Cake decorating techniques add fanciness to cakes.
Cake decorating becomes a well-done job when the results are easy to see. This includes the presence of techniques and finishing touches like fondant accents, borders and roses. Today, cake decorating and design has grown in exposure to the point that hundreds of thousands of people watch this art on TV. The requests of people who buy cakes have become more demanding, according to American Cake Decorating magazine. (See Reference 1) Add this to my Recipe Box.
Use a Spatula
Using a spatula can help people prepare a cake with perfectly smoothed icing without crumbs. Place a cake on its serving board and use three to four Tablespoons of corn syrup to thin out the icing, allowing it to spread more effectively. Next, glide the spatula over the icing so it does not make contact with the cake's surface or pull icing that has already been spread from the surface of the cake. This method should keep crumbs out of the icing.
Swirls
Swirls are easy to create and add a fancy touch to your cake. To create swirls, hold a decorating tip attached to a decorating bag about a quarter-inch away from the surface of the cake. The bag should also be held at a 90-degree angle to the surface. Pipe an icing spiral by starting at a point and then working inward. Pull the tip away and stop the pressure after you've worked inward. Pipe a second icing spiral that's smaller on top of the first one.
Writing
Printing a loved one's name on the cake generates a special touch. Attach a round decorating tip to a decorating bag and fill the bag halfway with thin-consistency icing. Slant the bag at a 45-degree angle. To make letters, elevate the tip a little and, using even pressure, squeeze out a steady line, making sure to lift the top off of the surface to allow the icing string to drop down. Pull the tip away from the icing, checking to see if the tip's end is clean prior to moving on to another line.
Vine Decoration
Using a round decorating tip attached to a featherweight decorating bag, position the bag at a 45-degree angle. Make sure you use thin consistency icing. Make light contact with the tip of the bag to the cake's surface when squeezing the bag. Create hills and valleys of the vines by moving the tip higher or lower. Finish the vine line by stopping squeezing and pulling the tip along the cake surface. Create secondary curved stems for more effect. Put the tip on a main line and, with light pressure, pull out to form secondary vines. End the pressure after pulling out to a point.
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