How to Make Homemade Rolled Fondant

Fondant is a type of cake decorating icing that is comprised mostly of confectioners' sugar and gelatin. It's much like a chewy, creamy sugar paste. Fondant is very popular with cake decorators because of its versatility and smooth, silky appearance. While it can be pretty difficult to get a perfectly smooth finish with a spatula and regular frosting, fondant makes the job much easier.

Besides its main use for covering entire cakes, fondant can also be used for covering cookies and cupcakes. Fondant can also be shaped into edible shapes and figures. When used for cakes, fondant tends to seal in freshness and is popular for weddings and outdoor events because the cake usually holds up better during hot or humid conditions for short periods of time.

You can find ready-made fondant online and at many cake decorating stores. While this option is less time-consuming, most people agree that the store-bought variety is also less tasty. If you're facing a time crunch and understand that most people will peel off your fondant so they can eat your cake, buying ready-made fondant might be a good choice. However, if you have some extra time and would rather have people eat your entire work of art, it's probably worth it to make your fondant from scratch.

First, gather the following ingredients:

¼ oz. package unflavored gelatin
3 tablespoons cold water
½ cup corn syrup
1 tablespoon glycerin
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon clear pure vanilla extract
8 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (you may not use all 8 cups)

Mix together the gelatin and cold water in a medium bowl and let the mixture stand. Once it starts to thicken, transfer the mixture to a double boiler and stir continuously over medium heat until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Now, add the corn syrup and glycerin until all ingredients are completely mixed. Stir in the shortening and right before it looks like the shortening has completely melted, remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. If you want to color your fondant you should add that with the vanilla. You can also substitute different flavors for the vanilla. Now, let the mixture cool until it reaches about 90 degrees F.

Once the mixture has cooled, place 4 cups of the confectioners' sugar in a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon, make a well in the center of the sugar and pour the mixture in the center. Gradually pull the sugar from the edge of the bowl into the mixture until it all becomes incorporated. If the mixture seems extremely sticky add ½ cup sugar at a time.

Spread a layer of shortening onto your work surface and transfer the fondant so you can start kneading the mixture by hand. You want to knead the fondant until it feels smooth, workable, and doesn't stick to your hands. If you think it feels too soft, add more sugar. If it feels too stiff, add one drop of water at a time. You can use the fondant right away or store it in an air tight container in the refrigerator. Make sure whenever you're ready, that the fondant is brought to room temperature and kneaded until it's soft and pliable again. Your fondant is now ready to be rolled and placed onto your cake.

You may be afraid to work with fondant for the first time but just like anything else you'll become more confident with practice. You can find more information on decorating cakes with fondant and other cake decorating ideas by visiting my website: Cake Decorating Tips Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amanda_K._Jones

Find More : cake birthday , cupcakes birthday , homemade cake , special cake , cake decorating , cake decoration

Wedding Cake Decorating Tips

Creating a wedding cake or anniversary cake for a large party requires careful planning due to the size of the task. The first step is to formulate an image of what the cake will look like. Before you launch into your own dreaming, consult with the wedding or anniversary couple, first to find out if they have any specific expectations or preferences. They may give you full discretion or may want to be closely involved in the designing. Once you have done this, you can create your design, perhaps referring to recent magazines and books for current cake decorating tips.

Once you have chosen recipes, flavors, colors and decorations, plan for the following steps. Usually each step can be carried out on one or more different days:

1. Prepare a trial cake to test your concept and practice techniques.
2. Plan how the cake will be displayed.
3. Do the big shopping trip for the project, purchasing ingredients, display accessories etc.
4. Bake and store the cakes.
5. Prepare and apply icing and decorations.
6. Drive the cake to the party location and prepare the display.

How Cakes are Tiered or Stacked

A tiered cake appears to be a single tower, but in fact consists of several cakes joined together. Cakes can be stacked directly on top of each other or separated by pillars or columns. When cakes are resting on top of each other, you need to insert dowels through the center of the cakes to provide structural support. Doweling can be purchased at your local hardware store or at a cake supply shop. You can learn how to work with doweling from cake decorating tips online or in books; but unless you are a very "handy" person, it would be wise to try it for the first time with an experienced baker or in a cake decorating class.

When you tier with columns or pillars, you can use a cake separator set. When you look around at your local cake decorating supply center, you will see there are many options and accessories for creating a tiered cake.

Ideas for Choosing Decorations

The most important cake decorating tip for weddings and anniversaries has already been mentioned: consult with the celebrated couple! Given that you know their likes and dislikes, here are some ideas for decorating a wedding cake:

• Consider using fondant if there will be an outdoor wedding - fondant is more durable than buttercream and can withstand higher temperatures.
• Use colors, flowers, embroidery, and ribbons etc. inspired by the bridal flowers and dresses.
• Borrow themes from the couple's lives and families.
• Flavors, colors, and symbols can originate from the place of marriage or honeymoon.

For an anniversary cake, consider some of the above ideas - and the ones below:

• Writing is appropriate on anniversary cakes. You can record the year of the anniversary and/or write "Happy Anniversary!"
• Find out and use the symbol connected to the anniversary, for example, silver for the 25th.

Learn more about taking wedding cake decorating classes to take your skills to the next level. Are you enthusiastic about cake decorating? Then discover a series of free cake decorating tips including more wedding cake decorating tips. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lindsay_Pollard Find More : wedding cake , cake decorating , anniversary cakes

Take Cake Decorating Courses on the Internet With Online Cake Decorating Classes

Have you ever thought about taking cake decorating classes, but found that the schedule and cost didn't work for you? Online cake decorating classes are an easy alternative. There are plenty of cake courses available at culinary schools and some craft stores, but online cake decorating classes are generally more convenient and less expensive and may fit your lifestyle better.

Decorating cakes is not complicated, but there are techniques and tools that you'll need to learn to use, and your first tries at it may not turn out quite the way you want them to. With the demonstrations and explanations you'll get from online cake decorating classes, however, you'll be able to master these techniques and create beautiful cakes for all your important celebrations.

Ways To Learn How To Decorate Cakes

For many beginning cake decorators, the Wilton School in Illinois is the first choice for attending a class. Obviously, traveling to Illinois is not an option for many people, and the classes at the Wilton School can be expensive. Local stores and schools are another option for taking cake courses. The workshops and classes offered at these locations are often very affordable, and the atmosphere is fun and instructional. For the greatest convenience, online cake decorating classes are the best option for many aspiring cake decorators.

Benefits Of Online Cake Decorating Classes

Membership sites and e-courses are generally very inexpensive when you consider that they are all-inclusive. While local classes usually focus on specific topics, such as making icing flowers or working with fondant, online cake decorating classes include all aspects of decorating cakes, and all of the learning resources are available to you at all times.

Instead of an instructor demonstrating a technique once in front of you, with online cake decorating classes you'll have videos, written or audio instructions, and plenty of photographs to learn from, so you can repeat the instruction as often as you need to. If you've never decorated cakes before, you can start with the most basic topics and take your time mastering each technique. If you're more advanced, you're free to skip through the demonstrations of the things you already know how to do, and get right ahead to learning new techniques.

For many people, the greatest advantage in taking online cake decorating classes is that you're free to set your own pace and schedule. You can take internet classes late at night if you need to, or in between taking care of small children at home. No culinary school or craft store class will offer such flexibility.

How To Take Online Cake Decorating Classes

Most online cake decorating classes will include several means of instruction. Cake courses taken on the internet usually include a combination of videos, pictures, and written instructions. Techniques will be explained and demonstrated step-by-step and will often be in the form of a downloadable e-book that can be viewed on screen or printed out. Most online cake decorating classes also include e-books full of recipes for you to use in your baking.

Another online alternative for taking cake decorating courses is to join a membership website. A website like this is full of articles, videos, and photos that teach techniques and give decorating ideas. All of the content is available to subscribers only, and the subscription will also provide access to a members-only forum and email support for asking questions, sharing your creations, and getting new ideas. Professional cake decorators are on staff to help with questions in the forum or by email.

Learn To Decorate Cakes With Online Cake Decorating Classes

If you want to learn to decorate cakes, you should consider online cake decorating classes. You'll avoid the expense and inconvenience of attending in person, and you'll learn everything you need to know to make beautiful cakes that will impress your family and friends and make all your special occasions more exciting.

You can even learn the same topics taught in Wilton cake decorating classes when you take online cake decorating classes. Sign up now at CakeDecoratingInstruction.net.


Find More : cake courses , cake decorating , cake decorating classes

Improve Your Cake Decorating Results With Proper Cake Preparation

Creating a birthday cake for someone special brings joy both for the cake decorator and the cake recipient. Yet, achieving great cake decorating results also requires the fine-tuning of baking skills.

There are many important preparation steps prior to the actual cake decorating which directly effect how the cake looks. A few cake decorating tools and attention to the cake layers will result in a more even cake and fewer headaches.



Even Cake Layers:

As the cake layers bake, the outside rim of the cake pan heats the edges of the cake layer faster than the rest of the cake. Since the outside is baking faster, the middle of the cake rises higher, creating a hump. This problem can be avoided by using Magic Cake Strips around the sides of the cake pans. Once wet, the strips are wrapped around the sides of the cake pan and pinned in place. The strips cool the sides of the pan and allow the cake to bake evenly.
Cake layers exceeding 10" need a little extra TLC. Use a heating core in the center of the cake pan to conduct heat into the middle of the cake. A heating core is a doughnut-shaped metal ring that is greased and floured, placed in the center of the pan, and filled with cake batter. The mini-cake that bakes inside the heating core is placed in the center of the cake.

Even distribution of heat around the cake pan also effects the baking process. Place the oven rack in the center of the oven and the cake pan in the center of the rack. Air needs to circulate around the pan to heat it from all sides. Not all ovens heat accurately. If you suspect your oven gets too hot or takes long to cook, check the temperature. A cake baked too quickly in a very hot oven will be overdone on the outside and undercooked on the inside.

If you still find your cake has uneven spots, a cake leveler is a handy tool that makes trimming the excess cake away simple.


Assembling the Cake:

Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before inverting onto a wire cake rack. This gives the cake time to shrink away from the sides and allows the cake to come out of the pan without breakage. Invert the cake on to a wire rack and then invert it again. I do this twice to make sure the flat part of the cake is down. If you have any kind of hump and the hump goes face down, the cake layer will surely crack. The cake should cool entirely before proceeding. When cool, any excess cake can be removed.

Place the cake layer on a cake board. If you are filling the cake with anything besides buttercream frosting,I recommend you pipe a ring of buttercream frosting all along the outside of the layer being filled. This prevents the filling from leaking out.

Once the cake is filled,brush away any crumbs with a pastry brush. Applying a crumb coat will keep crumbs out of the icing. If you are decorating the cake with buttercream icing,you can simply thin it with a little milk and frost the cake. Warmed apricot jam also works well. Heat the jam in the microwave and strain it. Apply the jam to the cake with a pastry brush. Now the cake should be chilled to allow the cake to settle and the crumb coat to set. If you proceed directly to cake decorating, the filling will bulge out of the sides of the cake. Making the sides look attractive is virtually impossible when this happens.


Frosting the Cake:

Set the cake in the center of a lazy susan. Using a metal spatula, heap the frosting in the center of the cake. Work it back and forth while turning the lazy susan, but never actually touching the surface of the cake. If you smear the spatula into the cake,you may pull up crumbs, despite all the preparation. When the top of the cake is covered with icing, hold the metal spatula horizontal to the surface of the cake and pull it straight across the top. Remove any excess icing from the edges of the cake. Dot icing all around the sides of the cake with the spatula. The best tool to use for creating evenly frosted sides is a metal scraper. It gives you the best leverage for maintaining a straight edge as you frost. Turn the lazy susan as you hold the metal scraper perpendicular to the cake. Carefully lift any excess icing from the top edges with the spatula. If your icing is not perfectly smooth, allow it to crust for 15 minutes. Come back to it with a large piece of wax paper. Lay the wax paper on top of the cake and smooth your hands along the cake, starting from the center and working out towards the edges. Repeat this process on the sides of the cake, smoothing one area at a time.

Without a doubt, baking and decorating cakes is very time consuming, but minimizing the mishaps makes it more enjoyable and gives you the best results.

Theresa Happe is a baker, cake decorator and author of Cake Decorating Corner, a website filled with cake decorating ideas, cake photos, recipes, and instructions.

Fond More : cake layers bake , cake layer , cake decorating

Wedding Cake Designs

The phrase wedding cake conjures up an image of a three-layered white cake with plastic figurines of the bride and groom perched on top. But that is now passé. Wedding cakes are going through a fashion makeover and new styles and designs are in vogue. With the help of a talented cake designer, there is no limit to how unique wedding cakes can be.

These days, flowers intertwined with a delicate icing are very popular. If you have a favorite flower, it can be used as the main focus of the cake’s design. You may want the flowers of your bridesmaids duplicated on the cake or the flowers in your bridal bouquet. Any talented cake designer should be able to create a beautiful cake with this design in mind. Just make sure you bring along samples of your flowers when you meet with the baker.

The color scheme of your wedding can also be incorporated into a wedding cake. You can even request that a designer try to emulate the design and style of your wedding gown into your cake. Depending on the season, your cake designer can whip up fabulous wedding cakes with snowflakes and icicles for winter, chrysanthemums, and autumn colored leaves for fall, daisies and raindrops for spring and tulips and roses for summer. Thinking in terms of fun and creativity will help achieve unique and wonderful results.

Whatever type of cake you desire, discuss your thoughts with several cake designers to ensure that what you want is what you get. If you’re not sure, let the designer give you ideas. Guaranteed they will have many wonderful suggestions.

Cake provides detailed information on Baby Shower Cake, Birthday Cake, Cake, Cake Decorating and more. Cake is affiliated with Birthday Cards.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Gluckman

Find More : wedding cake Birthday Cake Cake Decorating