Cake Decorating Designs

Cakes are differentiated by the uniqueness in their designs. Most of the cakes are rectangular or round but the decoration is what makes them different. Nowadays, cakes are the most favored method of celebrating. While most of us may know how to bake a cake, decorating a cake may not be everybody's cup of tea. But thankfully, kitchen equipment like cake pans, pastry bag and other such items make the cake decoration easy.

Before baking the cake, it is important to be aware of the occasion and the various cake decorating patterns. Knowing the occasion will make your job easier. Though most people decide the basic flavors between chocolate and vanilla, but taking extra effort to decide the cake decorating design can make the cake look and taste delicious too! For starters, you can think of considering an animal-shaped pan because there are many occasions which can be represented by an animal. For example, during Easter you can bake a rabbit-shaped cake, for Christmas it can be a deer-shaped cake, and a cat-shaped cake to symbolize Halloween. A brilliant birthday cake idea would be popular animal characters like Tom and Jerry or Mickey Mouse which are quite fashionable nowadays.

Cake Decorating Instructions

Cake decorating ideas may vary from a simple layer icing to the most extravagant decorations. The trick is marzipan. Marzipan is usually made of sugar, almond paste and eggs. It is similar to playdough but it is sweet. Here are a few cake decorating instructions by which you can decorate cakes with marzipan, thus saving your money because marzipan-decorated cakes may be expensive in stores.

Step 1
To begin with, first of all decide whether you want to purchase marzipan available in tubes or want to make it at home. If you are going to make it at home, take almond paste, rum, vanilla extracts, powdered sugar and corn syrup. Mix everything well.

Step 2
Now, if you have not ventured into decorating a cake before, you can start by putting a frosted layer of marzipan on the cake. Or, if you want to be a little more adventurous you can use different colors. For instance, watermelons need green, red and white color along with some black color. Strawberries require two colors, red for the berry and green for the stem. Similarly, other decorations also require specific color patterns.

Step 3
Knead the marzipan till it is smooth. Roll it out in a plastic wrap or dust the area where you are going to put it with sugar. Wrap the rolled out dough on the rolling pin until you are ready to decorate the cake.

Step 4
Put a layer of glaze or cake decorating gel over the surface of the cake. This is required because it acts like a glue which helps to hold the marzipan to the cake.

Step 5
Now, it is time to unroll the marzipan. While doing so remove the bottom layer of plastic. The marzipan should be folded out in such a way that it should be fitted in the center of the cake. Smoothen the sides as you go and trim the edges if required. The layer of plastic wrap should be finally removed.

Step 6
You can also roll out the dough and cut it into shapes which should be dried for at least twenty-four hours. When they dry, these can be stored in airtight containers and you can use them whenever you are decorating a cake.

If your cake decorating designs do not come out to be as desired, do not fret. These are beginners' small mistakes. After all, anything you make with love will be enjoyed and appreciated by everyone at home.