- Before you get started on your cake decorating, you will need to purchase some basic tools that will make the process easier. For example, select a pastry bag and a variety of tips, such as a small tip for writing, a shell tip for borders and a star tip for textured design. Other useful tools are a rolling pin for fondant, gel food coloring for dying frosting and an offset spatula for frosting the cakes.
- One of the most basic skills for a cake decorator is creating a border around the top edge and the base of a cake. Practice creating borders using the pastry bag and a tip and piping onto a paper plate or a piece of newspaper. Use the star tip and hold the pastry bag straight up over the cake, creating a border by squeezing out frosting, lifting the bag away and placing another star shape directly next to the first one. A shell tip can help you make a continuous border by piping shells that are thick in the center and thin on the ends. It can be difficult to create a uniform border, so this technique requires practice.
- Most cakes are decorated for a special occasion, so learn how to pipe a message onto a cake. Fit your pastry bag with a small tip that is meant for writing and practice writing on a paper plate. Place even pressure on the pastry bag and squeeze the frosting out at a steady pace so that each letter is the same thickness. When you are ready to write on the cake, trace the message with a toothpick first so that you are certain that your spacing is even.
- Fondant is a material that is used by more advanced cake decorators, but beginners can use it as well. Rather than attempting to completely cover a cake with fondant, use it as a decoration instead. Choose pre-made, pre-colored fondant and roll it out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut the fondant into shapes and place them on top of the cake. The fondant will stick to the frosting.
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