Cake Decorating Blog

There is quite a bit to learn about fondant decorating, and whether you are an aspiring baker or just want to make a nice cake for your family, you are going to want to learn more about fondant decorating and how to decorate a cake and get the results that you are looking for.

The Details

One of the most important things to remember when it comes to frosting a cake is that you need to make sure that you wait until it is cool. This is important because if you try to put the icing on when the cake is still warm, the icing will just end up melting all off and the cake will end up looking a mess.

Then you want to get some icing sugar or fondant decorating if you already have it available, and just make sure that if you are making the icing at home that you do not use regular sugar because it is not fine enough. For a cake that is about 9 inches in diameter you will need roughly one cup of icing sugar, and if your cake is larger you will want to increase the recipe accordingly.

Then you want to boil some water, and remember that you will only need a very small amount this is just to basically wet the icing. Then pour some boiling water on the icing sugar, and then stir the sugar and water together and make sure to check the consistency, because if you find that it is too thick you will want to add a bit more water, and if it is too thin, add a bit more sugar.

Now comes the really fun part, where you get to color the icing. You can find food coloring in almost every color of the rainbow, so no matter what color you want to go with you will probably be able to. Just keep in mind that if you are planning on putting other decorations on the cake as well or if you are trying to keep the cake in check with a certain theme for instance, you will want to carefully think out what colors you are going to use in your fondant decorating.

Baking and fondant decorating your cake is certainly a lot of fun, and remember this along the way. Even if you are making a more difficult cake, you still want to make sure that you are enjoying yourself.

If you are going to be fondant cake decorating, there are a few tips and tricks that you are going to want to be aware of and which will ensure you come out of this all with the best possible results.

Especially if you have no fondant cake decorating experience, this information will help you get off on the right foot and help you stay positive and really have fun with the whole process.

Tips

One of the best fondant cake decorating tips is to always place the cake on the plate or serving platter that you want to display it on, before you start with the frosting. This is important because you are not going to want to move the cake after you have frosted it, and so you want to make sure that it is on an attractive platter that will be nice to look at and which of course suits the theme of the cake.

If you are making a Valentine’s Day cake for instance, you may want to go with a pink or red plate to display the cake on.

Another important fondant cake decorating tip is to brush off extra cake crumbs from off the top of the cake before you start frosting it, which is important because you don’t want to see pieces of cake crumb in the finished product.

You can use paste food coloring to get the most vivid colors, and you can really create any color imaginable. Whatever theme you are going with you should stick to colors that compliment that. Birthdays should have lots of bright colors, while for Easter cakes for instance you would want to stick to lighter pastels.

Another great fondant cake decorating tip is to hold the decorating tip close to the surface of your cake and squeeze the bag with even pressure, using your other hand to keep the bag steady. It can be very difficult to remove icing once it has been put on the cake so you need to make sure that you get it done the first time around.

There are some great cake decorating courses and classes that you can attend if you want to get extra good at cake decorating, and which you will probably be able to find at your local community center. This way you can work with a professional cake decorator who will be able to show you the ins and outs and ensure that you have everything down pat.

Using flowers for cake decorating is one of the most common types of cake decorating. In spite of the common cake decorating flowers, many still like this type of decoration because there are so many choices. Cake decorating with flowers and leaves create a great wedding cake and birthday cake. These choices include decorating with sugar flowers or real flowers.

Real Flowers

Cake decorating flowers which are real can be a challenge in the sense that you should avoid the cut tips of the real flowers from touching the cake to avoid contamination. The tips should be wrapped with foil or waxed paper. Real flowers have the most vivid colors and can complement the flowers used for the wedding. Roses, gerbera and lilies are popular choices for cake decorating flowers. Many decorate real flowers in between tiers or as a cascade from one layer to another. Others place real flowers as cake toppers fro those cakes less than four layers while other place the real flowers strategically around the cake.

Flower Icing

Cake decorating flowers made from sugar are easier to attach to the cake and have less worries of contaminating the cake. These have varied sizes and colors and can be placed anywhere on the cake. Smaller pieces are usually placed on the covering icing of the cake while bigger pieces may be used as focal points. Some decorators and coupes prefer smaller off white colored flowers to add texture to the cake while others like to use bigger ones which stand out with pastel colors.

Using cake decorating flowers for a wedding cake or a birthday cake can really make the cake more unique and beautiful.

Children’s birthdays are never complete without a birthday cake. No matter how simple or extravagant the cake is, children will always look for a birthday cake to commemorate their special day. One way of making their birthday cakes more memorable and beautiful is to add edible cake decorations which are interesting and uniquely preferred by the celebrant. Children also love to eat these cake decorations off the cakes.

Suggestions For Edible Cake Decorations

There are numerous edible cake decorations suitable for children’s birthday cakes. These cake decorations are usually small decorations that can be placed strategically all over the cake such as flowers, snowflakes, geometric shapes, cartoons characters and others. There are also some gold or silver cake decorations that stand out among the more basic decorations. What edible cake decorations to use on the birthday cake depend on the motif or preference of the celebrant.

The larger sized edible cake decorations are usually used as cake toppers or as the focal point of a birthday cake. Some of these cake decorations are not entirely edible since these needs to have wire frames to support the icing. The larger cake decorations used as a cake top are usually intricate flowers, swathes of icing ribbons made from fondant and other cartoon or animation characters.

These edible cake decorations are not only used for cakes but the smaller ones are also used for cup cakes and muffins decorations. Many bakers add these decorations to make their muffins and cup cakes look more festive and appropriate for birthday celebrations.

Cake decorating can be a fun and exhilarating achievement especially if the cake is a success. There are a lot of cake decorating supplies that a cake decorator needs. There are many basic supplies and among these are the cake decorating stands. Cake decorating stands are basically shaped like your typical cake stand except that it can turn to any degree you want it to. Some of the available cake decorating stands can be tipped forwards or backwards to accommodate any kind of cake decorating.

Turning And Tipping

These are the factors which make cake decorating stands valuable to cake decorators. The fact that you just place the cake on the revolving stand and turn it any which way you want to see your handiwork is a value in itself. It makes turning the cake easier on the turntable instead of lifting it up or turning it on the cardboard doily. This prevents the decorator from smudging the frosting or icing.

Tipping is another factor which makes cake decorating stands an asset to have. Although not all stands have the tipping feature, you can choose those that tip forwards and backwards for your benefit. This allows the decorator to tip the cake to a certain degree for better access to the sides of the cake.

Some of the fancier cake decorating stands can also double as a cake stand on which the cakes can be displayed for the benefit of guests during a party or for displaying a cake during a show or event.

There are several kinds of decorating icing that are used on cakes, cupcakes and muffins. These kinds of decorating icing vary depending on their consistency, look and ingredients. There are some icings which need to be put on particular cakes because these tend to weigh down a cake so a heavier cake is necessary for these heavier icings.

Royal Icing

This decorating icing is quite common in commercial cakes and used to decorate cakes, cupcakes and muffins. It is highly similar to a meringue and hardens once it is set. The recipe for this kind of decorating icing consists mainly of egg whites and sugar. There may be more ingredients to this decorating icing depending on which recipe is used. The egg whites are beaten with the sugar until they form peaks. Royal icing can be easily made at home and is also used to stick decorations unto the cake. It is also used for piping and even for covering the entire cake. Coloring can be added to the icing.

Fondant Icing

Fondant icing is very popular for wedding cakes. This is because there is no limit to the kinds of decorating this icing presents. This decorating icing can be molded of shaped in to various designs and it creates an airtight seal for most cakes which help the cake last longer. This is a heavier type of decorating icing so the cake used needs to be heavier also to stand the pressure.

Buttercream Icing

This decorating icing is usually used for birthday cakes and sometimes cupcakes. Butter is the main ingredient for this icing as well as milk, sugar and vanilla. This is a favorite among children because of its rich sweetness. This decorating icing is best kept refrigerated.

Cupcake decorations vary depending on the motif of the event. In most cases, smaller cupcake decorations are used because the cupcakes themselves are small. Most cupcakes are the usual one and a half inch to two inches in diameter size which means that the decorations have about the same area to cover. There are also some factors which need to be considered when it comes to using cupcake decorations. These factors are usually the kind of event that the cupcakes are to be used as well as the preference of the person being celebrated on this event.

Icing And Non Pareils

Icing is the most common kind of cupcake decoration. This can be used to frost over the entire cupcake or to make a face on the cupcake. There are many different kinds of frosting or icing which can be used for the cupcakes. Non pareils are those small pieces of hardened icing which are usually shaken over the icing or the cupcake itself. These usually come in many different colors which are great for a more festive look. On the other hand, there are also some non pareils which are sold in single colors and even gold or silver.

Other Cupcake Decorations

Sugar decorations are also great as cupcake toppers. These also come in all shapes and sizes. These cupcake decorations can be in the form of baby items (baby bottles, bibs, baby shoes etc), flowers, Halloween items (witches’ heads, cats, pumpkins etc) and others. Some of the bigger cupcake decorations sugars are stuck into the cupcake itself and made to stand. Most of these kinds of decorations are edible and are most appealing to children and adults alike.

So you have baked the cake, and now you just need to know how to decorate it with cake fondant. There are so many wonderful methods that you can use to decorate your cake beautifully with cake fondant, but there is some information and a few tips in particular which will ensure that you come out of this all with the best possible results.

Get Icing!

Anyone can just take a knife and start sloshing on cake icing all over the cake, but if you really want to turn the cake into a work of art, you need to put some skill and time into this process. There is much more to frosting a cake than just using cake fondant and smearing it on wherever you feel like it.

One of the most important things to remember when it comes to applying cake fondant is to let the cake cool before you start. Lots of times people are in too much of a rush and start frosting the cake when it is still warm, and this will just end up leading to disaster.

If you start icing a cake before it has completely cooled, the icing will just end up melting off and you will be left with a mess. If you are in a rush, you can stick the cake in the fridge or freezer for a bit to cool it down faster, but the best way is to just let the cake cool down on its own, on your kitchen countertop.

Once it has cooled, you can start. You want to use a soft pastry brush to remove all the loose cake crumbs, so these do not show up in the frosting. Now you want to put the cake on whatever plate you are going to want to display it on, and then start with the cake fondant, beginning on the top and working your way down the sides.

You should leave the first layer of icing to sit for about fifteen minutes and then apply another one after this.

Thin layers are best, because you can always add more if you want to, but if you try to take some off this will be much more difficult.

A spatula is a great tool to use here, and is the perfect accessory to make ridges on the cake top by sweeping it through the frosting from side to side in evenly spaced strokes.

If you are interested in getting into the art of cake decorating, using the Internet will be a great benefit to you here. With the Internet you are able to browse through literally thousands of different websites in just a matter of minutes, finding tons of information and advice in the process.

There are a few cake decorating websites in particular that are really informative and which will be of assistance to you here, and these will be discussed in more detail for you here.

Savoir Faire

This is one fantastic online company that you can go through for any and all information having to do with cake decoration. They offer great recipes and tips, and even they are always offering new tips so you can keep checking back to find out what is new and exciting.

Their search tool is incredibly easy to use, so even if you do not have that much experience with computers and the Internet, you can still quickly and comfortably find just what you are looking for through this company.

Good Housekeeping

Another great website that you will want to check out for information on cake decorating is Good Housekeeping. You have probably heard of the Good Housekeeping magazine before, and this is just the online version of the magazine.

This website offers information not only on cake decorating but all baking, cooking, and other housekeeping activities such as cleaning, diet, health, style, and beauty.

They even have fun games and quizzes that you can play which will enhance your knowledge on food and baking, and a blog where various visitors to the website post their favorite recipes so you can check these out and see which you want to try out for yourself.

These are just two of the thousands of different websites that are based on baking and which you will want to check out to come out with the best results here. Remember, no matter how educated you become on something like cake decoration that practice is going to be the key here. Your cakes may not turn out perfect at first, but once you continue to try and get more practice at it, you will start to get better.

Most importantly of all, you want to make sure that you are having fun and enjoying yourself, because this is one of the most important aspects to baking. You want to be creative and never feel as though you are forced.

There are many different tools that you will want to have available when you are getting ready to start decorating a cake, but if you want to purchase a cake decorating set there are a few essentials that you are going to want to make sure are included. This way you will get everything you need for your next cake decorating experience in your cake decorating set.

There are a few items in particular that are of great importance, and this includes a rolling pin, acrylic board, side scraper, cake smoother, spatula, and icing tubes and tips.

Where to Buy

Now that you have a better idea of what you should be looking for in a cake decorating set, you will need to know where you can go to actually purchase one. Because cake decorating is such a popular hobby these days, there are various retailers offering these sets, but a few in particular that will really be worth your time to check out.

One company you can go through for a cake decorating set is the Create a Cake Shop, which actually offers one of the largest selections of cake decorating tools in North America. Their tools are used by professional cake decorators and so you know that you will be getting the perfect results that you are looking for with them, each and every time.

They have been a family owned and operated company for well over thirty years, and cater to consumers all around the world.

Another company that you can go through for this is Betty Crocker. All you cake decorators know what a familiar name Betty Crocker is, and you have probably seen the fantastic Betty Crocker cake decorating kit as seen on TV. This kit is available for just around thirty dollars, and contains everything you can imagine that you would ever need for cake decorating.

Whether you are making a cake for a wedding, anniversary, birthday, or other special occasion, you will be able to create the most beautifully crafted cake with these fancy, unique tools. There is also a detailed instruction booklet that offers great cake decoration tips and advice.

Remember, no matter where you go for your cake decorating set, you are going to want to wash off all the utensils first so that they are clean and free of germs. Cleaning them with boiling water is the best idea, so that they are completely sterilized and ready for use.