Techniques for Cake Decorating

Decorating cakes wasn't always simple to me. I used to lose my mind in the kitchen when a technique didn't go right. I never seemed to be able to perfect my cake decorating skills. I couldn't even tell you how many different butter cream recipes I went through, hoping each one would hold up my decorating better than the last one. Different techniques require different type of frosting. Who would of thought? Just as there are different types of frosting for techniques there are different techniques to decorate with.

Cake decorating borders go around the top base of the cake and the bottom base of the cake. You can do ropes, shells, and zigzag. The borders you decorate your cake with can be endless as long as you know which tip goes with which border and how to apply them.

Lace is very pretty and elegant. You will mainly see the lace technique on a wedding cake or maybe even on a shower cake. I'm sure you have a clothing item in your closet that has some lace on it. This is the same idea except for on a cake. It can be partial or whole. This technique does require some practice and there is a particular way to apply it on your cake.

Weaving is an easy technique to learn and gives your cake unique pattern. Weaving is great if you're creating a cake for a specific reason. Whether, you want to create an Easter basket, a basinet for a baby shower, or a fruit basket cake creation. With weaving you can do patterns or decorate your whole cake with weaving.

String work can come in very handy for multiple occasions. Personally string work is one of my favorites. I've applied it to multiple different styles of cakes. String work does take practice to get the hang of it or you'll have pieces that will break off during icing. Once you get it down though you'll be glad you put the effort into learning it.

These are just a few different cake decorating techniques you can learn to create beautiful cakes. Most of the time once you get one technique down, it's easier to transition to another technique. It's all about wrist control. If you've been practicing at home on your own or looking through magazine's, I suggest trying cake decorating books. Most of them you can download and view them on your computer. Some even have DVD’s that show you the process of the techniques and cake decorating in general. I have listed some that have worked very well for me, as there are tons out there to choose from. No matter where you're at in your cake decorating career or level there are options for you.

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Technique Options for You