Cake Decorating

I’ve always been fascinated by cakes. When I was a kid, either my mom or my babysitter (who decorated cakes professionally) would always whip up special cakes for my birthday – brightly colored character cakes like Big Bird, Wonder Woman, Strawberry Shortcake. It was the stuff of dreams for a little girl in the 80s.

I used to watch, utterly amazed, as my mom made buttercream roses on a flower nail. I would flip through Wilton catalogs for hours, dreaming up big plans to make all those edible works of art one day. Teddy bears! Merry-go-rounds! There was even a multi-layered penguin cake with little fondant penguins sliding down into a pool of blue gel icing. They were all so cool, and the fact that you got to eat these artworks was just the – ahem – icing on the cake.

If you’ve ever been presented with a special birthday cake, hand-made by someone who loves you, you know how truly special it makes you feel.

I knew even back then that one day, when I was throwing birthday parties for my own kids, I was going to do my best to give them their own special cake memories. I enjoy making them, and I hope my boys will remember them fondly, the way I remember the time, care and love that went into mine all those years ago.

I truly believe that anyone can decorate a beautiful cake! There are no secrets or intricate techniques here. The key to amazing cakes is about 10% artistic talent, 20% experience, and 70% patience and attention to detail.

 

 

First things first: Baking the Perfect Cake

The Icing

I always use my Best Ever Cake Frosting.

The Fondant

I’ve tried several fondants, and Satin Ice is the best and the only one I’ll use. It’s got great consistency, dries beautifully, and tastes good – like vanilla marshmallows. I always order lots of white fondant and use Wilton gel colors to get whatever color I need – except black and red. Getting true black and red requires so much coloring, it actually changes the consistency of the fondant. So if you need black or red, order it pre-colored from Satin Ice.

Colors

Gel food coloring is preferable to liquid, because it doesn’t change the consistency of the food you’re coloring. Wilton is most widely available and works beautifully.

Other Tools

- Wilton Fondant Rollers – I have a large roller and a small one. They come with guide rings so you can roll perfectly even fondant.

- Piping Bags – For large piping, I like Wilton Featherweight piping bags. I suggest getting at least 16″ bags – it’s better for your bags to be too big than too small. For small piping, I bought a big stack of Ateco disposable plastic piping bags at a restaurant supply store.

- Decorating Tips – I bought a big set of Ateco tips and couplers years ago at the restaurant supply store. I recently bought a set of large Ateco tips and couplers from Amazon.