Thursday, March 12, 2009

Learn The Secrets To Decorating A Cake Like A Pro

By Melanie Brooks

Beautiful cake designs do not have to be hard. With some style and flair, even basic cake decorations can turn into some of the most beautiful cake designs. These ideas use simple and relatively cheap adornments to make even a basic boxed cake mix look elegant and special. One thing to try is to use eatable cake decor for beautiful cakes is by zoning in on right types of tones to use with same color tones. Silver sprinkles, shiny eatable ball sprinkles, can make a cake with white frosting look amazing. Sprinkles are the super simple cake decorations, and matching them with the same color as the frosting looks beautiful. Try putting yellow sprinkles on off yellow cake frosting, or nuts chopped up on light brown caramel frosting.

Fruit that has be sliced is a great choice for simple cake decorations that are a little more outgoing but still elegant. Simple ripe red strawberries slice and arranged in circles over circles on really dark chocolate frosting makes a wonderful dessert. For even more elegance, macerate an variety of berries by mixing them with one to two tablespoons of sugar and, optionally, a few tablespoons or liquor. Keep refrigerated in a bowl for several hours, and then pour the berry syrup over a cheesecake.

Another simple way to turn regular cake decor into something outstanding is to decorate the sides of the cake only, and leave the top with plain smooth icing. Nuts, coconut, peppermint, or even candy bars are all good choices for this technique. To get the sides of the cake decorated, take a small amount at a time and softly press it onto the frosting, and work your way around the cake. Hold the cake at a slight angle over a big bowl of your chosen decoration while doing this, allowing the extra to fall into the bowl and keeping your serving tray clean.

One final idea for beautiful cake designing is a small spraying of powdered sugar, cocoa powder, or colored decorating sugar. To really get good results, use a sifter or a stainer to spray either an unfrosted cake or one that has been put in the fridge to chill to fully set the frosting. You can spray all over the top of the cake or use a design for a more professional look. Stencils are available at craft stores in hundreds of shapes, or you can make your own or use a doily that your most likely have around the house. Go for an unique geometrical or lace design, or stencil the shape of an item or words to fit your theme or cake flavor. Be sure to spray the cake just before you are ready to serve because this will allow the sugar to dissolve on the cake, and you will have a wonderful masterpiece to be proud of.

With these basic techniques you can start to make you cakes look elegant and beautiful just like a professional cake decorator.

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