Simple Cake Decorating Ideas

Cake decorating is not as difficult as it seems. We look at the elaborately decorated masterpieces and feel completely intimidated. Here are a few simple ideas and hints to make your cake decorating project a winner.

- Buy readymade cakes, or make your cake from a mix.

- Make sure you have several pastry bags, a coupler, a flower nail, and 6 icing tips- #824 large open star, #23 small open star, #104 small rose, #125 large rose, and #109 and #129 drop flowers.

- A turntable makes icing a cake much easier. A lazy susan will work.

- Use decorations that are already made- fresh flowers, silk flowers, ribbons, and fruit are some of the items you can use.

- Always brush fresh fruit with a glaze to seal in moisture.

- Use a decorative cake plate or platter to present your cake.

- Use Ganache icing.

Ganache

1 pound semi sweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup heavy cream or evaporated milk

1/4 cup sugar

4 tsp. unsalted butter

Place the chocolate in a bowl.

Combine cream, butter, and sugar in a pan, bring the mixture to a boil.

Pour the mixture over the chocolate, stirring gently until it is melted.

Using royal or buttercream icing, ice the cake with a thin coating, and freeze for 15 minutes.

Place a cooling rack on a cookie sheet.

Make sure the icing is set, and place the cake on the cooling rack.

Quickly pour the ganache over the top of the cake and down the sides. You can use a spatula to smooth the surface if needed. The hot ganache will melt the icing, so only smooth as necessary. Tap the rack to remove any excess ganache, this can be refrigerated for later use.

Chill the cake until set, remove to a serving platter.

Fruit Flan

You can choose to purchase a pre-made flan, or bake one yourself.

Slice your choice of assorted fruit and arrange it on the cake surface in concentric circles.

Coat with apricot glaze.

Serve on a decorative cake plate or platter.

Apricot Glaze

12 oz. jar of apricot jam

2-3 tbsp. Water

Combine jam and water in a saucepan.

Bring ingredients to a boil.

Strain glaze and keep in the refrigerator until needed.

Heat to brush on fruit.

Piping

Using a pastry bag and the tip of your choice, you can create a number of cake decorations, ranging from flowers to simple borders. Basic icing recipes can be found on the internet. Work on a piece of waxed paper before you apply any icing to a cake.

Edible Flowers

Apply icing to your cake

Decorate the cake with piping if you desire

Distribute edible flowers in a decorative fashion

I hope that any, or all, of these tips will help you with your cake decorating projects. My suggestion is to gather all of the tips, tricks, and ideas you can find and print them out. Put your collection in a binder and the next time you are having a problem with your cake decorating project, you will have an answer at your fingertips.

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A Few Cake Decorating Ideas

Did you know that the first cakes baked in America where small loaves of sweet bread? Look how far we have come. Home bakers should not be intimidated by the elaborate cakes being made today. You do not need to be a pastry chef to make beautiful cakes, you just need the know-how and practice. Of course the right tools will go a long way in your cake decorating endeavors. Here are a few ideas you might like to try.

Every cake worth merit starts with a smooth icing. The cake needs to cool completely before they are iced and decorated. To keep crumbs from ending up in your icing and ruining the look of your cake, start with a thin base coat of frosting that is not quite as stiff as the regular layer will be. Once this coat is on, set the cake in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. This will set the icing and any crumbs will be caught in this first layer. Now you can spread a regular layer of icing without worrying about crumbs.

Use an icing spatula to apply and smooth the second coat of icing. Once the icing is on the cake, start smoothing on the sides by running the spatula around the perimeter of the cake. One trick for smoothing the frosting is to dip the metal icing spatula in cold water, this will aid in smoothing the frosting. To smooth the top, dip the spatula in cold water and holding it horizontally over the top of the cake. Start at the point farthest from you, holding the spatula in both hands, skim the top of the icing by bringing the spatula straight toward you.

Simple Designs

Some cake decorators say learning to smooth the icing is the hardest part of cake decorating. Practice will make you a pro in not time. Once you have it down, show it off, even a cake without many decorations that is clean and smooth will make an perfectly elegant offering.

Instead of icing, cake tops can be dusted with powdered sugar. You can choose to use a stencil for a more decorated appearance, or just the powdered sugar for a clean look.

Edible decorations are a beautiful yet simple cake decorating technique. The use of sprinkles, candy, nuts, and coconut pressed into the icing before it sets, will make your cake stand out.

To apply a textured look for your cake decorating, use a small cardboard comb, available in baking supply stores.

Piping is achieved by using a pastry bag fitted with a metal tip that is held on by a coupler. This is your most important tool for cake decorating. You can make lines, words, shells, flowers, and many other designs on the top or sides of the cake. Fill the bag with no more than 1 cup of icing at a time, twist the top of the bag and keep steady pressure when piping the design. Use your other hand to guide the tip. It is wise to find out everything you can about piping before you begin.

Fondant a smooth white paste, is used in complicated cake decorating. Fondant is kneaded and rolled to cover cakes with a sleek smooth layer of icing. It is also used to make designs that are 3-D. It is less tasty than buttercream, but the cake will look sleek and elegant.

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Healthy Breakfast Ideas

A lot of studies and research has shown that kids

who eat breakfast perform better in school and

have a healthier diet. Eating breakfast will help

promote the proper growth and maximize school

performance as well.

Breakfast is often times a victim of the morning

time crunch. Even though you may be tempted to

skip breakfast, you can simplify your morning

routine by following these 8 tips:

1. Finish homework and pack school bags

at night.

2. Decide on what your children will

wear to school before you go to bed and locate

lost shoes for the following day.

3. In the morning, get up 15 minutes

earlier.

4. Give up computer games and morning

television.

5. Have healthy foods on hand. You

should also shop for breakfast foods with your kids

and take into account their personal preferences.

6. Set the cereal out the night before.

For younger children, fill a zippered plastic bag

with her portion, then add the milk in the

morning.

7. Allow your children to use the

microwave often, as most breakfast foods can be

prepared in under 5 minutes.

8. Allow your kids to eat in the car or

on the way to school.

There are several foods that you can eat for

breakfast, even leftovers from supper if they

are sufficient. You can eat bagels, pizza with

fruit juice, pretzels, or the normal bacon and

eggs that breakfast is known for. Most foods are

a snap to prepare, and won't take you but a

few minutes.

The next time you are in a hurry in the morning,

remember that you are probably about to skip the

most important meal of the day. If you follow the

tips above, you'll find that you have plenty of

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What Are Some Basic Cake Decorating Ideas And Tips?

After you have baked the cake, and it has cooled, the next step is decorating the cake. While this can be a fun and pleasurable task, this is also the step that takes a bit of skill and patience. I hope, these tips will allow you to have more fun decorating your cake.

Let's begin with the basics. The cake decorating tips that are essential and things that you need to know before you. You will need a workplace that will afford enough room to be able to decorate your cake without being cramped. You also need to be away from disturbances and you will not need to move away from because you will be in the way of others. The first thing to know about cake decorating, is the fact that the cake must be completely cooled before you make any attempt to decorate. If the cake is still warm, you will run into many problems.

The next item is to make sure you have gathered all of the tools and ingredients for decorating your cake. Some items you will need are: a syringe or piping bag, the type and size tips you will be using, and the coupler to attach the tips to the piping bag. You will need to plan how you will decorate the cake ahead of time, so you can have all of the tools you need on hand when you begin decorating.

To begin with you need to ice, or frost the cake with royal icing, butter cream icing, or fondant icing. To start with, make sure you place a thin layer of frosting over the top to hold the crumbs together. When that is done, you will frost over that layer. It is important to make sure the icing you use is the right consistency. If the icing is too thin or too thick it will affect the end result of your cake decorating. If you are creating a decorated cake and you think your frosting is too thin, you can add a bit more confectioners sugar. Make sure you add this a little at a time as it can become too stiff if you add too much. If you feel your icing is too stiff, carefully add a bit more liquid.

Icing is used in different consistencies for different cake decorating techniques. When you are making roses, or any flower with upright petals, and will be piping figures on the cake, you will want to use a stiff icing or your petals may droop. To make stars, flowers with flat petals, and shell borders, you will want to use a medium consistency. A thin icing is used for writing on the cake, and thinner, more delicate work such as vines and leaves. If you add about 2 teaspoons of light corn syrup to your icing, you will find the icing will flow easier and make it more flexible.

flowers with flat petals. A thin icing mixture should be used for writing characters, and thinner, pointier shapes and styles such as leaves and vines. Add a couple of teaspoons of light corn syrup to the icing mix to make it more flexible and easier flowing.

Once the cake is iced, it is time to begin decorating. The way you hold the icing bag is important, as the direction and angle you hold the piping bag will influence the way the patterns and shapes you will create, will turn out. Thankfully there are only two positions to hold the piping bag to make certain designs.

The firs position is to hold the piping bag at a 90 degree angle, straight up from the surface of the cake. This is used for the simpler decorations that don't involve a lot of movement in making the design. The center of rosebuds, adding eyes to a character or making stars and dots. The other position involves the piping bag being held at a 45 degree angle, or holding the bag half-way between straight up and the surface of the cake.

In this position you have more flexibility to create sweeping styles, and create shapes with your piping hand. You can use this angle for flower petals, or writing on the cake. Some of the piping tips, like the tips for basket weave, petal and ruffle, have ends that are irregular. There is a right and wrong way to hold the bag when working with them.

Now that you know the basics here are a few tips to start you on your way to making a decorated cake.

- Basket Weave - Using this technique will give the sides of your cake the look of a basket. You may want to practice on a piece of waxed paper until you feel confident enough to begin on the cake. Using the basket weave tip and an icing that is of medium consistency, take turns applying a vertical stripe, following it with a horizontal stripe across the vertical. Make sure the horizontal stripes are a bit longer so the vertical stripe will fit across it. Soon you will see a basket pattern become apparent.

- Bows - This technique will make your cake look like a wrapped gift. Use a flat tip and medium icing. Hold your bag at a 45 degree angle and sweep your bag left, making half of the bow. Make the same movement to the right, making a figure 8. Hold the bag and sweep downward and out from the center of the bow, once on each side to make 2 streamers.

- Lacework - This technique is great for wedding or baby shower cakes. You should practice this technique to make sure you have good control before you use it in your cake decorating. Using thin white icing, hold the bag at nearly a 90 degree angle and very close to the surface of the cake. You will want to make a border so you will need to decide how far you want to go in from the edge and make an icing border.

Move the tip up down and around to make many similar shapes, do not touch or cross the other designs. Do this until the area is as full as you want it to be. Now you can go over the border on both sides with a thicker icing. You will be amazed at the lacework you have created.

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Easy Cake Decorating Themes And Ideas

Cake decorating has always been around, and as time goes by, new ideas are added to the list. Here are a few ideas for cake decorating that are so easy to achieve.

- Flowers: Real flowers have become quite popular in cake decorating circles. You should choose smaller flowers that are edible, and make sure they have been cleaned. It is best to use flowers from your own garden, or a garden that you know the owner does not use poisons. Rinse them in a lukewarm water bath and blot them dry with a paper towel. Make sure you pick the flowers right before you are ready to use them on the cake so they are fresh. If you would like to add a dewy look to your cake flowers, brushing on a bit of luster dust will make them look as if they are wet.

- Fruit: Orange slices, grapes, mandarin oranges, etc... You can make these fruits look frosted by beating an egg white, and brushing it on each piece of fruit, then dipping it in clear or colored sanding sugar. This has become very popular.

- Decorations Made of Fondant: You are able to use fondant icing to make beautiful cake decorations. You can choose to make flat decorations, or make them 3-D. You will find that you can copy designs from just about anywhere, and model the decorations as if you were making them out of modeling clay.

- Ready to Use Frosting: Frosting in a tube, is the new rage in cake decorating. A variety of tips can be bought to make different decorations. These tubes of icing come in quite a few colors, and can be kept on the pantry shelf between each use. You simply remove the icing tip and recap the tube.

- Color in a Can: You do not need to add color to your icing when frosting a cake. There are wonderful food colors in a can, that can be sprayed on any light colored frosting for a dynamic effect. You can tint the lake and sky blue, the trees and grass green, or spray the entire top of the cake to change the color.

All of the above ideas are very easy to use. Anyone can achieve a great looking decorated cake by using one or all of these ideas. If you are like most of us, your life can be quite hectic at best. If there is any way to make life a bit easier, and still afford beautiful cake decorations, it is worth the time to learn about it. You may never use all of the tips you will find on the internet for cake decorating.

If even one of the easy decorating ideas above works to help you save time, it will be priceless. I know it has been a terrific time saver for me, and I no longer need to worry about when I will find enough time to decorate that cake for my son's birthday, or my parent's anniversary. Here is hoping all of your cakes rise well, and your cake decorating always looks beautiful.

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Creative Cake Decorating Ideas

You need to bake a cake for a special occasion, you know you are creative, but you need a fresh idea to work with. Every celebration includes a cake to be shared among the guests and family members. It is tradition to have a cake baked by a bakery, or to have a relative bake a cake for the event. If you are the designated cake decorator, you may be looking for a new idea for your next creation.

Below are a few cake decorating ideas:

- Characters: There are hundreds of famous characters to use for cake decorating. You can make any cake special by drawing in Dora the Explorer, or Blues Clues. Or you may want to cut up the cake to make the entire cake into a favorite character.

- Themes: Maybe you would like to go with a 50's theme, underwater adventure, sport theme, or a roaring 20's theme for your cake decorating. Use your creativity and find a theme that will thrill the person you are making the cake for, and the guests . You may want to have a masquerade party in that theme. Whatever you decide, have fun.

- Motor Cakes: Boys are usually crazy about trucks, cars, fire engines, boats, tractors, helicopters, or airplanes. Again you can use your cake decorating expertise to make a farm with a 3-D tractor, a racing strip, or a scene showing a fire being put out by firemen. Of course it all depends on what the particular birthday boy is fond of.

- Animals: You can also use an animal theme by cutting the cake to look like any animal, or draw in a scene using animals. It could be a zoo scene with several animals or choose one animal and decorate the cake with other decorations showing where it came from. Use your imagination.

- Food: Maybe you are making a cake for the opening of an Italian restaurant. You could create a scene depicting the building, or if it is for a chef opening the restaurant, a scene of the kitchen with different Italian dishes would be fun. You can also cut the cake to look like a hamburger, hot dog, taco etc... The sky is the limit when it comes to cake decorating using a food theme.

- Holiday Themes: I remember when bunny cakes became popular at Easter, Wilton has pans and decorating supplies for all holiday cake decorating designs. A heart on Valentine's day, or a 4 leaf clover on St. Patrick's day is a wonderful way to say happy holidays.

- Your Own Creation: If you have been involved in cake decorating for quite some time, or if you are a novice with an artistic flair, you can create your own cake based on the theme or the celebration.

Whatever cake you make will be the center of attention as cakes usually are at a celebration. It has become tradition to have a outstanding cake at every celebration. Knowing that you are the one who is artistic enough to make this cake, and the praise you will receive from others, will give you a bushel of satisfaction.

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FREE New York Cupcakes Tips -most extravagant designs and motifs

By: Phoenix Delray
Post Date: 2010-07-16 What is it about New York cupcakes that make them so appealing, so attractive and so...loved? Some people say it is the fact that you can make two dozen of them and make every single one of them unlike the other 23 without putting in a ton of extra time in the kitchen. They are easy to prepare and very versatile, and the only thing limiting their versatility is your own imagination. New York cupcakes can be served at just about any occasion in many unique displays and arrangements, from the summer cookouts to formal dinners.
Most people already know that cupcakes are great for birthday parties; it beats having to stand over a traditional birthday cake, cutting into it slice by slice until the ice cream that goes with it is finally melted. There are so many different icings, frostings, candies and toppings available for New York cupcakes that you can customize and personalize them for everything from sports games to music performances to weddings. All you need is some orange bubble gum balls for basketball, little music notes for the music, and a bridal motif with plenty of white for the weddings. And lets not forget the everyday cupcakes, with sprinkles, chocolates and candies on top!
What many people like to do for semi formal and formal occasions is to make a shape with the New York cupcakes, such as a heart made out of 12 cupcakes for Valentines Day or 24 red and green cupcakes placed to make a Christmas tree at Christmas. Social gatherings like weddings are witness to the most extravagant designs and motifs for cupcakes, such as a tower filled with cupcakes decorated with beautiful fresh white flowers, pearls and more. Unlike traditional cakes, people often appreciate the cupcakes more because cupcake arrangements are more unique, more rare and special because of that. Not only that, but some people even see it as being better than traditional cakes because instead of getting just a piece of traditional cake, they are getting the whole cupcake!
There are also many healthy types of New York cupcakes for those who are teaching their kids to make healthy eating choices. Almond ones and carrot ones, chocolate zucchini ones and fruit flavors are always popular, such as strawberry, raspberry and blueberry. You can always get as creative as you want to with everything involved in these little treats. These flavors are just a few of the most popular types of New York cupcakes.

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Five Ideas on Locating the Most effective Coffee Mill

Think about how superior freshly ground beans smell, mainly because that is what a cup of the freshly roasted brew tastes like.

So whether you are somebody that in particular enjoys the taste of coffee or you simply drink it to help get up in the early morning, you want to at least attempt a freshly roasted brew at minimum when. Of program, right after consuming it you will very likely like the flavor so much that you will in no way be capable to go back again to the other stuff. Thankfully though, you can get brand new coffee roasting tools for much less than $200, and the green coffee beans are also readily available for cheap as well.

What are coffee mills? Why do we need to have one particular and how to get a excellent a single for oneself? If you genuinely like coffee then you would like to grind the coffee by yourself and then make it. For this you would want a coffee mill, also know as a coffee grinder.

Coffee mills are grinders which you take the coffee beans and grind them into the machine. They are necessary for the reason that coffee is tastier grounded than when you get it ready created. There are a variety of varieties of Coffee mills which you can get at stores or on the internet. There are two in individual the electric and the manual mill. I will explain these mills to enable you realize them far better.

one. The manual coffee mill: These are at times wood. They have a cope with on major on which you turn and the beans are grounded and give out a abundant aroma of coffee.

2. The electric coffee mill: These arrive sometimes in metal or plastic. It works on an electrical motor which automatically grinds the beans. Comparing the Keurig coffee maker, the Tassimo and the Flavia (which seemed to be the ones most recommended) I found these coffee machines varied by tiny other than:

About The Author John Daly writes and edits for many coffee weblogs and magazines. He co-edited the e-anthology Hours of Darkness and his fiction assortment, Vermifuge and Other Poisonous Cocktails was published in 2001. Her past vocation as a game designer made (amid other people) A Puzzle of Flesh (a groundbreaking horror game that noticed her interviewed by Cosmopolitan Journal and banned in Sears outlets everywhere). He lives in the woods of western Washington with his wife, Susan Daly, sons Tom and Bobby, and three huge hairy dogs.Buying Organic Coffee Beans Has Never Been Easier!, Coffee Roasting Tools Can make The Ideal Brew You'll At any time Style, Get Low cost Coffee Beans For The Ideal Coffee Bargains,

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