Cake Decorating on Cake Recipes

It is very rare to find celebrations without cakes, in all shapes and sizes. Whoever invented cake surely got a tasty creation.

Kids love to have cakes on their birthdays; in fact, they love it all year long. In anniversaries and formal parties, cakes are always part of the menu. Promotional parties, new store openings, or holiday celebrations - cakes makes it even more special. And of course, let's not forget wedding cakes. Yes, it is in fact one of the important details in weddings. Soon to be bride allot special time for cake tasting to make sure that the cake will taste exactly how they wanted it and designed exactly how they pictured it.

If you have certain diet plans, do not worry. There are cakes made from certain vegetables, some are even sugar free. Or, you can eat at least one bite and it won't surely ruin your diet.

Many people have come a long way in their passion for cakes. Cakes are not only fun to eat but fun to bake and decorate as well. Let's skip the baking part or else we will be talking whole day about the different recipes and ingredients and the measurements. Let's go right away to cake decorating.

Cake decorating, as the term suggests it, has something to do with making your cake look more attractive, delicious and irresistible. The cake's decoration makes the first impression so we want to make sure we set the mood and stir excitement from our guests before they actually eat it.

Cake decorating is an art. Most people see it as a hobby, well, true but this is not an ordinary hobby. With little supervision and guidance from several cake decorating tips available, cake decorating can bring you far. It can make your family happy, you can make other people happy when you give them cakes too, and it can makes you happy as well; the feeling of satisfaction and fulfilment is great after making such a wonderful art.

Cake decorating ideas are actually products of your creative imagination. With little patience, you can always learn different decorating tips. Like all other things we need to learn in life, cake decorating is fun and challenging. Crumbs will be your number one enemy. You can always read on to see how to eliminate crumbs.

One good thing about making and decorating cake is that it gives you control over your cake. You can always add personal touches and you can choose the design and flavour. Plus, cake decorating can also be a stress reliever. It is a self nurturing task, it can divert your attention from your worries, and it gives high feelings of fulfillment.
By Linda N Dougherty

10 Cake Decorating Tips For Buttercream Frosting

Buttercream frosting is probably the most popular cake decorating ingredient. It is light and fluffy, and with a modest amount of practice is easy to use with basic kitchen tools, a decorator's bag, and a variety of tips. Following are ten basic buttercream cake decorating tips:

1. Use the right icing consistency. For example, stiff icing works for roses and carnations; medium icing works for covering the cake, borders, and stars; and thin icing is good for writing and making leaves.
2. Remember the undercoat - spread a thin layer of icing onto the cake to seal in the freshness and to prevent crumbs from mixing into the main layer of icing.
3. Cover the bowl with a damp towel to keep the icing moist.
4. Always refrigerate leftover icing as it is perishable. It will keep for up to two weeks if well sealed. Rewhip any icing that has been stored before trying to put it on the cake.
5. Shop for cake decorating supplies at a major craft store or a cake decorating supply store for the best selection of colors and other supplies.
6. Items to include in your starter tool kit: pastry bags, couplers, icing spatula, serrated scraper and a variety of icing tips. With the correct tips you can create decorations such as twisted ropes and leaves, stars, swirls, scrolls, embroidery, shells, dots, and zigzags.
7. Never color icing with liquid food color as it will alter icing consistency - try a gel or paste.
8. Add color carefully, gradually mixing in very small amounts at a time - stop when the color is almost the shade you want - the color will get darker with time.
9. Purchase tubes of pre-colored icing - handy when you make multi-colored decorations. You can even purchase ready-made icing for the whole cake when you are pressed for time.
10. Buttercream will melt if the temperature is too hot - something to keep in mind if you are planning a summer garden party.
By Lindsay Pollard

12 Cake Decorating Tips For Fondant on Cake Recipes

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.
By Lindsay Pollard.