No matter what the occasion a good cake always goes a long way! Whether it's for a child's birthday, a wedding party or an anniversary you just can't go wrong with cake! Character cakes are always a big favorite. Character and novelty pans are sold at large craft stores and baking supply stores. You can also find them online from well- known suppliers.
We're seeing more and more castle cakes at parties now too, from Cinderella's castle to enchanting sculptures for Renaissance events.
The more unusual birthday party cakes are getting lots of attention lately, such as the volcano cake. It's not your typical chocolate lava cake that's for sure! This one steams and spews lava, thanks to dry ice and one of the fun cake recipes from "Cake Decorating Made Easy!" Here's what one reader wrote about our Video Books:
"I sat glued to the computer watching the videos and reading as soon as I got it. It is wonderful!!! I have lots of instruction manuals that I have tried to follow in the past. Watching your videos once has made all the difference to my cake decorating skills. I especially love the flower making and will be making cakes overflowing with flowers ASAP (its spring here in Australia so perfect timing!!!).
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Another unique and fun cake idea is the beach pail cake. A variation of the flowerpot cake (a fun one for a gardener or kids by the way), the beach pail cake is a big hit with toddlers who enjoy really digging into their cakes.
A plastic beach pail is filled with pudding cake and topped with a thin layer of cookie crumb sand. Vanilla sandwich cookies are a good choice for this because the filling adds some moisture to the crumbs. And when the cake's "all gone" your toddler has a new toy!
Speaking of toys, doll cakes continue to please. Barbie type dolls featuring a real doll with a cake and icing dress are popular not only with young school age girls, but grown up girls as well. Creating this type of cake appeals to the fashion designer in us!
And last but not least, buttercream and royal icing roses continue to be a top request for cakes from a young girl's birthday to a grandmother's retirement party.
Wedding Cake Ideas
The word from wedding cake designers is "Less is more." Today's bride prefers a far less ornate design. Whether classic or whimsical, understated is often preferred. Fondant continues to be a favorite cake covering because its satiny smooth finish lends itself well to the wedding cake ideas that brides are bringing to their cake decorators.
Many of the more popular cake ideas are coming from an Asian influence, such as white decorations on white icing, accented lightly with red.
Popular wedding cake ideas are also influenced by the current wave of colors that are replacing the white fondant and buttercream.
Ice blue, light blush, rum pink, and lavender are providing the backgrounds for quietly elegant or whimsical decorations such as silver polka dots, sugar crystallized fruits and daisies. Roses, orchids and lilies continue to be part of today's wedding cake ideas.
Of course, decorating alone doesn't make a great cake. Taste and texture count too!
And here's one more cake idea: For an easy to make castle cake, use empty paper towel tubes and ice cream cones (the sugar cone variety) for the turrets. Or just the cones alone can be used.
Cover them first with icing and glue with royal icing to a graduated square or round, stacked cake (use two or more graduated square pans to create the cake). Fly colorful flags off the top of the turrets. These can be made with construction paper, cut in triangular shapes and attached with icing or glue to toothpicks.
If you have enough ice cone turrets to go around, you could even fill the cones with icing - that is if you do this just before serving!
The art of cake decorating is a fun and rewarding one. You can decorate cakes for hobby or for profession. Impress all your friends with a beautiful flag cake on the 4th of July. Or take an artfully decorated cake to your next family potluck. You can even delight all of the children in your family on their birthday with a cake that is decorated with their favorite cartoon character or super hero. If you want to get started with a hobby of cake decorating, there are a few things you need and some things you should know. Read on to get started practicing this fulfilling art form.
©Cakes by Darcy
If you are ready to start cake decorating, there are a few supplies you need. In addition to pans and mixers, you will need a cake decorating set. These usually include several piping bags and a variety of decorative frosting tips. They are quite affordable and can be found at department stores and grocery stores. You might also choose to purchase any number of other decorative equipment such as stencils, supplies to make sugar flowers and other sculptures for your cakes, and various cake plates and cake boards.
Now that you have the basic cake decorating supplies, you are ready to start. It’s a good idea to allow yourself plenty of practice before planning to make a cake for anyone. You may choose to use cake mixes, or make cakes from scratch. Either way, start small. Make a cake in your favorite flavor, and then stick in the freezer. It will be much easier to decorate the next day when it is hard. Frost the cake in a fun color, and then practice using your frosting tips and other supplies to decorate the cake in any way you choose. When the cake is decorated, let it thaw then serve it to your immediate family or enjoy it yourself.
Once you have practiced cake decorating several times this way, you might be ready to start decorating cakes for events and other people. You can practice making cakes from scratch and adding sugar sculptures and stencil drawings to your cakes. You can also start practicing making tiered and stacked cakes and experimenting with different cake fillings. Just think of yourself as a cake scientist!
Now that you have practiced all kinds of cake decorating, you might consider turning your cake hobby into a career. If you have been making all kinds of cakes and getting all kinds of praise, you just might have what it takes. You should consider starting small, decorating cakes for friends of friends and charging small fees. If this goes well, you might look into getting your own bakery and a few employees!
Start a cake decorating business if you are looking for something different in the line of home based businesses. Do you have time and creativity? Cake decorating allows you flexible time and the freedom to be artistic in a consumer filled field.
People have special occasions all the time that they celebrate with specialty cakes. Think of all the times you have purchased cakes for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and other events and you will soon see how this could be a fun and lucrative career. Cake decorating businesses are also simple to start and requires little overhead. Most of the essentials for a home based business of this kind are very inexpensive and easy to come by. If you possess an oven and a microwave, you are already on your way to success.
If you have ever made cakes before, you are already ahead of the game. Do you have children in daycare or school? Think of all the birthday parties you go to in a year and you will see how this occasion alone can be profitable. Most parents today have never even made a cake, preferring to purchase one that is already baked and decorated.
You would be fulfilling a service that these parents are already taking advantage of in the retail market. A home based cake business can bring in business for graduations, weddings, baby showers, Easter, Christmas, and many more occasions and holidays throughout the year. Once it is known that you have quality service and beautiful cakes, your schedule will fill every month.
There are a variety of sources you can draw from when choosing materials and supplies after you start a cake business. The Internet is an invaluable source of ideas, as well as magazine publications and specialty cookbooks. You will need some specific cake decorating tools of the trade such as baking pans, icing flutes, spatulas and of course cake mixes and basic instructions on the decorating process.
All of these items can be found at your local department stores and on the Internet. Specialty items, such as wedding toppers and the like are easily found on the Internet as well. There are cake decorating lessons available at many trade schools and there are even some available on the web. In some cities, there are dedicated cake decorating schools. Professional cake decorating is taught in some groceries as well. Once learned, there is no end to the cake decorating opportunities available to you. This fun and fulfilling career can be started with minimal monetary investment and your dedication.
You may find that word of mouth advertising will do you sufficiently in the beginning, with fantastic results. Word of mouth is still a very powerful tool in any kind of business. Often, one happy local customer can breed several referrals and steady income. Remember, people are already purchasing this service somewhere else, why not you?
Don't forget that the Internet is also a great way to get your business known. If you are looking to increase your scale and expand your services once you are successful, the Internet provides a great advertising outlet for a cake decorating business. Having a web site to view your creations will go a long way in helping people recognize you and your work. This can also help your local customers learn about your skill and see your product before purchasing, without having to go to the store. If you take orders online, they may not even need to call you. At this point you are providing a service to them without them even having to leave the comfort of their home.
Cake decorating is a trade that is going to be around forever. A little training and a little practice will provide you with a rich career, full of fun and satisfaction. Opening a home based cake business will provide you with regenerative income, freedom over your schedule, and the joy of customer satisfaction
