With Easter just around the corner, I thought I would share with you this simple to make, pretty sugar flower to adorn any Easter cake, whether you are making a big cake for sharing or just a few cup cakes, these sugar flowers will certainly impress your family and friends.

To make the sugar flowers, you will need:

White and yellow petal paste.

Fuchsia pink petal dust (optional)

Egg white (for the glue)

Daisy cutters (different sizes)

Cocktail stick (for rolling)

Ball/softening tool

Sharp knife or craft knife

2” square of tulle netting or similar

Small bath/ kitchen sponge

Start your sugar flowers by working the yellow sugar paste until it is soft and pliable, this is for the centres of the sugar flowers,

Roll a small piece of the sugar paste into a ball, and then gently pull the tulle netting over the paste, thus creating the textured effect at the centre of the sugar flowers.

Make plenty of sugar  flower centres and vary the sizes, they should be no bigger than the centre part of the sugar flower daisy cutters you are using, then put these to one side so they can dry out.

Take some of the white sugar paste, knead and work it until pliable and soft, (a little like chewing gum but not sticky).

Roll the paste out on a flat smooth surface; you need it to be quite thin but not too fine as we need to roll it again later.

Cut out the shape using the daisy cutter, and then cut down the length of each petal with the sharp knife.

Frill both halves of each petal with the cocktail stick, roll the cocktail stick gently across the sugar flowers petal   lengthways, indenting the petal more in the middle.

Place the daisy onto the sponge and cup the centre of the sugar flower with the ball tool.

Using the egg white, stick the yellow centres into the middle of the petals, If you wish you can tinge the ends of the sugar flowers petals with the pink petal dust.

Carefully attach the sugar flowers to your cake using icing, fondant or butter cream to stick them.

These sugar flowers are totally edible, and bring a touch of springtime to any cake.

You can also put these sugar flowers in a bouquet or spray of sugar flowers, simply make them as shown here and attach to a wired calyx instead of directly onto the cake.

To make the calyx

Make a small hook in one end of a 26gm florist’s wire.

Colour some sugar paste green, work it until it is pliant and soft.

Take a small piece(pea sized) and roll into a ball and then shape it into a cone, flatten out the wider end between your finger and thumb to form a flat disc, your calyx should resemble a Mexican hat.

Roll the edges out very thinly using either a pencil or knitting needle.

Using a blossom cutter, place over the rounded end and press down.

Soften the edges of the calyx with a ball tool, dip the hooked wire into the egg white and wipe off the excess, pull the wire through the centre of the calyx, leave to dry.

Attach the sugar flower daisy to the calyx with a little egg white and leave to dry out thoroughly before incorporating into a spray or bouquet of sugar flowers.

Sugar flowers make a wonderful finish for any celebration cake.

sugar flowers carnation

One of the easiest of wired sugar flowers is the carnation; in fact you don’t even need special equipment, as you can create these pretty sugar flowers with a bottle cap and a cocktail stick!

Here are simple instructions on how to make carnation sugar flowers.

1. Wire stem.

To form the stem, cut a 26 gauge florists wire into 3 equal lengths, and then make a small hook in one end of the wire. Bind the hook with a small strip of florists tape, this forms the centre of the sugar flowers and prevents the petals from falling off.

Colour some petal paste, sugar flower carnations look best when worked in pale colours, the pale sugar flowers can be dusted to a darker shade.

sugar-flower-stem

bottle top petal cutter

2.  First frilled petal.

Roll out some coloured petal paste, not too thinly so that the paste will frill.

Use a sugar flowers carnation cutter, or a metal bottle top to cut out the circle shape.

With a sharp knife, make small cuts all around the edge at regular intervals.

sugar carnation cut

petal knife cut

3. To frill.

Roll a cocktail stick around the edge of the paste, move the stick gently back and forth, turning the paste whilst you work.

frill paste with cocktail stick

fan shape carnation

4. Assembling.

Paint one half of the frilled petal with egg white, thread the wire through the centre and fold in half to create a fan shape.

Brush a little egg white on the right hand third of the sugar flower and fold over.

Turn and repeat this on the other side, forming an”S” shape, gently moulding the paste onto the wire.

sugar carnation

5. 2^nd and 3^rd petals.

Cut and frill two more sugar flower petals, paint the centre with a little egg white.

Thread one of the petals onto the wire; turn the sugar flower upside down so the petal falls in a natural shape. Repeat with the other petal, mould it onto the wire, hang the completed sugar flowers upside down to dry.

6. Calyx

calyx suagr flower

sugar carnation assembled

For the calyx, make a small cone from bluish green sugar paste.

Cut the 5 petal shape for the calyx using a blossom cutter, or shape using a pair of fine scissors.

Soften the cut edges, hollow out the cone of the calyx, paint inside with egg white.

Thread the wire through the cone and gently mould the cone around the base of the sugar flowers petals, then wind green florists tape down the wire stem.

7. Dusting.

It isn’t necessary to “dust” sugar flowers, but it helps to enhance the appearance of the sugar flowers, giving them depth, and a more realistic appearance.

Don’t be heavy handed, work the dust in layers gradually building the tones and colours.

Ensure your sugar flowers have dried completely before you dust them.

8. Brushes.

Don’t buy expensive brushes for dusting; they will be ruined over time with use.

You only need three kinds of brush for the dusting.

1. A fine pointed brush, No 1 or 2, to dust the centre of the flowers.

2. A soft rounded brush, No 4, for general dusting and larger areas.

3. A flat edged brush, No ¼, for the edges of the sugar flowers.

Clean and remove any excess colour powders from the brushes by working the bristles into a little corn flour.

Petal dust the completed sugar flowers with a darker shade of the same colour or a complementary darker colour. To intensify the appearance of your sugar flowers, dust the edges from the outside edge to the inside, for a subtle, softer look to your sugar flowers, dust from the inside to the outside.

9. Leaves.

Roll out a piece of the bluish green sugar paste, very thinly.

Cut a strip 1” long by 1/8^th” wide, cut pointed but rounded ends, using a scribe tool or back of a knife mark a crease down the middle, paint the centre with egg white, thread the leaves onto the wire and pinch them into position.

There we have it! Easy, carnation sugar flowers to adorn any cake or display.

finished carnation

Sugar flowers carnation-finished

sugar flowers

Sugar flowers are the most stunning top for a celebration cake be it a birthday or wedding. The most popular flower to use is a traditional rose, whether it’s a colourful bouquet, or a single bloom, they will always add a touch of class to your cake.

Here are easy step by step instructions to make rose sugar flowers from petal paste.

Firstly you will need: -

Rose petal cutters, rose leaf cutters, calyx cutter.

Florists wire and tape, petal paste, fine artists paint brush, small scissors.

Ball tool, veiner or scriber, colour paste and, dusting powders, confectioners glaze or gum Arabic.

A small rolling pin, (I use a length of wooden dowel rod) and a smooth board to roll the petal paste out on.

All of these are available from sugar craft and cake decorating supply shops. You will also need a small pot of fresh egg white (to use as glue), cling wrap. It is also helpful if you have a polystyrene block to hold the roses whilst they dry.

To make rose sugar flowers

Centre cone

1. Make the centre cone slightly smaller than the petal cutter.

2. Gently roll a small ball of petal paste.

3.  Make a small hook at the end of a 24g florist’s wire.

4. Dip the hook into the egg white and wipe off the excess.

5. Feed the end of the wire through the ball of paste so the hook is hidden inside, and then mould the paste into an egg shape.

6. Stick the wire into the polystyrene block and leave to dry.

Colour

If you’re making a light coloured rose, it is best to work with 3 shades of the colour, use the darkest shade for the centre petals and the lighter shade for the outer petals. If you are making a deep coloured rose, then colour all the paste the same.

Constructing the  rose

1. Begin by working the darker paste to the consistency of chewing gum, (if it gets too sticky or dry, add a smudge of solid vegetable fat) lightly dust the board surface with corn flour, roll out the paste (very thinly)  and cut out 2 of the smaller petal shapes, cover one with cling wrap to prevent it drying out.

2. Take one of the dried centre cones and brush it all over with the egg white, wrap the first petal round the cone with the point to the side, make sure the top of the cone is covered by the petal.

3. Paint the second petal with egg white and wrap around the cone, overlapping the first petal.

4. Cut out 2 more of the same sized petals and gently frill the outer edges by using the ball tool, (gently place the petal in the palm of your hand and run the ball tool along the edge of the petal).

5. Paint egg white down the centre and each edge; position them onto the cone with the pointed end downwards, fold the petals so they interleave, wrap them around quite tightly and tweak the top edges into shape.

6. Cut out 2 more petals using the next size cutter, frill these a little more than the last two petals, place them on the cone, opposite to the previous petals, shape them around and bend the edge back slightly, (like a shirt opening).

7. Cut out 3 petals in a lighter shade paste, frill out the edges more than the previous ones, slightly cup the petals with the ball tool, paint with egg white about a third of the way up from the point. Position the first petal at the back (opposite the shirt like opening), place the other two petals onto the flower and interleave all 3 petals, tweak and shape them for a more natural appearance.

8. Using the next sized cutter and the lightest coloured paste, cut 5 petals, using he ball tool, really frill out the top edges and cup each petal, attach to the flower, interleaving each petal with the last, shape the petals and leave to dry before dusting with petal dust.

You can complete a rose at any of the stages by adding a calyx, (if you stop at the first 2 petals, you will have a rose bud).
If you are doing a solitary rose, thicken the stem by taping in extra wires when the flower is complete.

Rose calyx

When you are making roses for a bouquet or spray of sugar flowers, avoid breakages by fixing the calyx snugly to the flower head.
If you are making a single bloom, affix the calyx to the bottom of the flower and curl the ends of the calyx outwards for a more natural appearance.

Calyx

1. Roll out a very small piece of the coloured petal paste that you used for the actual flower, roll it as thinly as possible.

2. Roll out a small piece of green coloured petal paste, on top of this place the previously rolled petal paste; gently roll over these, until you can see the green showing through.

3. Using a calyx cutter; cut out the calyx and soften the edges with the ball tool.

4. Using the small scissors, cut 3-4 times into the sides of each frond, the cuts should be at a steep angle.

5. Paint a little of the egg white down the bottom half of each frond, thread the wire stem of the flower through the centre of the calyx, and press the calyx onto the flower.

6. Thicken the stem if needed.

7.  To make the hip, take a small piece of the green petal paste, roll it into a ball, and then gently pull into an upside-down pear shape.

8. Using the ball tool, make an indent in the top, paint the hollow with egg white and thread the wire stem through the hip, and fix to the bottom of the flower.

Rose leaf

1. Using 28g or 30g wire, roll out some green paste, leave a raised ridge down the centre, (roll inwards from each side to create this).

2. Place a rose leaf cutter on the paste, making sure the ridge runs central from top to bottom, and cut out.

3. Vein the leaf, either by using a Veiner or scriber tool.

4. Soften the edges of the leaf with the ball tool.

5. Dip the wire (no hook) into the egg white, wipe off excess, and then gently push it into the ridge and leave to dry before dusting.

Petal dusting sugar flowers

It’s not necessary to “dust” petal paste sugar flowers, but it does enhance the overall appearance of the flower by giving them variance and depth.
Don’t be too heavy handed, gradually build the tones and colours a little at a time.
Ensure your sugar flowers are completely dry before you dust them.

Brushes

Don’t buy the most expensive brushes for dusting, over time they will be ruined.
You only need 3 types of brush for dusting.

1. A fine pointed brush, e.g. number 1 or 2, to dust the centre of the sugar flowers.

2. A soft rounded brush, e.g. number 4, for general dusting and larger areas.

3. A flat edged brush, e.g. number ¼, for the edges of the sugar flowers.

To clean and remove the colour powders from the brushes, work the bristles into a little corn flour.

Dusting the rose

Give the centre of the rose depth, by brushing with a darker colour that compliments the rose.
Experiment with different powders for different effects.
To dust the edges of the petals, draw the flat brush across the petal edge at a right angle, just to highlight them.
Some sugar flowers can be given a shimmering sheen, by using a silver sparkle dusting powder.
Dust the calyx with a soft green powder.

Dusting the leaves

Dust the rose leaves with a variety of coloured powders, don’t be scared, blues, browns yellow even pink will blend into each other, creating unique natural looking leaves.
To get a lovely glossy finish, paint with the confectioners glaze, or gum Arabic, leave to dry thoroughly before wiring them onto the rose stem, or into a spray or bouquet of sugar flowers.

kids cake decorating-batman cake

We all want the perfect birthday or celebration cake for our kids, and there’s nothing more special than making your own!

Kids cake decorating is really easy,

Firstly you need to decide what design you want. Your kid may be into the latest cartoon/TV character, draw your inspiration from this.

Search the internet for images of the chosen character and print off, use this image as your basic design.  Next, you need to work out how big the cake must be. Are you expecting a large group, or is it just a close family tea?

Bake, or buy your cake, (if your pushed for time) in the size required and cover it with sugarpaste.(see icing a cake) (some supermarkets sell celebration cakes already covered!)

Kids cake decorating can be done in many different styles,

BAIS RELEF, This is where we take the chosen design and cut out the basic shape from sugarpaste, then carefully placing it on top of the cake, but don’t stick it down.

Next we roll up small amounts of sugarpaste and place them underneath the cut out design, this adds texture and shape to the design, giving it a 3D effect. When you are happy with the image shape, stick down the edges with a very small amount of sugar syrup, (mix water with icing sugar to form a glue consistency), leave this to dry, then paint the image with food colourings.

PAINTING, if all that seems too much then just trace and paint the image directly onto the cake!

kids-cake-decorating-painting

When it comes to cake decorating and painting images it is imperative that you use EDIBLE products only.

There are many different colourpastes, powders and pens available, choose the one that is best for you.

Before you paint on the actual cake, practice first on a dinner plate, this will give you a feel of the texture, colour and consistency of the colourpaste. You will have to mix colourpastes and powders with a little water and icing sugar,(I mix mine in a small dish or egg cup) as it’s best to work with small amounts to prevent the paint from drying out. if you have to leave it for any reason, cover the paint pot with cling film. If your paint mix does dry out whilst you’re using it then just dip your brush into fresh water and then back into the paint, (test the colour and consistency on the plate,

before resuming the painting on the actual cake.

APPLIQUET

kids-cake-decorating-appliquet Fred Flinstone

This technique is really easy, you work small sections of the design at a time!

Take your image template and cut into sections, i.e. arms, legs, head and body. From these smaller sections, separate any changes of colour, (i.e. on a teddy bear, the arm and paw pad,). These pieces become your pattern.

Colour your sugarpaste (see icing a cake) to the desired shades, (wrap each piece separately in cling film).

Taking the main body of your design, roll out the coloured sugarpaste and place the cut-out design on top, using a sharp knife, (preferably a craft knife)  cut around the shape, then carefully lift the sugarpaste and position on top of the cake, when you are happy with it, and have left enough room for the other pieces of the design, stick into place with sugar syrup. Repeat this process with all of the pieces like assembling a jig-saw puzzle. Smooth out any rough edges and joins.

LAYERED APPLIQUET

This method for cake decorating follows the same principles as above but you build the image up by starting with a base cut-out of the whole image, lay and stick this into position on the cake using the sugar syrup, then cut out the next largest part of the image and place this on top of the first and stick into position, repeat this for all pieces of the image, smooth out any rough edges.

EMBOSSING

You can simply emboss the chosen image onto the cake; firstly trace the image onto the cake, using a blunt pointed tool, i.e. (the tip of a fine paintbrush or the back edge of a knife) follow the trace lines and gently indent the image into the cake, when you are happy with the outline, paint the different sections with colourpaste,

PIPING

If you want to try piping your design onto the cake, you can follow the directions for embossing, but instead of paint filling, use a piping bag with a star nozzle, and pipe coloured buttercream into the different sections, (practice on a plate at piping the little star shapes) to make up the design.

WRITING

To write Happy Birthday etc. on the cake, you can simply use a food pen and write directly onto the cake, if you don’t feel confident doing this free hand, then trace out the design onto the cake first.

PIPING WRITING

Firstly, trace your design onto the cake, then with either royal icing, or piping gels, (available in most supermarkets)carefully pipe over the traced design. If you are using coloured royal icing on a white based cake then use a number 2 nozzle and pipe the design in white icing first, allow this to dry and then using a number 1 nozzle, pipe the coloured icing on top, this eliminates the risk of the colours running into the cake topping, and enables you to correct any mistakes easily.

I hope you find this information useful, and for more on other cake related tips and instruction, then click here.

cake tins

There are three main types of cake tins (pans)

Basic cake tins come in a variety of shapes (round, square, oval, heart, etc the list goes on.

If you buy a good quality, sturdy cake tin (pan) you will end up with better results in your cake creations, and if looked after correctly your cake tin (pan) should last you a lifetime.

If you buy a square or rectangular tin (pan) or any other shape with angular corners, then make sure the corners are NOT rounded as corners and edges of your can lose their definition when it comes to decorating them.

Cake tins (pans) with loose bottoms, are ok for easing your cake out but over time the bottoms tend to warp thus allowing your cake mixture to leak out and finally non-stick tins (pans) may seem like a good time saving idea but after a while the non-stick surface can wear and you end up lining them anyway.

Remember also most sugar craft/cake specialist shops will advise you on which tin (pan) suits your needs and some of them hire out the tins (pans) for a small fee.

Tins(pans) used for making cakes in the shape of numbers etc are called frames, they have sides but no bases, they often have strengthening bars to support cut-out sections middle sections like the number 8 or 0 ,if you choose to try using a frame ,make sure any support bars run across the top of the tin (pan) or you may find it more difficult to line.

Novelty cake tins (pans) are plentiful, there are many themes usually children’s TV characters or animals and they normally have instructions on how to decorate with piped buttercream.

This is a cake that I covered with icing using the all in one method

The all in one method is the simplest method for icing a cake with sugarpaste, if you want to cover the cake and board with a single colour.

If you want a different coloured sugarpaste, on the board, then this needs to be covered at least 48hrs before, and cover your cake separately.

If you are icing a cake that is a simple sponge cake, then it already needs to be covered in buttercream, and if you are icing a fruit cake covered with marzipan, then it needs to be dampened with previously boiled cooled water, or a clear spirit like gin or vodka, if you are covering the board with icing as well as the cake then this needs dampening also, otherwise the sugarpaste will not stick.

Kneading the sugarpaste is a really important stage in icing a cake with a sugarpaste covering, it should be done on a clean dry smooth surface, do not use icing (confectioners) sugar on the surface, as you will just be working it into your sugarpaste, making it dry out faster and causing it to crack when you apply the icing to your cake.

Work the sugarpaste until it is smooth and soft in consistency, the sugarpaste will harden quickly when exposed to air, so any sugarpaste you are not working with needs to be wrapped in cling film, (plastic wrap) but does not need to be refrigerated.

Ensure you have sufficient sugarpaste, when icing a cake, to cover the cake and board that you are icing, roll out the sugarpaste to about 1cm (half inch) thick, try and keep the sugarpaste roughly the same shape as the cake you are covering. If the sugarpaste goes out of shape, don’t be afraid to push it back with your hands or rolling pin.

keep moving the sugarpaste so the bottom doesn’t stick to the work surface, if you find it becoming more difficult to turn then fold the sugarpaste over your rolling pin and carefully raise the sugarpaste up so you can sprinkle a little icing (confectioners) sugar onto the work surface. Ensure the sugarpaste is rolled out to a size that will sufficiently cover both your cake and the board, when you are happy with the size of the sugarpaste, gently go over it with either a cake smoother or the flat of your hand to remove any ridges left by the rolling pin.

Place the rolling pin in the middle of your sugarpaste and gently flip half of it over the rolling pin, lift the rolling pin up and position the sugarpaste against one side of the cake board, turn the rolling pin to flip the sugarpaste over the cake and board, using the palms of your hands, carefully smooth the sugarpaste on top of the cake, moving from the centre outwards will help eliminate any air bubbles, then go over the top with a cake smoother.

Follow these guidelines for icing a cake of any shape.

See the following for each shape.

Icing a cake- round or oval cakes

Once the covering instructions for icing the cake top is completed, carefully ease the sugarpaste around and down the sides of the cake and over the top of the cake board. Use the palms of your hands again, to expel any air that may be trapped, then go over the whole cake with a smoother, trim off any excess sugarpaste around the edge of the board using a sharp knife that will glide through the paste. Do not use a sawing motion as this will leave the edge jagged and rough.

Icing square or hexagonal cakes

Once the covering instructions for the top is completed, gently pull the sugarpaste away from the corners of your cake and carefully spread it out, using the palms of your hands, gently ease the sugarpaste into position on the corners of the cake, then gently work the sides of the cake and top of the board, using your hands to expel any trapped air, go round the cake board with your palms, then go over the whole cake with a cake smoother, and finally trim off any excess sugarpaste using a sharp knife that will glide through the paste, as a sawing action will leave unsightly, jagged edges.

Icing number shaped cakes

It is impossible to cover a number cake and cake board all in one, so either leave the board plain or cover it in sugarpaste separately; at least 48 hours before you put the icing on the number cake.

After kneading sufficient sugarpaste to cover your cake completely, roll out enough sugarpaste to cover the top of the cake, then make an imprint into the sugarpaste using the frame/pan it was baked in, but invert it so the number imprints back-to-front, cut along these marks in the sugarpaste, using a pizza wheel will give you a nice crisp edge. Place the rolling pin in the centre of the sugarpaste, flip half over the pin and carefully lift the paste into position, lining it up on top of the cake (remember it should be covered with buttercream or jam first) turn the pin so the paste lays on top of the cake, and gently smooth over the sugarpaste to expel any trapped air, then smooth out the icing with the cake smoother.

For icing the sides of the cake, roughly measure around your cake, and the height, roll out the sugarpaste long and wide enough to take these measurements, carefully mark them out, using your pizza wheel cut the shape out, roll the strip of sugarpaste up loosely, then choose a start point on your cake (usually the back), take the rolled up paste and place it at this start point, then gently unroll it along the sides of the cake pressing the paste firmly to expel any air,

Join the paste at the point where you started, smooth the paste with your hands followed by the cake smoother, trim off any excess sugarpaste from the top edge of the cake and smooth the cut edge with your fingers, leave it to dry out for 24 hours before you start icing the cake further with piping icing etc.

If you need to transfer your cake onto a previously covered board then do so now, and remember to go over the whole cake again with the smoother to remove any nicks or scratches.

Icing a cake – novelty cakes

Using the instructions for icing a cake and board together, cover your novelty cake with icing, then when you have expelled any air bubbles and smoothed over the cake with your hands, use the clean cake tin (pan) place it carefully over the cake and press down, so that the detail is embossed onto the sugarpaste, then gently lift the tin off, trim any excess sugarpaste.

To finish icing a cake if you have covered just the cake and not the board, then try rolling a long thin sausage of sugarpaste, and wrap it round the bottom of the cake.

Covering boards with sugarpaste

Cakes are usually covered in sugarpaste along with the board all in one, but sometimes you can be icing a cake and give it another dimension, often creating a fabulous and dramatic effect, by covering the board separately in a different colour to the icing on the cake.

Follow instructions for preparing the sugarpaste to cover your cake, when you are ready to lift the paste, paint the cake board with cooled boiled water or clear spirit i.e.- gin vodka, so that the sugarpaste has something to stick to,

Lay the paste over the board and gently smooth out with the palm of your hand, expelling any trapped air.

Trim off any excess paste and finish the board by smoothing with a cake smoother, if you wish, crimp the edges whilst the paste is still soft, then leave it to dry for 48hours before icing a cake on it.

If you have made a fruit cake and wish to decorate it with fondant,  sugar paste or royal icing/frosting, we firstly need to cover the cake with marzipan/almond paste.

To do this we have to level the cake, so position your cake centrally on the cake board, knead and roll a small amount of marzipan/almond paste into a sausage shape and push it in between the  cake and the board filling any gaps, if there are any large holes where fruit may have fallen from your cake, then fill these with a small piece of marzipan/almond paste don’t worry about smaller air holes.

There are 2 methods for covering your cake with marzipan/ almond paste

Cakedecorating marzipan method 1

Knead the marzipan/ almond paste thoroughly on a clean dry surface until you achieve a crack free smooth paste.

Next with either a palette knife or pastry brush, cover your cake with a jam/jelly glaze (recipe to follow) so the marzipan/ almond paste has something to adhere to,

Lightly dust the work surface with icing (confectioners) sugar,

Roll out the marzipan/ almond paste , try to keep it the same shape as your cake,

Roll it out large enough to cover the top and sides of your cake, (you can gauge this by cutting a length of butchers string or thin ribbon that measures across the widest point of your cake and down  the sides, then use this as a guide whilst your rolling out the marzipan/ almond paste)

Don’t roll it too thin (8mm min) as marzipan/ almond paste that is too thin will result in imperfections when you apply your sugar paste.

Ensure that the marzipan/ almond paste has no bumps or ridges by going over it with a cake decorators smoothing tool.

Lift the marzipan/ almond paste, by folding half the marzipan/ almond paste over the rolling pin, lift and position against one side of the cake.

Roll the pin to allow the marzipan/ almond paste to gently fall over the cake.

Using the palms of your hands, gently smooth the marzipan/ almond paste from the middle of the cake to the outer edges, expelling any trapped air.

Then gently work the marzipan/ almond paste down the sides of the cake.

When you are satisfied with the coverage, go over the whole cake with your cake smoother, trim off any excess marzipan/ almond paste from the base of the cake with a sharp knife (taking care not to cut the (cake-board) and smooth out the cut edges, creating a seal between cake and board as you go.

Cakedecorating marzipan method 2

Treat the marzipan/ almond paste the same as previously described, but instead of placing it on the cake all in one.

Cut a measured strip long and wide enough to go round the sides of the cake, gently roll this up so it is easier to handle, and place it along the side of the cake unrolling and easing the marzipan/ almond paste around the cake, making sure you seal the join where the ends meet.

Then knead and roll out as described before, enough marzipan/ almond paste to cover the top of your cake, using the cake tin/pan you baked it in, as a guide.

Place it on top of your rolled out marzipan/ almond paste and carefully cut around it with a sharp knife, then using the rolling pin gently lift it onto the cake.

Smooth it over from centre to edge of the cake making sure you seal it well where it overlaps the marzipan/ almond paste on the side of the cake.

Then go over the whole cake with the smoother.

Cupcake Cakes History

The term “Cup Cake” is said to have been firstly referred to in the middle of the 1700′s, this came about by baking a small amount of cake mixture in an actual tea-cup.

Some believe the term also refers to old recipe’s using a cup as a measuring device, (not all households could afford a set of weighing scales!)

The actual phrase “Cup Cake” appeared in Maria Rundell’s book of Domestic cookery, printed in 1808. The book came about as a result of her noting and collecting many recipes and  housekeeping tips for her three daughters.

It was a family friend (John Murray) who persuaded Maria to let him publish the collection, He decided on the title of the book “Domestic Cookery” as he wanted to market the book for the domestic family, instead of previous publications that were written for grand houses and public eating establishments.

How to bake cupcake cakes (the original way!)

Now we know a little of the history, lets bake real Cup Cakes!

When using tea-cups to bake the cakes, don’t use grannies best fine china, you can safely use porcelain tea-cups, make sure they have no imperfections, chipped or cracked cups will break with the heat of the oven, avoid cups decorated with gold rims or cracked glaze. You can find odd tea-cups in the various charity shops on the high street, or visit a car boot sale and rummage through a few boxes, if the cups only cost a few pence, it doesn’t matter if the pattern fades, or if they break in the oven.

Cupcake Cakes-Queen Cakes (Maria Rundell)

To begin, mix one pound of flour with one pound of sifted sugar, wash and dry one pound of currants, add them to the mix.

Wash one pound of fresh butter with the rose water, beat the butter well and then add eight beaten eggs (whites and yolks) add the dry ingredients gradually, and then beat the mix for one hour.

Butter the insides of the tea-cups, half fill the tea-cups with the cake mix, sprinkle sifted sugar over the mix just before you put them in the oven.

For a faster recipe Beat 8oz of butter mix in 2 well beaten eggs in a separate bowl mix 8oz of flour with 8oz of sugar add the grated rind of 1 lemon mix the dry ingredients with the eggs and butter, adding a little at a time, heat for a half hour, using a silver spoon.

Butter the inside of small cups or patty pans and bake for around 20 minutes in a hot oven. If all that beating is putting you off, try this more modern approach to Cup Cake cakes.

Queen Cakes

For the cake batter, you will need:

• 125gms softened butter
• 125gms sugar (caster sugar preferably)
• 2 eggs
• 150gms plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• the zest of 1 lemon

• 30gms currants (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180ºC, Lightly butter 4 – 6 tea cups, (preferably porcelain.) Cream the butter and the sugar together in a large mixing bowl until the mixture is fluffy and light, add the grated lemon zest, and stir in thoroughly.

Add the beaten eggs a little at a time, to avoid splitting the mixture sift the flour and fold it gently into the mixture.

Currants should be added at this point, if you choose to use them, half fill the tea-cups with the mixture and bake for about 20 minutes, (cooking time depends on the size of the tea-cup.) When the cakes are done, the middle of each cake should spring back slightly; turn out the cakes onto a wire rack, and leave to cool.

Whilst you are waiting, make the cupcake cake topping.

For the topping, you will need:

• 150gms icing sugar
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon of orange or lemon juice freshly squeezed.
• Finely grated lemon or orange zest.

Into a mixing bowl, add the egg white and lemon juice.  Sift in the icing sugar and beat the mixture until it is smooth and glossy, then stir in the finely grated lemon zest.  You should use the icing immediately, but if your Cup Cakes haven’t cooled completely, cover the bowl of topping with cling film or a clean damp cloth.

When the Cupcake Cakes have cooled, spread them with copious amounts of lovely lemony icing, and ENJOY!

cake decorating techniques

Cake decorating techniques is the very enjoyable craft of using icing, sugars as well as other edible accessories for making cakes appear extra visually scrumptious and intriguing. Just like many other styles of artwork, cakes may also be embellished by using a variety of touches. Foodstuff decor varies from other types of artwork since it calls for solely edible adornments.

In many locations around the globe, amazingly sculpted and designed cakes are definitely the key attraction of specific festivities and special occasions including birthdays, marriages, engagement wedding showers, baby shower celebration and also wedding anniversary. Delectable and visually exciting cakes boost the feeling and atmosphere of the specialized festivities.

The history of cake decorating techniques

Early Egypt revealed proof of authentic baking expertise. The definition of the word “cake”has been created from Viking origins, through the phrase ‘kaka’ of which refers to the cooked flour sweetened by using sugars or even honey. Later on within the middle of the 17th century, Europeans brought out forms of cake decorating techniques in order to prepare delightful desserts plus they use to furnish these with different edible adornments. This specific fine art involving the baking and also decorating had been wide-spread in the Northern states of America, Australia, New Zealand and also South USA.

Through the mid-19th century in France they widely used embellished desserts for the dessert course towards the end of the meals. Furthermore, in the mid-20th century, quite a few households began creating very simple sturdy, filling cake, signifying prosperity and also hospitality. Europeans are generally considered to be the precursor to the majority of cake decorating techniques. These people would prefer to embellish cakes by simply covering up cakes using a flat coating of frosting/icing after which they pipe blossoms along with amazing stringing work to finish off the decoration of the cake.

Currently, within the Developed World, the actual purpose of cakes along with cake decorating techniques and cake design has altogether evolved. It is now huge as just about one of the most primary hobbies and interests.

Developing your Cake decorating techniques could turn into a business opportunity

This specific simple and easily engaging pastime could be developed in to a profitable small business. Plenty of people take up cake decorating as being a profession which involves enjoyment, entertainment, appreciation, passion and a lot of money making possibilities.

Designing cakes generally will involve overlaying the cake by using several types of icing and embellishments including sugars, sweets and also chocolate. Presently, cakes are increasingly being adorned by simply scattering a fine coating of icing sugar, piping sugar blossoms, preparing the lustrous blanket of glaze and also moulding paste in order to form flowers and various fascinating images. Today, many individuals will also be designing false cakes using a variety of adornments intended for exhibition and display. Included in this are novelty cakes, floral cakes and much more.

How to study cake decorating techniques

Presently there are a good amount of cake decorating publications readily available which contain images and offer easy to follow instructions involving carving assorted patterns and layouts for cakes. These types of home instructive guides may help you accomplish excellence and also passion. Nowadays, quite a few cake decorating technique courses are available throughout the country. All these instructional classes help out with understanding modern cake designing strategies. A number of these courses in addition assist you to get started as your own company. There are more resources available to you including magazines, books, papers, recipe books and also cookery shows that will help an individual get some new information and find out about the most recent advancements in cake design. With more experience and time you’ll be able to adventure into much more intriguing, notable and complex styles and designs. Currently, individuals across the globe will be experimenting and seeking profitable small business ventures with all of their own abilities, expertise, skills and creative imagination. Each one is looking to transform their particular cake decorating techniques and skills in order to harvest some profit.