Cake Decorating|Cake Decorating Ideas

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At Easy Family Living you will find useful information, time-tested recipes and quality products to make family living easy. Families are very diverse today and very active, but one thing all families have in common is the desire to keep life easy for more time to focus on family.

We offer traditional recipes with wholesome ingredients in printer friendly versions with step by step instructions. Included with every recipe are helpful hints and serving suggestions. So, come on in, look around, and see how we can help you make family living easy.

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Cake Decorating Techniques

Cake and cookie decorating made fun using these easy techniques. You will learn to make beautiful cakes and cookies for any occassion. With just a few simple ingredients, the right tools and easy techniques, you will be decorating in no time and impressing everyone!

First, you will need some tools of the trade to get started. Some of these items you already have in your cupboard, so you are almost ready. Other products you can purchase at our Products page. You will need a cake stand turn table for icing, an angled spatula for icing your cake, decorating bags, couplers, decorating tips, tip brush, icing colors, straight spatula, cake pans, and cookie cutters. To store or transport your cakes and cookies, you will need a cake caddy.

Listed below are two icing recipes. One is a classic buttercream icing best used for decorating. The second recipe is an extra special buttercream icing made with real butter and cream perfect for icing your cakes. Delicious, buttery, and creamy!

Before getting started here are some helpful hints to make both icings. Purchase vegetable shortening sticks for convenience; each stick equals one cup. Almond or butter extract can be substituted for the clear vanilla. Use 10x sifted powdered sugar for a smooth icing. The classic buttercream is pure white, so adding a dark vanilla extract will produce a very slight tinted icing. The mixing of shortening and liquids will take a few minutes to completely cream; be patient. A heavy duty electric mixer with a large bowl works best for these recipes. Keep a damp cloth, (Handi-wipes work very well) over icing in bowl as you are decorating to keep the icing from drying out. Adding the meringue powder gives a 'crust' to the icing which is helpful for your decorations to set up perfectly. Using one-cup size airtight containers for leftover icing makes it easy to re-use for smaller icing and decorating projects. The classic buttercream and extra special buttercream can both be used to ice your cakes and cookies, however the extra special buttercream does not work as well for decorating because the butter tends to melt as you handle the decorating bag. See additional helpful hints below with photos to guide you along.

Items needed to make your icings are a measuring cup, measuring spoons, small glass of water, a medium to large white terry cloth towel, a rubber spatula, 6 - one cup airtight storage containers.
Very important...when you are mixing the shortening and water and then the powdered sugar, cover your mixer with a towel to prevent splattering of the liquids and the powered sugar from flying out. Hold the towel together in the back with one hand while using your other hand to control the speed of the mixer. Start off with about 5 or 6 short pulses of the mixer to start the mixing. Then turn on a low speed for a few seconds turning up to a medium speed to complete the mixing. At this point you can remove the towel. Shake the towel outside to clean.
Classic Buttercream Icing - Stiff Consistency Yields 3 cups - double recipe for icing cake and decorating. 1 cup solid vegetable shortening 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 3 Tablespoons water 1 lb. 10x sifted confectioners' sugar (approx. 4 cups) 1 Tablespoon Wilton Meringue Powder (optional) Pinch of salt In large bowl, cream shortening, flavoring and water with electric mixer on medium speed. Add dry ingredients beating well on medium speed until creamy. For medium consistency add one teaspoon water for each cup of icing. For thin consistency add two teaspoons of water for each cup of icing. Thin icing is used to ice cakes and cookies. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth while decorating. Store left over icing in a sealed, air-tight storage container at room temperature. Icing will keep up to 2 weeks or longer. Rewhip before using. Add 1/2 teaspoon of water at a time for desired consistency.
Extra Special Buttercream Icing - Medium Consistency Yields 7 1/2 cups 1 cup solid vegetable shortening 1 cup unsalted butter 2 lbs. 10x sifted confectioners' sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 teaspoon butter extract 6-8 oz. whipping cream Cream shortening, butter, and extract on medium speed until fluffy. Add sugar and continue mixing until well-blended. Add salt and 6 oz. whipping cream and mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add more whipping cream, 1 Tablespoon at a time, if necessary to get desired consistency. Extra-Special Buttercream icing needs to be refrigerated, both after it is made and when it is placed on a cake. It will keep up to one week, or longer, in the refrigerator.Now you are ready to practice decorating!
What you will need: 1 one-cup airtight storage container Straight spatula One icing color 2-3 Toothpicks 1 Disposable decorating bag 1 Coupler 1, number 4 tip 1, number 18 tip 1 Tall glass 1 Tip cleaner Small glass of water Small paint brush Small piece of cardboard covered in wax paper for practicing.
Using your straight spatula, measure out 1/2 cup of Classic Buttercream Icing into a one cup airtight container.
Choose your favorite icing color. Dip a toothpick into the icing color. Dip the toothpick with icing color into the buttercream icing. A little goes a long way and will darken as the icing dries.
Mix buttercream icing and coloring with a straight spatual until well blended.
You will need a tall cup or glass, disposable decorating bag, coupler, pen, scissors, and a straight spatula.
To prepare to decorate, remove the screw ring from the coupler and locate the last thread on the coupler. Place the coupler into the decorating bag pushing it down to the tip as far as it will go.
Using the pen, mark a line on the decorating bag over the last thread of the coupler. This will be the 'cut line'. Move the coupler up into the bag to get it out of the way so you can cut on the drawn line.Cut off the tip on the drawn line.
Push the coupler back to the end of the bag into the tip opening. Place tip 18 onto the end of the coupler and screw on the ring to attach the tip to the coupler inside the bag.
Roll down the opening of the decorating bag and place the bag into the tall cup or glass. Scoop some colored buttercream icing with your straight spatula. Place the spatula down into the decorating bag that has been placed into the tall cup. Keeping the spatula down into the bag, use your forefinger and thumb to clasp the bag around the spatual. Clasping the spatual, slowly pull the spatula from the bag. Remove the decorating bag that is filled with icing from the tall cup.
Using your forefinger and thumb around the decorating bag filled with buttercream icing, push the icing down to the tip of the decorating bag.You are now ready to decorate!
Twist the top of the decorating bag several times to close off the opening. Place the bag in the hollow between your thumb and forefinger. You will use that part of your hand to do all the squeezing. Wrap you hand gently around the bag. The bag should be gently laying in your hand with your thumb and forefinger ready to do the work. If you use the palm of your hand, the end of the bag will open, the icing will squeeze out the top, and your hand will get very tired. So, focus on using the correct squeezing technique.
Get your prepared cardboard square. Place the decorating bag straight up over the surface of the cardboard with tip almost touching the surface. Gently squeeze the decorating bag using the hollow of your hand between your thumb and forefinger until you create a small star. STOP squeezing. Lift tip straight up and away. It's a star!
For the shell boarder, which is so popular on decorated cakes, use the same tip as the star. Hold your decorating bag so the open end of the bag is facing 3 o'clock and at a 45 degree angle. The tip should be gently touching the surface. Begin to squeeze with moderate pressure to build up a small mound of icing. As you begin to squeeze, slightly lift the tip to create the mound. Now begin to draw the back towards 3 o'clock and at the same time decrease pressure until the shell is about 1 inch long. STOP squeezing and pull the bag away creating a pointed tail.
Place the decorating bag back to the 3 o'clock and 45 degree angle position placing the tip just over the pointed tail of your first shell. Repeat the shell.
Remove your tip 18 from the decorating bag and set aside. Place tip 4 onto the end of the coupler and attach with coupler screw ring. To make a vertical line, point the open end of the bag at 6 o'clock, pointing straight at your stomach, and a 45 degree angle. Place the tip onto the cardboard surface. Gently squeeze the bag and lift the tip from the surface drawing it straight back towards you. Place the tip back down on the surface. STOP squeezing and lift away your tip.
To make a horizontal line, point the open end of the decorating bag at 3 o'clock and a 45 degree angle. Place the tip onto the cardboard surface. Gently squeeze and lift the tip from the surface drawing it back towards 3 o'clock. Lay the tip back down on the surface. STOP squeezing and lift the tip up.
Use the same tip to make decorative dots. Place the tip just above the surface with the decorating bag straight up. Gently squeeze the decorating bag to make a small dot. STOP squeezing and lift the tip straight up and away.
Notice the 'points' on the dots. Here is a technique to round those points. Dip your paint brush into the small glass of water to wet the brush. Dab the wet brush on a piece of paper towel. Gently tap the points on your dots to smooth and round. This same technique can be used on all of your decorating projects to smooth flaws.
To clean your tips, squeeze a small amount of dish soap onto the tip cleaning brush. Use hot water and the tip cleaning brush with soap to clean your tips. This technique can also be used to clean your coupler.