fondant cake decorating

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Fondant Cake Decorations - 7 Tips For That Perfect Wedding Cake

By Donald Saunders

Whether you make it yourself or buy it from your local supermarket, rolled fondant icing is the icing of choice choice for wedding cakes and for other "special occasion" cakes. Drying to a smooth matt porcelain finish, it is suitable for cakes of all shapes and provides the ideal base for the most intricate or simplest of decoration.
Fondant icing is a soft sugar-based icing that is generally rolled out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch, layed over the cake and smoothed and pressed into place before being trimmed for a perfect fit.
Despite the fact that fondant cake decorations are ideal for a wedding cake, fondant icing is not always easy to work with so here are a few tips to help you get that perfect result.
Tip 1. Fondant icing should be stored in a plastic bag (or covered in a non-permeable plastic wrap such as Sara wrap) and placed in a tightly sealed container to prevent it from drying out. Fondant icing should also be kept at room temperature and should not be put in the refrigerator. If the icing dries out and harden it can often be revived by popping it into a microwave oven for a few seconds and then kneading it back to life.
Tip 2. Fondant icing dries out very fast and should be applied to the cake quickly (within no more than 5 minutes) after it has been rolled out. Once fondant icing is applied, the cake can be stored without problem for several days at room temperature.
Tip 3. In the case of cakes with a number of tiers, each tier should be iced individually before assembling the cake. It is also advisable, when the final design allows, to store the tiers separately and to assemble them when the cake is needed.
Tip 4. For that truly professional looking finish, and to cover any rough edges, make a decorative border to go around the cake and, particularly, to cover the join between adjoining tiers.
Tip 5. Fondant icing should always be used at room temperature.
Tip 6. For a smooth and flawless result, ensure the working surface, rolling pin and hands are both clean and lint free. jewelry on your fingers or wrists, long hair, long fingernails and fluffy clothing could all cause problems.
Tip 7. A "crumb coat" (a thin layer of icing) should be applied to the cake before the fondant is added. This produces a tacky surface for the fondant icing to stick to.
When contemplating the quantity of fondant icing involved try to allow for having too much icing rather than too little, as leftover icing can be stored and used at a later date.
As a guide, for 3 1/2 inch high cake layers a 12 inch diameter round cake will need about 3 pounds of icing, while a 8 inch diameter square cake will need about 2 1/2 pounds of icing.
For some people fondant cake decorating, in spite of their marvellous appearance, are somewhat bland and this can be solved by adding flavoring, often accompanied with coloring. There are many flavorings available and typically to flavor one pound of icing you can add 1/2 cup of dried, shredded and sweetened coconut, 3 to 5 drops of oil of peppermint or 1/3 cup of hazelnut or peanut butter.

decorating cakes

Groom's Cake Decorating Ideas

By April Sanders

Bake him a cake decorating in the shape of something he loves, like beer.

According to tradition, single women who attend a wedding should put a slice of the groom's cake under their bed that night and they will dream of their future husband. Today, the groom's cake is most often served at either the wedding or the wedding rehearsal dinner. The cake itself is supposed to be decorated to represent either the personality or interests of the groom.

The great outdoors

If your husband-to-be enjoys an outdoor activity, decorate the cake to reflect his love of nature. For example, if he enjoys duck hunting, bake a sheet cake, then use frosting to create a "lake" on the cake. Set up tiny plastic trees around the lake and add some small ducks. Including the figures of a hunter and his dog adds the perfect final touches to a cake he is sure to love.

Sports

Most men have a favorite sport. Whether it's golf (create a golf green or a giant golf tee) or football (many kitchen stores sell football-shaped cake pans), he is sure to enjoy a cake that reflects this love. If he has a favorite sports team, consider making a groom's cake in the shape of a baseball hat, complete with the team's logo on the front.

Job

If your husband-to-be is lucky enough to have a job that he loves, why not create a cake that reflects this? A doctor may appreciate a cake decorating shaped like a heart--a real, human heart (although the guests might not enjoy it so much). A lawyer might love a cake decorating shaped like the scales of justice. A foreman of a construction crew would probably laugh out loud at a cake decorating that looks more like piles of dirt than a beautiful work of art. Simply bake a cake, then gently mess it up and place a toy bulldozer in front of it for a funny and original groom's cake.

Special Things

Think about what is special to your husband-to-be. He might have a special pet (commission a cake in the form of a beagle) or he might have something he can't ever bear to part with, such as a motorcycle. While creating a cake decorating in the shape of a motorcycle is not easy, you can take a picture of the motorcycle and then take it to a local bakery. Many bakeries will transfer photos (in edible form) onto sheet cakes.

Related blogs :

Cup Cake Recipe

Cake Recipe

Birthday cake decorating makers also visit these link to review :

- Chocolate cake

- Celebrate with a cake (book)

cake decoration

Free Tips For Cake Decoration

By Luc Boinard

Decorating a cake and doing it elegantly can give one a sense of immense satisfaction. As such if you want some free cake decorating ideas online, this is your lucky chance. Read on for some very effective cake decorating tips:

* If you have problems with sloppy cake bases, steer clear of butter as the lubricating agent. The water content in butter makes it melt during the baking process. This is what spoils the base of your cake.

* Excessive water or oil might keep your cake from puffing up. Also choose the correct baking dish and ensure that the temperature is just right to get the most delectable cake.

* Cool your cake off completely before you think of frostings; put it on a wire rack for about 15 minutes after taking out of the oven.

* Make the icing ring ½ an inch away from the periphery of the cake; stuff this concentric space with fruits or custard fillings.

* Exert the correct amount of pressure and mind your grip on the decorating bag to ensure that only the most accurate amount of icing is coursing along the tip.

* Cane sugar retains the color for a greater length of time than beet sugar.

* Powdered food color make for great embellishing options as they hold back the color.

* If you want a lot thicker frostings go for melted chocolate or butter. A bit of a fresh cream increases the consistency as well.

* A top and bottom border is exactly what you need to give your cake the perfect finish.

You can see the simple and easy work to do this chocolate cake decoration.

cake decorations

Easy Cake Decorations For Elegant Cake Designs

By Ginger Parker

Ginger Parker
Level: Basic PLUS

With a lifelong interest in beautifully decorated cakes, Ginger Parker enjoys reading and writing about cake decorating techniques and trends....

Elegant cake designs don't have to be complicated. With a little bit of style or artistic flair, even easy cake decorations can be used to make elegant cake designs. These ideas use simple and inexpensive embellishments to make even a simple boxed cake mix look sophisticated and special.

One way to use edible cake decorations for elegant cakes is by focusing on tone-on-tone colors. Silver sprinkles or dragees, shiny edible ball sprinkles, look wonderful on a cake with white frosting. Sprinkles are the ultimate easy cake decorations, and using them in a single color on a matching color of frosting looks beautiful. Try yellow colored sugar sprinkles on pale yellow lemon frosting, or chopped nuts on light brown caramel frosting.

Sliced fruit is a great choice for easy cake decorations that are a little more festive but still sophisticated. Simple ripe red strawberries sliced and arranged in overlapping circles on dark chocolate frosting makes a decadent dessert. For even more decadence, macerate an assortment of berries by stirring them with a tablespoon or two of sugar and, optionally, a few tablespoons of your favorite liqueur. Refrigerate them in a bowl for several hours, then pour the syrupy berries over a cheesecake.

Another simple way to turn ordinary easy cake decorations into something special is to decorate only the sides of the cake, leaving the top with plain smooth icing. Chopped nuts, mini chocolate chips, shredded coconut, chopped candy bars, and crushed peppermint candies are all good choices for this method. To get the sides of the cake decorated, take a small handful at a time and gently press it into the frosting, working your way around the cake. Try doing this holding the cake at a slight angle over a large bowl of your chosen decoration, allowing the excess to fall back into the bowl and keeping your serving dish clean.

One final idea for elegant cake designs is a light dusting of powdered sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon sugar, or colored decorating sugar. For best results, use a strainer or sifter to dust either an unfrosted cake or one that has been chilled to fully set the frosting. You can dust all over the top of the cake or use a stencil for a more polished look. Stencils are available at craft stores in hundreds of shapes, or you can make your own or use a paper doily. Go for an intricate geometric or lace design, or stencil the shape of an object or words to fit your theme or cake flavor. Be sure to dust the cake just before serving because the sugar will slowly dissolve on the cake.

With these easy cake decorations for elegant cake designs, you'll be able to impress your guests when even the most basic cake recipe looks like something special.

cake decoration

Cake Decorating –
Children's Birthday Cakes

By Shereen Oon

You will need only a few basic cake decorating tools to decorate cakes for birthdays and any special holidays. Elaborate tools are not necessary for making simple cakes. Cake decorating for children's birthday cakes will call for the following equipment:
-Rubber Spatulas which are made from a flexible material. You will use this for frosting bowls and scraping cake.
-Metal Spatulas that can come in two sizes, small and large, will be needed to smoothen and spread the cakes' frostings. Small spatula is used to apply thin layer of the cake's frosting. A layer of normal frosting will follow.
-Piping bags which are 18 inch, 12 inch and 8 inches and reusable, plastic disposable bags and Zip- locks can also be used in cake decorating
-Couplers or coupling nozzles will be needed in holding the bags into icing tips. It also enables you to change the tips whenever necessary.
-Food coloring paste, gel, or powder.

Important tips For cake decorating:
1. The ingredients that you will use must be at room temperature because they tend to blend better with that temperature.
2. An electric beater will be better than beating manually with a spatula as it will give lesser lumps in your cake.
3. Wire racks are needed for your cakes' inverting and cooling.
4. Trimming will make your cake sit flat. Make use of the side, which is smoother for decorating your cake.
5. Baking the cake a day before the decorating will lessen the crumbling. Remember also to set the cake in the freezer until the frosting part. However, if you decide to frost the cake you have to do it as soon as you put it out.
6. Cake boards are available at cake decorating shops or hobby shops, or you can also make one by covering cardboard in a colored foil.
7. Butter Cream is will make an excellent icing in cake decorating specially in birthday cakes for kids.
8. Unfrosted cake should have strips of waxed paper underneath. After the cake decorating, they are easily pulled out thus maintaining the neatness of your cake board.

The basic tools are a crucial part of successful cake decorating. Tips are suggested to aid you in your child's birthday cake. The labor will be hard but the result will be sweet. Numerous sites about cake decorating are available in the Internet to help you gather ideas. Some will already give you great cake decorating ideas from beginning to the end. Write all the tips that you think are useful and read from it when you encounter a problem in your cake decorating. If you cannot find a solution in your notes visit the web sites once again and look up for the answer. This will enable you to make beautifully decorated cakes in no time.