Saturday, July 4, 2009

Cake Decorating Ideas

Amazingly, the first cakes ever baked in the US were actually small loaves of sweet bread! Just imagine how far we have come since then. This should be a good advantage to home bakers, to know that they have a huge repertoire of recipes to select from. BTW, I found a site about pastry pastries in Spanish: reposteria pasteleria. It doesn't take a pastry chef to bake gorgeous cakes, what you need is knowledge and practice. The logical thing to do is to purchase a good set of cake decorating tools to assist in your cake making adventure.
Great icing starts with a smooth surface; so make sure they are cool before you start icing them though! To keep crumbs from ending up in your icing and ruining the look of your cake decorating project, start with a thin base coat of frosting that is not quite as stiff as the regular layer will be. Set them up and leave them in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. This helps set the icing and any crumbs will be caught in this first layer. When all crumbs are locked into the first layer, the job will be much easier for you now.
You may now apply the icing layer using an icing spatula Use the spatula and smooth the icing on the sides of the cake, running it smoothly along the edge. One trick for smoothing the frosting is to dip the metal icing spatula in cold water, this will aid in smoothing the frosting. Dip it again in cold water as you hold the spatula horizontally over the top, and start smoothing the surface of the cake. Hold the spatula firmly using both hands and begin skimming the top of the icing; drag it towards you starting from the furthest point.
Simple Uncomplicated Designs
Smoothing the icing is no easy job; in fact some cake decorating enthusiast claim it is actually the hardest part of all. Spend time practicing this before you do the real thing. Once you have it down, show it off, even a cake without many decorations which is clean and smooth will make a perfect offering.
You can even use sugar coated powders ideas of icing to decorate. You can use sugar powder to rate a classic look, or opt to use stencil for a modern 'retro' feel. There are plenty of pretty edible cake decorating materials you can use. To make your cake stand out, use candy, nuts or even coconut slices to decorate your cake; set them in with the icing before they set and you are ready to go.
The use of cardboard combs can make your icing looks textured. Piping is achieved by using a pastry bag fitted with a metal tip. Perhaps this is the most crucial pat of your cake decorating. Do not fill the bag more than one cup of icing and start making those tiny designs by applying steady pressure. Use your other hand to guide the tip and keep it steady. To make it easier for you, take time to learn effective piping methods.
If you wish, fondant is another great way to decorate your cake. Fondants are used to cover cakes, kneaded and rolled to create a beautiful classic look. They create a wonderful 3-D design effect, which in turn lends a very pleasing effect to the cake.



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Kerstine Sevilla

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