Cake Decorating Ideas & Techniques for all Occasions!

Decorating cakes is a great skill to have as cakes can make the perfect gift. This is never truer than when the cake is for a birthday.

The thoughtful and personal touch that making and giving a cake can bring to the occasion is remarkable and within this article we will be considering some birthday cake decorating ideas.

If it is the birthday of a close friend or family member then it will be easier. Take time to sit down and consider what they like. Come up with several possible ideas, you don't want to limit yourself.

Once you have decide what the theme of the cake is going to be, draft out what you want it to look like on the cake. This will enable you to get an idea of spacing, sizes and colours.

When you have your draft planned to perfection, ensure you know what you will need to recreate that image on the cake. Then write a list and hit the shops!

Usually there will be icing of some kind, whether it will be royal icing or butter icing. As well as considering what the recipient of your gift prefers, also consider what will be easiest to work with.

If you are creating a layered structure on top of your icing, you will have to go for royal as the butter icing will not support your design sufficiently. Don't be under the illusion however, that royal icing has to be white. With the magic of food colouring, your birthday cake can be decorated in a whole rainbow of colours!

Mix the textures! As you know, royal icing is smooth and butter icing is much more textured, there is no reason why you can't combine these when decorating your birthday cake.

Royal icing is great for moulding, and it pretty much works just like play dough. Remember though that time is going to be needed for the more intricate design.
Once you have your sculpture perfect - let it set!

This lens has a heap of helpful information to help you decorate cakes that with delight everyone, so read on for more tips below.

Cake decorating in recent years has regained popularity and this is especially true of birthday cakes.

In the stores you will now find whole aisles dedicated to cake decorating from the traditional icing, to cute icing figures and special moulding pens and brushes. Take advantage of this and get the tools of the trade.

If you are not close to the person you are decorating the birthday cake for, go for a more traditional generic theme. Boys like sports, music and cartoons. Girls castles, shoes and bags.

For the more mature recipient decorate their birthday cake following a flower theme for women. Most men like simple birthday cakes, like stripes or patterns. Pick one and you can easily create an amazing cake that will have the "wow" factor.

The shape of the cake can be a key to a brilliantly original birthday cake. You can now get shaped cake tins in specialised stores. From frogs to pirate ships.

Take full advantage of this! Although it is more than possible to create a shaped cake from traditional square and round tins, this can be rather time consuming.

If the baking is not your cup of tea, you can buy the cakes from your local super market in order to spend your time and attention decorating your birthday cake and making all your ideas come to life!

Creating a beautifully decorated cake is easier than you think, and with some of these top techniques, you will; find it to be a breeze!

The basis for a brilliantly decorated cake begins with the icing.

Frequently most cake decorators will require a smooth base. To get this you will need to cover your fully cooled cake with a "crumb layer". No, I don't mean bread crumbs, but rather a light coating of frosting.

This will help your icing spread easily onto your cake and not pull parts of your cake into the icing. If you have the time, pop your cake into the fridge at this point; it will make it easier when you come to add another layer of icing.

When you are applying butter icing or frosting, the best cake decorating technique is to put a large dollop in the centre on the top. You then need to spread out the icing with a spatula (I find that a metal spatula gives a smoother effect and is easier to use than a plastic spatula) towards the edge of the cake.

When the top is totally covered and looks smooth, you need to ice the sides. This can be slightly trickier - but with this top cake decorating technique, you will find it easier. Using a dollop again, stand the spatula straight up against the side of the cake. I find it easier to spin the cake rather than move the spatula.

Now you have your cake iced, it is time to make it look professional and beautiful. The smother the icing is, the better the overall look of the cake.

To gain a perfectly smooth surface, try dipping your spatula into hot water (this only works with a metal spatula) then drying it and smoothing it over the cake once more. Using this cake decorating technique should ensure you get a professionally presented cake.

Once you have your cake iced, many then want to add additional decorations. This is a great way to personalize your cake.

Some people prefer to buy ready made cake decorations as they feel that creating their own would be tiresome and difficult, but with these easy to follow cake decorating techniques, you will find that it is not that difficult at all.

Decorating your cake with flowers is a simple yet elegant. Although it looks as though you have to be professional cake decorator, following these techniques and tips you will be creating a whole garden on your beautifully iced cake.

Roses are classic and a general favorite. There are many ways to recreate these, and these are my top two.

Take a rectangle of colored fondant icing and role it into a tube shape, pinching one end and letting the other end span out. These tend to look much more contemporary and although some people prefer these, they aren't the traditional roses that you may be imagining.

To create a more realistic rose, take a small amount of colored fondant and role it into a ball, once you have a perfect ball; flatten it between your finger and thumb. This will then create your petal, your thicker ends need to go to the bottom of the rose and for a real effect, try to make the top end of the petal paper thin.

Continue this and wrap your petals around fanning out the thin ends of the petal. These are beautiful when grouped in threes and placed on the corners of a cake.

The great thing about using these techniques is that you can make the roses vary in sizes depending on what you require.

Cake decorating ideas are only limited by your own imagination and your skill levels. If you have great ideas for designs but dont know how to create them, just take some cake decorating classes or study some of the online training resources that are available.

Before you know it you will be creating and decorating cakes that impress everyone at your next big celebration, and maybe you could even start decorating cakes for a living!

By T. Hughes