DIY Concrete Planters: Cute Pots Shaped Like Cupcakes

4 Materials
$5
60 Minutes
Easy

The beauty of DIY concrete planters is they can be made in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Here we show you how to make cute little cement pots cast in silicone cupcake cases. These gorgeous cupcake planters are perfect for using as succulent party favours (if you can bring yourself to give them away), or as a unique table centrepiece.

What you need to make DIY concrete planters shaped like cupcakes

Quick set cement mix (Amazon)

Silicone Cupcake Cases (Amazon)

Cork Bungs

Nails

Although the terms cement and concrete tend to be used interchangeably, cement is actually an ingredient of concrete. Concrete is a mixture of aggregates (sand and gravel) and paste (cement and water). For this project, I decided to use a quick set cement or mortar mix. I reasoned that the cupcake moulds are so small I needed a fine-grained blend to be able to pour it into them and pick up the detail of their fluted edge. If I were casting a large concrete planter using a ready mixed concrete would be cheaper and have the benefit of being stronger.

The size cork needed will depend on the size of the cupcake cases. The cases I used measure 50mm at their base and 70mm wide at the top. The cork bungs I used measure 43mm at their narrower end and 50mm at their widest end.

How to make DIY concrete planters shaped like cupcakes.

Sit the silicone cupcake case over the smaller end of the cork bung and push the nail through the centre of both as shown in the photo.

The nail should be pushed almost all the way through leaving just enough gap at the nail head end to form the base of the planter. Once the pin is in position, pull the case back flush with the nail head, and the cork will be suspended in place forming the mould.

To prevent the cupcake cases losing their shaped once I added the cement mix, I sat each of my moulds in ramekins to support them.

I mixed the cement in an old glass jar that I could pour from and made it runny enough that it would flow smoothly. This mix starts to set in about 15 minutes, so I worked quickly and didn’t stop to take photos.

Once the cement mix was poured into my cupcake planter moulds, I tapped each one on the table a few times to ensure it had spread evenly and removed any air pockets.

I left the cement for 15 minutes to harden, then twisted each cork to prevent them from setting hard in the concrete. This makes it easier to remove them once the cement is fully set.

After an hour, my DIY concrete planters had set hard, and I was able to remove them from their moulds. You can see that they look exactly like little cupcake cases and really are pretty even in their natural colour.

Decorating our concrete cupcake planters

Concrete continues to cure and increase in strength over time. I left my little cupcake planters for 24 hours to cure before I painted them.

There are lots of different products that can be used to paint concrete planters. I sprayed mine with a white craft spray paint that is suitable for lots of different materials, including stone. Before using waterproof pens to pick out the fluted detail of the cupcake cases.

Each of my DIY concrete planters has a hole in their centre made by the nail, which is perfect for drainage. The planting area is just right for a small succulent to fit in, and I think the foliage is the ideal shape to be the ‘icing’ on my cupcakes.

My finished cupcake planters really are adorable. I am delighted with how they turned out, and the moulds are fine to be used again so it would be easy to make lots to use as succulent party favours.

They would also look super cute displayed on a cake stand as an original table centrepiece.

If this has whetted your appetite for cute ways to display succulents, check out some of our other succulent projects on our blog. We've got a succulent hedgehog made out of trash which is super easy to make. Other beautiful ways to display succulents in the garden include our Garden Art Made From Colourful Succulents or our pretty Succulent Christmas Tree.

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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 22 questions
  • Cindy Jo Cindy Jo on Jan 08, 2020

    How does the ph level of concrete effect the plants chosen? Did you add anything to soil to balance the acidic levels?

  • Dorie Dorie on Jan 08, 2020

    You really need those pictures that you didnt have time for. Since I havent done anything like this before it is a missing link for me. The pictures are a big help. Maybe have someone taking pics fof you? Cute idea

  • Lauren Palermo Lauren Palermo on Jan 08, 2020

    How big are the cork bungs? Could you just use a wine bottle cork? Or would that be too narrow?

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  • Wendy Wendy on Jun 17, 2022

    Very cute will be making these. Not sure what you do with the cork

    • Craft Invaders Craft Invaders on Jun 17, 2022

      You are just using the cork to create the planting space Wendy - In effect you are using it and the cupcake case to make a mold


  • Donna Bates Donna Bates on Jun 17, 2022

    Adorable

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