Step-by-Step Instructions on How to Decorate Cakes
- 1). Remove fully cooked cakes from their pans when they have cooled enough to touch and allow them to finish cooling on a wire rack. Lining pans with oil-coated parchment paper and using pans with a springform design will reduce the amount of broken or cracked cakes during the removal process. Any type of cake will freeze without affecting the taste when it is completely sealed.
- 2). Slide the cooled cakes into gallon freezer bags and gently press out as much air as possible before sealing. Cakes that are too large for bags can be wrapped in a single layer of aluminum foil them double wrapped and sealed with plastic wrap.
- 3). Place the cakes into the coldest part of the freezer and allow them to freeze solid. This will take at least four hours for most cakes, but could take as long as overnight for larger cakes. Press gently in the thickest part of the cake to check if it has completely frozen hard.
- 4). Remove one cake from the freezer and slide it out of the bag onto a cutting board with the flat side of the cake facing down. Once the first cake is decorated and back in the freezer, you will be able to move on to other undecorated frozen cakes.
- 5). Hold the cake onto the cutting board as you make a horizontal slice across the top of the frozen cake starting at the lowest point. The teeth of a long serrated bread knife with saw through the top layer of the frozen cake quickly and smoothly to make it level.
- 6). Move the cake to a plate or icing platform that is easily turned to see all sides. Allow the cake to warm up for about 10 minutes with the plastic bag covering it.
- 7). Add the frosting to a quart freezer bag and remove air from the bag before sealing the zip-top. Squeeze the frosting into one of the lower corners of the plastic bag and make a half inch snip in the corner with a pair of scissors. Cut a larger hole for less precise frosting of larger areas.
- 8). Squeeze the bag of frosting with the hole just above your hand to practice pushing out the frosting in a straight line.
- 9). Squeeze a stream of frosting in a steady bead that starts in the center of the cake and moves out to cover the entire surface. Smooth out the first layer of frosting with an offset spatula for even coverage on the top and sides of the cake.
- 10
Mix a few drops of food coloring into the bag of frosting to decorate with a second color or apply tiny candies, colorful sprinkles or shiny pastilles. Colorful artistic touches will make the cake appealing and help it get noticed on the dessert table. - 11
Place the decorated cake back into the freezer until you are ready to slice and serve.The dry environment in the freezer will protect the details of the decorations. - 12
Remove the decorated cake from the freezer no more than an hour before the event to warm up to room temperature. Add candles and sparklers at the last moment before lighting them to serve the cake.
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