Tonight I will be doing what I plan to be a short post on cake decorating. Just a few tips and pieces of advice.
Those who know me know that my main ambition in life is to become a cake decorator =)
This is a cake I made a friend for her birthday. Definitely one of the best yet. I noticed a couple of days later when going through the photos that I got the nose a bit misaligned when I reshaped it because I was in a hurry, but let's not focus on that lol!!
SO. I'd say if you want to be a super duper uber fancy pants freehand cake decorator, you'd have to have a fair amount of skill. I have pretty shaky hands to begin with, but when I'm pressing out icing, the shaking gets worse, so I make my own stencils beforehand so that I have less chance of messing it up.
I hate baking. It helps if you like baking. Usually you have the bake the cakes yourself lol.
For better chances at getting a cake with an even top, turn the oven to about 170C instead of the 180C most recipes require.
When using fondant, gladwrap is one of your best friends. You can use it to stop the fondant sticking to the surface you are rolling it out on, to you, and to the rolling pin if you really want.
Make sure you secure it tightly though otherwise you'll get annoying lines all over the fondant!
When using fondant, gladwrap is one of your best friends. You can use it to stop the fondant sticking to the surface you are rolling it out on, to you, and to the rolling pin if you really want.
Make sure you secure it tightly though otherwise you'll get annoying lines all over the fondant!
Make sure you use enough icing sugar for the fondant not to stick, but not so much that it dries it out too much.
It may take a few times to figure out what you need. It also changes with different brands of fondant.
Buttercream icing is usually exactly what it sounds like. However, if like me, you can't have butter or cream, using margarine and milk works just as well.
It may take a few times to figure out what you need. It also changes with different brands of fondant.
Buttercream icing is usually exactly what it sounds like. However, if like me, you can't have butter or cream, using margarine and milk works just as well.
You can make an icing that hardens like icing sugar and water icing with milk and icing sugar.
This is also a good thing to consider if you are wanting really white icing.
Make sure your cake is cooled down before you add regular/buttercream icing to it -if you have exposed edges.
By this I mean if you have cut any bits off. Trust me. Cool it down. Stick it in the fridge for a while if you want. If you try to ice that cake while warm chances are it'll crumble slowly away and next thing you know you have crumb snow all over the bench!
This is also a good thing to consider if you are wanting really white icing.
Make sure your cake is cooled down before you add regular/buttercream icing to it -if you have exposed edges.
By this I mean if you have cut any bits off. Trust me. Cool it down. Stick it in the fridge for a while if you want. If you try to ice that cake while warm chances are it'll crumble slowly away and next thing you know you have crumb snow all over the bench!
TOOLS. There are so many decorating tools. USE THEM. They may be expensive, but if you are serious about cake decorating you will want them!! They make so many things so much easier and make a ton of things possible that you might not have been able to do otherwise.
Where I live, we only have one cake decorating supplies shop that I know of, it's way to far away from me, and when I rung up to ask questions the lady I spoke to gave me a lecture and told me what I wanted for the project I was doing. I didn't actually want that, I had told her what I wanted, and she replied with "oh no, you don't want that for that" ....yes... I do...
So, my favourite cake supplies shop is Cake Stuff. They are also on facebook =)
Where I live, we only have one cake decorating supplies shop that I know of, it's way to far away from me, and when I rung up to ask questions the lady I spoke to gave me a lecture and told me what I wanted for the project I was doing. I didn't actually want that, I had told her what I wanted, and she replied with "oh no, you don't want that for that" ....yes... I do...
So, my favourite cake supplies shop is Cake Stuff. They are also on facebook =)
One last note: Don't buy the cheapish icing guns at the warehouse. Used it three times and the barrel has cracked. Rubbish!
Have fun decorating!!
~^_^~
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