By Michelle Anderson
Cake Decorating Expert
Pretty decorated cake creations are a wonderful choice for
Valentine's Day because this holiday is all about sensual treats and
passion. What is more passionate than a great cake created with love and
attention? There are no rules to making a Valentine's Day cake but
there are definitely long established colors, shapes and flavors
associated with this day that can be called upon to make a cake that is
perfect for the occasion.
Some traditional Valentine's Day elements to consider include:
- Preferred Color: You cannot get away from red on Valentine's Day or pink either. This is true for cake decorating as well for the holiday associated with lovers. Red is supposed to reflect passion and can be used judiciously or with a heavy hand on your cake. If you are covering the entire creation with red icing or buttercream it might be a good idea to accent with pretty white or pale pink to offset the richness of the background. Also, the cake flavor encased completely in red should probably be something other than red velvet. You don't want to overwhelm your Valentine with too much of a good thing!
- Hearts: Valentine's Day is all about heart shapes in cards, candies, and of course cakes and cupcakes. Heart shaped cakes are easy to create with the many pans available in kitchen and craft stores. Wedding cakes are often formed into hearts to reflect romantic themes so the most romantic of holidays also utilizes this shape. Do not attempt to cover this shape with fondant if you are a beginner at cake decorating because it can be very tricky to get the angles and curves perfect. Any desired cake decorating element looks pretty with a heart shaped cake or cupcake but be careful not to obscure the shape when adding your decorations.
- Chocolate:Chocolates are a tradition which cannot be avoided on Valentine's Day. This delectable flavor can be a perfect choice for a cake or cupcake. Nothing is more decadent than moist dense dark chocolate cake with swirls of ganache or a mound of chocolate curls. Finish the top with pretty candy red hearts or a full blown red rose accent and your presentation is complete. You can even push a scrumptious truffle into the center of your chocolate cupcake before icing it for a lovely surprise. If you don't want to overdose on chocolate try drizzling ripe strawberries into white chocolate and topping vanilla cake with these treats. This is a pretty but sensual decoration that still uses the richness of the flavor to tempt and please your guests or guest.
- Flowers: Flowers are an entire industry on Valentine's Day and can be wonderful on cakes and cupcakes especially roses in red, white and pink. Roses are undeniably romantic but if your sweetheart has a bloom that has more meaning then accent the preferred flowers with pretty rose buds. You do not have to completely conform to tradition. Fresh flowers are pretty on your cake as long as they are pesticide free and certified organic. However, to avoid the risk of fresh blooms try piped flowers in royal icing or creations made from gum paste or fondant.
- Cake or Cupcake: There is no hard fast rule when it comes to the size of your creation for this holiday. Like any other cake project you have to look at the event and number of guests. If you are creating an intimate dinner for two and need a great dessert then a couple of individual min I cakes might be perfect. Slightly larger than cupcakes these are basically equal to a generous slice of a regular sized cake. If you need to make something for a class party for the kids try a big batch of cupcakes covered in cute candy hearts or chocolate kisses. A larger cake might be exactly what is required for a Valentine's Day wedding to feed the guests and mark the occasion in style. Simply look at your cake needs and create what you wish.
source: about.com
