If you want to bake a masterpiece, you will need the right tools to do so. While you don't need professional-grade baking equipment, it's helpful to have your kitchen stocked with the essentials. Doing so will make sure you're prepared to create whatever the recipe asks for, be that cake batter or frosting. When baking a cake from scratch, some tools are non-negotiables. Investing in a good cake pan, stand/hand mixer and spatula will take your cake baking and decorating skills to the next level.
If you really want to get things right, we recommend purchasing both dry and wet measuring tools and a kitchen scale. While these tools won't necessarily help with the decorating part of the cake, they will ensure accuracy when measuring your cake's ingredients. Accuracy during the cake baking process is crucial to creating a well-baked cake that won't crumble the second you begin covering it in frosting.
For decorating purposes, a bench scraper and offset spatula are a must. Having a bench scraper near will help you evenly distribute frosting. An offset spatula will allow you to better spread that frosting around the cake's entirety without touching the cake itself. For a fancy final touch, purchase a few piping bags and tips. While piping a cake isn't hard, if you're trying this decorating skill out for the first time, don't be discouraged if you're not an expert overnight. Piping does take a bit of practice, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to add beautiful borders and shapes to your cake that will take it to the next level.
Think you have all of the essentials needed to make a delicious cake? Test your kitchen tools out and make this Gluten Free Confetti Cake today!
Purchasing pre-made frosting is the easiest route. However, it won't produce the same result as homemade frosting. Because store-bought frosting is designed for extended shelf life, it tends to be quite sticky. This stickiness can easily pull at a cake's surface, causing it to rip or tear. Not only will this create crumby-looking frosting, but it will also tear apart your leveling work. For a well-decorated cake, make a simple buttercream frosting at home. Homemade buttercream frosting is thick enough to decorate your cake with but not as sticky as store-bought varieties.
New to making buttercream frosting and don't know where to start? We love this Easy Buttercream Frosting Recipe.
While frosting is a large part of a cake's presentation, it's not the only thing you can decorate a cake with. There are countless fun and unique ingredients that can be used to top a cake. Edible flowers, crushed nuts, fresh fruits and even yogurt call all be added to your cake to create a novel and beautiful design.
When choosing the toppings, you'd like to add, get creative. Think of add-ins that represent your decorating style and taste preferences. While some decorators favor floral cake flavors like lavender and rosemary, others take the sweetness up a notch by and layer chocolate on chocolate. No matter what your cake looks like, it must be something you're proud of. Take time to sit back and listen to your baking instincts before decorating the cake of your dreams.
For a fruity cake recipe that will leave your guests in awe, make this Citrus Cake with Grapefruit Buttercream Frosting.
Lastly, when baking a cake, remember why you started in the first placeto have some fun. As with any hobby, when we are invested in something, we want everything to be perfect. Cake baking is an art, and it takes quite a bit of practice. Don't be too hard on yourself if you don't get it all right the first time. As long as you remain calm and have fun, everything will be a piece of cake!
We hope that you've found these cake decorating hacks helpful on your baking journey. From leveling your cake to creating a much-needed crumb layer, these tips will help you decorate your cake to perfection. No matter how you choose to decorate your cake, we're confident it will be a cake to remember.
Have a few cake decorating tips that you can't live without? We love hearing from you. Share your tips with our readers and us in the comments below. From everyone at Bob's Red Mill, happy baking!
