Cake decorating is an art form.  Just like any other work of art, it requires patience as well as three essential components for the perfectly decorated cake.  Consistency of the icing, proper decorating bag positioning and controlling the pressure of squeezing the bag are the three essentials to be aware of.

Consistency of Icing

A number of factors can affect the consistency of the icing such as temperature, humidity, ingredients and the equipment used to make it. A thin consistency of icing is best for creating leaves and vines as well as any type of writing.  Medium consistency is best for stars, borders and some flower petals.  A stiff consistency of icing is best for creating intricate patterns that need to last without running.

Depending on the recipe of icing you use, you can manipulate it to create a stiffer or looser icing consistency.  For instance, for icing that is too fluid, add a little confectioner’s sugar to thicken it.  Icing that is too thick requires a bit of fluid like light corn syrup.

Positioning of the Decorating Bag

The angles in which you hold the decorating bag as well the direction in which the back of the bag is pointed are important.  For instance, 90° positions are best when you are writing something while 45° positions are best for patterned borders and some artwork.

The direction of the bag can be important based on the type of decorating tips used on the end of the bag. Typically most cake decorating directions will refer to a clock position like 3:00 or 6:00, in which the back of the bag must be pointed in that direction.  This positioning ultimately also affects the angle as well.

Controlling the Pressure

The pressure you apply when you squeeze the icing out of the decorator’s bag is important as it affects the size of the icing output as well as the uniformity.  Heavy pressure is best when you are adding a large amount of icing to one area for decorations while light pressure is best when you need to apply just a small amount of icing in an area. Your goal should be to master your grip on the bag and learn how to exert the right amount of pressure so the icing lines will appear seamless.

For more information check out the whole package at Art of Fine Cake Decorating

Tags: Cake Decorating

This entry was posted on Friday, July 25th, 2008 at 12:54 am and is filed under Cake Decorating. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.