When you are a novice, cake decorating can be a difficult task. How can you make frosting smooth? Why are there crumbs all over ? What’s a simple design I can achieve? I took a beginner cake decorating class, even though I have made many cakes thanks to the Sweet Arts Guild. Check out the tips and tricks that I’m sharing with you.
Beginner Cake Decorating Classes
I loved the Classic French Macarons course that I took several months ago. I signed up for a few other classes since then but haven’t made any of them due to bad weather or cancellations. Until now! Even though I’m pretty familiar with the basics, I was still excited to take this cake decorating course.
In this article, I will break down the cake decorating ideas into two categories: cake assembly and decorating. To learn how to make beautiful cakes, you must first lay the foundation for success by assembling your cakes correctly. You know, the whole “walking before you run” thing?
Cake Assembly
You can Level and Torte your Cake
You may be lucky enough to get a cake that has a flat top when it comes out of the over. You may find that most cakes have a little dome on top. It’s not necessary to have a flat top. Just level out the hump.
Torting a cake is slicing it into several layers. This is not something I have to worry about with my Wilton Layer Pan Set. A cake leveler is available (I want that one!) A good bread knife is all you need. Stabilize the cake by placing your left (non dominant) hand on top.
Work your knife carefully around the edge of cake, cutting about an inch into it. After you have cut all the way round, use your previous cuts to guide your progress through the remaining cake. It will take some time to perfect this. My top layer was wonky, so I shaved off a little bit of the higher side.
Fake Flat Top
What can I do if the top still looks a little sketchy? There are two ways to make a top look flat. First option. The bottom layer should be the top of your cake. The dome remains will now be sandwiched in between the cake and frosting. Turn the bottom of your cake upside-down and place it on top. You will get a nice flat top, and the crumbs are facing the inside.
Second option. Keep the bottom of your cake as the base layer. This cake is flat and stable, which will make a great base for your dessert. Invert the top sheet so that the cut-side is facing up. You will also get a beautiful flat cake. Problem is, the crumbs from the cut side can get into your frosting. Give the cake a good coating of crumb coat, and let it chill, before adding the final layer.
Filling is my Jam
Usually I top my cakes with even more frosting. It is easy and reliable. I am so happy I discovered the best way to use jam, fruit curd, or jelly in a cake. Pipe a border around the edge the cake layer. Spread a small amount of the filling evenly on top of the cake. The filling must be placed below the border of the frosting. This frosting fence will help keep the top layer in place and stop the filling from spilling out.
Making Crumb Coat a Breeze
Before you start decorating, it’s crucial to cover the cake with a thin layer to catch all those annoying crumbs. I like to use a large round nozzle, or an empty coupler, to spread frosting on the cake before smoothing. However, I was able to try out a flat, wide tip I had seen used by other bakers. This tip will make coating your cake with crumbs so easy and quick. Use firm, even pressure while keeping the tip close to your cake.
Cake Decorating
Buttercream Rose
The roses on cakes in supermarkets look complicated, but it’s actually easier than you might think. Create a small mound of frosting and place it on the flower nails. The larger the mound the bigger the rose. To create a rose, use a tip for the petals. This video tutorial is the best way to explain this.
Use scissors to remove the rose from the nail. Then, use the bottom of a nail to push it off the scissors onto the cake. We did not have the time to freeze our flowers in class. Attach a small piece of parchment paper on the nail, and then build your flower. Place the paper in your fridge or freezer for it to harden. Once it is firm, you can easily handle and place it on the cake.
Marble Frosting
We were running out of buttercream by the second cake, even though our instructor had spent two hours making it before class. I had three bags of frosting: one bag of yellow, another bag of green. I needed to use them all. I decided to go for a marbling effect, which actually came out quite pretty!
First, frost the cake with uncolored frosting. Use an offset spatula to tab random color blotches onto the sides and top your cake. Do not overdo this step because a small amount goes a very long way. You can use your scraper again to smooth the top and sides. This will blend colors beautifully. This is a great technique for cake decorating because it’s meant to be imperfect.
Two Tone Swirl
The frosting was still a lot of color and I wanted to add big swirls to the top. What could a girl do? I filled one side of the giant piping bag using my spatula. I then filled the other side of the giant piping bag with the green frosting that was left. Squeeze and gently shake the frosting to the tip. Squeeze out a little bit until you can see both colors. Now, go ahead and pipe!
Here’s a tip for creating swirls that are evenly spaced. Pipe your first swirl. Rotate the Turntable 180deg, and pipe the swirl opposite to the first. Rotate the Turntable by 90 degrees and pipe a second swirl. Turn the cake again and pipe another swirl opposite your previous one. Now you have four swirls evenly spaced! You can leave this as it is, or add swirls to fill in the gaps.
Sprinkles Make me happy
The sprinkles didn’t match the cake design, but I couldn’t resist playing with them. It’s also a pretty simple cake decorating technique. Hold your cake in one hand, on a board. Then place it over a baking sheet or tub. Sprinkles can be gently pressed along the bottom of your cake. Remove any extra sprinkles by brushing the board. You can do it in just a few minutes.