Have you ever wanted to bake your very own cake for a loved one’s birthday or special occasion, but been a bit hesitant about cake decorating? While it might seem like a tough task, cake decorating is easy to manage as long as you keep a few basic tips and tricks in mind.
To help you get started baking and decorating your very own cake, we bring some handy cake decorating tips that will help you bake and make that cake look pretty, like a pro!
5 cake decorating tips for mums
- Freezing the cake
Image credit: The Bearfoot Baker
To make your frosting easier and to achieve a sturdier surface, you will need to freeze the cake in advance. This can range from an hour to a month before. Here’s how you freeze a cake properly: wrap with plastic wrap after the layers have cooled. Wrap around twice to make sure no part of the cake is outside. And if you intend to freeze the cake for more than a week, wrap again with foil so that an alien smell doesn’t penetrate and soil the cake.
- Crumb coat
A crumb coat prevents crumbs from poking out on the cake surface. You can use a thin layer of frosting around the outside of your cake. And this is done after the layers have been stacked with fillings of your choice. Using a spatula, carefully spread a thin layer of frosting, but before taking the spatula back into the frosting make sure you scrape away the crumbs stuck to the spatula. When you’re done, refrigerate for a few minutes and go ahead with the final layer.
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Bench scraper
Image: Pinterest
A bench scraper is how you achieve smooth edges. To enable rotation, your cake should already be placed on a turntable. Use your strong hand to grip the bench scraper and then the other for the turntable so that as the hand with the bench scraper is scraping, the other can turn the turntable. Rotation must be evenly paced.
- Piping
Image credit: How Cast
Piping is a decoration technique that allows you to place various shapes on the frosting. This is fun to do and can especially be fitting for your child’s birthday. You can fit different shapes like a star, a heart, and a fish to the frosting to create a playful effect. You will need a piping bag, and each bag has its own effect. There’s the one for when you want to add a rose, or star, or ruffles. Hold the tip of the bag erect over the spot where you want the shape to be. Press the piping bag gently and move your hand in circles outwardly. Your hands should be straight until you are satisfied with the size.
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Writing on the cake
Image: Philosophy Of Yum
Before writing, place the cake in the fridge for a few minutes. Doing this straight on the cake for the first time is tricky. To get a firm hand, you should practice elsewhere first. You’d need to master the centring, spacing, and sizing of the letters. Draw the shape of your cake somewhere, or on parchment to be precise, and practice using a piping tip.
Finally,
With most of decorating, you are most likely going to fumble at first. But it’s normal. These things require practice for them to get easier.
Read also: The Only Chocolate Cake Recipe You Will Need
Source: Food And Wine
