Hot Cake Decorating How-Tos
How To: Turn decorated cookies into holiday ornaments and party favors
Got lots of pretty cookies to share with friends and family during the holidays? While it's true you could hand them off in tins as is, it's so much more fun to experiment with packaging and favor ideas.
How To: Make royal icing with meringue powder
Do you simply swoon over thick homemade icing, but can't get over the fact that you have to mix in raw eggs? Raw eggs, of course, pose the risk of an upset belly and of dangerous bacteria, but did you know you don't even have to add raw eggs to make icing?
How To: Cover a cake easily with fondant using The Mat
First things first: The Mat is a large, well, mat that acts as a fondant tool for pastry chefs. You roll the fondant on, flatten it, and use the mat to apply the fondant layer evenly to your cake.
How To: Level (tort) a cake and add icing filling
As any habitual baker knows, the cake making process doesn't end when you pull out the piping hot masterpiece from the oven. From there, you have to level out the cake - shaving off any areas that are jutting out or not fitting the shape you desire - and also add layers of icing filling.
How To: Make zebra-striped fondant for cake decorating
Plain white fondant looks elegant and classic on its own - just think beautiful wedding cakes and birthday cakes - but sometimes white on white just gets plain dull. For times when you crave a little more pizzazz in your life, or at least in your cake decorating, check out this video to learn how to add zebra stripes to your fondant. If you're really adventurous, turn that white fondant pink with some food coloring!
How To: Dirty ice or crumb coat a cake
Crumb coating, also known as dirty icing, a cake, does not, as its name suggests, mean adding crumbs to the outer coating of a cake. Instead, crumb coating is the step that most pastry chefs take to make sure that all the loose crumbs on a cake are trapped in an initial coat of icing so that when you add the second (and actual) icing layer no crumbs mix with the icing and look bad.
How To: Smooth American buttercream using a spatula
American buttercream, made from copious amounts of butter and powdered sugar, forms a particularly thin crust because of the high sugar content, which prevents sticking. American buttercream requires special methods to smooth it out so it lies even on top of a cake, so if you're working with it on your next cake project, check out this video to see how to smooth things out using a spatula.
How To: Make a buttercream rose with a rose tip
One of the quickest ways to dress up a cupcake or a cake is by adding a pretty rose on top. The rose acts kind of like the bow on top of a present - the present looks okay without it, but adding one turns it from drab to fabulous.
How To: Hold a piping bag properly when frosting a cake
If you want to get serious about decorating your cakes and cupcakes then you have to know how to ice them properly. The biggest mistake beginners make is that they hold the piping bag in the center and just squeeze the icing out. But this method lacks control and makes some extra icing ride up and out of the bag.
How To: Make quick homemade cookies with the Roller Cutter
The holidays mean two things to us: Delicious, sugary holiday cookies and a great deal of hustle and bustle from shopping, parties, and meeting with friends. But with all this on your plate it's easy to get overwhelemed and not know how to fit everything in.
How To: Frost a cake easily in two steps
Back in college, frosting a cake was pretty much a one-step process. You took the cake out of the oven, let it cool for a bit, then whipped out your Pillsbury Doughboy rainbow sprinkle frosting and slapped it onto the cake using a spatula.
How To: Frost the cake rather than your plate with an upturned cake pan
Unless you're a certified pastry chef working at a restaurant or bakery, you probably don't have a professional cake stand which lets you frost a cake easily without getting any extraneous icing on the plate.
How To: Transport a decorated cake using a cardboard box and liner
And you thought decorating the cake was hard. Once the last ruffle of icing is piped on and you've crowned your creation with a pretty fondant flower, it's time to bring it to where it needs to go, whether that's a birthday party or simply back home to devour.
How To: Mix gel-based food icing colors for cake decorating
Remember when you were five and you had a blue crayon and a yellow crayon but all you really wanted was a green crayon? Just as you would mix colors in coloring and any other artistic medium, you sometimes need to mix icing colors in cake decorating.
How To: Make & decorate an American flag cake
In this video, we learn how to make & decorate an American flag cake. To make the cake, you will need a cake pan that is in the shape of the flag. After you bake the cake and it has cooled off, then mix up red and blue frosting to go with the white. Use a pipe with frosting in it to start to pipe the different colors for the stripes onto the cake. Leave a small square where you can put the stars. Then, use a star pipe to place on the stars to the upper corner of the flag, then let it set and ...
How To: Decorate a bronze beauty cake with fondant
In this tutorial, we learn how to decorate a bronze beauty cake with fondant. Start off by coloring the cake with a light bronze or buttercream color. After you do this, you will need to mix up some medium brown colored icing and place it into a piping bag. When you do this, you will pipe this all around the sides of the cake. When you finish with this, you will color the fondant the same color brown and then roll it into a circled shape to make beautiful flowers. Lay these on the cake and th...
How To: Make and decorate a diva heart cake with roses
In this video, we learn how to make and decorate a diva heart cake with roses. Start out with a heart shaped cake and then ice it with a light pink icing and place it in the freezer. Once it's settled, roll some fondant into small balls and then stick to the bottom of the cake all around it. From here, color fondant with hot pink and then roll into the shape of a rose. Then, cut out green leaves from green fondant and stick with the roses. Then, decorate this all around the cake along with ic...
How To: Decorate a carrot cake
In this tutorial, we learn how to decorate a carrot cake. First, apply icing all over the top and the sides of the cake. After this, apply sliced pecans to the side of the cake using your hands to press them on. After this, use your icing to create squares in the cake to make equal size pieces. Then, use orange and green icing to create carrot shapes on all of the individual squares. Once you're finished making the carrots, you will be ready to cut this up and serve. If you want more icing, y...
How To: Cover a cake board with Fanci-Foil
What to put a cake on can be a dilemma. You can decorate a cake board or purchase a cake turntable. This video will show you how to cover a cake board.
How To: Make & decorate the best wishes square cake
With this tutorial, we learn how to make & decorate the best wishes square cake. After you have rolled the fondant out and shaped it onto the cake, you can do more with it! To make the 'best wishes' cake you can sponge some icing onto the sides of the cake. After this, pipe on icing around the bottom of the cake to cover the exterior. Then, use an icing pen on the top of the cake to write out 'best wishes' in cursive writing. Then, draw on some confetti and continue to decorate the cake how y...
How To: Make & decorate puffed-up petal cupcake
In this video, we learn how to make & decorate puffed-up petal cupcake. Start off by placing the food coloring inside the fondant and then rolling it with your hands. After you roll this out in one color, then cut it into thin strips. Pinch the sides together and then let them sit to keep their shape. From here, you can combine these together to create a beautiful flower on the top of your cupcake! These should dry overnight, then you can stick on the cupcake for a very unique flower that's u...
How To: Make & decorate a spider cake for Halloween
In this tutorial, we learn how to make and decorate a spider cake for Halloween. First, you will need to bake cupcakes and then use these to help shape the spider. After this, use green and black frosting in a tube to create a spiked look for a pattern of each all over the cake. After you finish decorating the spider with the frosting, use gum drops to decorate the eyes and use candy corn to make the teeth. Then, stick black licorice pieces on the sides to make the legs, with orange slice gum...
How To: Make & decorate a butterfly cake
In this tutorial, we learn how to make & decorate a butterfly cake. First, you will use a butterfly shaped pan to bake the cake in so it's already shaped. After letting it cool, you can cover the entire thing in a thin layer of white icing. Then, fill some icing into bags, using different pastel colors. From here, you will use the star tip to dab the starts on the top of the butterfly, following the design. Continue to do this until you are finished with the entire thing, then you have the ch...
How To: Use fondant when making & decorating cakes
In this video, we learn how to use fondant when making & decorating cakes. Fondant is a dull type of sugar paste that you can form different shapes with and add colors to. When you add the color to the fondant, simply work it with your hands until the color runs all the way through and is smooth. Roll it out when finished, then you can apply it to the cake. To apply it, you will simply drape the fondant over the cake so it's hanging off on the sides. Then, flatten it out on the top and sides ...
How To: Make & decorate a pastel flower cake
In this video we learn how to make & decorate a pastel flower cake. You can make a lot of things with just one icing tip. First take a round white cake with white icing. Then, use a start tip to draw three flowers onto the cake. Create a green vine to connect all of these flowers together and a cookie cutter to draw the outline around the flowers to keep it in place. You can use different colors of icing for each of the flowers and draw smaller flowers around the side of the cake as well. Get...
How To: Get creative the next time you make cupcakes
In this tutorial, we learn how to get creative the next time you make cupcakes. The first way to make a cute cupcake is to cover it with tall icing and then sprinkles, you can add a candle for a birthday. You can use different colors of icing to make it more exciting, then add a sugar color decoration to the top of it. Use airbrush in a can to color the icing on top of the cupcake. Kids can help you with this and have a lot of fun! You can also make a sports cupcake by using different colors ...
How To: Choose the appropriate color for cake decorating
In this tutorial, we learn how to choose the appropriate color for cake decorating. First, spoon your icing into a bowl and then add in a small amount of food coloring. Start to mix this together, then add in additional icing if you want a darker or a brighter color to your icing. Experiment with different colors if you feel comfortable with using different ones. Take a parchment bag and roll it into a full, then stripe up the bag. Then, fill the parchment with some icing and this will create...
How To: Create a marbleized water look with icing
In this video, we learn how to create a marbleized water look with icing. This is a colorful and eye catching way to put icing on a cake to make a memorable piece! First, spoon your icing into a small bowl and then make a rice cereal treat and shape it into a circle. To start to decorate this, you will pipe on green icing to the sides and front of the ball to make it look like a fish. Then, pipe some of the icing onto a flat surface with red confectioner's sugar. Once this is covered and hard...
How To: Make & decorate a vintage retro rose romance cake
In this tutorial, we learn how to make & decorate a vintage retro rose romance cake. Start out by rolling out fondant that has been mixed with yellow coloring. Once this is rolled out, you will lay it over the cakes and then cut off the excess fondant from the bottom. Do this on all the layers of the cake until it's fully covered and completely smooth. Then, you will use the same fondant to roll into small flowers that you will apply around the outside of the cakes. Use icing to help the rose...
How To: Make & decorate a "make a wish fish" cake
In this video, we learn how to make & decorate a "make a wish fish" cake. Start out by mixing up your icing with paste color until you have a green color. After this, brush this onto a round cake of your choice flavor. After this is all iced, grab some gum drops and orange slice gummies. Then, place the orange slices on the side of the cake to make it look like fins. Place the gum drops on the top of the cake to make the eye and the scales on it as well. Once you are finished and like how it ...
How To: Make a VW beetle cake with buttercream
In this video, we learn how to make a VW beetle cake with buttercream. First, you will need to apply the buttercream icing onto the top of your cake and the sides. After this, you will pile on the other cakes to this with more icing inside of each layer. Then, you will start to cut the cake and it into the shape of the car that you want to make. Use an outline so you can follow it while you are making it so you know exactly how it is formed. Next, you will add in the parts for the wheels, the...
How To: Make a fondant sushi themed cake
In this tutorial, we learn how to make a fondant sushi themed cake. You will need: brown, yellow, and red for your fortune cookie colors. To get the colors right, mix them together and then combine with fondant. Then, roll out the fortune cookie and lay it over a bowl to make it look like the fortune cookie shape. Let this dry overnight. From here, create a small bowl with greens to make the bowl that the soy sauce would go in. Create two chop sticks with brown fondant, rolled out first and t...
How To: Transport & store your decorative cakes
In this video, we learn how to transport & store your decorative cakes. First, you need to consider what icing you covered your cake in. If it's made with butter cream icing, you should store it in the fridge for a couple days before transporting. Also, if you're making a whipped cream icing, this needs to be refrigerated before you transport it as well. There's a whipped icing mix on the market today that you can buy, but don't have to refrigerate. If you've covered it with fondant, place th...
How To: Make and decorate Rice Krispies monkey cookies
In this video, we learn how to make rice crispy monkey cookies. First, you can make your rice crispy treats like usual, just add some chocolate to melt with it! Lay these out into a baking dish and let cook until hard. Then, use round cutters to cut out a large round piece and two small ones. Push these all together to create the cute monkey face. Then, grab some peanut butter confectionary coating and place inside the ears of the head. Then, add on the eyes and other features of the face wit...
How To: Make a cake American beauty rose
In this video, we learn how to make a cake American beauty rose. First, place your icing into a plastic bag and then place the tip inside of it. From here, you will twist the surface where you are putting your rose and let the icing roll into a round shape. After this, make additional rows of petals until you have the size of flower that you want to create. When finished, you will have a gorgeous rose on your cake or cupcakes! Add in green icing to make leaves on the side of the flower and yo...
How To: Tort, level & fill a cake
In this video, we learn how to tort, level, and fill cake. When your cake bakes, you get a mound or crown at the top. You will want to cut this off, or else your cake will crack. The next step is to just stick a cake board underneath and remove it. You can also torte the cake, which means to use a cake leveler to make it completely even on the surface. After you do this, you can make a dam around the cake about 1/4" of the way in. use a coupler on your bed and fill it in so it can hold what y...
How To: Make a gumpaste plumeria flower for cake decorating
In this tutorial, we learn how to make a gumpaste plumeria flower for cake decorating. These come in different flowers, so you can combine a lot of different colors to make beautiful flowers. First, grab the gum paste and then roll it out. From here, use a cookie cutter in a leaf shape to cut leaves out of it. Then, take your toothpick and roll one edge to make it curved like a real flower. Then, take the petals and add color to the middle and the outsides of them. Connect them together with ...
How To: Make & decorate a bearing birthday balloon cake
In this video, we learn how to make & decorate a bearing birthday balloon cake. Use a three dimensional pan to make this and use pound cake for a more firm cake. Start with outlining the mouth and doing the facial features. Then, fill the ears in with pink and place stars with icing piping onto the top of the entire area of the bear. To put the bear on the cake, you will place a plastic food rod into the bottom and into the top of the cake. Use markings on the cake to place him in perfectly t...
How To: Do gumpaste cake decorating lettering
In this video, we learn how to do gumpaste cake decorating lettering. First, you will roll the gumpaste, then add some crystal to the surface so it will stick. Next you will roll it out until it's thin. Cut a piece of it out, then put the rest on the side. Take the small piece and cut it into a small square. Use a letter Tappit to press onto it until it's completely cut out. Once finished, you will be able to use this on a cake! Cut out all of your letters from the remaining piece of gumpaste.
How To: Make a Halo Reach ghost vehicle cake
Halo Reach is newest edition to come out from the "Halo" series, featuring really cool advanced CGI and super fast attack vehicles called ghosts. These cars look almost like gigantic beetles, with a pod-like midsection and two wings on the side.