How To Get Cake Decorating Ideas

It is not always easy to come up with new cake decorating ideas. A good start is to look through some cook books and entertaining mags to see if anything appeals.

You will probably find some cake decorating ideas that you can use as a basis for your own cake decorating project. Depening on what type of cake you are going to be decoration you will probably want to keep it as simple as possilbe.

Once you have a few basic ideas for your cake decorating then try and put your own angle on them, so you can make them individual.

If you are making a cake for a child’s birthday, how about looking at what is current on the telly, what sort of programs he or she likes, maybe there is something you could do based around these ideas?

As an example my teenage son was really into Bart Simpson, and it was not really too much of a problem to base my cake decorating ideas around this! A simple cake with Bart’s hairstyle emphasised with icing and all the other features in place, and I had a decent birthyday cake. I am sure you can see how thinking about things the child is interested in can lead to some great cake decorating ideas.

The same would apply with any adult – what are they interested in? For instance a keen gardener would be quite easy, you could make a rectangular cake and decorate the top as a garden, or a vegetable plot.

You just need to take a look around, flick through some magazines and cook books, make a list what the person the cake is for is interested in, and this will give you plenty of ideas for your cake decorating.

Cake Decorating Books

There are many cake decorating books around, and really it will depend on what sort of cake decorating you are aiming to do as to which cake decorating book you will be best buying.

If you are looking to make novelty party cakes for instance, there are many books on the market that are geared specifically around these types of ideas. You will be able to find a huge variety of cake designs. For instance you could make a budding footballer or baseball player a cake in the shape of a football or baseball. If it is a smaller child you are making a cake for then see what cartoon characters he is watching at the moment, there is sure to be a cake design contained in one of the cake decorating books that will be suitable.

Several of the books will show you basic shapes that you can then work from and build your own ideas into.

Some of the cake decorating books will specialise in specific types of icing, so it is worth having a good look around and to find the book that specialises in the kind of cake decorating that you want to do.

Here are some of my favorites

Wilton Cake Decorating – Some Great Tips

One of the post popular ways for an amateur to decorate a cake so it looks professional, is by using the Wilton cake decorating method.  Here are some tips that will help you when you decorate your cake the Wilton way.

So what sort of cake mixture should you be using? Really the answer to this question is to use any that you like – whatever works best for you. The mix that is recommended within the Wilton Method is the Duncan Hines cake mixes, as these ensure that the same volume of batter is achieved within each separate cake – although as mentioned you could use any cake mix.

Whilst you are using the Wilton cake decorating method you may well want to add in 1 or 2 tablespoons of the Wilton meringue powder – as this will help the cake to rise more than usual.

How to prepare the cake pans – A great tip for perfect preparation of the cake pans, when using the Wilton Method is to brush vegetable shortening onto the pan using a two inch paint brush. Once the pan has been greased, you need to give it a small dusting of flour. If any of the pan still looks shiny, you will need to brush on some further vegetable shortening, then dust again with flour.  Never fill the cake pan so that it is more than half full.

Some Tips Before you start to decorate your cake – always allow the cake to set for at least one day, and preferably overnight.  The cake should be stored in an airtight tin or container.

When you are ready to start your icing the Wilton Method, take a bit of time to ensure your cake is properly prepared. Use a cake leveller on the top of the cake, so that you know you are going to be working with a nice level cake. If you don’t have a professional cake leveller you could just use a serrated knife. Brush away any crumbs that have been left behind, remember you want to work with a nice even, smooth cake.

Adding the First Coat of Icing –  The first tip regarding the icing is not to be too stingy with it! You also need to avoid the spatula actually touching the cake itself, as this will make the crumbs from the top of the cake stick to the spatula and ruin the surface.

Put a large dollop of icing on top of the cake and then spread it around – this first layer is really to keep the crumbs attached to the cake. When the first layer of icing is in place, leave the cake to set for a minimum of 15 minutes, longer if you are able.

Icing the cake sides – This is one of the trickiest things to do when cake decorating, even more when you are a novice. The Wilton Method has dealt with this by providing a special tip which will help you to achieve icing that is uniform, and to control the icing while working on the sides of your cake.

You can buy all the supplies you need for Wilton Cake Decorating here

Wedding Cake Decorating

Wedding cake decorating can take many forms, and anyone that loves cake decorating is going to want to have a go at wedding cake decoration. This is one cake that you can really let your imagination run riot!

How to get ideas for your wedding cake decorating
This is one of the nicest parts to decorating a wedding cake, getting together some ideas. You can find ideas by reading through wedding magazines, wedding books and looking at various photos of cakes that you can find online. Looking for ideas can be great fun, but it can also be a pressure, especially if you have a deadline to work to. Take your time and you will find the perfect idea, then you can make sure that you have chosen a design that is suited to your own tastes.

Experiment a little
If you have not quite decided on a wedding cake design, then it can be a good idea to experiment a bit. Just because something looks good on a magazine, or seem great in your head, it may turn out to be totally different when you actually try it. Allow yourself lots of time so that you are able to explore various wedding cake decorating ideas.

Have plenty of wedding cake decorating supplies
Wedding cake decorating is not just a quick simple task. Before you make a start on the design you will be working on, you need to make sure you have all the wedding decorating supplies you need to hand. Running out of something can be a huge disaster, and it is more common than you would think, so be prepared and have plenty of supplies available. Have all the caps, bags, cones, icing, confectionary etc, plus a few extras, and it won’t happen to you!

Practice is the key to perfect wedding cake decorating
There is no option, if you want a perfectly decorated wedding cake, but to practice, practice and practice. Acquiring a really steady hand to enable accurate placement of decorations will only come with lots of practice. You could always start by decorating smaller cakes, or even plastic ones! This way you can be as sure as you can be that your wedding cake decorating will be perfect.

Cake Decorating With Royal Icing – 7 Top Tips

Have you always wanted to learn about cake decorating with royal icing? If so, here are some tips that will help you to become more expert in this.

1. Use royal icing that has been made with egg white and not with meringue powders. Royal icing will work best with small decorative tips like size 0 and size 1. Read more

Cake Decorating Tips – Icing Types

Cake decorating has become hugely popular over the last few years, partly as it uses a variety of skills and talents. If you are keen to get started on cake decorating, here are some cake decorating tips;

First you need a cake to decorate. If you have not baked a cake from scratch before, you may want to consider using a store bought one initially, or use a mix.

Once you have your cake you will need to decide on the best and most suitable type of icing for it. There are three basic types of icing, which come in three consistencies, soft icing, medium icing and stiff icing. In the beginning you will probably only want to work with soft and medium icing.

Soft icing can be used for writing onto cakes, and it can be used to ice the whole cake.

Medium icing will normally be used for making decorative borders and scrollwork. Medium consistency icing will be strong enough to retain it’s shape, yet also pliable.

Stiff icing will be used for the more elaborate icing such as decorative flowers and the like. This icing needs to be stiff enough so that the decoration you have made (i.e. flower) will retain it’s shape. The stiff icing can often be too stiff to eat and is therefore used for decoration only.