Cake Decorating 101~Part 1

Did you know I decorate cakes?  Well I do, and I am going to have a little series on TMH that will help all you diy enthusiasts wanting to become known for their cakes.  It will require your participation of course, so don’t be shy.  If you have anything you are really wanting to learn let me know in the comments and I will do my best to show you.

Part 1~ How to get your cake to the decorating stage.

The Frosting

First things first; you have to start with the right frosting for the best results.  One of my favorite recipes for cake frosting and the most beloved one from those who eat my cakes is Martha Stewart’s recipe for Swiss Meringue Buttercream, she knows her frosting.  It is a bit of work but once you try it you might never go back to the old stuff.  I am going to include some instructions of my own for making the frosting, so you can follow along with my procedure.

Tools needed:  Mixer or hand held beater(you’ll get tired but it will work),3 big bowls, measuring cup and teaspoon.

First separate your egg whites and put them in a large metal bowl or double boiler.  Then add your sugar.  In a pot that your metal bowl (egg mixture) can fit over put 3 inches of water and turn on medium.  While water is heats up get your mixing bowl #1  dump all the butter in it.  Beat butter with flat beater on medium speed until it is light in color, set aside.

Now that your water is simmering put your metal bowl with the egg sugar mixture over the pot and cook while whisking.  The egg sugar mixture will begin to get warm and the sugar will start to melt.  You only want to cook the mixture until it is very warm to your finger NOT HOT!  In mixing bowl #2 dump the egg sugar mixture in, fit the mixer with the whisk attachment and turn to the highest setting for 8 min.  Set your timer!  If you are using a hand held mixer then turn on high and time it for 8 min.

When the time is up turn the mixer to med-low and begin to add a scant amount of butter.  Once you see it mixed in then add more butter until you have added it all.  This will take a couple of minutes.  If you are using a hand held mixer don’t get discouraged if the frosting looks like it is falling apart before you finish adding all the butter it will come together.

Change the attachment to the flat one and then add your vanilla.  The flat attachment will take the air out of the frosting.  Now it’s ready to frost your delicious cake.  Makes about 6 cups of frosting enough to frost and decorate 12X4X12 cake

This frosting is the best frosting for decorating because it’s texture is so smooth but if you plan to have your cake in the heat outside watch out it will melt because of all that butter.  After frosting the cake refrigerate it until 15  to 30 min. before serving.  Left overs need to go back in the frig. due to the egg whites and butter in the frosting.

The Cake

Sometimes getting your cake to the decorating stage in the game can be a bit frustrating especially if you become impatient or are in a hurry (like I usually am).  There are a few tips I would like to share for the novice cake baker since I’ve learned most of them the hard way.

Follow directions to the T on the cake mix or homemade cake recipe. If  it says beat for 2 min. then time it, don’t guess…it makes a difference I promise.

If you want a flat top cake instead of the rounded top on your cake there are 2 ways to achieve this. At a cake decorating shop or Walmart you can buy these fabric bake even strips .  When the strips are wet and rung out you wrap around the outside of the cake pan when cooking and the cake will come out flat on top.  The second way is to level your top with a serrated knife not when the cake is warm.  The cake must be completely cooled before cutting to the desired level.  Save the shavings for more leveling if you need to when adding a filling.  Some people like to freeze the cake then cute the top off while it’s thawing.  Do what works for you.

Getting the cake out of the pan after baking: Make sure you spray your pan or line it with parchment or wax paper to ensure it comes out in one piece.  Typically chocolate cakes tend to stick more than white or other cakes.   When you take the cake out of the oven start to time how long it sits in the pan on the counter.  For most cakes 10 minutes will do, but larger cakes 12X12 etc. may need up to 15 minutes.  After the timer goes off turn your cake out onto the cooling rack until completely cooled.

Freezing your cake will make it have less crumbs which = easier to frost.  Your cake must be thawed out before frosting.

• Substitutions for cake mixes: If the mix calls for water you may use buttermilk for a more dense and better tasting cake.  I recommend using buttermilk in chocolate cakes and also adding an additional 2 T. of cocoa power.  Juices may be used in place of water also, depending on the type of  cake you are making, if you have questions on this leave them in the comments.  Apple sauce works in the place of oil but the cake will be flatter.  A good guide for cake mixes is a recipe book called “The Cake Doctor“.

My Secret to a Delicious Filling

I like to fill my cakes with yummy stuff.  My strawberry filling is the most requested for both chocolate and white cakes.  It’s a simple secret that I can’t believe I’m going to share.  I usually take an instant jello pudding mix of vanilla and mix as directed except use only half the milk, it will thicken really fast.  Put the pudding in the refrigerator for a few minutes to set.   Then use cool whip or heavy whipping cream and fold in the desired amount- 1 1/2  to 2 c.  Cut  fresh strawberries mixed with some refrigerated pie filling or homemade freezer jam and fold into the pudding and whip cream mixture.  There are no exact measurements for this recipe.  So you’ll have to play around with it.

The First Layer of Frosting

Okay so let’s just say your are planning on filling your cake and you don’t want it to run out the sides when you put the other cake on top.  You need to make a mote so the filling stays in the cake.  Fill a frosting bag with frosting and using a tip or just the coupler go around the outside edge of the bottom cake with a thick layer of the frosting.

Stay close to the edge of the cake so when cutting into the cake there will be some of the filling and not just the frosting mote.

After you do this place the filling in the middle and smooth out to the edge of the mote.  I added some nuts to mine.

Place the second cake on top of the cake with the filling.  Next put about 1 cup frsoting on cake and smooth out to the sides and let the frosting go over the edge.

Now smooth out your sides with the frosting that went over the edge.

This first layer of frosting is called the crumb coat because it’s okay to get crumbs in it.  After the crumb coat is on and smooth,  I put the cake in the refridgerator to cool and harden that layer of frosting so no crumbs will follow on my second coat.

When the crumb coat has hardened repeat the with more frosting this time with a  lighter touch.  To frost a cake without crumbs it helps to not lift your spatula off the cake without it being at an angle.

I can’t tell you enough that practice makes perfect so if you want to be good at cake decorating bake tons of cakes, your family will love you for it.

So now your ready for the creative part!  What do you want to create?  I have some things planned to show you, but would love to hear what you want to learn, so spill the beans!

Also let me know what questions you might have about this process.

Wilton cake decorating has great tutorials that are available on DVD now so you can watch someone do it over and over again.  Happy Baking!