A Quick Checklist for Cake Decorating Items
The sponge cake layers with fresh and whipped cream make the taste delicious. At the same time, it’s the icing and edible decorations that make it too beautiful to be eaten. Now, when you have mastered the art of baking moist, fudgy cakes, it’s time to give wings to your creativity by decorating your cakes.
For embellishing your cake, you would need cake decorating items. We have listed for you the important ones.
1. Piping Bags
Piping bag, also known by the name of a pastry bag is a cone or triangular shaped bag of cloth, paper, or plastic material. Semi-solid foods like frosting and icing cream, melted chocolate are poured into the bag and are gently pressed to make them pass through the narrow opening at one end. It is used for cake frosting and icing.
2. Cake Toppers
A cake topper is a mould that sits on top of the cake. Cake toppers come in varying designs-- acrylic cake toppers, personalised cake toppers, bunting cake toppers, and edible cake toppers. Edible cake toppers are sugar lollipops, candy balloons, marshmallows, fruits, candies and chocolates, and edible flowers.
3. Piping Gel
Piping gel adds to the cake a shiny finish, and from glueing fondant figurines to transferring images to cakes to preventing whipped cream from liquefying, the piping gel is a vital cake decorating item.
4. Food Colours and Sprays
For that particular shade or tint, one needs food colours and sprays. Food colours and sprays are edible and come in every colour you could think of. Gel food colours, metallic colour sprays, edible glitters are some of the available varieties.
5. Cake Sprinkles and Confetti
Toss some confetti in the cake and celebrate! Decorating cakes with sprinkles and confetti is one sure way to please everyone’s taste buds and hearts. Sprinklers and confetti come in varying forms like snowflakes sprinkles, unicorn confetti, silver balls, romantic heart sprinkle mix, etc.
6. Sugar/Fondant//Icing sheet
Another alternative to buttercream cake is fondant cake. The cake base is covered in a fondant that is further decorated either with fondant figurines or other cake decorations. Photo cakes are made edible by using sugar sheets or icing sheets. You can also make fondant at home with sugar, water, gelatin, vegetable fat and glycerol.
A checklist of cake tools for decoration
1) Cake Nozzles
Cake nozzles are fitted at one end of the piping bag to decorate cakes with different frosting designs. Nozzles with different openings are put into use to make different patterns. Like a closed star nozzle is used for creating shell-like patterns, a rose nozzle is for roses and stacked ruffles, etc.
2) Fondant Rollers and Smoothers
For decorating a fondant cake, these two are of utmost importance. Fondant rollers are for rolling the fondants either to cover the cake or to make figurines out of it. Fondant smoother is for releasing the air bubbles trapped under the fondant, thus giving it an impeccable smooth finish.
3) Icing Spatula and Bench Scraper
If you do not wish to struggle for a clean buttercream coat, invest in icing spatula and bench scraper. Spread the icing with the spatula, smoothen in with the scraper.
4) Knife and Modelling Tools
Paring knife helps slice edible decorations such as fruits and chocolates. Levellers are for slicing even cake layers. Other kinds of sharp knives and blades are useful for precise lines, detailings. Modelling tools are required when working with fondants.
5) Cake Tins, Turntables and Boards
One of the essential cake making tools is cake tins, then comes turntables and cake boards. Turntables ensure that while decorating, your cake remains stable and gives you access to the entire cake in one swivel. Cake boards make lifting and transportation of cakes easier.
6) Cake Decoration Accessories
Other cake decorating items and accessories that come handy are non-slip liners, silicone moulds, parchment papers, brushes, confectioner’s varnish, edible markers and colours, etc.
This was just a quick checklist. When it comes to cake baking and decorating many tools, accessories, utensils, and decorating items are available. As per your need and scale, you can invest in them.
