A cake is an original way to gain attention for a special occasion. Whether for a product launch, or an anniversary, for a current client, or a prospective new customer, cutting a decorated cake plays an important role in any celebration.

Corporate cakes are arranged for promotions and many other events such as for providing Incentive Gifts, or for celebrating Company or Client Birthdays, or Anniversary (Silver, Golden, 1,000th issue, The One Millionth Customer) or during Product Launches or just to increase the company’s response rate and build stronger relationships. It may be great for winning new business or simply to add flavor to a current campaign.

Corporate cake decorating options range from a standard shape with a choice of message through to hand crafted 3-D models. Also, the corporate logos are nice when re-created in icing, or scanned onto sugar paper and placed directly onto the chosen cake. Company logos are made using edible inks and sugar paper. It will recreate the image into a delicious and unusual slice of marketing.

Individual serve cakes are sometimes mailed directly to clients by having a logo included, thus creating a unique gift for customers. Decorated Cakes can then be delivered in a presentation box with a gift card and message. This really is ‘tasteful’ marketing!

Corporate cakes can be decorated with either fondant or icing. The cake itself can range from sponge to rich fruit. Fruit cakes generally have a marzipan layer between the cake and icing, but sponges can be made in vanilla, lemon, coffee, and chocolate flavors and have filling of butter cream or jam to match or contrast. Prices for corporate cakes vary according to the size and the type of cake that is chosen, and the complexity of the shape and decoration.

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.

Cake is often the dessert of choice at ceremonial occasions, particularly weddings or birthday parties. The bride and groom are the first to eat their wedding cake, often serving each other a piece. Wedding cake is a very memorable part of one’s reception. Indeed, cutting the cake marks a turning point in someone’s life. The significance of the wedding cake has been loaded with symbolism – whether the bride and groom’s first cut represents the beginning of a shared life or simply the end of the wedding reception.

Once you’ve determined what kind of cake to have at your wedding, and how you would like it decorated, it’s time to decide where to place the cake at your reception. Walk through the reception hall and decide the best place for guests to admire the cake.

Dress a table for the cake with a nice white table cloth. Make sure the table is sturdy and strong, in case your cake is heavy. Decorate the table to complement the style of your wedding. It’s nice to use flower pedals or even whole flowers on the table with your cake, and personal pictures add a nice touch, too. Center the cake on the table, placing it carefully. Large cakes can be fragile, so it’s best to place them with a steady hand. Make sure that the cake is centered and angled correctly for optimal viewing.

Next step is to cut the cake. Check that the photographer and videographer are in place before you begin cutting. Time the cake cutting as appropriate to the type of reception. If you plan to throw a lunch or dinner reception, present the cake after the meal. Gather the crowd and announce your intention to cut the cake. Cut with the groom’s right hand over the bride’s. Slice through to the bottom layer of the cake together. Use a special silver cake knife if possible. Feed one another from the slice. Traditionally, the groom feeds the bride first, then the bride serves the groom. Serve slices to your in-laws – with the bride serving the groom’s parents, then the groom serving the bride’s. Then, have preordained friends or the catering staff members serve the rest of the guests.

A decorated cake is an excellent treat and a fine food idea for any party, especially baby showers and bridal showers. Besides making a great centerpiece for your snack table, cakes are a delicious treat that everyone will enjoy. The cake decorations will add to the party atmosphere. Here are some of the most popular flavors for cakes:

1. Cheesecake – Cheesecake has always been a top cake flavor for exquisite occasions. Like other cakes, they can also be decorated with custom lettering specific for your special occasion.
2. Funnel Cake – Funnel cake is another great party cake as well as easy to make. It is not so big, so it does not usually serve as a centerpiece, yet can be a nice treat for your guests.
3. Chocolate Cake – Chocolate has always been a popular flavor, particularly among women, so decorated chocolate cake finds a place in the top ten shower cakes.
4. Ice Cream Cake – Ice cream cakes are a delicious treat, combining two party favorites – ice cream and cake. These cakes are also decorated to suit your occasion and can be purchased from local bakery or ice cream shop if you are unsure how to make a decorate one.
5. Pound Cake – Another popular cake that often makes its way into baby and bridal shower celebrations is the pound cake. These cakes are often sliced into less filling segments than other cakes and are a nice complement to other snacks.
6. Carrot Cake – Carrot cake is another cake that is commonly available at celebrations and usually contains sweet decorative icing.
7. Red Velvet Cake – This layered cake is a popular southern cake and contains both vanilla and cocoa.
8. Strawberry Cake – Strawberry cake is another favorite, especially at parties where there are kids. People love fresh strawberry toppings decorated on top of the cake to go with the strawberry flavor of the cake.
9. Pineapple Upside-down Cake – Another sweet treat is the pineapple upside-down cake. Although this cake is rarely the centerpiece, it is often a popular choice on the snack table.

There are other cakes, decorated and plain, like banana cake, and many more that are greatly appreciated by guests.

Leaveners are additives that make cakes rise. There are natural leaveners and chemical leaveners that can be used in baking a birthday or any other cake. Many cakes rise as air cells in the eggs expand in the batter. But, most recipes call for one of the following cake leaveners.

Baking Powder – Baking powder is a chemical leavener that cause carbon dioxide gas to be formed so that the cake rises. Baking powder is the most common leavener used in cakes.

Baking Soda – Baking soda is another chemical, bicarbonate of soda. When mixed into a batter with cocoa, chocolate, brown sugar or buttermilk, it reacts to rise.

Yeast - Yeast is a natural leavener, a living plant organism that releases carbon dioxide to cause a cake to rise. Mostly associated with bread, yeast is also used in delicate cakes.

Tip – For cake recipes that require baking powder and baking soda, you can usually use just one. If you use both, the cake tends to be less sweet.

It makes sense that with any decorated cake, sugar is the key sweetner. Sugar contributes tenderness by enhancing the ability of the cake to retain moisture. It also provides the golden crust of a white or vanilla cake. A good cake decorator knows their sugar. Here are some to know.

Granulated Sugar – This is the type of sugar called for in most cake recipes. Cake decorators tip: Avoid the superfine sugar and stick with granulated to maintain a good cake texture.

Confectioner’s Sugar – This is very finely ground granulated sugar with a little cornstarch added to prevent clumping. When decorating your cakes, you can use confectioner’s sugar to dust the top as a garnish.

Other sweetners to be aware of, which is called for in some cake recipes, are: corn syrup, honey and molasses.

Happy Cake Decorating

Many people use pre-packaged cake mix for their cake decorating. There is nothing wrong with that as I primarily use these mixes for most of my cakes. Tip: The mix allows me to focus on cake decorating and my creativity.

However, if you want to bake your own cake from scratch, here are the main types of flour to consider.

All Purpose Flour – All-purpose flour is used for some cakes, particularly those that don’t rise significantly. The flour comes bleached or unbleached. Both can be used interchangably for your recipe.

Cake Flour – Cake flour is finely milled and always bleached. It is great for delicate cakes such as sponge or angel cake. When frosting this type of cake, use care when spreading otherwise the cake may break.

Self-Rising Cake Flour – Salt and baking powder are added to normal cake flour to create self-rising cake flour. It is not a substitute for regular flour, so use it only as directed in the recipe.

Now that you have your cake, happy decorating.

Where do you get those ideas for kids birthday cakes is a question that I get often. Well, coming up with the idea for a great kids birthday cake is the easy part.

Baking, decorating and finishing a kids birthday cake is a time consuming labor of love. However, the easy part of coming up with a great kid’s birthday cake is the idea. The idea is what I will be discussing in this post.

As stated, there is no shortage of places to go for ideas to a kids birthday cake. The place to start, however, is not the Internet. The best place for your idea, whether it is a character, theme, locale or imaginary is a child. Asking your child, or any child, for an idea for a decorated birthday cake will generate a lot of answers.

You never know what the kid will say until you ask. But, keep in mind a setting conducive to creative thinking. I find that the best place to ask a kid for cake decorating idea is in their bedroom. It is their most creative place. From books, posters, toys to even the bed sheets, the room is a great place to develop cake ideas.

I also found that outside, after playtime, when the kids are winding down is also a great time to talk about cake ideas. Their minds have been set at ease and are calm from the play. This allows them time to think about ideas that may be important to them.

Places to avoid include any room with a television. I have found that the tv, even if it is turned off, is a huge distraction. And, it simply cuts off any creative thought process. Same is true for sitting near a computer.

So, there you have it. The best kids birthday cake ideas come from kids themselves.

I received an email recently with a question about how to get a cake out of the pan. The writer was always having trouble with their cake be stuck to the pan. So, here are a few simple tip to get the cake unstuck.
One of the more common questions and issues that a beginning cake baker / decorator has is with their cake getting stuck to the pan. There are several methods for getting your stuck cake out. However, the best method is prevention, treat your pan before putting in your cake batter.

Today, most people take the simple approach of using a non-stick spray on their pan. Simply shake your non-stick spray, then, hold your pan sideways, and spray the inside bottom and inside sides of the pan. This generally works with most cake batters leaving you with a smooth surface for cake decorating.

I prefer a different technique to pan preparation. First, I grease the pan with shortening, usually Crisco. I make sure to get the entire inside bottom, including the corners, as well as the interior sides. After I’m done greasing the cake pan, I cut a piece of wax paper to the size of the interior bottom of the pan. I place the wax paper on the bottom of the pan, then I grease the top of the wax paper.

The wax paper has helped with removal of the cake from the pan. Usually, the wax paper comes out of the pan with the cake. Once that happens, I peel away the paper and throw it away.

Once the cake has finished baking, allow it to cool completely before attempting to remove it from the pan. If you try to remove the cake while it is still hot or warm, there is a chance that the cake will break. So, be careful to cool the cake, but don’t wait too long. If the cake cools too long, the shortening in the cake will harden and potentially stick.

Happy cake decorating.

Separating an egg yolk from the egg white is a fairly simple process, but, once in a while, doesn’t turn out quite right. Well, today I learned a new method that will increase the speed of my cake baking and decorating. Here are the two tips for separating egg whites from the egg yolk.

The traditional way of separating the egg yolk from the egg whites is very straightforward. You start the normal way that you crack an egg, at the top of your mixing bowl. When cracking to separate the yolk from the white, use two hands so that you can quickly separate the egg shell into two even pieces.

Once the egg is cracked into two pieces, the side without the yolk that has only whites can be poured into your bowl. Do not toss the empty half.

Hold the full shell over your bowl. Take the empty shell and hold is below and slightly to the side of the full shell. Next, with the half egg that contains both the egg yolk and the egg white, gently and slowly tip the shell sideways. As the white begins to pour out, watch the yolk carefully. As soon as the yolk is about to fall out, catch it with the empty shell. Continue to do this until the yolk is completely separated from the egg whites.

Now, on to the new tip, courtesy of some creative kid thinking. Hold the egg up vertically in one hand. With your other hand, poke a hole into the top of the egg with a toothpick. Next, turn the egg upside down so that the egg white drips out of the egg shell. Once the egg whites have completely drained out, crach the shell and you are left with the egg yolk.

Thank kids. Now, let’s get back to cake decorating.