Tips On Making The Ultimate Chocolate Cake

Baking the Ultimate Chocolate Cake can strike fear in the hearts of some cooks. Thoughts of a tasteless cake, icky frosting and other horrors fill their minds. But really, it's not all that hard if you use the right tools and just take things one step at a time. Also, try to stick with easier chocolate cake recipes to begin with until you're more confident in your cake making skills. Here are some steps to get you started on the path to cake baking nirvana!

Preparing the Pan:

-Always be sure to use the size pan that is called for in the recipe.

-Grease and lightly flour your pan prior to assembling the recipe.

-If the cake pan you are using has an elaborate design be sure to grease all the nooks and crannies of the design thoroughly. In this case it is better to use too much than too little.

-Another option is to use a vegetable non-stick spray. These work very well.

-Do not grease or flour your cake pan if you are making an angel food cake or a sponge cake as this may prevent the cakes from rising. You can, if necessary line the bottom of the pan with parchment or wax paper.

Mixing the Batter:

-Have all your ingredients at room temperature.

-Measure all your ingredients out prior to assembling the batter.

-Turn on the oven and preheat while you prepare your mixture.

-If you are using an electrical beater to mix your ingredients, only beat the mixture until the ingredients are blended. Do no over beat.

-If you are mixing your batter by hand, keep in mind it will take a bit more time to get the ingredients thoroughly blended.

-When making a cake with butter be sure the butter is soft prior to blending with the sugar.

-If your recipe calls for several eggs add them one at a time and blend them into the batter before adding the next egg. This is especially true if you are mixing by hand.

-Each chocolate cake recipe asks for a different type of chocolate. There are so many dark chocolate bars available on the market today. Do not limit yourself to just baker's chocolate. Use your favorite dark chocolate. Just be sure it is as least 70% cocoa.

Filling the Cake Pan:

-Do not fill the cake pan more than ¾ full to allow for rising.

-If you are using a square pan be sure to spread the batter into the corners.

-If you wish to use a square, rectangular or irregularly shaped pan instead of the round pan the recipe calls for be sure you make enough batter. To calculate how much batter to make, simply fill your substitute pan 2/3rd full with water. Transfer the water to the pan the recipe uses to judge volume. Adjust the batter accordingly based on how full the recipe pan gets when the water is added. If the recipe pan is overflowing, cut back on the batter. If the recipe pan is not full enough make extra batter.

-If you use a pan other than the one the recipe calls for keep in mind cooking time will vary.

Baking Cakes:

-Always bake the cake in a preheated oven.

-Glass or dark colored pans will retain more heat. Cook for the same amount of time but reduce the heat temperature by 25 degrees F.

-Bake your cake on the center rack of the oven so heat can circulate.

-If you are baking multiple pans do not let them touch each other.

-If you are using more than one rack, stagger the cake pans so they are directly over or under each other.

-If you notice the cake is baking unevenly then turn it several times during the cooking process.

-Start testing you cake about 8 minutes before the cake should be done.

-To test if your cake is done, insert a small toothpick into the center of the cake as far as you can. It should come out clean.

-Another way to test if a cake is done is to lightly press the cake surface. The depression should spring back if the cake is cooked thoroughly.

-Also a cake that is done will pull away from the sides of the cake pan.

Cooling Cakes:

-Let cakes made with butter cool in their pans for about 5 minutes. Then turn out onto a cooling rack. If it should stick, try to loosen gently with a spatula.

-Angel food cakes, chiffon cakes and sponge cakes must be kept in their pans and inverted to cool. If the top of the pan does not have little feet for the pan to stand on when you invert it then tip the pan over a large bottle with the neck of the bottle going through the hole of the pan. When cool, loosen with a knife and turn out.

Frosting a Cake:

-If you are short of time and you are making a layer cake, use jelly between the layers. Or place slice fruit between the layers and dust with confectioner's sugar.

-Better to make too much frosting than not enough. Extra frosting will keep very well in the refrigerator.

-If your frosting was not made from scratch or was "not cooked" spread it on a cake while the cake is warm.

-If you just made your frosting, it is best to spread on the cake after it is completely cooled.

-If your frosting calls for beaten egg whites and the whites are not stiff enough just put it in the top of a double boiler and beat over the simmering water.

-If you cream frosting is too watery place it in the refrigerator for several minutes, beat over ice or add a little more butter to thicken.

-If, on the other hand, your frosting is too thick, add a few drops of hot milk or water.

-If your cake is lopsided feel free to re-shape it using a sharp knife.

-If you are making a 3-layer cake and the middle layer has a rounded top, slice off the raised portion

-To frost set the bottom layer on a plate covered with strips of wax paper to catch and frosting that may drip. Spread you icing on the top of this bottom layer and add the top cake layer over the spread icing.

-Cover the sides of the cake first with frosting using a spatula or frosting knife.

-Pile the rest of the frosting on the top middle of the cake and swirl out to the edges.

-Remove the strips of paper once the frosting sets.

-Decorate as desired.

Wedding Cakes on a Budget

In this day and age, weddings are becoming more and more expensive and wedding cakes are no exception. However, it is possible to serve a beautiful cake while maintaining a budget.

One of the best ways to save money on wedding cakes is to consider a kitchen cake. This is a flat slab cake iced on top to match the wedding cake, but generally without piping, flowers etc. When the cake is cut and served, guests are unable to tell the difference between slices of the actual wedding cake and the kitchen cake.

You may also consider having a "dummy" cake as a centrepiece on the cake table. Rent or buy a Styrofoam show-cake from your local baker, and have the caterer serve your guests from sheet cakes or kitchen cakes that are plated in the back kitchen. Or have a single, small cake for show and several sheet cakes to cut for the guests.

When choosing your wedding cake design, opt for simple cakes with minimal decoration as the more labour that is required to decorate the cake, the more expensive. Try to also skip having multiple tiers with fancy pillars. Instead, have the cake layers stacked or borrow pillars if your baker provides this service, or have the baker use disposable pillars instead of the costly crystal ones. Also, check with your local rental company to see if it has any available.

Another option to minimise costs is to try having the cake decorator make and ice the cake, whilst you put your own fresh flowers as decoration for the cake. You can ask your florist to supply extra flowers for the cake to match your bouquets or just pick the flowers on the day of your wedding. If that's not possible, store the flowers on a plate with some water in your fridge. Sprinkling petals, cascading down tiers or placing flowers around the base of the cake are simple yet elegant designs.

Alternatively, bake your own cake or enlist the help of a friend or family member to do this for you as their wedding gift to you. Fruit, candy, ribbon and marzipan sculpted into flowers and figurines make for beautiful wedding cake designs.

Check also if your reception venue offers a wedding cake as part of the catering deal. Some venues will provide the entire wedding cake whilst others will just provide the first tier.

Another option for couples on a budget is to have cupcakes rather than traditional wedding cakes. This is not only a great way to save money, but it is also a very popular option and can be done beautifully. It is both unique and different and can enhance the beauty of the wedding. The cupcakes are generally arranged in tiers similar to wedding cakes. Each guest will receive an individual cupcake. This saves on having to pay the fee for cake cutting as well as paying for a large, expensive cake. The fee when a reception venue or caterer charges for cutting and serving a cake is called "cakeage". Fees can be up to $4 or $5 a head.

Finally, decide when and how the cake will be served.

As dessert: you will need a large slice of cake and need to cater for every person attending the function as the cake is a part of the formal meal and a generous slice has to be put in front of the guest whether they are going to eat it or not. When the cake is served as dessert you normally need 3 times as much cake as when the serving is as a coffee slice.

As coffee: as "finger'' slice which is normally served on a platter towards the end of the evening. A general rule is that you need only cater for 70% of the guests

There are many considerations when it comes to wedding cakes: size, flavor, design, and of course choosing the right bakery. The bride and groom on a budget should remember to look at lots of different ideas before deciding what they want. Visiting several bakeries and getting quotes are a great way to taste yummy wedding cakes as well as perusing bridal magazines to find inspiration.

Should You Start a Cake Decorating Business or Cupcake Business?

If you love cake decorating, imagine getting paid to do what you love! You can when you start your own cake decorating business.

Jennifer James, author of the FabJob Guide to Become a Cake Decorator, says there are many benefits when you become a professional cake decorator and start a cake decorating business (also known as a cake design business) or cupcake business.

"There's never been a better time to start up a cake decorating business," says Jennifer. "With the low-carb craze over with, there has been a return to the idea of eating for pleasure, ushered in largely by the popular book French Women Don't Get Fat. Single servings and the personal touch are in - cupcakes are very popular right now, as are gourmet mini-cakes." Here is Jennifer's advice about the cake design business and why it's a great time to start a cake decorating business or cupcake business:

Professional cake decorators tap into the fact that people love to feel special, and are always looking for something new and unique. Clients who are tired of the supermarket's tired-old sheet cake with a cartoon character are looking for handmade, out-of-the ordinary cakes that truly reflect the theme of the celebration... and when they do, they'll come to you.

Cakes are getting more creative all the time, and the only limitation is your imagination. Three-dimensional designs are in vogue right now, resulting in cakes that look like pillows, animals, handbags, or whatever you can dream up. Contemporary cake towers rising up many feet in the air and can lean every which way, stabilized by mysterious forces known only to the cake decorator (that is, you!)

And it doesn't stop there. How about a cake + cupcake combo, with each cupcake sporting a unique design, or personalized for each guest? Floral toppers or edible pearls just might complete an elegant look perfectly. The finishing materials (glazes and dusting powders) available on today's market let you give your cake and decorations a look that is so real, your clients will hardly believe they are made of sugar.

Not only are people looking for custom, creative cakes, they are willing to pay for them too. The average amount spent on a wedding has nearly doubled in the last 20 years, and the average cost of wedding cake is $543, according to the Bridal Association of America. Prices of artisan cakes for special occasions range from $3 to $10 or even more per slice, depending on the complexity of the design.

If you're wondering if cake decorating is the right business for you, here are some benefits of this career according to Jennifer:

Be Creative

If you want to work with your hands and experience with all five senses, cake decorating is the career for you, from smelling the yummy baking, to tasting new flavors of icing or filling, to piping delicate beads or roses on your cakes and cupcakes. No wonder many cake decorators call themselves sugar artists!

Be Your Own Boss

No more taking orders from anyone else - other than your many customers, of course! When you run your own cake decorating business, you make the decisions. You can choose to specialize in anything from wedding cakes, to children's birthday cakes, to cupcakes, to cakes shaped like fantasy castles... whatever you most enjoy. As boss of your own cake decorating, you decide your policies, your prices, and when you're going to take those well-deserved days off.

Let Them Eat Cake

By "them" we mean you, your friends, and your family. When you start a cake decorating business you'll be able to practice your new ideas by making cakes for your own family celebrations, or liven up a mid-week meal with some cake "leftovers" you cut off while shaping and creating. You can even save some cash when you give your cakes for wedding and birthday presents. It's great practice, and you'll land additional clients whenever your cakes or cupcakes are seen and admired.

You Can Start Right Now

A cake decorating business can be started simply or part-time if you wish, in many cases right from your own home. If you already bake cakes or cupcakes as a hobby, you may very well have much of the equipment on hand that you will need to get started. You don't need a certificate to call yourself a professional cake decorator or cake designer, either - you're in business as a professional cake decorator as soon as you are paid for your very first cake.

If you're ready to tap into the lucrative and growing cake decorating market, don't wait any longer. It's time to turn your pipe dreams into piping bags, trade in your overtime for oven mitts, and create your own sweet success story by starting a cake decorating business.

Choosing a Wedding Cake - Have You Consider These Factors?

The wedding cake is the focus of most of wedding receptions. The tradition of cake cutting is so important that no one will leave the reception before the cake is cut. Accounting for this, it is extremely important to have a good choice of wedding cake. A badly chosen wedding cake may ruin the whole wedding reception. Indeed the wedding cake is also one of the foci for wedding photographs. Normally, the factors we need to consider when choosing a wedding cake are the size of it, the design or the outlook of the cake, and the flavors.

Size of the cake

The first thing a couple needs to consider is the size of the cake. It is vital to understand that a wedding cake is meant to be sharing the joy of wedding but not showing off the wealth of the couple. To this end the size of the cake should be determined by the number of guests.

This seems very straight forward that the size of cake should be determined by the number of guests but many couples make the following mistake - they only count and estimate the number of guests who are going to attend the wedding reception. In fact the couple may want to send a piece of cake to a guest who cannot attend the wedding reception. A couple should keep in mind that the cake is meant to be sharing the joy of getting married, there is no reason why a couple does not share the joy of wedding with the guests who cannot attend the wedding reception.

As a result the size of the cake should be determined by the number of guests who will attend the wedding reception and the number of guests who cannot. Certainly it will be totally a waste if the cake is too big and the cake cannot be shared among the guests if it is too small.

Design of the cake

After the size of the cake is determined, the couple can start to think about the design of the cake. The very first thing a couple needs to do is to get some pictures of wedding cakes from the cake maker or the baker. This is very important since the couple can get a rough idea about what the baker they hire usually makes and also the quality of the cake.

At the same time the couple can take reference for their unique wedding cake design from the photos. When the basic concept of the cake design is formed, the couple can try to visualize the final design of the cake by using the wedding cake design software.

With the cake design software, the couple can try to compose and test different possible design options of the cake. They may want the design of the cake follows the main theme of the wedding reception. Matching the colors will be something essential. On the contrary, the cake can also be designed in a way that it is totally unique and contrasting with the wedding theme.

Wedding cake design software is a very useful tool for visualizing the cake. However, the couple should bear in mind that the software only renders a computer drawing of the cake, it is not the cake itself. The final outcome will be a bit different from what is seen on the monitor.

Flavors of the cake

The design of the cake delivers a visual quality to the guest but the cake itself is for the guest to eat at the end of the day. The taste of the cake will be very essential.

There are plenty of options concerning the flavor of the cake. For examples, a couple can choose fruits, chocolate or even ice-cream. However, if the couple would like to go for the option of ice-cream, they should keep in mind that ice-cream will melt if they are going to have an outdoor wedding reception in summer.

The flavors of the cake also affect the time of ordering the cake. A sponge cake can only last for a few days and it should be prepared three to five days before the wedding reception. On the other hand, a fruit cake can last for a few months and it can be ordered say a month or two before the reception.

Stacked Wedding Cake Construction - Tiers for Fears

That day you've secretly feared since you started decorating cakes is quickly approaching. You've been asked to make a wedding cake - a five tiered, stacked wedding cake! And it's for your sister's wedding!

As you go over designs with your sister by day, you dream about the cake at night. The cake in your dreams is taller than any cake you've even seen. As bride and groom pose for the cake cutting ceremony pictures, you look on as each tier slowly sinks into the one beneath it, and just as your sister and her new husband smile and begin to slice their first piece of cake, the force of gravity and the domino effect take hold and the cake implodes.

All four top tiers sink into the bottom tier, turning a once majestic beauty into a giant pile of fondant covered cake rubble! (And then you wake up, covered in sweat, only to realize that this dream could actually become reality.)

But wait! This nightmare does not have to become reality. And no, you won't have to add therapist bills to your cake budget to get through your big project. These sorts of nightmares are normal for first time wedding cake makers. Beyond a healthy amount of butterflies, you have absolutely nothing to fear if you follow these tips.

Stacked Wedding Cake Construction 101

Unlike wedding cakes with tiers that are separated by plates and pillars, the tiers on a stacked wedding cake appear to rest directly on top of one another. This is just an illusion since the cakes actually rest on a system of hidden pillars and plates. To stack a multi-tiered cake without plates and pillars is a very risky proposition with the weight of each cake.

Stacked cakes of more than 4 layers need some sort of support in the form of plates, spikes and/or dowels to keep the upper layers from sinking into the lower layers.

So whether your wedding cake will be stacked Victorian style (graduating round tiers) or à la chic with fondant covered gift-box style tiers, here are the basics:

To create a perfectly constructed tower rather than an experiment on the effects of gravity on cake and icing, you can either use a purchased set of cake plates and spikes, or you can build your own system using cardboard cake plates and dowels.

To build your own system, pick up some 1/4-3/8-inch round cake dowels (or other food safe wooden dowels) and a hammer (yes, even if you flunked high school Woodshop) and follow these tips:

1. Plan the dowels' placement by centering a cake plate the size of the next cake to be placed on top of the bottom cake, and then marking the spot by pressing down gently on the plate.

2. Within the boundaries of these markings, insert four evenly spaced dowels. Insert the first dowel straight down through to the bottom of the cake and mark the dowel even with the top of the cake. Pull out the dowel and, using wire cutters, cut off at the mark. Cut three more the same height. Then push the dowels straight down into the cake in the places you marked so that they form a square inside the circle. (Be sure the dowels are perfectly even with the top of the cake for the best support.)

3. Place your next smaller tier on a round cake board of the same size, and then place it on top of the bottom tier. The dowels will prevent the top tier from sinking into the bottom tier.

4. Measure the next set of dowels from the bottom of the bottom cake to the top of the top cake. Cut the dowel at an angle to taper the end and cut it so that it is just slightly shorter than the height of the two bottom cakes. Insert the dowels tapered end first straight down through the cake. When the dowel stops at the first cake board, give it a firm tap with the hammer to break through the board down to the bottom of the cake. To prevent the hammer from landing in the icing, place another small section of dowel end to end with the measured dowel to hammer it into position.

Jello Cake Recipe - Classic Jello Poke Cake Recipe

When you think of a Jello cake recipe, there's only one cake that is so popular that it immediately pops into your head: the classic Jello poke cake. This cake is famous for being extremely flexible in its use of gelatin flavors. When it's sliced into, you'll see the colorful stripes inside. Whatever flavor you use it's sure to be a hit.

1 package white or yellow cake mix (for two layers)

1 small package flavored gelatin, any flavor

4 eggs

1/3 cup oil

1 cup water (for the cake mix)

1 (12 oz.) container Cool Whip

1 cup water (for gelatin)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare cake, according to package directions, using eggs, oil and water. Bake cake in a 13x9-inch pan for 40 to 45 minutes. Let cake cool in pan for at least 15 minutes.

Poke holes across the entire surface of cake with a fork.

Dissolve the gelatin in 1 cup of boiling water. Pour the warm gelatin slowly over the surface of the cake (gelatin will soak into the cake). Place cake in the refrigerator and chill for about 4 hours.

Spread whipped topping on top of cake before serving. Refrigerate leftover cake.

=> Jello Cake Recipe: Jello Lemon Cooler Cake

This is a great cake to make for picnics and when company comes to visit. It's got a nice sweet and tangy tartness to it that will tingle your tastebuds.

1 package lemon cake mix

1 cup hot water

2 (3oz.) packages lemon flavored gelatin

1 cup milk

1 (3.4 oz.) package lemon pudding mix

1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip, thawed

Directions

Prepare cake mix according to package directions and bake in a 9x13-inch pan. Let cake cool, then poke holes across the entire cake surface using a fork.

Dissolve the lemon gelatin in 1 cup of hot water. Pour warm gelatin over the entire cake. Place cake in the refrigerator and let it cool.

In a large bowl, mix together the milk, lemon pudding mix and the remaining package of lemon gelatin; stir until all ingredients are thoroughly dissolved. Fold in the whipped topping and spread over top of cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

=> Jello Cake Recipe: Strawberry Jello Cake Recipe

This strawberry Jello cake is something special. The perfect Jello dessert recipe for warm afternoons and those special occasions when you want to make a dessert they'll be talking about for days.

1 package white cake mix

1 (3 oz.) package strawberry gelatin

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup oil

1/2 cup water

4 eggs

1 (10 oz.) package frozen strawberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, sift the cake mix, flour, gelatin mix and salt together. Stir in the oil and water. Beat well. Add in the eggs, one at a time; mix well.

In a medium, bowl mash up the entire bag of strawberries. Stir half of the strawberries (5 oz.) into the cake batter. Pour cake into 2-layer cake pans and bake for 30 minutes. Let cake cool and spread strawberry icing on top.

Strawberry Icing

1 stick butter

1 box confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions

Cream the butter. Gradually add in the sugar and the remaining mashed strawberries. Mix until icing is a smooth, creamy texture.

=> Jello Cake Recipe: Jello Pudding Cake Recipe

Just like the poke cake, this Jello pudding cake is flexible when it comes to flavor. Choose the flavor that you want and enjoy a moist, rich-tasting cake that will not last for very long, because it's so scrumptious.

1 package white or yellow cake mix

1 (12 oz.) can fruit flavored soda (any flavor)

1 small box gelatin (same flavor as soda)

1 cup warm water

1 small box vanilla pudding

1 container Cool Whip

Directions

Prepare cake according to package directions. Bake cake in a 13x9-inch pan. Let cake cool. Poke holes into cake surface with a fork. Pour flavored soda over cake.

Dissolve gelatin into 1 cup warm water. Pour gelatin over the entire cake.

Prepare pudding according to package directions. Spread pudding over top of cake.

Spread whipped topping over top of entire cake. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.

Bundt Cakes to the Rescue

While sitting at the bowling alley, a voice came over the intercom saying, "Tonight we are hosting a raffle on a yummy yellow sheet cake for $1.00 a ticket. The proceeds will go to our youth bowling association." A yellow sheet cake, I thought? How often are you asked to bake a cake for a school auction, cake walks, parties or get-togethers? Bundt cakes makes excellent cakes for these events. They are pretty cakes, make for a great presentation and could bring in more money than a yellow sheet cake. Another benefit of bundt cakes is that they are easy to transport to your event. Below are some of my favorite bundt cake recipes:

BANANA PUDDING BUNDT CAKE

1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix

1 (3-ounce) package instant banana pudding mix

4 large eggs

1 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup mashed banana

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350*F (175*C). Grease and flour bundt pan and set aside.

In large bowl combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, vegetable oil and banana. Beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Pour into prepared bundt pan.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool cake on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove cake and continue to cool on rack.

To Make Glaze: Beat together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in a bowl until smooth and of a drizzling consistency. When cake is cooled, drizzle icing over cake. Sprinkle chopped nuts over icing, if desired.

CARIBBEAN CHRISTMAS RING

3 tablespoons vegetable shortening

2 1/2 cups finely chopped walnuts

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup softened butter

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup sour cream or plain nonfat yogurt

1 ripe banana, mashed 2 tablespoons orange liqueur (triple sec)

Orange Sugar Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar, shifted

2 tablespoons orange juice

Thoroughly grease a 10 to 12-cup microwave-safe bundt pan with shortening; sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the chopped walnuts to coat evenly. Sift flours, baking powder and baking soda.

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy; beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir sour cream or yogurt, banana and liqueur into egg mixture. Fold flour mixture into banana-egg batter; stir in remaining walnuts.

Spoon into prepared pan and place on top of microwave-proof bowl in microwave, bringing cake up to center of oven. Cook on medium 10 minutes, then on high 5 to 7 minutes until cake tests done, turning twice. Let cake stand 15 minutes. Turn out onto serving plate. Let cool.

Mix sifted powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth. Pour glaze evenly over cake and serve.

CHOCOLATE CREAM FILLED CAKE

Filling Ingredients:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup water

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 large eggs

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze Ingredients:

2 ounces white chocolate

2 teaspoons vegetable shortening

1/4 cup semi-sweet real chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350°̊F. Combine all filling ingredients in small mixer bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until smooth; set aside. Combine all cake ingredients in large mixer bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until all ingredients are moistened. Beat at high speed, scraping bowl often, until smooth. Pour 3 cups batter into greased and floured 12-cup bundt pan. Spoon filling over batter without touching sides of pan; cover with remaining batter.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 30 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely.

Melt white chocolate and 1 teaspoon shortening in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted (1 to 2 minutes). Drizzle over cooled cake. Let stand until firm. Repeat with remaining shortening and chocolate chips. Store refrigerated.

CREAM CHEESE CHOCOLATE CHIP TUNNEL CAKE

A delightfully surprising "tunnel" of cream cheese and chocolate chips makes this cake a sure winner with your family and friends!

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs, beaten lightly

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup buttermilk

Filling:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese - softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup (6-ounces) miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 to 3 tablespoons Hot water

Preheat oven to 350*F (175*C). Generously grease a 10-inch bundt or tube pan. Set aside.
For the cake: Combine sugar, oil and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat for one minute until smooth.

Add remaining cake ingredients and beat at medium speed for three minutes, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Set batter aside and prep`re filling.

For filling: Cream the sugar with cream cheese at medium-high speed. Add the vanilla and egg and beat until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips, mixing well.

Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared pan. Spoon the filling mixture evenly over the layer of batter, then carefully pour remaining batter over the filling.

Bake for 65 to 70 minutes or until cake tests done when lightly pressed in the center and cake springs back. Cool cake on a wire rack for 20 to 25 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely before glazing.

For the glaze: Combine all ingredients to form a consistency thin enough to drizzle decoratively on the cooled cake.

ORANGE BUNDT CAKE

1 (18.25-ounce) package yellow cake mix

1 (3.9-ounce) package instant lemon pudding

3/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1/3 cup orange juice

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 325*F (160* C). Grease one bundt pan and set aside. In large bowl beat together cake mix, pudding mix, 3/4 cup orange juice, oil, eggs, and lemon extract for 3 minutes. Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until tested done. Cool for 15 minutes and remove from pan. In small saucepan combine 1/3 cup orange juice, sugar, and butter. Bring to boil, reduce heat and cook for two minutes. Drizzle hot icing over warm cake

STREUSEL SPICE CAKE

1 (18.25-ounce) package spice cake mix

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

3 large eggs

1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/4 cup chopped nuts

Filling:

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon margarine or butter, softened

2 to 3 tablespoons milk

Heat oven to 350*F (175*C). Grease and flour a 10-inch tube or 12-cup bundt; pan.
In large bowl, combine cake mix, 3/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup butter and eggs at low speed until moistened; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in 1/4 cup coconut and 1/4 cup nuts. Pour half of batter (about 2 cups) into prepared pan. In small bowl, combine all filling ingredients; reserve 1/2 cup filling. Sprinkle remaining filling over batter in pan.

Cover with remaining batter; sprinkle with 1/2 cup reserved filling. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool upright in pan 30 minutes on wire rack. Remove from pan. Cool completely. In small bowl, blend all glaze ingredients until smooth, adding enough milk for desired drizzling consistency. Drizzle over cake

ZESTY LEMON POUND CAKE

1 (6-ounce) package or 1 cup Premier White Chocolate Morsels, or 3 premier white baking bars, broken into pieces

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons grated lemon peel (about 3 medium lemons)

1 1/3 cups buttermilk

1 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 10-cup bundt pan. Melt morsels in medium, microwave-safe bowl on medium-high (70%) power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10 to 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth; cool slightly.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and melted morsels. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Pour into prepared bundt pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in small bowl. Make holes in cake with wooden pick; pour half of lemon glaze over cake. Let stand for 5 minutes. Invert onto plate. Make holes in top of cake; pour remaining glaze over cake. Cool completely before serving.

Food Network Lets Them Eat Cake

The Food Network is an American cable network that airs series and specials about one of our most beloved subjects - food. The Network is viewed in 80 million households and by half a million people per day. It's seen in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Monaco, Andorra, France, and the French-speaking territories in the Caribbean and Polynesia. Canadians now have their own version, Food Network Canada.

Every Sunday night, the Food Network Challenge (which has reached franchise status and offers cash prizes big enough to remodel your kitchen) hosts the largest and most memorable food competitions around the world.

Here's a sampling of the competitions for the world's best cakes:

Wedding Cake Challenge - Teams vie for the bragging rights (and $10 grand) for creating the world's most spectacular wedding cake.

Spatulas and pastry tubes are augmented by high tech weapons such as Homaro Cantu's Class IV laser that sears edibles at 2,800 degrees Fahrenheit and ink-jet printer that prints photographs on soy-based edible paper.

Disney Dream Desserts - Student pastry chefs create four desserts and a three-foot tall chocolate and sugar centerpiece as they compete at the Happiest Place on Earth for a $14,000 scholarship and an internship in the Disney kitchens.

Mystery Birthday Cake - Five top-notch cake designers are challenged by a client from hell whose identity and criteria for the birthday cake will not be revealed until minutes before the six-hour competition begins. (Colette Peters took home the $10,000 first prize in 2005.)

Birthday Cake Competition - An edible, rotating Ferris wheel is one of the memorable cakes created in this competition where six of the nation's top cake designers unleash their imaginations and test their skills as they compete to create the world's most outrageous birthday cake (and a $10,000 first place prize).

Cookies, Fire and Ice (pastry and ice sculpture), Wedding Cake Classic and Ultimate Wedding Cakes are just a few more of the dozens of pastry and cake competitions hosted by the Food Network Challenge.

Other challenges bring together top-notch barbecue chefs, pizza makers, and more in a quest for the world's best culinary creations.

Celebrity chef hosts include famous restaurateurs Emeril and Wolfgang Puck.

Many of the Food Network's personalities have become quite famous, such as home cooking diva Rachael Ray (the star of the Network and host of 30-Minute Meals, sort of an antithesis to Martha Stewart). And, then there's Duff Goldman.

Shaping cakes with drill saws and blow torches, Goldman is known as the "Bad Boy" of the Food Network.

He hosts the network's latest creation (as of January 16, 2007), Ace of Cakes. And as one of the most sought after cake decorators in the nation, he blows away cake decorator stereotypes.

A former graffiti artist, Duff holds degrees in philosophy and physics, plays bass in an indie band, and studied pastries at the Culinary Institute of America before going on to the prestigious position of executive pastry chef at the Vail Cascade Hotel and Resort in Colorado. He now owns and operates Charm City Cakes in Baltimore.

His cake creations are as diverse as his talents and include a Harry Potter quidditch arena, a piece of rare black Wedgwood china made for Hillary Clinton in 2002, and many family dog tribute cakes.

Clients have paid $175 for a simple square to $20,000 for a massive, mechanized cake with edible moving parts.

Many of the Food Network personalities have interesting and surprising career stories.

Sugar Rush host, Warren Brown, left a career in law to open Cakelove, his specialty cake and pastry business in Washington D.C. (You may have seen him on Oprah or in Time magazine.)

Sugar Rush follows Brown as he visits restaurants, pastry shops and bakeries around the country, and then returns to his kitchen to cook a recipe he's learned.

Warren's own most popular cake is a three-layer buttercream with fresh strawberries, and his cupcakes are the all-around best sellers at Cakelove.

Every Sunday night, the Food Network Challenge (which has reached franchise status and offers cash prizes big enough to remodel your kitchen) hosts the largest and most memorable food competitions around the world. And they post the recipes on their Website!

Here's a sampling of the competitions for the world's best cakes:

Wedding Cake Challenge - Teams vie for the bragging rights (and $10 grand) for creating the world's most spectacular wedding cake. Spatulas and pastry tubes are augmented by high tech weapons such as Homaro Cantu's Class IV laser that sears edibles at 2,800 degrees Fahrenheit and ink-jet printer that prints photographs on soy-based edible paper.

Disney Dream Desserts - Student pastry chefs create four desserts and a three-foot tall chocolate and sugar centerpiece as they compete at the Happiest Place on Earth for a $14,000 scholarship and an internship in the Disney kitchens.

Mystery Birthday Cake - Five top-notch cake designers are challenged by a client from hell whose identity and criteria for the birthday cake will not be revealed until minutes before the six-hour competition begins. (Colette Peters took home the $10,000 first prize in 2005.)

Birthday Cake Competition - An edible, rotating Ferris wheel is one of the memorable cakes created in this competition where six of the nation's top cake designers unleash their imaginations and test their skills as they compete to create the world's most outrageous birthday cake (and a $10,000 first place prize).

Cookies, Fire and Ice (pastry and ice sculpture), Wedding Cake Classic and Ultimate Wedding Cakes are just a few more of the dozens of pastry and cake competitions hosted by the Food Network Challenge. Other challenges bring together top-notch barbecue chefs, pizza makers, and more in a quest for the world's best culinary creations.

Food Network, founded in 1993 and more popular than ever, boasts record-setting ratings in primetime and a top food Website. Celebrity chef hosts include famous restaurateurs Emeril and Wolfgang Puck. Many of the Food Network's personalities have become quite famous, such as home cooking diva Rachael Ray (the star of the Network and host of 30-Minute Meals, sort of an antithesis to Martha Stewart). And, then there's Duff Goldman.

Shaping cakes with drill saws and blow torches, Goldman is known as the "Bad Boy" of the Food Network. He hosts the network's latest creation (as of January 16, 2007), Ace of Cakes. And as one of the most sought after cake decorators in the nation, he blows away cake decorator stereotypes.

A former graffiti artist, Duff holds degrees in philosophy and physics, plays bass in an indie band, and studied pastries at the Culinary Institute of America before going on to the prestigious position of executive pastry chef at the Vail Cascade Hotel and Resort in Colorado. He now owns and operates Charm City Cakes in Baltimore,

His cake creations are as diverse as his talents and include a Harry Potter quidditch arena, a piece of rare black Wedgwood china made for Hillary Clinton in 2002, and many family dog tribute cakes. Clients have paid $175 for a simple square to $20,000 for a massive, mechanized cake with edible moving parts.

Many of the Food Network personalities have interesting and surprising career stories. Sugar Rush host, Warren Brown, left a career in law to open Cakelove, his specialty cake and pastry business in Washington D.C. (You may have seen him on Oprah or in Time magazine.)

Sugar Rush follows Brown as he visits restaurants, pastry shops and bakeries around the country, and then returns to his kitchen to cook a recipe he's learned.

Picture-Perfect Cake Topper Ideas

Even if you're new to cake decorating or an engaged couple on a budget, all you need are some basic cake decorating skills or a little time to shop online. You'll soon have a cake that has everyone wanting to take a picture!

The quickest way to gather ideas for creating a cake topper or to find the perfect one to purchase is to window shop the Internet. Search with phrases such as "funny wedding cake topper," "wedding anniversary cake topper," etc. If you're not sure where to start, here are a few examples:

· Hand-blown and spun glass cake toppers. Gold highlighted and sparkly or smooth and sleek, many of these are incredibly beautiful. A cake topper depicting a bride and groom ice-skating on top of a snowflake wedding cake is one of our favorites!

· Silver, gold or Swarovski crystal monograms (and numbers for birthdays and anniversaries)

· Sporty cake toppers can depict a bride and groom aboard a sailboat, riding horseback, roaring away in his and her race cars, and... well you get the picture.

· Humorous cake toppers include figures made in cartoonish likenesses of the betrothed and the popular resin figurines with bride and groom in formal wear acting out titles such as "The Tiff" and "Now I Have You."

· Vintage cake toppers can be quite lovely - and interesting! Check out the reviews of Penny Henderson's book, "Vintage Cake Toppers" at Amazon.com to get an idea of the possibilities.

· Character cake toppers are big hits with young children and brides and grooms. Mickey and Minnie at the altar, Winnie the Pooh and Friends on a child's honey pot, sculpted birthday cake are a couple of examples.

· Fresh fruit (grapes, kumquats, etc.) or sugar-crystallized fruit arranged in an extravagant display can make a pretty picture! (Use whole fruit so there's no danger of juice running into your icing).

· Castles - the sky's the limit here! Your castle cake topper can be the top of a sculpted castle cake or a glass, fairy castle. Castle cake toppers are often requested for wedding and birthday cakes, as well as special theme cakes such as renaissance.

· Here's a real attention grabber - a topsy-turvy cake with a cake topper that teeters over the edge. For example, a teapot with dormouse on a Mad Hatter cake or two figurines depicting mountain climbing bride and groom.

· Miniature toys. Here's another simple way to make an amazing cake topper. One idea is to place a rotating doll stand on top of a tiered or stacked birthday cake. Then add a cute toy train, such as Thomas, or a carousel with pretty white horses in pink halters, and your cake will be a big hit

· Polymer clay cake toppers can add a great deal of meaning, fun or both to a cake. You can find companies online that create them in realistic likenesses of the bride and groom sharing an activity (ballroom dancing, golfing, you name it!) You can also find generic but adorable ones, such as the hula bride and groom at in Rebecca Russell's "Round Head" collection at

3 Common Cake Decorating Mistakes - And Their Easy Solutions

How To Manage Crumbs When Cake Decorating

Have you ever been decorating a cake and everything was going smoothly, then all of a sudden you notice crumbs in your beautiful icing mixture? When this happens you can ruin the whole effect of your cake. There is a way to combat the dreaded crumb problem when decorating your cake; the method is called a 'crumb coat.'
A crumb coat is a thinner mixture of the exact same icing that you use on your cakd. You can thin the mixture down with whatever liquid you have used to make your icing, for example water or milk. The icing has to be thinned down just enough to cover the surface of the cake with a thin layer.

Once you have applied a crumb coat to the surface of your cake you will then need to let it set awhile. Place your cake in the refrigerator and let it set overnight, or for at least an hour or two. Don't be overly concerned if crumbs get into your crumb coat, as the crumbs will become "glued" into the surface of the cake. Once set the surface will be ready to decorate.
By following these instructions you will win the war on crumbs!

Beating Bulging Cakes

Often people who decorate cakes are faced with the problem of their fillings bulging out of the sides of their cake. Luckily there is a remedy for this little cake decorating disaster. Below are some helpful tips to stop the dreaded cake bulge.

o By baking your cake in advance, for example the day before, you will firm the cake up, and give it time to settle down. Freshly baked cakes tend to be unstable and won't hold fillings as well as settled cakes.

o Another procedure that can be used to stop fillings from overflowing or bulging is to use piped icing to create a dam. This will act as a barrier and keep your fillings from bulging out the sides of the cake.

o After you have created your icing dam, you can then cover the whole cake with a crumb coating; a thinned down version of the icing that you intend to use to decorate your cake with.

o Once you have done a crumb coating of the cake you will find that refrigerating the cake overnight, or for at least 2-3 hours will help the icing to firm up. This will reduce the likelihood of bulging also.

o Once the cake has had time to firm up in the fridge, the dams that you put in place and the crumb coat will stop the cake from bulging.

Follow these steps and you'll be well on your way to having beautiful bulge-free cakes!

Freezing Cakes To Save Time

Finding the free time to prepare a specialty cake can be a frustrating task. Thankfully, the practice of freezing cakes has become an invaluable tool for the novice and professional alike. Just think, you can have a cake baked and ready for decoration weeks before the special occasion.

Some cake makers shy away from freezing cakes due to the fear that their creation might dry out. If the proper method is not utilized, that fear will be justified. The key lies in how you wrap the cake. It's also important to postpone the decorating process until the cake has fully defrosted. Icing tends to "sweat" and become gooey when a cake is left out to defrost.
Air and moisture will eventually ruin a cake. To keep the air out, wrap three layers of sturdy cling wrap around the cake. Then just prior to freezing, wrap one layer of aluminum foil over the cling wrap. This storage method helps keep the moisture and flavor from escaping.

Allow the cake to slowly defrost at room temperature for 1-2 days before the event. Do not decorate the cake until it has completely thawed. By following this method cake decorating should be easier and quicker, especially if you are put on the spot to make and decorate a cake at the last minute.

Extreme Wedding Cake Makeover Ideas

Are you tired of seeing the traditional three tier wedding cake with simple white frosting and the little bride and groom wedding cake topper. We all know the iconic wedding cake look and feel. If you are after a very formal or classic wedding then this is the exact cake you want. However, today many couples are opting for alternative wedding themes and a more relaxed feeling overall. With popular wedding themes like fairy tales, Dragonflies and other fun and light or even whimsical themes a traditional wedding cake no longer fits correctly in its place. It is nor time to take that old wedding cake out of the closet it and give it a whole new look. America seems to be in love with the idea of a makeover from the hit TV shows like Extreme Body Makeover, Extreme Home Makeover and the ever popular Pimp My Ride America seems to be in a love with makeovers. Well, wedding cakes are no different and today's couples are going for more unusual, light and fun ideas for wedding cakes. So why not try some of these custom wedding cake ideas.

Creative and Custom Wedding Cake Toppers

There are a ton of different wedding cake toppers on the market today and you are no longer stuck with what your local bakery has. You can now easily shop online and find retailers selling a wide variety of wedding cake toppers. You can have anything from the traditional bride and groom to the whacky and wild. If you are willing to pay a little extra you can get a custom wedding cake topper sculpted out of special non toxic clay like material and created in the likeness of you and your husband. If you are really into a sport or want to show something unique about the two of you as a couple then a custom wedding cake topper is the way to go. The artists can easily make a couple doing just about anything. So if you are avid rock climbers then you can have a bride and groom fashioned in your likeness that are on the top of Yosemite Half Dome, or whatever sport or activity you like.

If you don't want to be that adventurous then you might want to go for a custom initials wedding cake topper. These are beautiful wedding cake toppers created from your initials and then decorated with small crystals. Whatever you choose there is a wedding cake topper either already made or that can be custom made to fit your wedding theme.

Themed Wedding Cakes

If you just go to your local bakery or even a small wedding cake shop you are likely to just find the standard wedding cake offerings or the traditional cake. However, if you really want to do a wedding cake makeover ask if they can do themed wedding cakes. There are a wide variety of options for a custom wedding cake and some of the ways that you can customize are listed below.

Decorations

If you are not sure about all of this and want to stick somewhat to tradtion then why not go for the traditional cake but add some flare to it through the decorations and frosting. Most wedding cake bakers can add a wide variety of different ornaments and decorations to the wedding cake to really make it stand out. Sure you can go with the traditional shaped cakes like the three tiered circle or even a tiered square cake but that does not mean you can't go a little crazy and get some interesting decorations put on it with unique frosting ideas. Try to pick up on the theme of the wedding as much as possible.

Sculpted Cakes

Now this is where a custom wedding cake baker really can show off their talents and the types of projects they often love to do. A baker who can do a sculpted cake might take a little work to find however once you find one you are only limited by your ideas. Do you want a big castle wedding cake? They can easily do this to make a fairy tale wedding cake. If you want a beach themed wedding cake why not get a picnic basket or a beautiful sand castle wedding cake. If you are contemplating getting a sculpted cake you can really have any three dimensional design that you can think of. Why not try a hamburger and fries for a fun and light hearted beach wedding cake. The sky is the limited once you get a sculpted cake.

Mini Cakes and Cup Cakes

Again if you don't quite feel ready to make the commitment to such a grand cake like above and want to keep a little bit on the traditional side yet with a flair of fun why not try a mini wedding cake or even cupcakes. These are fun because they are small individual serving sized cakes that your guests will love. If you are planning on having a small wedding it can be a lot of fun to create personalized mini wedding cakes for the guests.

Whatever you choose always keep in mind that there are options out there to customize, tweak, alter and change just about every factor of your wedding cake. Let you mind wander and have fun a bit and go for something a little different. Always make sure to plan ahead and leave enough time for the baker to do the extra job well. Otherwise you are all set to go with a fun and unique wedding cake that is a definite extreme makeover from the traditional three or five tiered wedding cake.

Fun Kid Birthday Cakes - Using Lots of Wow!

Birthday cakes are fun.

And wow is the most important ingredient. Here's why.

When you're at a birthday party, everyone looks forward to the cake for two reasons.

Cakes are fun to look at.

Cakes taste yummy.

Most folks buy a cake, have something really boring like "Happy Birthday (insert child's name)" written smack dab in the middle of the frosting, add candles, light and serve. Yawn.

But if you want to wow your birthday child and their guests, you can easily put together a fun birthday cake that's unique, special and very creative. Sounds interesting already.

Do you like baking your own cakes?

If so, the only limit is your imagination and not being afraid to try something new.

Does your child like Barbie, space ships, being a princess, trains, cars, castles, Star Wars or Elmo (who doesn't)?

Well guess what? You can find cake recipes and directions for putting together all of these and many more fun cakes by following the link below this article.

More fun kid birthday cakes

Pizza cake
Blue Jeans birthday cake
Bowling cake
Fish bowl cake
Camping birthday cake
Snake cake (Sssssss)
Babies booties cake
Pail of sand cake
Lady bug birthday cake

No time to bake? No problem.

If you're like a lot of folks these days you just don't have the time to bake a cake from scratch.

Well we have good news for you!

Just pick up a cake at your favorite bakery, add some creative decorations and easily transform that boring cake into a unique and fun work of art that your birthday child will love. Wow!

Edible cake art

Bright, colorful and very easy to use, you can find edible cake art for almost any birthday theme. And did I mention that you can eat these works of art?

Edible cake toppers

Turn your kid birthday cakes into 3D masterpieces with edible shapes made from sugar.

Non-edible cake toppers

Wonderful decorations from princess tiaras to an actual working mini-railroad. And non-edible cake toppers can also be used as party favors after your cake is long gone.

Cake pic and rings

Give you more non-edible cake toppers that will make your fun kid birthday cakes spring to life.

So now you're going to be putting together your fun kid birthday cakes using lots of Wow!

Not so fast

Before you bring out your child's special cake, make sure someone is taking pictures or shooting video because you'll want to remember this moment for years to come.

9 Tips For Buying Your Dream Wedding Cake!

Some Tips When Buying Wedding Cakes

When you want to knock their socks off; when you want them to stand up and cheer; when nothing but the best will do because it is your wedding day; that is when you serve a spectacular wedding cake.

Do not let the vision of confetti, the crash of cymbals, or the fanfare of trumpets deter you from attempting to come up with such remarkable wedding cakes.

Generally, wedding cakes are is the conventional cake being dished up to the guests at the breakfast after the wedding. It is characterized as a huge cake, different from the usual cakes we have on ordinary occasions. In most cases, wedding cakes are layered or multi-layered and are heftily decorated with icing, beads, and other embellishments that would reflect the grandiose of the event. On the top is a small image of a bride and groom.

Wedding cakes can go from the simplest to the most complex decorations; each has its own artistic distinctions depending on the creative juices of the baker. They should conform to the main purpose of the cake, that whatever embellishments it possess, it can still be edible and can be eaten.

Because the wedding cake is such an important part in the wedding celebration, here are some tips you need to know in case you will be buying a wedding cake in the future.

1. Check on the length of time required for you in ordering your wedding cake.

Time is such an important factor when making wedding plans. Of course, you would not want your wedding be hurriedly done or rushed. Because the wedding cake is a part of the wedding plan, it is important to devote an appropriate time in ordering wedding cakes.

It is best to ask your favorite bakeshop on the time frame that they usually give with regards to wedding cake so that you can make early orders if it will take such a long time to create your wedding cake. In this way, you will not be in a hurry coming up with a wedding cake to be served on your wedding day.

2. Verify the details of the cake and its cost.

A lot of couples are so fascinated with the luscious treats that go with their wedding cake. What they do not know is that each embellishment and every twists and turns embedded in the cake has a price.

Therefore, it would be better to clear it out with your baker how much will be the cost of every decoration are added features you wish to add on your wedding cake.

3. Tell your baker about the details of your wedding.

In today's modern world, weddings are not just done in the church. A lot of ideas had come up in terms of wedding venues. Therefore, if ever you have any plans of having your wedding by the beach or anywhere else where it is open, it would be better to inform your baker about this.

In most cases, icings are vulnerable to environmental hazards. So, if the baker knows that your wedding will be a garden wedding or a wedding by the beach, he could make such arrangements with your cake in order to endure the environmental conditions where it will be placed.

4. In a budget? Why not decorate your own wedding cake.

It is not so uncommon nowadays to find somebody decorating his or her own wedding cake. In fact, it is a feasible idea especially to those who have a very tight budget.

All you have to do is to order a plain wedding cake and buy the decorations from the retail stores.

5. Choose the right bakeshop

If you have an idea on where the best bakery is in your city, then head to that place immediately. You can ask suggestions from your friends or family members also. Get a reservation at once. Do not procrastinate. The availability of cake decorators might be restricted. Be sure to drop by the bakeshop to talk about the designs, flavors and other things you wanted to add to your cake. Be sure to give a detailed description of exactly what you want your cake to be. Give the vendor ample time to prepare, approximately six months ahead of your big day would do. You may need to pay a deposit fee for reservation.

6. The right taste

Aside from the look of the cake, keep in mind that cakes are made primarily for eating. They should taste good as well as they look good. The texture and flavor of the cake itself is important. When scouting for a bakeshop, don't hesitate to ask for cake samples of the flavors you want. If they do not allow this, jump to the next store.

7. Check on your budget

Wedding cakes ranges from $300 to $1000 or so. Cost primarily depends on the cake design you want. You have to pay for the cake decorator's fee on top of the cost of the cake itself. Know what your budget is ahead of time. Some shops may give you free delivery too. Most bakeshop has a standard number of servings for each cake type. Know how many guests would attend your wedding so you would know more or less how much money you would allocate for the cake.

8. Flowers as decorations

Flowers have been a traditional thing on weddings. You can well put them in cakes too. You can either choose from fresh flowers or artificial ones. Fresh flowers are beautiful addition to your cakes. But it is very important that you choose fresh flowers wisely. Be sure that they are free from chemicals. Just to be on the safe side, sugar flowers are safer. These are edible gum paste decorations that have wire or toothpicks on them.

9. Where to place the cake

Most cakes, especially on summer, might end up melted under the heat of the sun. They can also cause flowers and flavored curls to dry up. Not to mention the possibility of flies gathering on your priced cake. Just be sure, always have a back up site where you can store your cakes to preserve its look and taste. Never place your wedding cake near the dance floor or where there is a heavy flow of traffic. You might just see your cake fall down. That's not a good sight at all! Be sure to check the sturdiness of the table you would place your cake.

Buying wedding cakes can be fun and hassle-free. Remember that your wedding cakes needs to be presentable, most of the photo opts are done beside the cake. It's always nice to give out that bright smile beside you're well decorated cake that brings out your personal statement.

So, set aside some special decisive moment when it comes to your wedding cake because there would be no better way to glamorize your wedding than to have a perfectly made wedding cake.

Kid Birthday Cake Idea Collection - Cake Decorating Without Fear

Our kid birthday cake idea collection makes cake decorating fun and fearless. You don't have to be a pastry chef to create a professional quality cake for your child's birthday or other special event. Learn unique and easy cake decorating ideas to make spectacular homemade cakes.

PARTY CAKE CONCEPT AND DESIGN

The most important kid birthday cake idea is choosing a cake concept which fits with your party theme. You can start with a simple sheet cake topped with small toys or figures, or piece the cake itself to form a unique design.

For example, a Construction Party cake could be topped with tiny toy dumptrucks and bulldozers pushing a chocolate chip mountain. Or, the cake itself could be cut, pieced and frosted to look like a dump truck.

For a Train Party, set a miniature choo-choo train on licorice tracks atop your cake, or line up several brightly colored frosted loaf cakes to form train cars.

For a Luau party, a simple round or sheet cake can be festooned with a silk flower lei, or form a string of cupcakes in a circle and adorn each one with silk or frosting flowers. Connect with a licorice string to make a cupcake "lei".

Baking cakes in an oven-safe glass bowl or in a special 3D sports ball pan is great for making any kind of perfectly round ball cake, or the dress part of a Barbie doll cake. A wonder mold cake pan makes small single serving doll cakes and other cute creations!

Think of the design you'd like to make and what shapes you need to make it - round, sheet, loaf, cupcakes, or a combination.

Peruse cake decorating books for a kid birthday cake idea which fits your needs. Many books provide templates forcutting and piecing cakes to create any number of popular designs. You decide just how simple or challenging your cake will be.

For a no-fuss kid birthday cake idea, apply an edible cake art image to the top of a frosted cake. Many popular themes and copyrighted images such as Disney are available to provide a professional looking cake design.

Themed cake pans are another popular cake decorating option. They provide the shape and visual design to follow for an impressive finished cake. Popular TV and cartoons characters are well represented in cake pans, as well as teddy bears, butterflies, pirates, Tigger,Mickey Mouse, and lots more.

FROSTING CHOICES

Homemade Frosting - Dig up that famous family recipe or check out one of the many online recipe sites and make your cake frosting from scratch. Be sure to plan ahead how much of each color will be needed for both basic foundation and decorative trim.

Canned and Tube Frostings - Easiest and quickest, prepared canned frostings are available in grocery stores in the baking aisle with the cake mixes. They generally come in white, chocolate, and a handful of other popular flavors. Keep a few ready-to-use tube frostings on hand in various basic colors to add the finishing touches.

Fondant Frosting - Gaining in popularity in this country in recent years, fondant frosting gives a beautiful smooth finish to your cake decorating creation. Fondant can be rolled out and draped over a cake, poured on as a glaze, or sculpted into shapes. It is easily tinted, and can be flavored as well. Ready-made fondant is available through party supply outlets. There are also many recipes online for homemade fondant.

CAKE DECORATING WITH CANDY AND SMALL TOYS

Cookies, candies, and other materials can be used for special and impressive effects. Frosted sugar cones can serve as the fins on a space ship cake or the turrets on a castle cake. Make a surprise cake filling with jello.

A wide variety of plastic stand-ups or cake toppers are available in craft stores. Or, simply use a toy which fits in with the party theme as a cake topper and give it to the party child when the party is over. Action figures, small dolls, animals and cartoon characters all make good choices.

Add cool candy accents with M & M's, licorice pieces, licorice whips, animal crackers, oreo cookies, paper umbrellas, pretzel sticks, tootsie rolls, jimmies, gummies such as worms, bears, etc, gumdrops, mini marshmallows, colored coconut, jellybeans.

THE LATEST CAKE DECORATING FADS!

There are many novel choices for placing the finishing touches on your party cake. Dress it up in style with one or more of these unique special effects:

Spray Color Mist - is a fun addition to your baking repertoire. Frost your cake white, then spray on edible color from an aerosol can. Available in many colors, it can be used with stencils to make unique designs, as a highlight to whipped topping - even on your child's mashed potatoes!

Luster Dusts - are an edible food safe "dust" which can be used on any frosting recipe that dries hard and firm to the touch. Brush it on white frosting for a metallic-like glossy sheen or layer it for interesting color effects.

Cake Stampers - can be used along with brush-on color for fondant icing. Simply stamp shapes and designs into the finished fondant and tint with brush-on color.

Cake Stencils - Place stencil on iced cake and sprinkle edible glitter, confetti sprinkles, or use spray-on color mist.

Edible Color Markers - These unique markers are used just like an ink marker. Draw fun designs on cakes, cookies, fondant frosting, even cheese, fruit slices and bread. Decorating marker kits are available for children.

What To Look For In Cakes, Especially In 2011

What to Look For in Cakes?

2011 Cake Trends

The trend for this year and following year is to break the mold of the old or traditional while still adhering to it. The tiered system seems to be here to stay for a time, but with a bit of a twist as well. If you are keeping up with any type of media you know that cupcakes are the new affordable cake. Mostly in terms of it being less flour and less dense and of course less work for the baker. If you do not have enough cupcakes to go around or you don't want to have all cupcakes then you compliment the cupcakes with a sheet cake of the same flavor or another flavor all together. The beauty of cupcakes is that they are usually arranged in a tier for maximum display anyway and then you have your three to eight tiered wonder.

Other ways of showing off your individualism is to forget the cake altogether and have your and your new spouse's favorite desserts either served on a tray, dessert cart or even in some sort of tiered system. Don't forget, you can have a fake cake with pre-sliced cake for your guests, which will save you time and possibly money or have the fake cake as mentioned earlier for the pictures and cutting (Usually the baker of the fake cake will put some real cake pieces and guide the wedding parties' hand to the exact spot of the real cake in the cutting for the cake ceremony). After the official slice is cut, that fake cake is rolled to the back and the slices are brought out almost immediately or cut from sheet cakes and brought out for your waiting guests.

Speaking of the cutting ceremony, did you know that initially (when weddings were smaller), that the bride was the one who cut the cake alone and then fed a slice to her husband first. He fed some to her, but then she would continue to cut and feed her wedding guests until they were all served. That's not really being the center of attention in my book. It sounds like she became the wife to everyone right off the bat to me, just because she got married. That's not fun or fair, I don't think. That traditional went out the window fortunately when guest lists got larger. As the guest list broadened, as did the cake, the new spousal couple cut the cake together and then the knife was given to someone else to continue cutting and dishing out the cake to the guests. That is a much better solution, I think.

What to do first?

Decide on the number of guests, which will determine the size needed. Then decide on the type of dessert that would make you both happiest, then the design, and then the flavor. Maybe the flavor could go second, but if one person wants cake and other wants dessert, you can see why I put them in this order. Once you have decided the first three options, you can then go out and try to find the cake of your dreams within your budget.

How to Find Your Perfect Cake?

If you are not going with a white cake, but you want to match it with your wedding dress and your wedding partner's attire or just something that you both like, make sure you take a color swatch that you would like the cake to match, along with pictures of cakes that you have liked in your lifetime or cakes that you have liked in recent times.

What are you looking for?

Ron Ben-Israel says when choosing your wedding cake that location, fashion, nature, or the menu have to come into the equation. Depending on where your reception will be held, it is probable that some of the elements of design will have to come from the usage of a certain hall. Fashion denotes the elements within the bride or groom's wedding attire. Nature, would be any number of things, whether the reception will be held outside during the summer. (If you have a cream cheese frosting, you will need to take into account how long the wedding cake may be waiting in the sun (for both health reasons and melting of the frosting). And fourth the rest of the menu and whether or not the cake you choose flows well from the menu served prior to the cake.

Importance of Taste - In the early days before sugar was added to flour it became the norm as a major ingredient in the wedding cake, fruits were used. Fruits, as you know can be turned into liquid libations the longer they sit in the open air. Fruits also denoted a bit of richness, both of flavor and of money. The person who could afford a fruit cake was usually of the elite or royalty. Ah, that must be why William and Kate had fruit cake for their wedding cake to denote their wealth and royalty. Makes sense now, doesn't it. If you think about it most of the wedding cakes will have a fruit center anyway: Think raspberry, cherry, or even pineapple.

Important to whom? The importance of the cake should be between the two people getting married. What they want the cake to represent, maybe as part of their courtship or what they foresee their lives together to be. That is how the cake is chosen with the wedding couples' taste-buds and what they want their first cake together to represent. After all the importance will denote the style of the couple and that is what is important.

Texture - When I think about texture, I think about the inside of the cake, whether it is moist and has a porous quality, and whether or not the cake holds together well. In today's world of trends for the wedding cake it is different. Often texture means the texture of the frosting or outside of the cake. Texture nowadays corresponds to a particular design and whether or not that design's texture was captured, either from a picture or the imagination of the wedding couple or the swatch provided to the baker. There are so many ways to capture texture: for instance, through painting a cake with edible paint, non-toxic gold leaf (Not recommended-How non-toxic is it is still debated.), sugar or gum paste flowers, or lace. The list goes on and on. If you can conceive and explain it to the pastry chef, you can probably have the cake texture of your dreams. If you mean (inside texture or outside-frosting texture) either of these, make it clear to your designer or baker what you mean by texture so there is no confusion.

Moisture - According to Wilton, the best way to keep the moistness in the cake is to bake the cake ahead of time a couple of days. Let the cake cool completely, add a dusting of regular sugar and wrap it in plastic. Why? Sugar evidently sucks up moisture, so when you take the cake out to decorate it, having this extra layer will make the cake more moist rather than dry. This is all before it is decorated. The cake should be brought up to room temperature after you take it out of the freezer and have taken the plastic wrap, before any decorations are started. Why do I tell you all of this when you are hiring your baker to worry about this? Because you will want to know what to ask is happening in the bakery with regard to your cake from start to finish. Better to have knowledge than a surprise of taste and or dryness on the day of your event, right?

Baked When - It is of the opinion of the wedding industry that you will need to decide on your cake 3 - 4 months in advance. Often when you decide that early it gives the baker license to make your cake earlier rather than later and then freeze portions of it. Have you ever been to a wedding and the cake looks luscious, but when you get to eat it you are disappointed or dissatisfied with the taste? It could be that the cake was not defrosted well or was in the freezer too long. Remember what I said about bakers discouraging you from keeping the cake for a year? If they are freezing it before hand, that I think could be a challenge as far as taste. Check to make sure you can have your cake baked within a month, so that the moisture is not compromised by the time you get to your wedding day. You will want the cake you tasted and chose to have the same scrumptious taste quality for your guests.

Frosting & Filling - The frosting will depend on a number of things: 1) Indoor or outdoor wedding reception. 2) Desire and taste of the frosting or filling. 3) The time of year, will play a major role in the icing and how it will perform. If it is one of the hotter times of the year you will have to take in to consideration; timing, place, and atmosphere. Especially if your reception is held outside or the length of time the cake will be sitting once it is set up and waiting for the reception to start.

Questions to ask your baker:

May I look at your portfolio or "look book"?

Ask if they can make your specific cake and be very specific about what you want. (Do you have dietary restrictions, if so remember to ask the baker if they can comply with your restrictions.)

How far in advance do I need to place an order?

How far in advance will you bake my cake? Give them a date for your wedding.

What types of flavors and fillings do you have (If you are going with a filling.)?

Is the cake designer here? And will it be baked here? (Sometimes the designer and the baker are in two different establishments.)

Do you offer taste testings? How much are they? Do I need to make a special appointment to do one? How many people can come to the tasting?

How many cakes do you usually deliver in a weekend for weddings? (If your wedding is on a weekday, substitute the day.)

How much deposit is needed to place the order?

When is the balance due?

Is the baker licensed in New York State? Is the baker licensed in the Tristate area?

Are your cakes priced by size or by amount of work? Or How do you price your cakes?

Is that an all inclusive price? (Sometimes the top tier of the cake is extra.)

Can you tell me the process from baking to decorating for my cake? (This might be a picayune question, except if they are freezing 4 and 6 months in advance, the moisture level might be lost.)

When will you be decorating my cake?

If I want sugar flowers on my cake, are they included in the cost of the cake or do I have to purchase them separately?

Can I go to a separate place that does sugar flowers exclusively, pick out the ones I want, and deliver them to you?

If I want real flowers on my cake are you willing to work with my florist?

How early do you need to get into the reception venue to set up the cake?

Is there a delivery charge? How much is it?

Will you slice it or shall I have someone at the venue slice the cake?

How much do you charge per slice?

For the ceremonial cut, will you supply the wedding knife and server, or do I need to purchase it separately?

*Sometimes the baker and the florist do not want to work together. I have read that the baker often does not want real flowers anywhere near their cake, since flowers are natural products of nature, they can bring other flavors to the cake that may not match or may even destroy the decorations. You will need to talk to both the florist and the baker to work out the details, but keep in mind they still may not want to work together.

Wedding Cake Trivia and Finding That Special Cake

Finding that special cake for your special day or your wedding sounds fun, right? Tasting all those yummy confectionery treats and yes, it can be done, but don't over due it all in one day or you will have destroyed your taste-buds and gotten sick of cake even before your big day. Plus, if you do too many taste testings all in one day, all the cakes taste will run into each other and you won't be able to tell which cake was your favorite. That is not unless you have taken extensive notes. Taste testing cakes should be done much like the tasting of good wine. You must rinse your palette between each flavor or you are not giving the new flavor its full due.

Once you know your menu and how many guests are attending, if it is not just a dessert reception, you will want to have a cake that compliments your meal rather than acting against its in taste. Nothing can ruin a great reception quicker than having a strange taste from the dessert after a fabulous meal. You want your guests to leave thinking that not only did they get the best meal, (but where did you find that great cake maker?) (also known as a baker), as well. Also, you don't want to add all that sugar to your system in one day for another reason, your hips. You'll still want to be able to get into your dress or suit after all of those tastings.

I suggest you take a pad and writing utensil, so you can take notes. Sometimes that is unnecessary because you'll run into or taste a cake you absolutely hate, but I'd even make note of that, in case someone you know has recommended that baker or that particular flavor. You will want to remember why you didn't choose the cake or baker and have a definitive reason for not going with it or the baker. I know it all sounds strange even impossible. It is true that our tastes change suddenly even from childhood to a couple of years and definitely after 10 - 15 years, in terms of what we like or don't like. Take notes, it will save the day and your taste memory.

There will be descriptions of taste flavorings that sound so delectable that when you taste it, you still may not believe how horrible it tastes, or even vice versa. Try all that you can until you find your favorite. Take water or seltzer to clear your palette after each tasting, so that your next taste of a different flavor will not have the lingering taste of the previous confection. Finding your favorite will be almost instantaneous sometimes and other times it is a long expedition into the cake world of taste and textures of cake and frosting.

When you find the one, that you believe you want. Wait a day or two and go back and taste it again. If you have your meal planned out already and it is something that you can marginally duplicate, do that, eat it and then go to the baker and try the cake again. Or if you liked it on the spot, see if you can take a slice or two home to try it again, with "the" meal or something similar, so you can see if it will work. If it doesn't work, you are on your search again, unless you want to change something in your meal. Or just have a dessert reception.

Just like there are wedding dress trends there are also wedding cake trends. When I got married, I knew that I wanted my cake to be on three different pedestals arranged askew, not in a row or on top of each other, I was bucking the 2005 wedding cake trend. Back then most of the cakes looked like round hats stacked on top of each other, complete with the bow. Color was just starting to get adventurous, back then. Also I knew after tasting several cakes randomly, that I wanted double chocolate/carob and my friend's specialty butterscotch rum in the middle. I also, love fondant, so I knew that I wanted that as my frosting. Although I didn't buck traditional altogether since my cakes were white with purple ribbon at the bottom of each layer with flowers to compliment my dress. Because of my allergy to milk, I knew that the top had to be a white cake and hopefully something that would keep for a year, or so I thought.

For the year 2011/2012, when I say wedding cake trends, I am not talking about the color. I think most wedding couples will go with either the color shadings of their theme color or maybe this year go with the colors from the United Kingdom's Royal wedding colors: Silver and blue. Traditionally until the 19th century all wedding cakes were white, even the decoration on it. White, to denote purity, much like the dress. No, when I say trends I am talking about the design and or set up of the cake once it is on the table. Of late, there have been a lot of boxes, some askew, others in rigidly shaped edged box shapes and traditional cakes, but seemingly all stacked somehow one on top of the other. Held together presumably with straws or poles and a prayer, especially when transporting from bakery to venue.

Fruit cakes, fillings are out, even though the United Kingdom's Royal wedding went with a traditional fruit cake, which most Americans shun religiously at Christmas, so would NEVER be included or thought perfect for a wedding cake to be shared with your new relatives, friends, or even your spouse. Prior to the tradition in the United Kingdom of sweet or fruity cakes, in Medieval times the cake was usually made of a plain unsweetened bread. Actually probably a truer metaphor for what the bride was getting into than anything since. The bread was usually eaten first by the groom, who then broke it over the bride's head showing his dominance over her (presumably throughout the rest of their married life.) I can see why that is not practiced anymore.

The added sweetness, fruits, minced cakes are from the "Bride's Pie" which became the norm in 19th century England. Sometimes that pie was even made from mutton, especially if the family was not of the elite or royal lineage, with wealth to have the sweet meats. By the late 19th century, the bride's pie was out and single tiered plum cakes were the norm or trend of the day. It was not until much later when guest lists expanded that cake or wedding cake, earlier called the "Bride's Cake", that layering started to become trendy. Initially the layers were just mock-ups, much like the mock or fake cakes of today in which it was all either hardened sugar or hardened frosting on the*top layers. As you know the use of the fake cake is for pictures now and the first cut. Nowadays the fake cake after the first cut and pictures is taken to the kitchen or back room while the cuttings for the guests are taken from a sheet cake of the same frosting design. This is both for convenience and to keep the cost of the wedding cake down to a minimum.

Now, the trend tends to be for a deeper cakes, and we are back to stacked in the traditional straight stair-step up. The only break from tradition is the deepness and the dimensions of the layers are a little bigger to accommodate more guests. Nowadays, the cake no longer has to be the traditional round layered cake, but can be a veritable extravaganza of shapes and sizes, but are usually still stacked one on top of the other. The wedding cake as we know is the center of the wedding reception, much like the Bride has evolved to be the center of the entire event. It is said that the dress and the cake should be chosen with equal care. In the beginning of the dessert for the wedding it was called Bride 'something', whether it was pie, cake, or non edibles like the bridesmaids, and bridegroom, all to denote the day of marriage was to be centered on the bride. It was and is her day.

In terms of the decor of the cake for 2011 there seems to be a trend of elaborate decorations for the cake. Such as mimicking the bride's dress (lace or flowers) or some elaborate part of the theme of the wedding. I have seen beautiful crisp white cakes with what look to be butter cream frosting dipped or sprayed Vanilla wafers that wrap around each layer of the cake. The sugar flowers are still big, along with butterflies, and now etchings or drawings of trees and entire forests on the cake. The colors of the traditional cake is usually white to denote the purity of the bride and the whole ceremony. Now this year and next, that trend has been tossed out the window to replicate the brides' wedding colors, or the couple favorite colors. Much like the theme of the Groom's Cake. The Groom's Cake was first introduced in early American wedding ceremonies. It was traditional for the groom's cake to be chocolate and maybe decorated with the groom's hobbies displayed in sugar decorations on the cake. Now though through contemporary times the Groom's cake is not used much other than in the southern states of America.

Okay, by now, you know, I do research on trivial/little known traditions, so let me tell you why, supposedly we are to keep the top of the cake for a year and then eat it with your spouse on your one year anniversary. You know I had to know. One, because it seems so random. Two, our cake did not make it through the first six months (My husband had never heard of that tradition and thought that I'd forgotten that we had cake in the freezer. Ate, some of it and then called to remind me that we had cake. Do I hear a collective intake of shocked breath?) The tradition comes from the 19th century [There were a lot of things pertaining to cakes happening during that century. I wonder if Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom loved cake. Yum.] Anyway, during the 19th century, it was usual and expected that the bride and groom would invariably have a child 9 months or so after their marriage, so the top layer of the cake was saved to have at the Christening. This was before refrigeration, so where were they keeping it? For nine months and was it still any good? Boggles the mind doesn't it? Maybe they were filled with liquor to keep or fermented or fermenting fruit?
Here's the last one I came across, but I am sure there are many others, do you know how the tiered cake became the tiered cake? No? It seems guests of a wedding would bring sweet buns to the wedding feast, pile them as high as possible and the request, probably demand the new married couple to kiss over the top of the sweet buns. A French men came along in England and said enough with the piled sweet buns, let me just make a cake that has tiers.

Actually I have heard and read in the last year that bakers do not subscribe to the idea of holding onto the cake for a year, since unless it is a whiskey or rum soaked cake it will be the worse for wear after a year, even in the freezer. Much like my husband said, that it was getting dry sitting in the freezer. The reason our particular cake was getting dry, had nothing to do with the ability of my baker, it was the ingredients I had requested. I was trying to give up wheat at the time and requested the top layer to be made from rice flour. Well, if you know anything about baking or even rice, you know that rice is one of those foods that absorbs the liquids around it, much like mushrooms, or potatoes do. Even though she used mayonnaise to add moisture to this cake, even after just five short months the rice flour had completely sapped up all the moisture in the cake itself and was already dry, as my dear husband told me as he was eating it.

That's another thing if you have special diets, which I did at the time, make sure that whomever your baker is, that she or he is on your side as to what you want. Do not go to someone who does not respect what you want. You are paying for the cake. They may say they are an artist and they have always done it a certain way, but you are paying and as an artist, they should be flexible. Artistic ability is a show of compliance and flexibility to make something beautiful out of almost anything... or even difficult situations.

Cake Decorating Expert

For some, cake decorating is a hobby, and for others, it is a career. The amateurs are those who find it fun and gratifying to bake the cakes and then decorate them for their family and friends, saving money by doing it themselves. With expert training along with good decorating tips and ideas, anyone can master this art. With this art form you will be able to stretch your imagination. If you continue building your skills, you will experience the joy of making others happy with your expertise.

The art of decorating cakes takes place when a man or woman has turned the kitchen into an art studio. When a cake is decorated in an artistic design it is pleasing to both the creator and the recipient. Creating a cake does not have to be a stressful experience, you just need to get creative. Don't be afraid to try new ideas and techniques. For the amateur, it is the simple cake decorating tips, which are the best ways to help you get started. Decorating can be as simple as using a stencil and dusting confectioner's sugar or cocoa powder on the top of a cake.

Cakes can be iced with butter cream, royal fondant, or cooked icing. Adding to the icing cakes can be topped with flowers, spun sugar, or candy. Cakes can be created to look like a hot dog, pizza, or just about anything you have the imagination to create.

If you want to be an amateur cake decorator, you will need to learn the basics and pick up as many of the tips you can. There are many tips and ideas widely available. You may decide to continue making and decorating cakes as a pastime or you may decide to look into making a career out of decorating and baking cakes.

Whatever your desires or your goals when it comes to cake decorating, now that you are armed with this guide dedicated to cake decorating mastery, you will become a force to be reckoned with and win the envy and admiration and praise of those around you... all while having incredible fun as you go!

GETTING STARTED...

To begin decorating, you will need to ensure that you have all of the decorating tools needed.

Tips (otherwise called tubes) are an integral part of decorating cakes. Tips are simple metal cones, which you squeeze icing or a medium through to form different shapes and designs.

The size and shape of the opening on a decorating tube determines the type of decorations the tip will produce. There are 7 basic decorating tip groups: round, star, leaf, drop flower, rose, basket-weave and specialized.

A new decorator should have at least one or two tips from the first five tip groups. Then, as you become more proficient in your decorating you will want to expand your collection with tips from other groups.

Today, we will walk you through the process of trimming and splitting a cake into layers, icing it, and then finishing it with a few simple decorating techniques.

Don't worry; you won't need a pastry bag or tips, just a little patience. We recommend that you equip yourself with a few tools that can make all the difference in the finished appearance of the cake and minimize your frustration:

- a long serrated knife for trimming and cutting
- a 10-inch flexible icing spatula
- cardboard rounds, and, ideally, a rotating cake stand.

For an alternative to the rotating cake stand, improvise by setting a dinner plate upside down on top of an upside- down cake pan. The cake won't spin freely, as it does on a rotating cake stand, but this arrangement does elevate the cake and gives you an edge to grip and spin.

LEVELING AND SPLITTING THE CAKE

A cake can be cut into layers, or cakes baked separately can be layered together.

Either way, level cakes are much easier to ice than mounded ones that must be supplemented with an overabundance of icing. Use a long serrated knife to level an uneven cake and/or to cut it into layers. When the cake has cooled completely, set it on a cardboard round that is cut about 1⁄8 inch larger than the cake.

Place the cake close to the edge of the counter for more clearance when cutting.

First, determine the cake's lowest point. Steady the cake by gently pressing an outstretched hand on its surface. Holding the knife parallel to the work surface and using a steady sawing motion, begin cutting at the same level as the cake's lowest point, slicing off the mound. Remove the trimmed area.

If you are cutting the cake into layers, measure the height of the cake (that has been levelled, if necessary) and cut a small incision into the side with a paring knife to mark the desired thickness of your layers. Repeat every 3 or 4 inches around the circumference of the cake.

With a serrated knife held parallel to the work surface, cut superficially into the cake. Then, with an outstretched palm gently pressed on the surface, slowly spin the cake away from you while pulling the knife toward you. The goal is to connect the incisions and score the cake, not slice it, to create a clearly defined midpoint. Following the midpoint-marking, cut deeper and deeper in the same manner.

Gradually move the knife closer to the cake's center with each rotation. When the knife progresses past the cake's center, the cut is complete. Carefully slide the knife out then remove the cake from the cardboard round.

ICING THE CAKE

When filling and icing a cake with a butter-cream frosting, the challenge is to prevent crumbs from catching in the icing.

To help frosting spread more smoothly, get rid of loose crumbs with a pastry brush.

Cold icing is difficult to spread and pulls on the surface of the cake, so if you've made the icing ahead and chilled it, give it ample time to warm and soften. Also, placing the cake's sturdy bottom crust face-up on the top layer minimizes crumbs and provides distinct, clean edges that are easy to ice. Spreading a thin coating of frosting on the sides helps seal in any crumbs, allowing for a smoother overall look.

Finally, applying a base coat, or "crumb coat," of icing seals in loose crumbs so that they do not mar the cake's appearance.

To anchor the cake, spread a dab of frosting in the center of a cardboard round cut slightly larger than the cake. Center the upper layer of a split cake crust-side up or one cake of separately baked layers bottom-side up on the cardboard round.

Spread a dab of frosting on the center of the cake stand, then set the cardboard round with the cake on the stand.

Place a large blob in the center of the cake and spread it to the edges with an icing spatula. Imagine that you are pushing the filling into place rather than scraping it on as if it were peanut butter on a slice of toast.

Don't worry if crumbs are visible in the icing; since the filling will be sandwiched between layers, these crumbs will not be noticeable.

To level the icing and remove any excess, hold the spatula at a 45 degree angle to the cake and, if using a rotating cake stand, turn the cake.

If you're not using a rotating stand, hold the spatula at the same angle, and, starting at the edge farthest away from you, gently drag the spatula toward you. It will take a few sweeps to level the icing.

Using a second cardboard round, slide the top cake layer crust-side up on top of the frosted bottom layer, making sure that the layers are aligned.

Press the cake firmly into place.

A thin base coat of icing helps seal in crumbs. To coat the top, place a blob of icing in the center of the cake and spread it out to the edges, letting any excess hang over the edge. Don't worry if it is imperfect.

Scoop up a large dab of icing on the spatula's tip: Holding the spatula perpendicular to the cake spread the icing on the side of the cake with short side-to-side strokes.

Repeat until the entire side is covered with a thin coating.

Refrigerate the cake until the icing sets, about 10 minutes.

Apply a final thick coat of icing to the top and the sides, following the steps above, making sure that the coat is even and smooth.

When icing the sides, apply a coat thick enough to cover and conceal the cardboard round. Dipping the spatula into hot water will help create a smooth coat.

As you ice the top and sides, a ridge will form along the edge where they meet.

After you've finished icing, hold the spatula at an angle, and, with a very light hand, starting at the farthest edge of the cake, smooth the ridge toward the center. Rotate the cake and repeat until the ridge no longer exists.

SOME FINISHING TOUCHES

With a perfectly coated cake, you've got a base on which to apply some finishing touches to give the cake a polished look. You can just add simple ingredients like flaked coconut or almonds, or chocolate shards, or sprinkles or what have you, and this can look truly lovely and simple... BUT if you really want to take your cake decorating and all those finishing touches and flourishes to the next level, then you really need to dedicate yourself to a good decorating guide or road map.

And I have just the guide for you! It's called Cake Decorating Genius, and all the wonderful information and advice presented above was gleaned from this incredible book.

I really wanted to uncover all the insider secrets and tips in the area of cake decorating for you, and so we've created and compiled the most comprehensive manual that you will ever read! We worked with all the top experts and professionals in the field to bring all this incredible content together, and believe me, this is information that will truly take your cake decorating skills to an impressively high level!

Here's to your cake decorating success,