To better your cake baking

• Packaged, two-layer cake mixes usually yield 4 to 6 cups of cake batter, but you should always measure because it’s not always exact.
• When in doubt on how much batter you will need to fill a cake pan, measure the cups of water it will hold first, then use this number as a guide. If you want a cake with high sides, fill the pan 2/3 full of batter; for thinner cake layers, fill the pan ½ full. You should never fill a cake pan more than 2/3 full, because even if the pan doesn’t flow over, the cake will have a heavy texture.
• For three-inch deep pans, it is recommended to use pound or pudding-added cake batters. Only fill the pan ½ full.
• To unmold a cake easier, line the bottom of a basic geometric pan with waxed or parchment paper after greasing it. The cake will be slightly lighter and have a more tender crust, but it may have less crumbs than a cake baked in a greased and floured pan.

Chicago Metallic professional non-stick bakeware was developed to give consumers the very best in Lifetime Performance. Professional combines heavy-weight aluminized steel for strength, durability and superior heat conduction with the RESIST Plus premium. This two-piece tube pan with removable bottom is perfect for angel food cakes, pound cakes, struesel cakes, breads, and frozen desserts.

Nordic Ware, creator of the original bundt pan, has been making high-quality bakeware for more than 50 years, and their range of cast aluminum baking pans continues to inspire creative home cooks around the world. This 10-cup pan brings dazzling complexity to the tradition bundt ring shape with a spectacular chrysanthemum design.

To simplify your icing

• You can thin your buttercream icing with milk or light corn syrup for easier spreading.
• On a three-dimensional cake (such as an egg or a ball, etc.), you can smooth the icing surface by letting the buttercream icing crust a bit after applying it to the cake; then put plastic wrap over the icing and smooth over the surface gently with your hands, then carefully remove the wrap. If you want a textured surface, follow the same procedure, only use a paper towel or something with the texture you want on the cake.
• Some canned icings work well for some decorating, as well as withstanding humidity better than buttercream icing, however, you need to always refrigerate canned icings before using in order to get the stiffer consistency. Canned icing does not work well if you are making flowers which require stiffer icing, such as a rose or lilly.
• For quicker, easier clean-up, which is VERY important… it helps to use a degreasing cleaner or something such as Dawn dishwashing liquid to dissolve icing from your tools and tips. It is very important to have grease-free utensils and tips when using royal icings, because the grease will cause royal icing to fail.

With this cake-decorating kit, there’s no need to take a class to express your hidden artistic side–extensive instructions and great ideas are included in the manual. With 50 essential tools, the kit makes it easy to cover a cake with roses, hearts, and cartoon characters in no time.

Wilton 101-piece tool and caddy set. This convenient caddy contains our most complete collection of tools, colors and flavors for the cake decorator. Inside this caddy is a complete collection of tools for decorating cakes, cupcakes, cookies and more. The caddy is a great way to organize, store and carry everything from tips and couplers to spatulas and brushes. Everything stays upright and in its place so there are less spills and messes.

To quicken your decorating

• You should try to have several of the decorating tips which you use most, and decorating bags available for use when decorating a cake. You can have a bag with the tip you need for each color, and this will save you a lot of time because you won’t have to change bags and tips. You can substitute a size smaller, or a size larger tip if need be.
• You can use tip 20 or tip 21 or the super fast Triple-Star Tip when you need to cover a cake with the star design quickly. You can also use zigzags for filling in large areas on a cake.
• If you use parchment bags, you can place a tip with a smaller opening over the tip you’re using and tape it in place. This will save you time from changing bags and tips when you are using the same color of icing.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 10th, 2009 at 4:56 pm 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.