Quick Tips for Decorating a Cake

Decorating a cake is an art; one needs some practice and little patience to learn the technique. Cake decoration can be done in various ways. After baking the cake, level the dome that forms on the top of the cake with a long and thin knife. Before decorating a cake, ensure that the cake is completely cooled. Let the cake cool for 15 – 20 minutes in the pan and then on a cooling rack. It is better to bake the cake a day before, put it in the refrigerator overnight for cooling and then decorate it with icing the next day.

The first step to decorate a cake is to prepare the icing. Icing can either be made at home or bought in the readymade form from a store. It should be light, fluffy and free of air pockets. The next step is to assemble a conical shaped piping bag, followed by putting in the filing into the decorating bag. The cake should be iced in at least two layers. Complimentary filling for the icing and glaze needs to be chosen, which can be simply applied to the top of the decorated cake.

Patterns can also be added to the icings using a small spatula or an icing comb. Glazes such as apricot or chocolate can be poured over a cake, which can then be supplemented with butter-cream or marzipan. To create a stencil, sprinkle confectioner’s sugar or cocoa powder onto a stencil placed onto the cake. Other items that be added to a cake include iced cakes, crystallized edible flowers or even sugared grape clusters. A creamy surface layer better known as fondant can also be applied to the top of the cake. The cake can be further decorated by creating borders and adding the finishing touches to enhance the look.