Bento cakes are small, usually four to six inches across, and sold in a lunchbox-style container. The size is the charm and the challenge: there is room for one idea, a few words and very little else.
These guides show how to plan a design for a small surface, transfer a drawing cleanly, keep lettering readable and finish the cake so it travels well in its box.
4 guides
Make an original lion-and-lioness illustration on a small ivory cake using a parchment transfer, warm brown colors and two tiny hearts.
Inside: Sketch an original pair at cake size · Allocate frosting and build the bento base · Build the transfer in reverse order
Plan a small cake with two expressive dog portraits, a short message and clean layered icing shapes.
Inside: Make the portraits personal · Build flat shapes from back to front · Place eyes and noses carefully
Make a small two-tone celestial cake with a scalloped sun, a crescent moon and just enough stars to connect the design.
Inside: Lay out a two-tone sky · Make the sun the largest shape · Balance it with a crescent
RecipesBake a small Earl Grey cake with vanilla cream filling, ivory buttercream and piped winter greenery. A 6-inch design with clear tea-infusion and decorating steps.
Inside: Infuse the milk, then weigh it again · Keep the cream filling contained · Pipe a tiny winter garden