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Running head: Basic Cake Decorating 1 Basic Cake Decorating How-To Mary Rose Karle Ferris State University

Basic Cake Decorating How-To Mary Rose Karle Ferris State ... · The Cake The first step in cake decorating is obviously to make the cake. It is important to consider how the cake

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Page 1: Basic Cake Decorating How-To Mary Rose Karle Ferris State ... · The Cake The first step in cake decorating is obviously to make the cake. It is important to consider how the cake

Running head: Basic Cake Decorating 1

Basic Cake Decorating How-To

Mary Rose Karle

Ferris State University

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Abstract

This paper covers the basics of frosting and decorating a cake. It is written for those with little to

no experience in this area. All of the techniques shared should be beginner friendly, but can still

be fairly challenging. However, the wonderful thing about cake decorating is that it can be very

simple or very detailed and still look elegant. This paper will cover preparing, frosting, and

decorating your cake along with everything in between. You can use the tools, tips, and

guidelines in this paper to create your own designs on cakes for any occasion. In no time at all,

you’ll be decorating cakes that will impress and delight.

Table of Contents

Materials………………………………………………………………………………………..…3

Introduction …………………………………………………………………………...………….3

The History……………………………………………………………………………………...3-4

The Cake ………………………………………………………………………………………….4

Leveling the Cake ……………………………………………………………………………....4-5

Kinds of Frosting ……………………………………………………………………………….5-6

Coloring Frosting ……………………………………………………………………………….6-7

Cake Decorating Tips …………………………………………………………………………..7-8

Icing Cakes ……………………………………………………………………………………8-10

Cover a Cake with Fondant ………………………………………………………………….11-12

Piping ………………………………………………………………………………...………12-14

Buttercream Decorating Techniques ………………………………………………………...14-16

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Materials

Cake

Frosting

Decorating Tips

Piping Bags

Rolling Pin

Wax Paper

Food Coloring

Turn Table

Spatula

Pastry Scraper

Serrated knife/

Leveler

Spray Bottle

Silicone

Mat/Powdered

Sugar

Pizza Cutter/Knife

Decorating a cake can turn any ordinary cake into a spectacular piece of food art. Even

the simplest decoration can enhance the appearance of your cake. While cake decorating has a

reputation for being tricky, there are many simple tricks. You don’t have to be extremely skilled

to transform your cake into a professional looking masterpiece. The appearance of your cake is

the main selling point. Also, by decorating your cake you can hide any flaws in the shape or

texture. Having fancy looking cakes not only raises the value and desirability of the cake itself,

but can draw in customers for other baked goods in your bakery as well.

The History

Cake decorating began sometime in the mid-17th

century. This was around the same time

that cake pans made their first appearance in domestic kitchens across Northeastern Europe.

Cake decorating was used as a way to create elaborate desserts that could be displayed by

wealthy aristocrats during feasts and banquets. These, however, where mainly just for display.

During the mid-19th

century the French began to serve cakes at the end of meals. This led

to more decorated cakes appearing on banquet tables. The first icings were made by boiling and

whipping sugar and eggs together. This was then poured over the cake. This would then harden

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into a smooth and shiny ice-like surface. Decorations could be formed from marzipan or other

pastes made with sugar, and ground nuts or seeds.

The invention of the temperature controlled oven in the 1840s made cake baking much

easier and more popular. The invention of baking powder and baking soda also made baking

cakes much easier. At this time cake decorating still mainly consisted of complicated old English

techniques. These cakes would commonly be covered in rolled fondant, and include borders that

were complexly over piped.

Wilton Enterprises began to advertise for its own cake decorating classes, around 1929.

These decorating classes were a great success among bakers and chefs. In 1947, the Wilton's

created their own line of baking and decorating products. By the 1960s, the “Wilton Method”

became a standard method of cake decoration. (Gauthier)

The Cake

The first step in cake decorating is obviously to make the cake. It is important to consider

how the cake you have chosen will taste along with the frosting you plan on using. Even before

you have baked your cake it is important to have a plan for how you wish to decorate it. At this

stage you should decide how you wish to arrange your cake. For example, what will the shape of

the cake be and/or will it be stacked? There are numerous kinds of cake you can make from

scratch or from a mix. Once, you have completed your cake, be sure to let it cool completely

before beginning any decorating.

Leveling the Cake

To give your cake a more professional look, you will want to level it before you do any icing.

Be sure to allow your cake at least one hour in which to completely cool, before leveling.

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Option 1: Using a serrated knife

Place your cake on a cake board, then place the board on a cake stand,

if you have one. While slowly rotating the cake stand, gently move the

knife back and forth across the top of cake in a sawing motion. Do this over

the entire top circumference of the cake so that you can remove the crown.

Try to keep the knife as level as possible while you cut.

Option 2: Using a cake leveler

Place your cake on a cake board. Position the ends of the cutting wire

into the notches at the desired height. With the legs of the cake leveler

standing on your work surface, cut into the crusted edge using a careful

sawing motion. Once you saw through the crust, continue by gently gliding

the wire through the cake. (Cakes, 2011)

Kinds of Frosting

The three most common kinds of frosting used for decorating are Buttercream, Royal Icing,

and Fondant.

Buttercream is your standard cupcake frosting

that you would use to fill and frost a cake. This icing

is characterized by its off white color that is a

caused by the butter and vanilla used to make it.

Buttercream is very easy to spread and holds its

shape. It is a good frosting for making decorations

like roses.

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Royal icing is a pure white frosting that has no

fat in it. This icing is soft when first made, but dries

hard (almost like a candy) after you decorate with

it. This frosting also holds its shape very well and is

good for delicate decorating. Royal icing can also

be used as a form of “glue”. For example, it ca

n be used to hold two pieces of fondant together

on your cake.

Fondant is a sugar dough that can be rolled

out to cover a cake. It can also be molded be

decorations such as figurines, flowers or bows.

The texture is very similar to a play dough. Most

fondants consist of either a mixture of sugar and

water or marshmallows and powdered sugar.

(How, 2011)

Coloring Frosting

When planning your cake design, consider what color you’ll want to use. A great way to

do this is to get inspiration from your event or celebration that you cake is for. You can add the

color to your buttercream or royal icing after you have finished making it. This can be done by

simply using food coloring. Add 2-3 drops of your desired color

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to the frosting and mix with a spoon or spatula. Add as many drops as are necessary to

achieve the color you want. For coloring fondant the process is a bit more complicated…

1. To prevent the fondant from sticking to your work area, cover it with some wax

paper.

2. Prepare the fondant by kneading it with your hands. Ensure that the fondant is

soft.

3. Roll into a tube or sausage shape

4. Apply just a little bit of color to a small tool such as a clean artists brush or a

toothpick

5. Gently stroke the color across the fondant as far as it will go

• Try to avid digging into the fondant as this will cause pockets of air,

which can leave bubbles in the fondant

6. Roll the fondant with your fingertips until the color has been evenly distributed

throughout the whole fondant

• If you wish the color to be darker simply repeat the process and add more

drops of color. It is always best to start with a little and increase if desired

(How to Color)

Cake Decorating Tips

Decorating bag tips are small metal cones that are shaped to produce various designs

when icing is pressed through them. Some of the most common tips used for cakes are as

followings (Cooking Tips):

Basket Weave Tip

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Open Star Tip

Round Tip (Large)

Leaf Tip

Drop Flower Tip

Closed Star Tip

Round Tip (Small)

Coupler: A couplers a two-part device that allows you to change decorating

tips without changing the bag. The two parts are called the base and the

ring. The base fits inside the bag, then you put the decorating tip of your

choice over the portion of the coupler that sticks out of the bag. When you

screw the ring on, you've locked the decorating tip onto the coupler and bag.

(Cakes)

Icing Cakes

To begin the decorating process you need to apply your chosen icing to your cake. For

buttercream or Royal Icing the steps are as follows:

1. Prepare cake by positioning it either on a turntable or place on a plate/ movable

surface.

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• You will want to be able to turn the cake around in a 360 while frosting

and decorating to easily reach every side.

2. Using a spoon or spatula place a several large dollop of icing on the top of the

cake.

• Don’t worry about putting too much on as you will be taking any excess

off later on. Put on enough frosting that your spatula never has to touch

the cake

3. Begin to gently spread the frosting so that it covers the top of the

cake.

• A large angled or offset spatula keeps your hands out of

the way when applying icing

4. Begin to apply icing to the side of the cake. Use spatula to spread a generous

amount of icing on all the sides.

• Be sure to leave a little ridge of icing to come up over the edge of the cake

so you can develop a crisp corner later on.

5. Use a pastry scraper to smooth the icing on the sides. Gently lean the scrapper up

against the side of the cake and spin the cake slowly in a circle to scrape off the

excess frosting.

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• If you notice any places that are bare go back and add more icing with

your spatula and then continue to smooth with the scraper

6. For the top of the cake, use the pastry scraper to gently wipe across the icing.

• Each time you wipe across the cake make sure the scraper is completely

clean for the next swipe.

At this point your cake should be fairly smooth with all of the excess icing

removed

7. To make your cake look glass smooth use a spray bottle to spritz your cake with a

little bit of water. (This will help your scraper to glide easily over the cake.) Take

your scraper again and repeat the scraping process until your cake is as smooth as

desired. (How to Get, 2011)

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Cover a Cake with Fondant

To prepare your cake you want to first frost it with a thick coat of buttercream and

then let it sit in a cooler for 15 to 20 minutes so the icing can get firm. Spritz the icing

with a little bit of water to help the fondant adhere to it.

1. First, you will need to knead your fondant. This can be done on a silicone mat, corn

starch or powdered sugar. Kneading will make break up the sugar crystals and make

it more pliable and smooth.

2. Flatten your fondant onto your work area with your hand. Take a large rolling pin and

roll it over the fondant form one side to the other until it is flattened to the necessary

size.

When it is rolled out the fondant should measure at least the diameter of the cake

plus two times the height.

If there is any obvious excess fondants use a pizza cutter or a knife to cut it off.

3. Next, you want to drape your fondant over

a light weight cylinder or rolling pin. Lift

it up over the cake surface, making sure

you’re covering the full width and length

of the cake, and lay it over the top.

4. Smooth the fondant on the top with your hand stretch the fondant on the sides

outward like a skirt. Start at the edge at the top and gently smooth the edges with your

hand and fingers. Then moves to the sides by pulling the fondant outward and

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carefully sliding your hand down the side of the cake. Continue to spread your

fondant out and smoothing it down until you have moved around the whole cake

5. Remove the excess fondant at the bottom with a pizza cutter or knife

6. Now you can move your cake up onto a turn table. Take a smother and place it

against the side of your cake. Push in and down to smooth the fondant and securely

attach it to the cake. Do this all the way around the circumference of the cake.

After you have done this once, you can now do another rough trim of the excess

fondant at the bottom.

Smooth your fondant down with the smoother a second time. Do a final trim at a

45 degree angle to the surface and then pull out the excess fondant. (How To

Cover, 2011)

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Piping

Icing: Piping can be done with any kind of icing. However, Royal Icing works best on fondant

and Swiss meringue buttercream works best on Buttercream.

Holding the Bag: There are many different ways to hold a piping bag, but it pretty much comes

down to what is comfortable in your hand and what gives you the best results. Fill up the bag so

that it holds enough to fill the palm of your hand so you can control the pressure and movement

of the bag. Some people find it easiest to hole the bag in their non-dominant hand and then guide

the bag with their other dominant hand.

Consistency: Having the right consistency to your frosting is essential to successful piping and

cake decoration. A good way to test your icings consistency is to pipe a string between your

fingers, give it a little shake, and if it doesn’t break immediately you’re good to go. If it breaks

quickly, your icing is too wet and you will need to add a little powdered sugar. If it’s difficult to

get the icing out of the bag that means your icing is too hard and will need to add a little water.

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Practicing: It is important to practice icing before trying to pipe onto your cake. Generally, it is

best to guide the icing rather than trying to force the icing to go where you want it to go. Always

try to keep the tip of your piping bag off of the cake or surface you are piping on. Let gravity do

its job, while you guide the string of icing in the direction you want it to go. While icing, it is

wise to keep yourself anchored by placing your elbows on the table. Again, you should do this in

whatever fashion is most comfortable for you. (McGowan, 2013)

Buttercream Decorating Techniques

Swirl Dot Flowers

1) To create a drop flower you will need a drop flower tip and

medium consistency buttercream. Hold your bag straight up at a 90 degree

angle so that the tip is lightly touching the surface.

2) Before you begin to pipe, turn your hand so that

the back of your hand is away from you and your knuckles are at 9:00

(if you’re right handed) or 3:00 (if you’re left handed).

3) While squeezing out icing, slowly rotate your hand until the back of

your hand returns to its normal position, with your knuckles at 12:00.

(twisting your wrist creates the swirled look of the petals)

4) Place a dot in the center by using a round tip and bury the tip in the middle. Squeeze out

your dot and then slowly pull up and then to the side, shaving off the point.

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Shells

1) Use a Star tip and medium

consistency icing. Hold your bag at about

a 45° angle, with tip slightly above the

surface.

2) Squeeze hard, letting icing build up generously as it forces the

tip up

3) Steadily decrease pressure as you lower the tip. Pull the bag

away until the tip touches the surface. Reduce pressure and pull

the tip along the surface to create your point.

4) To create a shell boarder, begin the following shell so that the fanned end covers the tail

of the proceeding shell. Continue to repeat this process until you have a chain.

Ruffle

1) You will need a petal tip and medium consistency icing. Hold

your bag at 45°, with wide end of your tip lightly touching the surface

and the narrow end facing away from the surface.

2) As you keep the wide end against the cake,

move your wrist up while gently squeezing to pull up icing. Then move

your wrist down to complete one curl of the ruffle.

3) Continue to repeat this up and down motion

The tightness of your ruffle depends on how fast you move your hand up

and down. Go slowly for a loose ruffle and quickly for a tight ruffle.

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Rosette

1) You will need a star tip and medium consistency icing. Hold

the bag at 90° (straight up) with tip slightly above surface.

2) Squeeze out enough icing to form a star. While continuing to

apply pressure, raise the tip slightly and rotate in a tight complete

circle. Stop pressure at about 6:00, but continue to rotate the tip until

back at your starting spot.

When pulling the tip away, continue the circular motion so that the tail maintains the

circular shape of the rosette.

Leaves

1) Prepare the decorating bag with desired tip; each tip will

create a different size and style of leaf. Hold the bag at a 45°

angle and lightly touch the surface with the wide opening parallel

to surface.

2) Squeeze hard to build up the base of the leaf while at the

same time lifting the tip slightly.

3) Relax the pressure as you pull the tip away, drawing the leaf to a point.

4) Stop squeezing and lift away. (Cakes)

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References

Cakes. (n.d.). Cake Decorating: Get Tips for Creative Cake Decorating Designs and Ideas from

Wilton. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://www.wilton.com/cakes/

Gauthier, J. (n.d.). History of Cake Decorating . Street Directory . Retrieved April 17, 2014, from

http://www.streetdirectory.com/etoday/history-of-cake-decorating-ceefjf.html

How To Cover A Cake With Fondant--Two Methods. (2011, August 1). YouTube. Retrieved

March 5, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBvhkSBMSyc

How to Color Frosting. (n.d.). wikiHow. Retrieved February 27, 2014, from

http://www.wikihow.com/Color-Frosting

How to Decorate a Cake. (n.d.). Find Recipes, Appetizers, Desserts, Holiday Recipes & Healthy

Cooking Tips. Retrieved March 12, 2014, from http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/how-to-

cook/how-to-decorate-a-cake?keycode=ZPIN0413

How to Get Smooth Icing or Frosting on a Cake. (2011, May 15). YouTube. Retrieved March

11, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTRNkGpJMH8

How to Pick the Right Cake Frosting | Cake Decorations. (2011, May 20). YouTube. Retrieved

March 1, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7zSw9ZOItE

McGowan, W. (2013, March 28). Piping Techniques. Welcome to the Craftsy Blog RSS.

Retrieved March 3, 2014, from http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2013/03/piping-techniques/