Stocking up for Décor

I love a plain cake as much as the next person. But there is something special about a treat that someone went the extra mile to make that much prettier. We do eat with our eyes first after all!

So you have gotten your baking skills to a place where you feel it is time to take on the next challenge; décor. Yet, where does one start? What does one need? 

Décor is all about presentation. Your focus now is how best to create and present the idea in your head. The idea is to make the process as easy as possible for yourself.

Your Equipment

When it comes to décor, you need a lot of what you already have, and then a few other things. The thing is, anything in your kitchen can be used to get you the desired effect. 

What you already have

From the last article Stocking Your Baking Kitchen, you already know that the shape of things is the first step in an impressive presentation. 

You probably already have cutters and knives to shape and carve your baked delights, rolling pins to roll out fondant and marzipan, whisks and mixers for creams and fillings, and a couple of bowls to get you started.

So, what else do you need to start elevating your baking game?

Easy Application

First thing we think about when we hear of a decorated cake is cream. This finicky, light and tasty delight has scared many a strong people in the kitchen. The first time I tried to cover a cake with cream, it was simply comical. It refused to stay where I wanted it, no smooth finish, and I believe I had more on me than on the cake itself.

At the very least, you want an even neat coat around your cake. Over time I have learned that the tools used really affect the final outcome.

Tools

Do yourself a favor and get yourself a cake turntable. It is the one thing I guarantee you will use every single time, no matter what you are making. To start off you need the basic flat one, much like a lazy susan. This enables you to comfortably cut your cakes into layers, spread your cream more evenly, cover cakes almost effortlessly, and it allows you to move around your product to check out all the sides. 

If like me you decorate cookies, you might want to invest in a second turntable; one that slopes. This allows you to comfortably paint or draw without dropping your baked item. When selecting this, pick one with a rubber mat on the surface. This prevents slipping of what you are working on. 

You also need some palette knives and scrapers to spread your creams evenly. I like these because of the flat texture they create. Anything with grooves will give you grooves on your cream. Personally, I am partial to scrapers when working on the outside of the cake as I find them easier to work with. They are also more versatile as I use them when preparing and cutting the dough for cookies and other pastries. I reserve palette knives mainly for spreading  creams and fillings between the layers of cakes.

Décor 101

After you cover your cake with cream, and are happy with it, it's time to start decorating. This is where the skills and tools come to play. 

When it comes to decorating with creams, all you need is to insert the desired nozzle in a piping bag, cut the tip of the bag to allow the tip of the nozzle through, lock it in with a coupler, and fill your piping bag with your cream. Easy! Right?

At a basic level you need a piping bag and a couple of nozzles to manipulate your cream. Usually, these are sold in a pack with about 3 of 4 nozzles, a coupler (what keeps the nozzle in place) and some piping bags.

Piping bag 

The piping bags come in 3 main types. The standard blue silicon one that you can wash and re-use, the more traditional cloth ones that come in white (can also be washed and re-used), and the disposable clear plastic ones (the cheapest). The bags also come in different sizes depending on the amount of cream or icing you want to hold.

Tip:

        When filling your piping bag, first place your filling on cling film and wrap it, then place it in the piping bag.             This makes it much easier to clean your piping bag, and to switch out fillings.

Nozzles

You only need a handful of nozzles to get you started:

• N1 for thin lines- I use these mainly for writing and the borderlines when decorating cookies

• N10 for round shapes

• N11 for petals

• Star nozzles for roses

You can always check out a nozzle guide online to figure out exactly what you need for the desired effect.

Modeling

Here is where things get interesting. The idea here is creating shapes and items much as you did when playing with modeling clay (plasticine) as a child.  You can use marzipan, modeling chocolate, or fondant to create to your heart's desire. For best results you will need tools to aid you, and make the work much faster.

Modeling tools are usually sold in packs containing several tools that can be used to create various shapes and patterns. The trick is to play with them all until you have what works best with your style of creating. There are tools to indent, shape, carve, cut and other such manipulations.

You may also need molds. These are mainly made of silicon. They work by pressing the fondant into shapes of all sorts, from rosettes to skulls. There are molds for leaves, ice cubes, ropes, bows, train tracks, walls, pebble floors, cars, jewelry, tires, faces, shoes….. If you can think of it, there is probably a mold for it somewhere. My advice is pick the mold for shapes you are likely to replicate often. The one off ideas can be created using the modeling tools.

As you advance, something I would recommend investing in later is a modeling mat/ foam and a ball stylus tool. This comes in really handy for those making fondant flowers, though that is not the only use. They allow one to get the edges of petals really thin and curl naturally (much like those of an actual flower), far easier than rolling things out on your rolling surface.

Presentation

After you decorate your edible delight, you want to present it well, especially if you will not be boxing it up for delivery. As covered in the post Holiday Survival Guide, what you present your creation in matters. You may need a decorative platter or even a cake stand. Remember though, it is difficult to remove a decorated cake from one board to another. The board/plate you decorate on is usually what it will remain on even during presentation. So get a couple of boards for this. You want them sturdy enough to hold the weight of the cake, but thin or plain enough not to take away from what you will place the final product on.