Who doesn’t love parties? From kids to adults, we all enjoy these special occasions – especially when it comes to the sweet treats.
Until a few years ago, bakers were tasked with creating beautiful cake toppers to make desserts memorable. But now, with your 3D printer, you can easily create your own stunning cake toppers for every kind of party! From themed ones to custom ones, they promise to make your cake unforgettable.
Since these prints will be on a cake, unless you’re buying the stems separately or are setting them up on Styrofoam for example, you should pay attention to food safety. One of the most common ways of making 3D prints food-safe and reusable is by coating the parts in food-grade epoxy or resin. And of course, you can always check an online printing service like Craftcloud to let you focus on the important stuff: deciding on the cake flavors.
Let’s discover the best cake topper models that will make your celebrations wonderful, and how to customize them for unique parties!
Happy Birthday
Let’s start with the most classic and simple, but still elegant, decoration. This birthday cake topper is perfect for all your birthdays, both for kids and adults. Not only is it easy to print, it’s also easy to add: you simply install it on your cake with its two pegs.
You can print it at a 0.2-mm layer height and you don’t need supports, so it’s really easy and fast. You can even scale it to make it the desired size. Imagine it 3D printed with chocolate!
- Who designed it? bryan7
- How printable/popular is it? With over 25,000 downloads and 12 shared makes, this model is quite popular. The only problem that you may encounter is a little bit of stringing, so be sure to check our guide to solve it!
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Harry Potter
This design had to be on our list. A Harry Potter Quidditch-themed cake topper can’t be missed! The designer has created a simple but effective model.
Like the previous model, this too is fast to print and can be installed with its two pegs. You can obtain the best result by printing it in black and gold using a multicolor 3D printer or the pause at height trick.
- Who designed it? pauk
- How printable/popular is it? Almost 50 people have downloaded the design, and it’s been included in 22 collections so far.
- Where to find it? Printables
Heart
This design can be used for different occasions, from Valentine’s Day to an anniversary, but also for Mother’s or Father’s Day. Since it’s a little heart, it’s perfect even for cupcakes or other small desserts.
It’s a simple but elegant shape that weighs only six grams, making it a great choice to finish up a spool of filament. In under half an hour, you will have your beautiful cake decoration!
- Who designed it? PYC3D
- How printable/popular is it? With over 225 downloads and 4 makes, this model has been warmly welcomed by the community. It has a score of 5 stars, which suggests that it’s really convenient to print.
- Where to find it? Printables
Wedding (Mr & Mrs)
Of course, a wedding cake topper has to be on this list. This minimalist design that you can create in under two hours will be perfect for your wedding celebration!
Cursive is always elegant, so you know you can’t go wrong with this design.
- Who designed it? Veronika
- How printable/popular is it? Almost 300 people have downloaded this decoration and more than 50 users have liked it so far.
- Where to find it? Printables
Mario & Peach
If you’d like a wedding cake topper with a sense of humor, this is the perfect one. Mario is one of the most famous and appreciated Nintendo – and now movie – characters. In most games, the goal is to liberate Princess Peach. Finally, with this cake topper, we give the story a happy ending!
You can realize this with multicolor printing or painting it if you want as realistic a result as it can get.
- Who designed it? derailed3d
- How printable/popular is it? With 14 makes and 1 remix, this model is quite popular. You need to use supports for this print, so you should consider PrusaSlicer’s organic supports or Cura’s tree supports to obtain the best results.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Happy Anniversary
After you’ve tied the knot, you can celebrate your anniversary with a delicious cake and the appropriate topper. Printables user PYC3D has designed some beautiful cake toppers, and if you want something more specific for your anniversary, here it is!
This cake decoration uses a unique font that produces a really elegant result.
Combined with this decorated heart, it’s the perfect decoration for your anniversary celebration! With rainbow filaments, it surely pops, but remember to consult food-safe filaments!
- Who designed it? PYC3D
- How printable/popular is it? Almost 100 users have downloaded it and it’s saved in 30 collections. The two people who have posted their makes are really happy with this model, with one of giving the design 5 stars.
- Where to find it? Printables
Phinally Done (PhD Graduation)
This funny decoration is perfect for your Ph.D. graduation cake. You can choose two colors you like, maybe your university ones, and with a simple layer color change you can create a nice multicolor print.
Remember that a really simple way to make even cooler 3D prints is by playing with textured plates!
- Who designed it? eMarco
- How printable/popular is it? This model has been downloaded over 25 times. While not sharing an image of their make, a user has given the model 5 stars and another 11 people have liked this design.
- Where to find it? Printables
Plane
Let’s take a look at a decoration for your kids’ parties: This model is a really cute plane.
The designer has provided two files: the whole plane and the version divided into pieces. You can customize the colors by printing the parts and eventually painting some of the details in the shades you like the most, or you can use a multicolor 3D printer or setup if you’ve got it.
Your children will love it! It’s sure to shine especially bright on a cartoon cake.
- Who designed it? mrhers2
- How printable/popular is it? Almost 100 people have downloaded it and 14 users have liked it. If you choose the plane divided into pieces, the design is supportless, so it’s really convenient to print.
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory
Numbers
These cute crowned numbers are perfect for every occasion, from your birthday party to your anniversary. They’re really simple and fast to print (we personally tested), so they will be ideal if you’re in a rush to organize your party.
If you want to avoid some headaches, you can decrease your print speed to ensure a good adhesion to the build plate.
How can you make a person feel more special than with a crown?
- Who designed it? David Horák
- How printable/popular is it? Over 470 people have downloaded these cute numbers and over 180 likes were given. They’re really simple to print, as the 5 stars score testifies, and it’s another perfect print to finish your spools.
- Where to find it? Printables
Blowable Candles
Admit it, it’s all too easy to run out of candles and forget to buy them when you need them. Here’s the solution: Blowable candles that can be reused as many times as you want! They have a little peg to be installed on your cake, and the flame is printable separately with the color you like the most.
Obviously, if you like a realistic result, you should use a red or yellow shade, but here is the best part of 3D printing: being able to create exactly what you want, however you desire! If you’re planning to do a party at night, you can use glow-in-the-dark filament for the most dazzling of celebrations.
- Who designed it? MatMake
- How printable/popular is it? Over 65 people have liked this model and it has been added to over 45 collections. Also, this model was one of the winners of the “Celebration Decorations” contest by Printables.
- Where to find it? Printables
Create Your Own Decorations!
Unique-shaped cake toppers are awesome, but sometimes you just need a custom decoration for your event. Let’s explore some ways in which you can make your own cake toppers.
3D Scanning
This is probably the coolest way to customize your cake topper. It’s also arguably the most expensive one, but you can create special memories with it, keeping the decoration after the party. You can either buy a 3D scanner yourself or contact a company that offers this service. With 3D scanning, you can create a digital model of yourself or the celebrated and 3D print it.
Lithophane
If you want something simpler than the 3D scanning option but would like to have a customized image too, you should consider lithophanes. For those who are not familiar, lithophanes are photos created with 3D layers. The magic happens when you illuminate them from behind and they reveal the hidden photo. You can easily create them with online tools, such as ItsLitho. Remember that you will need a light source behind the lithophane to make the image really pop, so you may need to consider this when you order your dessert – you may need a bigger cake!
Colored Lithophanes
You can take your lithophane a step further with HueForge. This software will allow you to literally 3D print a 3D photo in colors, a really cool option that no baker can realize. The best thing is that you can print it on every 3D printer – you don’t need a multicolor machine or an add-on! With some simple layer color changes, you’re good to go. The only thing to pay attention to is the nozzle diameter and layer height: the thinner, the better. You can also try the Color Lithophane Maker and read our guide on it!
Custom Writings
Last but not least, this is the simplest option, although it’s still worth considering. You can easily customize a cake topper by adding custom labels, such as your name. You can use a Customizable Cake Topper model as a base or you can download one of the other models on this list and customize it if you’ve got some CAD skills. You can either choose between CAD software or you can use PrusaSlicer’s Text tool to personalize it quickly. The beauty is that, because you’re 3D printing it, you can decide on every detail, such as the font, special symbols, and dimensions.
License: The text of "3D Printed Cake Toppers: The Best Options" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.