Easy Cake Decorating Tips from an Expert
By Lorelie Carvey
You are forced to become really creative when you have to. So as I made my way to professional cake decorating, I used easy cake decorating techniques to get through. Here are some simple ways to look like an expert if you are still in the midst of honing your skills.
- I utilized fresh flowers from the garden or even from a nearby field or roadside. You can find tiny little wild flowers that can be placed on the cake. Or can be sugared with a little egg white and fine sugar. (which will preserve them) ferns and tiny greens are awesome on a cake.
First get one egg white and whip the white a little with a fork until it starts to get frothy. Have a small artist brush ready.Put some super fine sugar in a bowl or on a plate and have a spoon ready. Next get a piece of waxed paper and spread that out next to your egg and sugar.
Now gather up your flowers and leaves. Do not wash them because they will wilt. Brush the egg white onto the petals and poor the sugar over the flower or leaf. Place on a piece of waxed paper to dry for a few hours. Arrange them on the cake.
Fresh fruit is another winner. Again you can sugar small fruits in the same way as the flowers.
- Toasted nuts chopped finely and coconut toasted is a really great way to cover the sides. If you need help covering a messy frosting job this is the way to go.You can also use untoasted coconut.
- Textured icing like the fluffy white waves you make while swirling the icing around in circles is fun and easy and looks great? (This is if you are not skilled yet at icing a cake smoothly.)
- If you want to wow people with your skills basket weaving is a basic cake decorating technique. It is the first thing I teach to my students after they learn how to frost a cake. I have directions on my web site with cake decorating videos and tutorials.
- Ribbons are fabulous.
Make little loops and attach them to wire. Stick the wires into the cake without the ribbon actually touching the cake. This way the material will not absorb the grease from the frosting. These look best when added to a small bouqeut of flowers on your cake.
- Fondant, which can be purchased at Michaels or other craft stores is fun to play with.
Roll out and cut into shapes. If you get the gum paste cutter set it includes directions for cutting and shaping.
- Always work with frozen or very cold cakes. This makes it so much easier to frost and decorate. The cake will thaw inside the icing which will help to keep it moist.
Only attempt butter cream roses after you practice working with butter cream and piping bags.
- Simple borders in the beginning would be dots and rosettes, using a round tip or shell tip.
It is not easy to make it look really nice in the beginning. So practice a lot. Use different angle and pressure until you get the hang of it. Or cover mistakes by adding a piece of sugared fruit, flowers nuts or bits of chocolate on each rosette.
- Chocolate is another great medium to work with. Here are a couple of easy but impressive techniques.
Melt the chocolate either carefully in the microwave or over a double boiler. Using a fork swirl the chocolate over your cake randomly.Or try this Place a piece of waxed paper on a tray and swirl the melted chocolate over the paper. Put it in the fridge for a few minutes until it hardens. Now remove carefully the pieces of the swirled chocolate and arrange in the center of the cake. You can make it three dimensional by propping them up against eah other or sticking them straight into the buttercream.
Practice enough and you are on your way to professional cake decorating. It just hapens!!! But until then try these simple “decorating a cake” ideas…
Lorelie Carvey’s website http://www.wedding-cakes-for-you.com, shares her expertise with aspiring cake decorators how to make a wedding cake. Bridesmaids and brides get free resources to help plan your unique wedding and shower celebration. Lorelie invites you to submit your best cake decorating ideas and sweet stories. Go to http://www.wedding-cakes-for-you.com/cakedecoratingcontest.html
