Cake Decorating

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It is easy to look at all of the amazing cakes in a bakery window and become intimidated, thinking you could never create such a treat at home. But with the help of some simple tools and tips from a pro, you CAN. Amy Edelman, co-owner and chef of The Night Kitchen Bakery, in Philadelphia gave Suzanne some pointers on how to ice a cake with a professional touch.

As always, it’s a good idea to have the proper tools for the job. Most of these items can be purchased in a local kitchen store or restaurant supply store.

Tools You Will Need:

• Turntable — a cake plate atop a pedestal. This allows you to turn the cake not the knife
• Small palette knife — a non-serrated knife that’s angled (comes in large and small sizes.)
• Large palette knife
• Bench scraper — a straight edge for getting perfectly smooth sides.
• Pastry bag and assorted tips

Icing Is Only the Beginning!

Place the round cake on top of the turntable. Using the large palette knife, spread the icing evenly over the top of the cake. Scrape off any excess from the sides with the knife.

Then, it’s time to ice the sides--it is easier to use the small palette knife for this. After scraping out some frosting from the bowl, gently turn the turntable with one hand, and ice with the other, until the sides of the cake are completely covered.

Next, holding your bench scraper tool vertically flush to the side of the cake, spin the turntable slowly to remove any excess frosting from the sides of the cake. When you are finished, the sides of the cake should be fully covered and smooth.

After this first coat of frosting is applied, place the cake in the refrigerator to let it set for about an hour. If the icing is not soft to the touch, you can apply the second coat of frosting. This second coat is important, because it ensures that all of the cake is covered.

After the second coat of frosting has dried, you can begin to decorate your cake with the pastry bag.

Creativity With Decorative Accents

Time to get creative! The colors, design and theme of your cake are totally up to you. Amy gave Suzanne a few suggestions for a beginner cake decorator, such as pink roses with green petals, and a simple “star border.”

If you would like to add a star border to a cake, you first need to make sure you have a “star” tip for your pasty bag. This can be picked up at your local grocery store in the baking aisle. Then, make sure the tip is on securely, and prepare to fill your bag with icing. The easiest way to do this is to fold the top of the bag down, over your one hand. With the other hand, scoop the icing out of the bowl and fill the bag. Fold the bag back up, grab the bag from the top, and make sure all of the air is squeezed out. Twist it at the top, and you are ready to ice.

Holding the bag over the cake at almost a 90-degree angle, gently squeeze from the top until a star shape is formed. Then, turn the turntable slightly, and give another light squeeze to create a star right next to the first one. Repeat this process until the border goes around the entire perimeter of the cake. If you have never used a pastry bag before, you may want to practice on wax paper before you begin to decorate the cake.

Fondant, a pliable dough that can be used to create edible shapes, is often used by professional cake decorators. It is especially popular with wedding cakes! After the fondant is rolled out, a cookie cutter can be used to cut out the shapes. After they harden slightly, the shapes can be decorated and applied to the cake. Due to their texture, they can even sit vertically atop a cake.