By Michelle Anderson
Cake Decorating Expert
Cake decorating is a very satisfying creative activity that can be
done by both beginners and experts with very successful results. As you
gain experience your skills will also increase. There are some cake
decorating techniques that you should try to master sooner than later in
order to make the most of your cake design experience. Some of these
skills might not be used every project, but you will be very happy to
have them when tackling a new challenging cake.
Build Stable Cakes
You
might be able to make the most gorgeous professional looking gum paste
flowers or pipe the most intricate designs on perfectly smooth fondant
covered cakes but if you don't construct your cake designs with
forethought and a healthy respect for gravity your creations might
topple over or sink into itself. Cake decorators like tall cakes and
some even build cake structures that seem to defy the laws of physics
because they utilize tools and supplies designed specifically to add
support to cakes.
Keep important common sense facts in mind as well
such as not placing a delicate mousse cake on the bottom of a cake stack
or applying design elements without the "glue" of icing or wires.
Always build your cakes with the following for stability:
- Dowels
- Cake separators
- Plastic columns
- Thick foam core or wood cake boards on the bottom
- Heavy gage wire
- Styrofoam
If you use these types of support supplies keep in mind to remove them before eating the cake.
Sculpting and Molding
Gum
paste, marzipan and fondant are almost identical to the play dough or
clay you used in your childhood and beyond. Absolutely anything and
everything can be shaped with these edible mediums. You can make
flowers, figures, fruit, fence posts, rocks, furniture and even sparkly
high heel shoes or realistic portraits. All these products can be tinted
any color and sculpted with special tools or just your fingers. Start
with white products and simply play with the texture to make whatever
you want. You can even sit down with a couple kids to see what they
create and hone your skills. Sculpted design elements can elevate your
cakes to new heights and make them memorable.
Create Texture or Not
Sometimes
you need to create a certain look for the cake design you want to
produce which can be perfectly smooth or dappled with texture. Smooth
fondant is a skill which requires practice and steady hands. Fondant can
also be imprinted with tools like a patterned roller that create basket
weave, pebbles, and even brickwork. Fondant can be imprinted with
tools, cutters, molds and tools designed for other crafts like
stencilling. Buttercream and royal icing can cover a cake smoothly with a
little practice using a paper towel or parchment. Smooth your icing as
much as possible and then allow a light crust to form. Then take a
smooth paper towel and place it up against the side of your iced cake.
Rub your hand gently against the towel and this will in turn create a
silky smooth icing finish. Buttercream and royal icing can also be piped
into gorgeous texture with piping tips or icing combs. You can pipe
full basket weaves,
Swiss dots, lace and intricate flowers all over your cakes. Decorating
elements such as fondant cut outs, dragees and sprinkles can also add
interesting effective texture to a cake.
Experiment with Edible Paper
One
of the most effective tools for creating amaing cake designs and trendy
funky cupcakes, cakes and cookies is the advent of edible paper which
are usually made from potato and rice starch. . This patterned or plain
medium can be cut into any shape and even used in a clean printer with
edible inks to create pictures of family, landscapes and company logos
easily. You can also write on them with food coloring pens or paint full
paintings or designs with brushes and food coloring. Anything you can
create with paper can be made with this fun product.
source: about.com
