Cake Decorating Class Download

If cake decorating is new to you, then you may be perplexed by the multitude of cake decorating terms.  , if you take the time to get familiar with them, then you will approach them with confidence. Seen below are some of the most common cake decorating terms, and their definitions.  Once you master these terms you will likely be inspired with your own cake decorating ideas.

Airbrushing
Airbrushing a cake is a fast method to add a scene or background onto a cake’s surface using food coloring.  Airbrushing uses an artist’s paint gun that uses an compression air pump.

Border
The border of a cake is a continuous thread of icing that graces the top, sides, and/or bottom edges of a cake.

Buttercream
Buttercream is a rich icing that is created by mixing either butter or shortening (or both) together withicing sugar, and beaten until smooth. Buttercream is an easy, all-purpose icing that can be used to both decorate and cover a cake

Decorating Bags
Decorating bags are also called icing bags, frosting bags, or pastry bags.  Decorating bags are small, triangular shaped bags that are made from cloth, plastic, or parchment paper.  The bags are equipped with ornamenting tips and filled with frosting and used to pipe decorative items such as icing flowers, borders, scrollwork, and lacework designs.

Decorating Tips
Decorating tips are often called decorating nozzles. Decorating tips are used to create decorative details such as basketweave designs, icing roses, and shell edges. Tips come in different shapes, and are used with an icing or pastry bag that is filled with frosting.  When the bag is squeezed, the icing or cream is piped out in the shape of the tip.  Drop flowers are produced with a single squeeze of the frosting bag, while rose petals are produced with practiced maneuvering of the tip and icing.

Flower Nail
A flower nail is shaped like a nail with an large, oversized head.  A flower head is used for piping royal icing and buttercream flowers that are transferred to a cake after drying.

Frosting
Frosting and icing are often interchanged for each other. Those in the US tend to use the word “frosting” for the creamy, sugary substance covering a cake, while people in other English speaking countries tend to use the phrase “icing”. In the U.S.A., “frosting” normally refers to the icing that is spread over the cake, while “icing” ordinarilyrefers to decorative icing, such as piped borders and icing roses.

Fondant
Fondant is also called sugar paste.  Fondant is an frosting sugar dough that can be manipulated in much the same way as pie dough.  Fondant can be rolled into smooth sheets, then draped on top of cakes, creating a smooth, flawless finish.

Ganache
Ganache is a velvety smooth frosting.  It is prepared by melting either dark or white chocolate, then mixing it with heavy cream.

Gumpaste
Gumpaste is an edible, clay-like dough.  It is formed by mixing glycerin, gum Arabic, and frosting sugar.  Gumpaste is used to mold eatable flowers and designs. Gum paste can also be rolled super thin and used to make involved ribbons and lacework, as well as delicate flower petals.

Marzipan
Marzipan is a doughy almond substance.  It is produced from the identical ingredients as almond paste, though marzipan has more sugar, fewer almonds, and has a smoother consistency.  Marzipan is frequently used for modeling cake decorations, and as a base covering underneath fondant.

Piping
Piping is a ornamenting technique where a decorating bag or tube is filled with icing and equipped with a decorating tip.  Piping takes place when the bag isgently squeezed to make shaped dots and ribbons of icing tobeautify cakes and other baked goods.

Royal Icing
Royal icing is a sweet white frosting that is prepared by whipping icing sugar with either fresh egg whites or dried egg whites and meringue powder. Royal icing produces distinct icing edges.  It is perfect for piping complicated writing, borders, scrollwork, and lacework on cakes. Royal icing dries very hard and preserves indefinitely if stored in a cool, dry place, but is vulnerable to softening and drooping in high humidity.

Cake Decorating Techniques

Tags: Common Cake Decorating Terms

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 1st, 2009 at 9:59 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.