cake decorating ideas

Cake Decorating Ideas
By Julia D. Johnson

A delightful cake is all that we require celebrating an occasion. It not only adds color to our joy but also transcends us into a glorious world of fashionable food.

No cake is complete without its decorating. In fact decorating makes the cake fancier and makes us more eager to have it. For decorating a cake all that is required is sugar for icing and plentiful creative ideas to enhance the look and feel of the cakes. Moulds are available in the market in various shapes and sizes such as flower moulds or moulds in the shape of some cartoon characters. Thick cream can be filled in these moulds to get different kinds of items for beautification. Apart from cream other edible articles such as chocolates(grated, solidified into figures or in the liquid form), candies, butter cream, fruit pieces like cherries, strawberries and pineapples can be used according to imagination and occasion.

Thematic decoration of the cakes not only adds flavor to the occasion but also proves the importance of the occasion. Such as a cake meant for a wedding or an anniversary can be given a glossy or a snowy look by sprinkling fine sugar loosely over the top layer and its sides can be decked out with floral designs made of soft cream. Likewise a kid's party or a birthday can be made more colorful by positioning Disney characters using moulds on the top layer.

Cake decorating can also be designed with similar colors or symbols to remind important days like a cake with the color of national flag or symbol add stars to the celebration of the Independence Day. Similar arrangements can be done matching to the taste of the season.

There are a number of frostings or icings used for cake decorations. Victorian style, Royal icing, Fondant, Ganache, Marzipan are a few of them.

While cake decoration is a form of fine art, there are a number a number of culinary schools that teach this wonderful art. This art form can be learned from home too with the help of various books and CDs that provide step by step, simple procedures to master this skill. Cake decorating can become a good source of income once you become proficient in this art. Greater numbers of companies are looking for new and creative ideas for the decoration and ornamentation of the sugary coated sweet desserts. It can also be developed as a hobby that provides immense satisfaction and applauds once you are through with it. Hence cake decoration is a magnificent art.

Remember the useful book : Sugarcraft book.

fondant cakes

12 Cake Decorating Tips For Fondant

By Lindsay Pollard

Fondant provides a smooth, satiny surface on which you can attach all sorts of sugary decorations such as ribbons, embroidery, and flowers. The possibilities are as endless as your creativity, but first you need to become familiar with fondant. The following 12 cake decorating tips are offered to help you "get your feet wet".

1. To save time or to help you get started, purchase rolled fondant at a cake decorating supply store or a large arts and crafts store. Ready-made fondant is white or pre-tinted. You can also purchase small packages of colored fondant to use for decorations. Yet another option is to purchase a mix.
2. Leftover icing can be kept for up to two months at room temperature, when sealed in an airtight package.
3. Always apply a thin layer of butter cream icing before covering a cake with fondant.
4. When fondant rips or tears, repair with fresh icing or try to smooth the break with a small amount of shortening on your finger tips.
5. As you are working, keep your supply of icing securely wrapped so that it doesn't dry out.
6. You can cover the cake board with rolled fondant to present your cake in a classy way. Drape the fondant over the cake and board as one flowing piece; or create a fondant base in a contrasting color.
7. Poured fondant is easier to apply to a cake and gives a shiny, smooth surface. Poured fondant is a convenient way to cover cupcakes.
8. Apply color to the icing dough with a toothpick - this allows you to carefully control the amount of color you knead into the dough.
9. If you stop kneading the dough before the color is fully blended in, you can create a marble color effect!
10. Apply fondant decorations to the cake using a very small amount of water on a dampened brush.
11. Find things you have at home to decorate with. For example, a button can be used to emboss designs onto a cake.
12. To create ribbons, purchase a fondant ribbon cutter. A fancy version of this tool is a cutter that can also emboss patterns such as stripes or beads.

How to Polish Your Fondant Skills

The most important cake-decorating tip of all for those who want to become accomplished cake decorators is: Take cake decorating classes. Start with the foundational skills and then move on to advanced courses. In classes you will learn from experienced instructors and have the benefit of advice as you work through projects. You will also have the opportunity to network with other enthusiasts and share cake decorating tips and ideas.

grooms cake

Fun Ideas For Groom's Cakes
By Leefe Poche

Here Comes the Groom:

Bringing Back the groom's cake tradition In the South, the groom's cake is a longstanding tradition. Historically, each young single woman who attended the wedding would get to take home a piece of this delicious cake. It was thought that if she placed the slice of cake under her pillow, she would soon find a husband.

Today, the old tradition of the Groom's Cake is making a comeback, with spectacular results. Decorated to reflect the groom's interests, hobbies, or career, the groom's cake can be served at the rehearsal dinner, at a separate event, or even alongside the wedding cake at the main event.

Following are some fantastic ideas for choosing a themed groom's cake.

1. Sports:

the groom might enjoy a cake decorating in the colors of his favorite sports team, or to resemble a soccer ball, football, or baseball. A fun and unique idea is to take a simple rectangular sheet cake, and to decorate it to resemble a soccer field or basketball court, complete with miniature goals or hoops (check your local toy store) and players (plastic figurines).

2. Formal dress cake:

another fun idea is to decorate a sheet cake with fondant or icing so that it looks like the front of a suit or tuxedo. Don't forget to add an icing bowtie or tie, as well as an edible boutonnières.

3. Games and hobbies:

find out what passions the groom has, and try to replicate them in cake! A chessboard, a fish grooms cake , a poker table, or even a golf course can be made using cake and icing.

4. Traditional grooms cakes:

if you're not up for the challenge of creating a themed cake decorating, a delicious and attractive groom's cake can possess a more traditional style. Similar to a small-scale wedding cake, a traditional groom's cake can have multiple layers and a cake topper, but try to use more "masculine" colors and patterns, such as brown, buff, or burgundy, and checkerboard or geometric patterns.

A "mad hatter" style cake is a unique and crazy grooms cakes . However you slice it, having grooms cakes will delight bride, groom, and attendees alike. It's also a great way to showcase the groom's interests, favorites, and skills. Remember, weddings are no longer just about the bride! It is high time that the groom's cake makes a comeback.

See also the related articles : Cup Cakes recipes

wilton cake decorating

The Cake Decorating Wilton Method
By Sid G

Frosting a cake can be a fun job, until you get along with it and understand that it is not at all times as simple as it appear. How about making your own homemade cakes look as professional and extraordinary like the cakes you get at the store? You can accomplish this professional appearance merely by following the Cake Decorating Wilton Method. The Wilton cake decoration is one of the most popular and customary of all the cake decoration methods. Following are a few tips for succeeding the use of the Wilton cake method.

What kind of Cake Mixture should be used?

It doesn't matter what kind of cake mixture you are choosing. One can choose any type of mixture which suits the requirements. The cake decorating Wilton method recommends particularly the Duncan Hines cake mixtures in order to make sure that you get the same batter quantity on each cake. So, in real meaning, you would have to select a cake mixture that can give you firmness and consistency. While using the well-known Wilton cake method, you would have to add one or two tablespoons of Wilton meringue powder. This particular powder will make sure that the cake can get higher than it otherwise would.

How to prepare cake pans for Wilton cake method

According to cake decorating Wilton method you will have to take special care while preparing cake pans. Here is a simple tip that can make a world of difference when you are preparing the cake pan. Take a simple two inch broad paint brush and brush on vegetable shortening in the cake pan. After greasing the cake pan, dust the pan with little flour. If you see any part of the pan shining, make sure to brush on more vegetable shortening and then dust with flour. Whatever you do, make sure you don't fill the cake pan more than halfway.

The Wilton cake Method based On Very Easy tips

According to the cake decorating Wilton Method, before starting the icing of your cake you will have to be completely sure that it is stored in an airtight container. The cake is allowed to set at least for a day or overnight before you start icing it. By using a professional cake leveler prepare the cake for decoration .Level the top of the cake so that you are working with a smooth plane cake. Use a saw-like knife if you don't know how to use a cake leveler. Make sure you trim all crumbs that may be left behind. Keep in mind that tries to work only on a smooth leveled cake.

Applying the First Coat of Icing

The first coat of icing should be applied liberally. Avoid touching your spatula directly to the cake, as this will cause crumbs to stick. Instead, apply a moderate amount of icing and spread it around. Assume this first icing as a crumb layer, while applying icing make sure the crumbs are stick to the surface of the cake. After applying the first layer of icing, let it set minimum for 15 minutes and if possible then longer.

Icing the Sides of the Cake

For a novice one of the trickiest parts of cake decorating Wilton method is to ice the sides of the cake. The Wilton cake method names this trouble with a particular tip. This tip is known as tip # 789, and it can help you attain consistency all through working on the sides of the cake.

cake edible

Edible Printouts For Your Cakes
By Jeffrey Spahn

Just how do those bakeries do the birthday cake printouts?

Can I do this on my inkjet printer at home?

I'll answer those questions for you in this article.

Printing on a sheet to overlay your birthday cake might seem like something you could not do at home.

If you don't want to eat that printout, it is something you can accomplish with your printer, existing ink and some tracing paper. If you do want to eat that printout, it is another story entirely.

To do a birthday cake printout that you can eat you are going to need some specialized equipment and paper.

1. A compatible printer
2. Edible Ink Cartridges
3. Edible Paper
4. Edible Pens

Compatible Printer

You don't have to buy a new printer to print edible birthday cake printouts. It's possible to convert an old printer that has been used for regular printing jobs as a printer for edible ink. All that you need to do is to clean the printer, especially the printer head, thoroughly to remove all traces of the regular ink that was once used with it.

There are two brands of printers out on the market that have readily available edible ink cartridges for birthday cake printouts. Epson and Canon.

The Epson printers that are currently supported are:

WORKFORCE 500, WORKFORCE 600, NX100, NX200, NX300, NX400, CX5000, CX6000, CX7000F, CX7400, CX8400, CX9400F, and Stylus 1400.

Stylus Models: 1400, C87, C87+, C88 and C88+

The Canon printers that currently allow you to do birthday cake printouts are:

ALL-in-One Systems: MP510, MP520, MX700, MP500, MP800, MP810, MP830, MX850

Printers: IP3300, IP3500, IP6600D and IP6700D. There are various discontinued Canon printers out there in the Pixima line that can be used as well but I can't vouch for them.

Edible Ink Cartridges

Your printer is the first step in making birthday cake printouts. The second thing you're going to need is the specialty ink used to print your pictures. Not just any old ink will do. There are specialized FDA approved inks for use on your cake's edible paper.

These inks are not just any old ink. A great deal of care, cleanliness and formulation goes into the making of edible inks. Plain old food coloring injected in your old inject cartridge won't work, not to mention be safe!

Each printer has a specific requirement for the cartridges needed. Canon printers can get by with a black cartridge and a color cartridge. This might be fine if you are doing some very basic, low volume printing but remember the single color cartridges will not give you as much print output as individual tanks will.

Something else to consider is just how many prints are you going to make? Is this going to blossom into a little side business or do you plan to just print out one or two for your son's birthday?

If it is the former, by all means, get yourself a printer, ink and paper and go for it. If you just want to print out one sheet and put it on a cake, you might want to consider contacting one of the myriad of companies out there that do birthday cake printouts and have them do it for you.

The prices might seem high for a single printout but consider what it would cost to buy the ink cartridges ($50 or so) and clean your printer and buy the edible paper.

Edible Paper

The next item required for making a birthday cake printout is edible paper. While edible paper is related to the paper you use everyday at work and home there is a key difference. The ingredients. Edible paper is made from rice or potato starch.

Nearly all of the papers out there are Kosher to boot!

Depending on the brand and composition, the paper can be somewhat brittle so you have to be a little more careful handling it than you would with regular paper.

Most of these papers are designed only to melt in water (i.e. your mouth) and not on the cake. You can be assured of a very nice looking product if you pick a quality edible paper for your birthday cake printout.

Edible Ink Pens

Maybe you don't want to print on your cake but you would like to write on some of the edible paper with an edible color marker. Wilton, the everything about cakes company makes these and they are wonderful.

Let your kids draw on the edible paper and create their own decorations without all of the mess that would happen if you gave them a pastry bag and let them go to town on the cake.

kids cake

Let the Kids Make Their Own Birthday Cake

By Lisa Paterson

It’s birthday time. And it is time for you to arrange your child’s birthday party.

There is so much to think about and do.

Firstly you need to find some invitations and write on them. This is after arguing about how many can come and who to invite.

You will need to come up with a menu of food and then either buy it or make it.

There are the decorations. Balloons, streamers, table cloth, banners…...

The party favors for all the guest to take home. Some food for the parents that stay. A party outfit for your child, something for you.

Argh! Does it ever stop.

And then, of course is the cake. Oh mi – the CAKE.

What to do? Well by this stage there is no budget left (that blew out at the invitation stage).

Do you make something?

You could.

But of course your child wants a cake that looks like a dalmatian puppy/palomino pony/tyrannosaurus/a transformer – that transforms/harry potter/hogwats. (What ever happened to Humpty Dumpty?)

Too hard, too tiring and not enough time.

OK. Lets try something novel.

Why not make (or buy) enough cupcakes for each child to have one. Cover with plain frosting.

And then ….

Let the Children decorate.

All you need do is to set out an array of candies, sprinkles and chocolates. And let each child decorate their own cupcake.

For smaller children just let them decorate which ever way they like.

But for older children, maybe you could set a theme. You could even go as far as to award prizes. Though, I do suggest enough prizes for each child. They could be awarded for the best use of candy, the most original, for thinking outside the square, most life like etc etc.

This not only solves the cake issue but keeps them occupied for ages.

And to cherish the moment, why not take a photo of each child’s completed cake.

Until our next Cooking Encounter

Enjoy Cooking!

Visit the related articles : What the better way to celebrate