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Cake Decorating
101- Introduction |
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Cake
Decorating Guide |
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Shhhh... I
won't tell...find premade stuff for decorating a cake with.
CLICK HERE
for information. Find flowers in every color made from royal icing, gum
paste decorations, etc. |
 The
term "Cake Decorating" means to take a baked and cooled cake and to fill and
frost it and/or make simple or elaborate designs on the sides or top. Decorating
can also be done when presenting the finished cake.
Decorations are really the final wrapping or
packaging that someone sees and should be as good as the cake on the inside.
Always use delicacy and restraint. The purpose of cake decorations are to entice
people and at the same time suggest the flavor, texture and feel of the cake and
event. They should not overwhelm the cake, but rather enhance it
Decorating can be as simple as applying a
buttercream icing,
glaze or
dusting a stencil with
confectioner's sugar or cocoa powder. It can be as complex as
piping intricate designs
with a pastry bag, topped with pulled sugar or chocolate flowers and more. But
whatever decorating stage you are in, here there's almost 40 screens-full of
instruction and tips, not including the over 300 links to other related
information found at baking911.com.
Cake
decorating terms
that you find in
recipes are clearly explained, as well as a whole chart called:
Icing, Filling and Glaze Choices,
listing the different types available, how well they hold up in all sorts of
weather, plus storage tips
for your decorated cake. For those decorating a
Wedding Cake, there's information for you, too.
Cake Decorating
is not an impossible art to learn, but it does take practice and
patience. Start with a
buttercake or Pound cake recipe
or even use a cake mix.
And, my advice is that if you don't like the design
that you've created on your frosted cake, serve it anyway and never apologize to
your family or friends; remember it's always a labor of love, no matter how it
turns out !! (You should have seen some of my early cake fiascos).
Happy Baking,
Sarah
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Before You Start:
Five Cake Icing Tips |
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Icing the cake to a smooth finish is one of the
most important parts of cake decorating. The decorations, no
matter how careful one is, always look their best against an evenly iced
cake.
This procedure has
been broken down into 5 steps: 1)
learning to bake a cake, 2) cooling
the cake before proceeding; 3) leveling
(trim and torte) the layers, 4) filling the
layers and icing the cake, and 5) smoothing
the icing and preparing its surface for decorations.
Neatness and precision
count. Both come
only through practice. A cake looks so much more beautiful with a simple
design that is executed with precision, rather than with a complex one
that is not. |
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STEP #1:
Learning to bake a
cake is the first step to successful decorating.
What is the perfect cake? One
that is smooth, has a light, golden brown surface with very few crumbs and a
nice, springy crust. It should be precisely level top and bottom.
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| A
great way to practice your cake decorating skills is on a cake made from a
boxed mix from any brand. With it you simply place the liquid
ingredients, usually eggs, oil and water into your mixing bowl, add the
dry mix, stir to moisten and beat for the amount of time listed in the
box's directions. It is a quick and simple way to make a cake.
For those of you
who wish to make a boxed mix, but not in the usual way, you can check out
"The
Cake Mix Doctor" by Ann Byrn.
This is a great book that takes you through many recipes that begin with a
box cake mix and end up with a much different type of cake.
Of course, you can always
bake your own favorite scratch cake or buy
one to decorate. |
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I
always freeze my cakes (very well wrapped) overnight before decorating.
This way, if I need to split or trim them
afterwards they won't fall apart. Also, they are much easier to move
around when they are frozen. You don't have to worry as much about
breakage. |
STEP #2:
Many people are surprised to learn that most cakes are NOT decorated within
an hour of baking. First, the cake has to
cool thoroughly before proceeding.
 DECORATED
CAKE TIMELINE: If you need a decorated cake for Saturday,
here are some suggestions for a perfect cake:
Icing & Glaze Choice
Guide. |
In addition, cakes actually improve with a
short stay in the freezer to tighten their crumb and to help it retain
moisture once decorated. (Professional bakers do this). A freshly baked and
decorated cake, when cut, can sometimes turn into a large pile of crumbs
from slices that don't keep their shape or break in half. Freezing helps
prevent this.
To freeze each cake layer, first cool each
one and wrap individually in plastic wrap with an outside layer of foil or
placed in a resealable plastic bag. Store it in the back of the freezer (the
coldest part) anywhere from 4 to 24 hours before using. More about
cake storage.
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STEP #3:
Most of my decorated cakes are first
leveled and trimmed. They
are optionally torted.
After the cake has cooled one hour, you
will need to trim and level each layer. This is true for all cakes, even
for shaped ones, like novelty cakes.
Leveling removes the crown from the cake center and gives you an even
decorating surface. Trimming cuts off any dry edges.
Torting means to take a layer and slice it
into many layers, usually three or four. (For the beginner, stick to
slicing the layer in half and learning how to keep an even cut.) The
result is a cake with thin layers alternating with icing which makes a
pretty sliced presentation when served. |
 Remember
that anytime you use a perishable icing, filling or decoration, the
decorated cake must be refrigerated. |
STEP #4:
The next step to
filling,
frosting and
decorating the cake, is to use a good,
consistent icing as the base.
There are so many different
recipes out there that it can be
confusing. To help
you with choices check out my
Icing & Glaze Choice Guide. It's
best to select one appropriate for the time you have to prepare the cake,
the event and weather.
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Buttercream,
made with real butter, has the consistency of whipped butter and will
melt in heat or humidity, a serious consideration for summer nuptials (buttercream
with shortening holds up better); whereas
Fondant — a mixture of
sugar, gelatin and corn syrup — will not and makes a perfect choice for
summer events. |
After you work with a certain icing or glaze
for awhile you will have your own preference as far as taste and
consistency. I prefer to use the
Perfect Buttercream Recipe, created after much trial and error.
It isn't too stiff that it glides on the cake, and is not so thin that I
have to worry about it oozing off of the sides. I don't like my icing to
crust over, but stay creamy for many days, which this one does.
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You can use ready-made icing
for decorating with --
Wilton
makes tubes of icing that accommodate metal tips and couplers. Grocery
store frosting is good for icing a cake, but it is too thick for
decorating. |
If
coloring the icing, use restraint. I recommend using
gel colors because they are much
more subtle than the paste ones, and allow for a greater margin of error.
Mix the color a few shades lighter than you want
because as it dries, the color will get darker as it sits, especially
overnight. Always mix more than you think you'll need of each. It is almost
impossible to mix the exact color again if you need more. |
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Practice
with your icing beforehand. If you like, you can make a simple
practice icing with 1 cup of shortening and about 3 to 4 cups of powdered
sugar and water to reach a smooth consistency. This icing is storable at
room temperature and will not spoil since it does not contain any
perishable ingredients. But its flavor is quite nasty, so use it for
decorating practice only. If you use actual icing to
practice with, keep it separate from the icing you will use on your
cake. |
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STEP #5:
Smooth the icing on the cake before
going to the
Cake
Decorating Guide.
Icing the cake to a smooth finish is one of the most
important parts of cake decorating. For many it can be the hardest part of
cake decorating to achieve. The decorations, no matter how careful one is,
will not look their best against an unevenly iced cake.
Many cake decorations can be applied with a
pastry bag, but
there are many alternatives.
A pastry bag is awkward to hold at first and you need to practice before
starting a real cake; click here for
complete information
on how. Usually bottom
borders
are put on first, then swags or
stringwork, then top
borders
are added, with
buttercream flowers, top decorations or
writing
added last. Keep icing very soft for stringwork. Stiff icing breaks easier
while transporting. Do take a repair kit with you when delivering the cakes.
When done, the most important part is to
enjoy your creation with family and friends. Of course, afterwards you'll
need to properly store
your decorated cake, if there's anything left !! |
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Easy decorations are also
elegant on a cake. They can be as simple as dusting with confectioner's
sugar or decorating with fresh fruit or
edible flowers.
Use your imagination. |
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