Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved Assembling and Decorating Cakes 17

Icings Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Icings, or frostings, are sweet coatings for cakes and other baked goods. The three main functions of icings or frostings: 1. Contribute flavor and richness. 2. Improve appearance. 3. Improve keeping qualities by forming protective coatings. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Icings Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 The eight basic types of icings and cake coatings: 1. Fondant 2. Buttercream 3. Foam-type icings 4. Fudge-type icings 5. Flat-type icings 6. Royal or decorator’s icing 7. Glazes 8. Rolled coatings Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Fondant Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Fondant is a sugar syrup that is crystallized to a smooth, creamy white mass. Commonly used for napoleons, éclairs, petit fours. It is often purchased already prepared for bakeshops. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Fondant Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Procedure and guidelines for using fondant: Heat the fondant over a warm water bath to thin it and make it pourable. Do not heat it over 100°F (38°C) or it will lose its shine. If it is still too thick, thin it with simple syrup or water. Flavorings and/or colorings may be added as desired. To make chocolate fondant, stir melted bitter chocolate into the warm fondant until the desired color and flavor are reached. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Buttercream Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Buttercream icings are light, smooth mixtures of fat and sugar. Easily flavored and colored for many purposes. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Buttercream Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Five basic kinds of buttercream formulas: 1. Simple buttercreams: Cream together fat and confectioners sugar. Decorator’s buttercream (rose paste) is creamed less to keep it from having too much air. Shortening is used rather than butter because of its higher melting point. 2. Meringue-type buttercreams: Mixture of butter and meringue Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Buttercream Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Five basic kinds of buttercream formulas (continued): 3. French buttercream: Made by beating a boiling syrup into beaten egg yolks and whipping to a light foam. Soft butter is then whipped in. 4. Pastry cream-type buttercream: Made by mixing equal parts pastry cream and softened butter. 5. Fondant-type buttercream: Made by creaming together equal parts fondant and butter. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Icings Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Butter is the preferred fat for buttercream. Butter adds flavor and melt-in-the-mouth quality. Shortening congeals and coats the inside of the mouth. Use buttercreams only in cool weather. Blend a small quantity of emulsifier shortening with the butter to stabilize it. Buttercreams may be stored in the cooler for several days. Always return to room temperature before using. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Foam-Type Icings Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Foam-type icings, sometimes called boiled icings, are meringues made with a boiling syrup. These icings are not stable. Should be used the day it is prepared. Variations include: Plain Boiled Icing. Marshmallow Icing. Chocolate Foam Icing and Filling. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Fudge-Type Icings Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Fudge-Type Icings Are rich and heavy. Contain less fat that buttercreams and contain mostly sugar. Are stable and hold up well on cakes in storage. Store fudge-type icings covered tightly. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Flat Icings Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Also called water icings. Mixture of confectioners’ sugar and water. Warmed to 100°F (38°C) for application. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Royal Icings Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Royal Icing Also call decorating or decorator’s icing. Made with egg whites and confectioners’ sugar. Hard and brittle when dry. Must be protected from drying when in use. May be piped into designs on parchment and then dried and saved for later use. May be used for string work. May be used for flooding outlined areas of a design with colored icing. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Glazes Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Glazes are thin glossy, transparent coatings that give a shine to baked products and help prevent drying. The simplest glaze is a sugar syrup or diluted corn syrup brushed onto baked product white it is hot. Fruit glazes may be make by melting apricot or other preserves that have been strained. Fruit glazes are available commercially prepared. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Rolled Icings Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Rolled coatings include fondant, marzipan, and modeling chocolate. Marzipan is a paste made of ground almonds and sugar. Rolled fondant is essentially a form of fondant that is firm and stiff enough to be kneaded. Modeling chocolate is a stiff paste made of melted chocolate and corn syrup. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Assembling and Icing Simple Cakes Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Selection of Icing: Use heavy frostings with heavy cakes and light frostings with light cakes. Use the best quality flavorings but use them sparingly. Use color sparingly. Pastel shades are more appetizing than loud colors. Use paste or liquid colors. To avoid over coloring, mix a little color with a small portion of the icing, then use this icing to color the rest. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Assembling and Icing Simple Cakes Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Sheet Cakes Good for volume service. Require little labor. Keep well as long as they are uncut. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Assembling and Icing Simple Cakes Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Cupcakes may be iced by: Dipping the tops of the cupcakes in the icing. Spreading the icing with a spatula. Applying a swirl of icing to each case with a pastry bag fitted with a star tube. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Assembling and Icing Simple Cakes Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Procedure for Assembling Layer Cakes Cool cake layers completely. Trim layers if necessary. Brush all crumbs from cakes. Place the bottom layer upside down on a cardboard cake circle of the same diameter. Spread filling on the bottom layer out to the edges. Place the top layer on the bottom layer right-side up. Ice the cake. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Basic Decorating Techniques Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Tools needed for assembling and decorating cakes: Palette knife or steel spatula Offset palette knife Serrated knife Icing screens or grates Turntable Icing comb Plastic or steel scraper Brushes Sugar dredger Cake rings Cake cards and doilies Parchment paper Pastry bag and tips Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Basic Decorating Techniques Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Tips Round tip- writing, lines, beads, dots, and stringwork. Star tips-rosettes, shells, stars, borders, drop flowers. Rose tip-flower petals. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Basic Decorating Techniques Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Tips Leaf tips- leaves. Ribbon or basket weave tips-smooth or ridged stripes or ribbons. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Basic Decorating Techniques Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Making a paper cone: Make a single cone out of a small triangle of parchment paper. Hold the cone with the fingertip in the center of the long side and curl one side. Curl the other side around to complete the cone. Fold over the peak at the open end of the cone to secure it. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Basic Decorating Techniques Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Making a sturdier double paper cone: Start as for a single cone. Twist the long end around twice to complete the cone. Complete single and double cones. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Basic Decorating Techniques Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Two methods for making decorations Drop-string method, or falling method: the cone is held above the surface and the icing is allowed to fall or drop from the tip of the cone onto the surface. Contact method: Hold the cone as you would a pen, with the tip in contact with the surface and at an angle of about degrees. This method is used when you want to vary the thickness of the lines and when you are decorating a vertical surface. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Basic Decorating Techniques Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Filling and using a pastry bag: Fit the desired metal tip into the pastry bag. Twist the bag just above the tip and force it into the tip. Turn down the top of the bag into a “collar.” Fill the bag half to three quarters full. Turn up the top of the bag again. Gather the loose top together and hold it shut with the thumb and forefinger of your hand. Use the fingers of your left hand to lightly guide the tip of the bag. Do not squeeze the bottom of the bag. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Basic Decorating Techniques Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Factors that are important in using a pastry bag: Consistency of the icing. Pressure on the cone or bag. Angle of the cone or bag. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Other Decorating Techniques Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 To organize the decoration of a cake: Divide the cake into portions with the back of a long knife. Decorate the cake in a repetitive pattern so each slice has the same decorations. This also provides portion control for restaurants and retail shops. Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Other Decorating Techniques Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Masking the Sides Stenciling Marbling Palette Knife Patterns Piping Jelly Adding Fruits, Nuts, and Other Items Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Decorating Sequence Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 17 Mask the sides of the cake with nuts, crumbs, or other coatings. If the cake is to have an inscription, put this on first. Add borders and paper cone designs. Add flowers, leaves, and similar decorations with a pastry bag. Add additional items such as fruits, nuts, or candies. Assembling and Decorating Cakes