Cake decorating can be serious business, especially if it is your
business, but it is also supposed to be fun. Most cake designers
remember the moment that cake decorating became magical and a
passion because shouldn't playing with sugar be wonderful? that is why
decorating cakes with children can be an unforgettable experience and
you might set someone else on the road to having cake passion.It is
important to remember that kids can't do every technique so you need to
pick your design project carefully so your little helpers don't get
frustrated. there are some fun cake decorating techniques that kids can
do quite easily with some supervision.
In order to have a
successful decorating session try to have all your tools and products
set up and ready to go, this includes your cake or cupcakes already
baked and cooked unless that is part of the activity.
Some things you
could have ready beforehand are:
- Piping bags filled partway with different shades of icing. Remember that little hands can't hold completely filled bags!
- Bowls filled with sprinkles, dragees, shaved chocolate and candy
- Different colored fondant, wrapped carefully so that it doesn't dry out.
- Fondant cutters or cookie cutters to make design elements
- Fondant molds for buttons, flowers, flip flops, butterflies etc
- Edible pens and markers
- Gel color and paintbrushes
- Edible glue to stick everything together
- Aprons and lots of wet clothes for cleaning
The
trick to decorating cakes and cupcakes with children is to make sure
you take into account their age and attention span. Older kids, 10 and
up, will have more patience and dexterity when it comes to more
intricate designs. Piping bags take a bit of skill to wield so try and
get older children to practice pressure and angle on a plate or right
onto the counter so they get a feel for the process. Younger kids
usually just want to play with the fondant and icing and eat the
decorated cake or cupcake right away. That is fine.
Some possible projects to consider are:
- Get some prepackaged cupcake or cake decoration kits such as monsters, Easter bunnies, Santas or gingerbread houses sold in most craft and baking stores. They are very easy to make and everything is included in the kit.
- Cover a sheet cake with fondant ahead of time and let the kids paint gel colors right onto the cake like they are using paper. You can even cover their hands with gloves and put whole hand prints all over the cake in different colors. Make sure your fondant is completely dry before painting it so there is no bleeding of color or gouging the surface of the cake.
- Creating a scene on a sheet cake such as a construction site, winter wonderland or a beach.
source: about.com
