An Introduction to Cake Decorating
Cake decorating can be a fun and rewarding hobby. When you’re new and just learning about cake decorating there are a few things you can do to increase your chances of great results. In this guide we’ll share a few tips and tricks to get you off to a great start with this fabulous pastime.
Practice Makes Perfect
Learning any new skill takes time and patience, particularly when it’s a physical skill. It takes time for your hands and brain to work together. As you practice you’ll find that your hand becomes steadier, you get faster and you’ll gain a whole new level of confidence.
Begin by making practice icing and spend time making various flowers and decorations. Your best bet is to practice daily for a while and perfect one flower before moving on to the next. After a few weeks of practicing, combine what you know and decorate your first cake.
Great Plan = Amazing Cake
The best way to end up with a fabulously decorated cake is to do some planning. Before you bake the cake or mix the icing, take some time to plan out your design on paper. If you like seeing things life-size, use butcher paper cut to size to plan your design. Start with any lettering that you plan on doing so that you have enough room; many beginners start with the decorations then have to add words in tiny lettering to get them to fit.
Another advantage to planning on paper first is that you’ll have a template to follow. Also, if you’re going to try new cake decorations or techniques, you’ll have a list of all the different flowers and decorations you’ll need to make and you can practice the more challenging ones beforehand.
Mistakes are the Best Teacher
It’s a fact that you’ll make mistakes when you first begin to decorate cakes. The important thing is to use each mistake as a learning opportunity. If you ever get to the point where you feel a cake is hopeless, take a break and come back to it with fresh eyes. Icing can always be removed. Make it a goal to never throw out a cake because you feel the decorations didn’t turn out. Identify the major problem areas and rework them. Be careful though to not have too high of an expectation. As a someone new to cake decorating don’t anticipate being able to turn out a three tiered wedding cake with complex fondant and gum paste decorations on your first try!
Decorating cakes can give you a tremendous sense of accomplishment. Remember to practice often, have a plan and learn from your mistakes and you’ll be producing beautifully decorated cakes in no time.