Can I eat that Piece of Art? ~ A treat for the eye, a delight for the appetite.

  Can you eat the decorations? Absolutely !!

Is cake decoration a skill that you have experimented with?   Have you wondered how easy cake decoration could be? If you have a genuine interest in cake decoration and are ready to put a little bit of effort, it can be fairly easy.

What do you need first? Well to begin with you need a smooth surface cake. Your cake can be from a recipe or a cake mix. I am sure you all grease the cake pan first before pouring in the batter, but did you know you must lightly flour the pan after you grease the bottom? Also, do you know an easy trick to get it out smoothly? When the cake is done, let it remain in the pan for 10 minutes. Any time sooner, the cake is going to be too hot.  More importantly, if you leave it for longer, a condensation effect takes place, which means the cake sticks to the pan. Then it could be a struggle to get out. If that does happen, warm the cake slightly again and then try to get it out. A smooth surface means half your work is done.

Are you ready to start icing now?  Butter Cream icing is fairly popular and is made with butter and confectioners’ sugar. In hot temperatures the icing can melt fairly quickly. Commercial cakes use regular shortening with sugar to make the icing, but that doesn’t taste very good. A good compromise is to make your icing with half butter and half butter flavored shortening. Don’t forget to add a tiny pinch of salt to balance the sugary taste. This icing can be for the base on the cake. For decorations you can make it from this icing by adding your own colors or buy some tubes from the store for specific colors.

Icing for covering the cake is usually thinner than that used for decorations. Ice the cake using a spatula. Does it look smudgy? There is an easy solution to that as well. Clean your spatula once you are done and warm the metal edge. Then run it across the surface of the cake. The heat causes the butter icing to melt slightly creating a very smooth flat surface ready for you to decorate.

Let us assume you are not a great artist and fear having to draw free-hand on the cake.  Transferring a complicated design to a cake isn’t as hard as you think it is. Pick any picture you would like to draw on your cake. Lay a roll of parchment paper on it. Buy some Piping Gel which is available in the cake aisle of craft stores. Fill some gel in a bottom corner of a Ziploc and fold it like a cone. Then cut a tiny hole on the corner bottom to make your own gel dispenser.  Trace the outlines of your picture on the parchment paper using piping gel.  Once you are done, lay the paper on top of the smoothly iced cake, with the gel side down. Press lightly and gently peel off. The entire traced outline in piping gel will superimpose onto the cake. Now, feel free to trace over the piping gel using colored icing.

Finally, the easy tip to an awesome look is Accessorize, Accessorize, and Accessorize. Put on your thinking caps and come up with innovative ideas. M & M’s can be eyes, buttons. Licorice, Sprinkles, Shredded coconut, Candies, Nuts, and Fruits are all great for decoration if they are used creatively. With a great deal of enthusiasm, a moderate amount of patience and a dash of creativity, you can create a treat for the eye and a delight for the appetite.