|
Start from the
top with the easiest decorating ideas and go down the list to the most
complex. |
|
BAKE A CAKE: |
Follow my
steps for successful cake making. |
|
LEVEL & TORT LAYERS: |
Level the
dome that forms on a baked cake top. Tort means to cut the layers
horizontally to make more layers. |
|
FILL A
CAKE: |
Choose a
filling that compliments your icing or glaze. |
|
FROST A CAKE: |
If you like
simplicity, you can just
frost the cake
with icing or cover it with a simple
glaze. My favorite
is the Perfect Buttercream
Recipe, which is easy to make and use. It can be flavored with
fruit, chocolate or liqueurs.
Meringue is another choice. You can make
patterns in icings, such
as swirls and spikes with a small spatula, and even
with an icing comb. Tinting
frosting beforehand always gives great results, too. |
|
APPLY GLAZES: |
Glazes such
as
Chocolate Ganache or
an Apricot Glaze can
be poured over a cake. They leave a smooth and shiny, thin surface.
Depending upon the glaze, a layer of
buttercream or
marzipan can be iced or
placed over it. Sauces served on the side make a nice accompaniment to a
glazed cake, such as a
raspberry coulis or any seasonal berry. |
|
USE EASY DECORATIONS: |
Use
nontraditional decorating
items such as chopped toasted
nuts, colored
sugar or coconut,
candied citrus peel, or even
shaved chocolate, sprinkled
on top or adhered to the
sides. It gives the cake a nice finishing touch. Even
fresh fruit can be used to
decorate with. |
|
PUT A PERSONALIZED PHOTO OR LOGO ON THE
CAKE |
An
online company
will put your photo on a fondant sheet. (A local bakery may do the same).
Maximum photo size is 8" x 10". These sheets can be shipped with simple
instructions; you can purchase the desired sheet cake locally and apply
the fondant photo yourself. This will enable you to create your own photo
cake. |
|
DUST OR STENCIL A PATTERN: |
Lightly
sprinkle sifted confectioner's sugar or cocoa powder on the top of a cake
or cupcake, using a stencil to
create a pattern, when removed. Make a transfer with
Piping gel and place
on cake. |
|
PIPE DESIGNS: |
A
pastry bag,
decorating cone
or even a ziplock bag
can be used to
pipe a design
with frosting,
whipped cream,
royal icing
etc. on an already frosted cake.
(Royal icing can also be used when decorating
Gingerbread Houses or
Cookies). You can even "pipe" buttercream frosting through a
potato ricer, to create a
"Spaghetti Cake Recipe". What's nice about piping is that you can
get a simple or as complex as you want. A
simple border design
is sometimes all you need for a finishing touch. Or, just writing a
special message or making designs on top of the cake, in brightly colored
icing with a parchment cone,
looks special, too. A
basketweave pattern, which is more complex, can be piped on the
skin-coated cake. Even
placing differently colored
piped buttercream
flowers on the top of the cake are so pretty, but are more complex
to make. |
|
USE CRYSTALLIZED FLOWERS OR FRUIT |
An iced cake
or cupcake looks so pretty topped with
crystallized edible
flowers. Even decorate with
sugared grape clusters. |
|
APPLY MARZIPAN: |
It can be
used in baking and for covering and filling cakes. Also, how about using
tiny marzipan fruits? It has to have at least 25 % almonds otherwise it is
considered almond paste. |
|
APPLY FONDANT,
ETC. |
Fondant is a
smooth, creamy white mass and is used for both icing cakes and cake
decorations. It can be rolled or poured over
cakes and cookies.
A cake covered with it has one of the most exquisite backgrounds for
piping designs
on. Pastillage is a
Fondant that is perfect for making decorations, as it dries quickly.
Gumpaste
is a type of sugar paste or
pastillage made with vegetable gum, which dries very hard. This
paste can be rolled very thin and formed into everything from decorative
boxes to lifelike flowers. This is considered "technically" edible. If
eaten, it will not harm you, but it is not palatable. |
