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When you start out with decorating cakes, it is important to learn basic cake decorating techniques.  You might be surprised to learn that the basics are not necessarily about actually decorating.  The basics start with things like how to choose the right decorating bags (i.e. frosting bags), how to properly fill decorating bags, and the best way to hold a decorating bag when preparing to decorate a cake.

The Wilton website has some excellent tutorials on learning the basics of cake decorating.  Wilton will help you learn:

• How to choose and use decorating bags
• Filling the cake decorating bag
• Decorating bag pressure control for cake decorating
• Correct decorating bag position
• Transferring patterns for cake decorating
• Icing consistency
• Using couplers for cake decorating

If you are looking to learn the basics, or just brush up on your skills, then visit the Wilton website.

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Basic Cake Decorating Techniques

The time may come when you want to pipe frosting onto a cake but you either cannot find your pipe bag, or you do not have one and are unable to go out and buy one.  Fortunately for you, making your own tip is super easy and you can use supplies you are sure to have on hand.

The easiest way to create your own tip is to put your frosting into a plastic bag.  Cut a very small hole in one of the lower corners.

If you want to get a little fancier then you can cut an X on the corner, instead of a straight-across cut.  This will result in a nice change from basic plastic bag piping.

Or, if you have parchment or waxed paper, you can cut a large triangle piece of the paper.  Roll it in the shape of a cone shape.  Last, cut the end like a star tip.  The more jagged you make it the more interesting the frosting will be.

Having an actual piping bag is best, but when you are in a pinch you can easily make your own piping bag for cake decorating.

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How to Make Your Own Cake Decorating Tip

Cake decorating is a fun way to express our creativity, but for those new to the craft, it may seem daunting.  Start simple. Bake a cake, then prepare to frost it.  If you have never made your own frosting you can purchase premade frosting at your local grocery store, but the quality of home made frosting will far surpass anything at the supermarket.

Chocolate is universally loved, so this may be a good flavor to begin with.  Create (or purchase) enough to cover the entire top of the cake, with some left over. Use a spatula to cover the cake with frosting.

Put the frosting into a piping bag.  If you do not have one you can use a plastic bag with very small hole cut into one of the lower corners.  Remember to make the hole small.  You can always make it bigger, but if it is too big you will need to start again with a new bag.

Use your piping bag to write words or create pictures on top of your cake. You might need to practice the piping part, but even if it isn’t perfect, you are likely to enjoy it. Frosting a cake is messy, especially for beginners, but it is certainly fun.
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Cake Decorating Tips for Beginners

Have you ever wondered how elegant cakes with fancy scroll (s-shaped) borders achieve this look?  Some cake decorators are gifted enough to be able to create these scroll borders on their own.

Fear not, though, if you are not so gifted. Wilton has made a cake decorating scroll border that you can use to add elegance to your own cakes.  The Wilton scroll border can usually be found in your local craft store or on the Internet.

The scroll border is simple to use. Lightly press the border onto your frosted cake and then remove it. You will see an outline of the scroll border in your cake’s icing.

Next use an icing bag to pipe icing over the imprint. You will now have a beautiful cake decorating scroll border. Repeat as often as you want.
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Cake Decorating Scroll Border

If you are new to cake decorating then you may be a bit confused by the common cake decorating terms you encounter.  Below are some of the most common terms and their meanings.

Airbrushing

Cake airbrushing is a fast way to add a scene or background onto a cake’s surface with food coloring.  Airbrushing is done with an artist’s paint gun used with an compression air pump.

Border

A cake border is a continuous ribbon of icing that decorates the top, sides, and/or bottom edges of a cake.

Buttercream

Buttercream is a rich icing that is made by mixing either butter or shortening (or both) with icing sugar and beaten until smooth. Buttercream is an easy, all-purpose icing that can be used to both cover and decorate a cake.

Decorating Bags

Decorating bags are also known as icing bags or pastry bags.  Decorating bags are small, triangular shaped bags that are made from cloth, plastic, or parchment paper.  The bags are fitted with decorating tips and filled with icing and used to pipe decorative items such as icing flowers, borders, scrollwork and lacework designs.

Decorating Tips

Decorating tips are sometimes called decorating nozzles. Decorating tips are used to create decorative items such as basketweave patterns, icing roses, and shell borders. Tips come in various shapes and are used with an icing or pastry bag filled with icing.  When the bag is squeezed then the icing or cream is piped out in the shape of the tip.  Drop flowers are made with a single squeeze of the icing bag while rose petals are made with skilled maneuvering of the tip and icing.

Flower Nail

A flower nail is shaped like a nail with an large, oversized head.  A flower head is used for piping royal icing and buttercream flowers that are transferred to a cake after drying.

Frosting

Frosting and icing are often interchanged.  Americans tend to use the term “frosting” for the creamy, sugary substance covering a cake, while people in other English speaking countries tend to use the word “icing”. In the U.A.S., “frosting” usually refers to the icing that is spread over the cake while “icing” usually refers to decorative icing, such as piped borders and icing roses.

Fondant

Fondant is also known as sugar paste.  Fondant is an icing sugar dough that can be manipulated in much the same way as pie dough.  Fondant can be rolled into smooth sheets and draped over cakes, creating a smooth, flawless finish.

Ganache

Gumpaste

Gumpaste is an edible, clay-like dough.  It is made by mixing glycerin, gum Arabic, and icing sugar.  Gumpaste is used to mold edible flowers and figures. Gum paste can also be rolled extremely thin and used to make intricate ribbons and lacework, as well as delicate flower petals.

Marzipan

Marzipan is a doughy almond substance.  It is made from the same ingredients as almond paste, though marzipan has more sugar, less almonds, and has a smoother consistency.  Marzipan is often used for modeling cake decorations and as a base covering underneath fondant.

Piping

Piping is a decorating technique where a decorating bag or tube is filled with icing and fitted with a decorating tip.  Piping occurs when the bag is gently squeezed to produce shaped dots and ribbons of icing to decorate cakes and other baked goods.

Royal Icing

Royal icing is a sweet white icing that is made by whipping icing sugar with either fresh egg whites or dried egg whites and meringue powder. Royal icing creates well-defined icing edges.  It is ideal for piping intricate writing, borders, scrollwork, and lacework on cakes. Royal icing dries very hard and preserves indefinitely if stored in a cool, dry place, but is susceptible to softening and wilting in high humidity.

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Common Cake Decorating Terms

Looking for a new way to decorate your cakes?  Consider trying airbrush cake decorating. 

To decorate cakes with an airbrush you will need to gather supplies for your airbrush system.  Some of the most common cake decorating airbrush accessories include:

• Airbrush
• Compressor
• Moisture trap
• Food color cups
• Airbrush color sets

You can purchase each item seperately but you may find it much easier to buy an airbrush cake decorating kit.   Amazon.com is an easy place to purchase airbrush cake decorating kits:

Airbrush Starter Set by Parrish’s Cake Decorating

 

 

 

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Airbrush Cake Decorating

When you hear the name “Betty Crocker” you probably think about cookbooks and recipes.  The name Betty Crocker has been a cooking icon since 1921.

Although there never was a woman named Betty Crocker, cooks and bakers have welcomed her into their kitches for generations.  For many bakers and cooks, Betty Crocker = cooking.

Recently, Better Crocker has released the Betty Crocker cake decorating kit.  The purpose of this kit is to help bakers decorate cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and other tasty treats.

This 100 piece kit includes instructions and techniques to help beginner and advanced bakers alike.

The Betty Crocker cake decorating kit includes:

• 3 profile icing knife and applicator
• 6 icing tips:
  • Flower tip
  • Grass hair tip
  • Leaf tip
  • Petal tip
  • Ribbon basket tip
  • Round tip
  • Star tip
• 15 icing bags
• Applicator
• Bag retainer ring
• Flower tip styles
• Icing sculpting combs and pattern presses
• Instruction book with decorating ideas
• Letter holder
• Stencils:
  • “C” Stencil
  • Fleur de lis stencil
  • Heart stencil
  • Vine/swag stencil
• Storage bin to safely store all items and pieces
• Universal coupler
• Wooden flower nail

Here is a short video that highlights what you can do with the Betty Crocker cake decorating kit:

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Betty Crocker Cake Decorating

Cake decorators have long enjoyed the tips, techniques, and information found in the ‘American Cake Decorarating’ (ACD) magazine.  ACD is geared towards both professionals and those just learning to decorate cakes.

ACD has been around for several decades.  A great way to gain¬†cake decorating is to find older issues and read them.  The information found in older issues is still valid today.

An easy place to find back issues of ACD is at eBay.  Here are some of the issues of ‘American Cake Decorating’ magazine currently available on eBay:
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American Cake Decorating Magazine

If you want to take your cake decorating skills up a notch then you can try decorating with fondant.  

Fondant is a thick, white sugar mixture.  It is used in cake decorating and is most often seen as the smooth ‘cover’ seen on wedding cakes.

If you’ve never used fondant to decorate a cake then you can think of it as a playdo-like material that can be eaten.  You can roll it with a rolling pin or mold it into shapes.

It is possible to make your own fondant but it is very challenging to get it right.  If you are new to fondant then you will be better off buying fondant, which can be bought in bulk sizes.
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Advanced Cake Decorating – Fondant

One of the staples of cake decorating is knowing how to make a rosebud with icing.  I find it easier to watch how to make something like this rather than read about.  Therefore, I have a short video you can watch that teaches you how to create your own roses to be used in your own cakes.

Tools Needed:

• Flower nail (or rose nail)
• Icing spatula (or toothpick)
• Pastry bag and tip

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Cake Decorating – How to Make a Rosebud