Initially early Americans made birthday cakes from petite loaves of sweet bread. My how times have changed! Many home chefs use lots of cake decorating ideas to produce very elaborate cakes for all occasions. You don't have to be a world class pastry chef to create great looking cakes, you just need to know the right things to do. You will also need proper tools as well. I will discuss 3 tips that you can use to create great looking cake decorations.

Tip #1

The first tip is to make sure that you have a cool cake before you start to put on your icing. To keep crumbs from getting into the icing you will need to create what is called a crumb coat. The crumb coat is a thin layer of icing that is applied to a cool cake. The cake is then placed in the refrigerator to allow the icing to harden. Once the icing has set you can then begin to apply more icing for decorating purposes.

Tip #2

The second tip is how to create smooth icing on a cake. Once you have your crumb coat you will start to spread additional icing on the cake. Add icing to the sides and begin smoothing it by using a spatula to run around the perimeter of the cake. One neat trick for smoothing frosting is to use a metal spatula that has been dipped into hot water. The heat from the spatula will help to remove the lines from the icing. To spread the icing start at a point farthest from you on the cake and pull the spatula toward you horizontally over the top of the cake. Use the spatula so that it only touches the icing and never the cake itself.

Tip #3

If you want to do something just a little bit different you can decorate your cake in other ways. One way to do it is to use powdered sugar to dust the top of the cake. You can use various stencils or doilies to create patterns on the cake with the sugar. Coconut, nuts, candies, and colored sprinkles are big hits too.