Learn How To Bake Cakes And Decorate

Choose The Right Frosting

Taste of Home

Not all frostings are suitable for filling and topping cakes, but the good news is there are still a lot of delicious options. Buttercreams of all kinds work well for decorating. You can also use cream cheese frosting and ermine frosting. Essentially, you want a thicker frosting that can hold up under the weight of the layers of cake and will also stick to the sides.

In general, when it comes to decorating you want to avoid whipped cream frosting and very thin frostings.

How To Get Smooth Frosting On Your Cake

Now were going to apply the final coat of buttercream to our cake. Use your larger offset spatula to apply some frosting to the top of the cake and smooth it down flat the same way we smoothed out the layers of buttercream between the cakes. Now apply some frosting to the sides of the cakes. Make a nice thick coat.

Now comes the fun part. Use your bench scraper to slowly scrape away the excess frosting. Wipe the excess back into the bowl. Hold the scraper straight up and down with the base against the turn table. Once you get to the board, youre done! If you have any low spots just add some more buttercream and continue scraping until the sides are nice and smooth.

Use your small offset spatula to clean up the top edge by slowly dragging the buttercream from the outside edge towards the center in a smooth motion.

Learn How To Bake A Cake With Our Collection Of From

As Julia Child once said, A party without a cake is just a meeting. And how true! Learning how to bake a cake, even a simple one is your gateway to make any gatheringwhether its a birthday, graduation party or just a weeknight dinnerinto a celebration.

You can make these celebratory desserts at home easily. Just check out our essential techniques, homemade cake recipes and must-have gear to get started. Soon, all your gatherings will be celebrations.

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How To Know When Cake Is Done

Knowing when your cake is done is a challengeparticularly with chocolate cakes. To determine if your cake is done, try a basic toothpick test. Just insert a toothpick into the center of your cake. If it comes out clean , the cake is done. If the toothpick is full of wet batter, it needs more time.

You can also test cakes by gently pressing on the top. If the cake springs back, its ready to come out of the oven. If that indent stays, keep it in a bit longer.

Best For Artistic Cakes: Avalon Cakes School

Avalon Cake School

• Classes taught by award-winning instructors

• Can rewatch tutorials unlimited times

• Online community allows you to connect with other bakers

• Have to pay for membership

In addition to tiered cakes, sculpted cakes, and buttercream iced cakes, Avalon Cakes School offers instruction on how to make incredible, gravity-defying desserts and special effects cakes. You can also learn how to make painted and airbrushed cakes, along with cake toppers through video and picture tutorials, recipes, and articles. This site is worth checking out for inspiration alone, not to mention the valuable educational content.

If you are just starting out as a cake decorator, you can filter for beginner-level tutorials or instruction on fundamentals. If you are looking to take your skills up a few notches, opt for the advanced level. Some content is free but most isn’t you can buy single tutorials or select a monthly membership.

Choose from a classic membership for about $15 per month or a premium package for around $25 per month, which gives you access to the full library of tutorials, useful calculators, downloadable templates, and more.

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Who Is The Baking And Cake Decorating Course For

This course is designed for those who want to turn their passion into a profession. It will provide aspiring bakers with the essential skills and confidence to open their own cake decorating business. Professionals who are already working in this industry can also take this course and polish their skills.

Best For Cupcakes: Lady Berry Cupcakes

Lady Berry Cupcakes

Why We Chose It: Lady Berry Cupcakes focuses specifically on decorating cupcakes, with each tutorial purchased individually as well as an option for a virtual live workshop or private class.

ProsSpecializes in only cupcake decoratingWide range of cupcake-focused designsLive and on-demand videosNo subscription optionExpensive

Lady Berry Cupcakes is one of the only online cupcake decorating-focused educational services out there. Based in London, the school offers in-person classes but with over 150 video tutorials that you can purchase, you are bound to find a cupcake video tutorial that suits your needs without flying across the Atlantic.

Tutorials include a basic beginner’s cupcake decorating online tutorial and one on making roses for cupcakes to videos on Peppa Pig cupcakes, Star Wars cupcakes, and 3D Jungle animal modeling videos. Each video must be purchased individually and there’s no option to subscribe. But once youve purchased the video, you have lifetime access to it.

Video prices start around £5 for the more basic design tutorials and go up to £40 for some of the specialty tutorials.

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Learn Top Cake Baking Techniques And Tips

Whether youre baking a one-off wedding cake, making birthday cakes for friends or family, or baking at bake sales or for your small business, this course will develop your understanding of the skills and baking science needed to bake a series of celebration cakes.

Youll learn exactly how baking works so that you can amend recipes to your tastes, and respond to any baking mishaps you may encounter along the way.

Skills Covered In This Baking Course

• Baking a decadent chocolate cake, a vanilla raspberry cake, lemon cupcakes and spiced cookies
• Layering large cakes perfect for wedding cakes
• Masking with buttercream and ganache two very different skills
• Covering cake with ganache this is the hottest new trend to sweep the cake industry, fast becoming a prerequisite for any cake business
• Covering a ganache cake with fondant and achieving sharp edges see above!
• Getting sharp edges another prerequisite, this style is much in demand
• Piping buttercream onto cupcakes

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Prove You’re Job Ready

Highlight the new, job-relevant skills youve gained and supplement existing qualifications with a hard-earned, industry-specific digital certificate plus one for every course within your ExpertTrack.

• Learn the latest in your chosen industry or subject.
• Complete each course and pass assessments.
• Receive certificates validated by the educating organisation.
• Impress employers with learning outcomes you can add to your CV.
• Make your career dreams a reality.

Cake Baking & Decorating Classes Pretoria North

Baked by Nataleen runs part-time confectionary classes to help clients brush up on their skills.

Baked by Nataleen offers cooking, cake baking and cake decorating classes in Pretoria. We offer a range of classes from basic cake baking to wedding cake baking and decorating. For those who would like to learn how to bake cookies, muffins, scones and cupcakes we offer those classes too. Well have you baking and cooking like professionals in no time. We offer basic white wedding cake classes, unicorn cake baking class, baby bump cake classes, traditional African hut wedding cake classes and traditional African 3 legged pot wedding cakes.

We have started classes- schedules are available and open for bookings- however classes are limited to 6 students and 6 students to comply with all regulations. MASK must be worn at all times.

We are also open for cake orders and delivery service is available.

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You Wont Find Better Cake Decorating Guidance Online

Donât get us wrong, we love YouTube and Instagram baking tutorials – we even make them ourselves! However, too often we find ourselves watching Insta tutorials in a delicious trance, and never actually getting round to trying the recipes! So we felt there was a need for a comprehensive step-by-step course that guided you from the basics and got you to plunge your hands straight into the mixing bowl. Thatâs why weâve carefully designed this course to be extremely thorough, giving you the grounding and confidence you need to embark on a journey of baking and cake decorating. Soon youâll be known by your friends and family as the baking pro!

How To Frost A Layer Cake

Taste of Home

Frosting a layer cake might seem like a fussy process, but it doesnt need to be a struggle. All you need to get the job done is a cake plate or cake stand and an offset spatula. Level off your cakes and start stacking. Keep the plate clean by layering waxed paper around the edge. When youre done, pull it away for a clean plate ready for serving.

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What Are The Advantages Of Being A Cake Decorator

With becoming a cake decorator, you have the unique ability to choose how little or how much you want to work. You also have the freedom to decide which projects you want to work on, and can turn down the ones that do not interest you. With becoming a cake decorator there is no cap as to how much income you can make.

Optional: Trim The Brown Edges Off Your Cake

This is definitely a bonus option but I always trim off the brown from my cakes because I think it makes a prettier slice. Its honestly pretty easy to do and also makes the cake very slightly smaller so you have less of a chance of having brown show through your buttercream.

Turn your cake upside down so the bottom is at the top. Slide your knife just under the brown skin and slowly cut it off in one piece. Keep your knife nice and flat for best results. Do the same thing to the sides.

You can see the difference.

If the brown doesnt bother you then you can definitely skip this step.

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How To Crumbcoat Your Cake

You may or may not have heard about a crumbcoat but for the sake of learning, Im going to explain it. I told you I wasnt going to skip anything!

A crumbcoat is a thin layer of your buttercream all over the cake to seal in the crumbs. This is an important step so that you dont get any of those crumbs in your final layer of buttercream frosting.

Place a big dollop of buttercream on the top of your cake and use your small offset spatula to spread the buttercream into a thin layer all over your cake. You dont have to be neat and tidy, just a thin coat will do. You can see there are a lot of crumbs and chunks of strawberry in this layer of buttercream, thats totally ok.

Once your cake is fully covered, you can place it into the fridge or the freezer to firm up. Once the buttercream is firm to the touch you can put on your final coat of buttercream without the crumbs getting into it.

Best Free: My Cake School

My Cake School

• Free access to cake decorating tutorials

• Can search for specific recipes for cakes, frostings, and more

• Shop section provides useful info about baking tools and equipment

• Fee to become a site member if you choose

Founded by a former cake baker and decorator, My Cake School is a free online platform that provides weekly tutorials and recipes. The site covers lessons on everything from the basics to more advanced techniques such as working with fondant, gum paste, buttercream, and more. Recipes are divided into Cakes and Cupcakes, Fillings, Frostings and Glazes, Fondant/Gumpaste, and Miscellaneous, and you can also search for specific recipes.

The Free Tutorial section includes 40 pages of lessons on baking and decorating written in blog format and/or video that can be filtered through an easy drop-down menu. . Recipes featured include Lemon Sour Cream Cake, Chocolate Nutella Cake, Champagne and Strawberries Cake, Marbled Buttercream Cake, and many more.

There are also numerous holiday-themed cakes such as a decorative Easter Basket Cake or a Halloween Monster Pretzel Monster Cake. For an all-access pass to video archives and forums where you can ask specific questions about cake decorating, there is an option to become a member of the site for around $30 per year. There is also a shop section with helpful information about kitchen equipment and tools to help you with baking and decorating.

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Cake Decorating Tips For Beginning Home Bakers

Kaz_c / Getty Images

So you’re thinking about . Maybe you’ve done it before, maybe you haven’t. But either way, you’re no expert. Sound about right? Great! You’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together this simple guide that focuses on six specific tips to decorating a cake for the beginning home baker.

Since this is a beginner’s guide, we won’t even bother discussing fondant icing, as it is beyond the scope of a beginner cake decorator, and instead, focus on buttercream.

Note: These general techniques are the same for other whipped frostings as well.

Tools you’ll need:

• Rotating cake turntable: Not absolutely essential, but will make your task significantly easier.
• Serrated cake or bread knife: For leveling and splitting layers.
• Offset palette knife: For applying frosting without dragging your fingers through it.
• Pastry bag with tips: You can use ziploc bags, but this doesn’t work as well.
• Cake smoother/scraper: For smoothing frosting and making decorative markings and patterns.

Why Study This Course

Whether youre an existing practitioner or aspiring professional, this course will enhance your expertise and boost your CV with key skills and an accredited qualification attesting to your knowledge.

The Baking and Cake Decorating is open to all, with no formal entry requirements. All you need is a passion for learning, a good understanding of the English language, numeracy and IT, and to be over the age of 16.

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How To Grease A Cake Pan

Taste of Home

Learning how to grease a cake pan is essential, particularly for layer cakes and Bundt cakes. Coating the pans with a bit of butter or shortening and then dusting with flour is key. This will allow your cakes to come out in one piece. If working with a flat-bottomed cake pan, you can add a layer of parchment paper on the bottom, too, for easy release.

How To Mix Cake Batter

Taste of Home

Different cakes call for different methods. No matter the method, however, its crucial to mix the flour into the batter until just combined. If you keep mixing the batter for an extended period of time after adding flour, youll end up with a tough cake thats because the longer the flour is manipulated in the batter, the more gluten is developed causing a chewy cake. To keep cakes light and tender, mix only until combined.

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Apply The Crumb Coating

The crumb coating is a thin layer of frosting that is applied before adding the top layer of frosting.

It acts as a barrier, sealing and trapping any crumbs into the coating. This protects the top layer of frosting from mixing with the crumbs , resulting in a smooth top layer.

Just they way we want it!

Place a dollop of frosting on the top of the cake. Spread evenly in a thin layer with an offset spatula, using the turntable to spin it around as you push the icing towards the edges.

If more is needed, apply a small amount of frosting on the side of the cake, and gently spread it all the way around, using more icing as needed.

Before you go for more frosting from the fresh batch, use a smaller bowl that is separate from your main frosting receptacle to scrape your spatula, and clean off any extra icing that has crumbs sticking to it.

Keep spreading it around the sides to cover completely in a thin layer, using the turntable to spin the cake.

Do not press too hard. You may still be able to see the cake underneath, but there will be a thin film of frosting covering it.

Refrigerate for 20 minutes, or until the crumb coating has hardened.

Cake Decorating Is Great For Your Wellbeing

Okay, well admit that if youre looking for a physically healthy hobby, taking home a whole cake to eat isnt exactly great for your blood sugar levels. But, once you become better at cake decorating, youll realise that its not just about the cake. Cake decorating is a calming, focused activity that will leave you feeling proud when youre finished. And, youll love baking homemade cakes for all of your loved ones special events. If youre looking for a hobby that will make you feel fulfilled and connected, this sweet activity is perfect. Just make sure you have friends and family to help you eat the finished product.

Want to learn or experience something specific? You can easily contact our teachers and arrange a custom workshop at your preferred time and to suit your skill level.

If youre looking for a unique and memorable event these workshops are perfect things to do with friends on the weekend, for aged care groups, team building exercises, indoor things to do, and kids weekend activities. We’ve got a range of teachers who cater specifically to larger events, and we can customise classes to meet your needs. Get in touch today and we’ll put something together for you.

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