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.