A cake may be decorated using small adornments or embellishments made separately and placed on top of or around the cake, or may be decorated by being covered with a form of icing or paste, either alone or in accompaniment to other decorations. Cake decorations can be made of edible material and food-safe plastics. Present day cake artists frequently use cooled buttercream to make extravagant designs in the form of roses, figures, and other normal decor.
Fondant icing Fondant, also known as sugar paste or ready-roll icing, is a soft, opaque paste made of
sugar, water,
gelatin,
vegetable fat or shortening and
glycerol. Fondant is typically sold in a variety of colors when bought ready-made; it is easy to handle and provides a smooth, matte and non-stick cake cover. Fondant must be rolled out with
corn starch to avoid it sticking to any surfaces. Once smoothed out and thin enough, fondant can be molded into many different shapes, such as flowers or leaves, and may be cut into shapes and applied to a cake to build up decoration. Though primarily used to cover cakes, it is also used to create individual decorations to accompany cakes, consisting only of fondant with no cake inside. As a relatively heavy form of decoration in comparison to traditional knife-spread frosting, extensive fondant application may weigh a cake down considerably, requiring a suitably sturdy cake base for support, often in the form of rods, especially on tiered fondant cakes. Fondant remains soft once sculpted, unlike other forms of icing, which may harden when exposed to air.
Royal icing Royal icing is a sweet white icing made by whipping fresh
egg whites, powdered egg whites, or meringue powder with
powdered sugar. Royal icing produces well-defined icing edges especially when decorating cookies and is ideal for piping intricate writing, borders, scroll work and lacework on cakes. It dries very hard and preserves indefinitely if stored in a cool or dry place, but is susceptible to soften and wilt in high humidity.
Marzipan Marzipan, a sweet almond paste, is often used for modeling cake decorations and sometimes used as a cake cover, much like fondant. It is generally made from ground almonds, sugar and honey. Since marzipan has almonds it is not commonly used due to allergen risk. However, it is more commonly used as a confection in candy and chocolate. Some marzipan variations include egg whites to bind the mixture, and others use corn syrup. How marzipan is made varies by country. It is commonly used to make fruit shapes and flowers to decorate cakes.
Gum paste Gum paste, also known as florist paste, is an edible, brittle material that dries quickly and can be sculpted to make cake decorations such as flowers or molded designs. It is similar to fondant but it dries harder and faster making it quicker to work with. It is made from sugar, egg whites and a hardening agent like tylose powder or gum tragacanth.
Modeling chocolate Modeling chocolate is a chocolate
paste made by melting chocolate and combining it with
corn syrup,
glucose syrup or
golden syrup. The chocolate is formed into a variety of shapes and structures that cannot be easily accomplished with other softer edible materials such as
buttercream frosting, marzipan or|fondant. Modeling chocolate can be made from
white,
dark,
semi-sweet or
milk chocolate. Often stacked on or around the cake for a decorative finish.
Edible ink printing .
Edible ink printing is also used in decorating cakes. After breakthroughs in nontoxic inks and printing materials in the early 1990s, it became possible to print images and photographs onto edible sheets for use on cakes. The process uses pre-printed images printed with edible food colors, which are then applied to various confectionery products such as
cookies,
cakes or
pastries. Designs made with edible ink can be created with a specialty printer, which transfers an image onto a thin, edible paper, made of starches and sugars. Originally introduced as a specialty service provided by
bakeries, this technology can now be used by home consumers using the specialized paper, ink and printers. Modern day use of edible ink printing is mainly for themed cakes, and is often used to display a real face onto the cake's surface.
Buttercream icing Buttercream is the most common, present day form of decoration. Decorators use it for a thick, creamy outcome and it is widely used as a filling when stacking cake. It is made by whipping soft
butter and adding in cups of powdered sugar, and it is often combined with a sweet
vanilla and
cream form.
Airbrushing Airbrushing in cake decorating is a technique used to apply color in a smooth and even layer using an
airbrush. The tool is used with
edible food coloring. This method allows for a
gradient technique and
stencil design. It is commonly used in a professional setting due to its precision and efficiency. ==Techniques==