don't arrive with an unidentified bunch and expect us to put everything onto the cake.
If you or your florist will be supplying flowers, please discuss the varieties with Cape to Cake in advance. We may refuse any flower or greenery that we believe is unsuitable for the cake.
Clear responsibilities make everything easier
If flowers are being supplied by someone other than Cape to Cake, we need to know beforehand so that the cake, collection and setup can be planned properly.
Cape to Cake
- Prepares and finishes the cake
- Reviews supplied flowers before placement
- Uses appropriate preparation or barriers where required
- Places flowers according to the agreed cake design
- May decline unsuitable flowers or plant material
Client / Florist
- Confirms the intended flower varieties beforehand
- Supplies the correct flowers at the agreed time
- Provides flowers in fresh, usable condition
- Avoids unknown, toxic or unsuitable plant material
- Advises us of any unusual floral requirements
How we place fresh flowers
Fresh flowers are incorporated as decorative elements rather than simply being pushed into the cake without consideration for the edible surface.
The flowers are reviewed for suitability, condition and the agreed design.
Excess foliage, loose material and unsuitable parts are removed where appropriate.
Suitable barriers, picks or other preparation methods may be used where appropriate to reduce direct contact between stems and edible cake.
Flowers are arranged to complement the cake while preserving its overall design and stability.
Remove decorative fresh flowers before cutting the cake.
Unless a particular flower has explicitly been supplied as an edible culinary ingredient, guests should not assume that fresh cake flowers are intended to be eaten.
Placement-only service
If your florist is already supplying the flowers, Cape to Cake can handle the cake arrangement without having to supply the flowers ourselves.
Client / Florist Supplied Flowers
Cape to Cake prepares and places the supplied flowers as a light cluster arrangement on the cake.
Flowers themselves are supplied by the client or florist and are not included in this price.
Coordinating with your florist
For wedding cakes, coordinating the floral cake details with the florist can create a beautiful match between the cake, bouquets and venue arrangements.
Let us know whether your florist will supply the cake flowers and whether delivery will be to Cape to Cake or directly to the venue.
The intended flowers and greenery should be discussed before the wedding rather than decided during setup.
Florist arrival, cake delivery and venue access need to work together where flowers will be placed on site.
Agree beforehand whether Cape to Cake or the florist will perform the final cake-flower placement.
Beautiful floral alternatives
You can create a romantic floral look without using fresh florist flowers at all.
Fondant Flowers
Detailed handmade sugar decorations that work beautifully for elegant, romantic and themed cakes.
Wafer Paper Flowers
Lightweight floral decorations that can create a soft, airy and contemporary cake design.
Silk Flowers
A reusable decorative option that can provide a floral look without using freshly cut florist flowers.
Fresh flowers don't love Cape Town heat
Once cut and placed on a cake, flowers are affected by temperature, sunlight and the amount of time they spend out of water.
Avoid warm rooms and prolonged exposure to heat.
Sunlight affects both the flowers and the cake itself.
Outdoor conditions can accelerate wilting considerably.
For venue setups, flowers can be placed as part of the final cake finishing where arranged.
Fresh flower FAQs
Can I bring flowers on the day?
Only if this has been agreed beforehand.
Cape to Cake needs to know what flowers are being supplied and how they are intended to be used before the cake is completed.
Can my florist put the flowers onto the cake?
This may be possible when it has been agreed before the event.
For structurally complex cakes or cakes being set up by Cape to Cake, we strongly prefer that responsibility for the final floral placement is clearly agreed in advance.
Are roses safe to put on a cake?
The plant variety is only one consideration. A flower can be botanically suitable while still having been grown or treated as an ornamental florist product rather than a culinary ingredient.
Please don't assume that an ordinary florist rose is automatically intended for direct food contact.
Are fresh flowers edible?
Some flower species have edible varieties or edible parts, but that does not mean all flowers sold by florists are suitable for eating.
Unless we specifically confirm otherwise, treat fresh flowers used by Cape to Cake as decorative and remove them before serving.
Can Cape to Cake refuse flowers I've already purchased?
Yes.
If the flowers are unidentified, unsuitable, damaged or present a concern for use around the cake, we may decline to place them.
This is why we recommend confirming your flower choices with us before purchasing them.
What if I want a large flower arrangement?
Large clusters, cascading florals, multiple arrangements and complex wedding-cake floral work should be discussed during the cake-design process.
These may require additional placement time, structural consideration and venue setup.
Tell us the look you have in mind.
Send us your celebration date, inspiration and floral ideas. If you already have a florist, let us know who will be supplying the cake flowers.