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

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.