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Running head: Basic Cake Decorating 1
Basic Cake Decorating How-To
Mary Rose Karle
Ferris State University
Running head: Basic Cake Decorating 2
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
Running head: Basic Cake Decorating 3
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
Running head: Basic Cake Decorating 4
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.
Running head: Basic Cake Decorating 5
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.
Running head: Basic Cake Decorating 6
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
Running head: Basic Cake Decorating 7
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
Running head: Basic Cake Decorating 8
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.
Running head: Basic Cake Decorating 9
• 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.
Running head: Basic Cake Decorating 10
• 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)
Running head: Basic Cake Decorating 11
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
Running head: Basic Cake Decorating 12
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)
Running head: Basic Cake Decorating 13
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.
Running head: Basic Cake Decorating 14
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.
Running head: Basic Cake Decorating 15
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.
Running head: Basic Cake Decorating 16
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)
Running head: Basic Cake Decorating 17
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/