Chapter 17: Assembling Cakes and Decorating Cakes

A form of icing made of confectioners' sugar and egg whites; used for decorating.

An icing made of butter and/or shortening blended with confectioners' sugar or sugar syrup and, sometimes other ingredients.

An icing made of meringue and gelatin

Sugar syrup that is crystalized to a smooth creamy white mass

A sponge cake or other yellow cake filled with pastry cream and topped with chocolate fondant or confectioners' sugar.

A pedestal with a flat, rotating top, used for holding cakes while they are being decorated.

A plastic triangle with toothed or serrated edges; used for texturing icings.

A variety of small fancy cakes and other pastries, usually in single-portion sizes

To partly mix two colors of cake batter or icing so that the colors are in decorative swirls.

A transparent, sweet jelly used for decorating cakes.

They contribute flavor and richness They improve appearance They improve keeping qualities by forming protective coatings around cakes

100ºF (38°C)

fat and sugar

Boiled icings are simply meringues made with a boiling syrup

Boiled icings are simply meringues made with a boiling syrup. Marshallow icings re made just before using and applied white while still warm

Marizan Rolled fondant Modeling chocolate

Cake icing Filling Decor

1. Fondant 2. Buttercreams 3. Foam-type icings 4. Fudge-type icings 5. Flat-type icings 6. Royal or decorator's icing 7. Glazes 8. Rolled coatings

1. Heat the fondant over a warm-water bath, stirring constantly, to thin it and make it pourable. Do not heat it over 100 degree F, or it will lose its shine 2. If it is still too thick, thin it with a little simple sugar syrup or water 3. Add flavorings and colorings as desired 4. To make chocolate fondant, stir melted unsweetened chocolate into the warm fondant until the desired color and flavor are reached. 5. Apply the warm fondant by pouring it over the item or by dipping items into it.

Simple buttercreams: They are made by creaming together fat and confectioners' sugar to the desired consistency and lightness. A small quantity of egg whites and whole eggs may be whipped in Decorator's buttercream: It is a simple type of simple buttercream, used for making flowers and other decorations. It is creamed a little at low speed, as too much air beaten into it would make it unable to hold delicate shape. Shortening is used in decorator's butter cream instead of butter Meringue-type buttercream: They are a mixture of butter and meringue. These are very light icings. The most frequently made of these kinds of buttercreams is Italian buttercream, made with Italian Meringue French buttercream: They are prepared by beating a boiling syrup into beaten egg yolks, and whipping to a light foam. Soft butter is then whipped in. These are very rich, but light, icings. Pastry cream-type buttercream: It is made by mixing together equal parts thick pastry cream and softened butter, and whipping until light. If more sweetness is desired, sifted confectioners' sugar may be mixed in Fondant-type buttercream: It is simple to make with only a few ingredients on hand. Simply cream together equal parts fondant and butter. Flavor as desired

Foam icings are simply meringues made with a boiling syrup. Some also contain stabilizing ingredients like gelatin. Foam icings should be applied thickly to cakes and left in peaks and swirls

Royal icing dries easily and quickly, which makes it useful for fine decorations; but it also required special handling and storage. Cover it tightly whenever it is not in use. For even greater protection from drying, place a clean, damp towel on the surface of the icing, and then cover the container tightly with plastic film

Cake icing Filling Decor

1. Assemble all tools and equipment and have them ready 2. Have all ingredients prepared and at the proper temperature. Cool cake layers completely before assembling and icing. Icings and fillings should be spreadable and at the correct temperature 3. Trim cake layers, if necessary. Remove any ragged edges. Slightly rounded tops are easily covered by icing, but excessively large bumps may have to be cut off 4. Brush all crumbs from cakes. Loose crumbs make icing difficult 5. Place the bottom layer upside down on a cardboard cake circle of the same diameter. Place the cake in the center of a cake turntable. If a cake circle or turntable is not available. place the cake on a serving plate; slip sheets of wax paper or parchment enter the edges of the cake to keep the plate clean 6. Spread filling on the bottom layer, out to the edges. If the filling is different from the outside frosting, be careful not to spread the filling over the edges 7. Place the top layer on the bottom layer 8. Ice the cake

1. Turn out the cake onto a cake board or the bottom of another sheet pan or tray. Cool the cake thoroughly 2. Trim the edges evenly with a serrated knife. 3. Brush all crumbs from the cake. 4. Place a quantity of icing in the center of the cake and, with a spatula, push the icing to the edges. Smooth the top with a spatula, giving the entire cake an even layer of icing 5. With a long knife or spatula, mark the entire cake into portions by pressing the back of the knife lightly into the icing. Do not cut the cake. 6. Using a paper cone or pastry bag fitted with a star tube, pipe a rosette or swirl onto the center of each marked-off portions. 7. Cut portions as close as possible to service time to keep the cake from drying

1. Palette knife 2. Offset palette knife 3. Serrated knife 4. Grates 5. Turntables 6. Icing comb 7. Plastic or steel scraper 8. Pastry brush 9. Cake rings 10. Cake cards 11. Parchment paper 12. Pastry bag and tips

1. Make the paper cone 2. Fill the cone about half full with icing. If the cone is too full, it is harder to squeeze, and icing is likely to come out the top 3. Fold down the top of the cone to close the open end 4. With scissors, cut off a very small piece of the tip of the cone. 5. Hold the top end of the cone between your thumb and the first fingers of your right hand. Position your fingers so they can hold the folded end closed and at the same time apply pressure to squeeze the icing from the cone 6. Do not squeeze the cone with your left hand. Instead, lightly hold the index finger of your left hand against the thumb of your right hand or against the cone, in order to steady your right hand and help guide it 7. Use either the contact method or the drop-string method to create different types of decorations and inscriptions

1. Fit the desired metal tip into the pastry bag 2. If the filling or icing is too thin, twist the bag just above the tip and force it into the tip. This prevents the filling from running out of the bag while the bag is being filled 3. Turn down the top of the bag into a sort of collar. Slip your hand under this collar and hold the top open with your thumb and forefinger 4. Fill the bag half to three-quarters full. Remember that stiff icings are relatively hard to force from the bag, so fill the bag less when you are working with these 5. Turn up the top of the bag again. Gather the loose top together and hold it shut with the thumb and forefinger of your right hand 6. To force out the icing or cream, squeeze the top of the bag in the palm of your right hand 7. Use the fingers of your left hand to lightly guide the tip of the bag, not to squeeze the bottom of the bag. The left hand is sometimes used to hold the item being filled or decorated

The key is to control the temperature so when the crystal form, they are microscopically tiny. This is what make the fondant smooth and shiny. If the fondant is not made correctly, the crystals become larger and the icing loses its shine and smoothness

Butter is the preferred fat for buttercreams because of its flavor quality. Icings made with shortening only can be unpleasant because the fat congeals and coats the inside of the mouth, where it does not melt. However, butter makes a less stable icing because it melts so easily. Use butter cream only in cool whether. Blend a small quantity of emulsifier shortening with the butter to stabilize it. Buttercreams may be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for several days.

1. Assemble all tools and equipment and have them ready 2. Have all ingredients prepared and at the proper temperature. Cool cake layers completely before assembling and icing. 3. Trim cake layers, if necessary. Remove any ragged edges 4. Brush all crumbs from cakes 5. Place the bottom layer upside down on a cardboard cake circle of the same diameter. Place the cake in the center of a cake turntable. If a cake circle or turntable is not available, place the cake on a serving plate; slip sheets of wax paper under the edges of the cake to keep the plate clean 6. Spread filling on the bottom layer, out to the edges. 7. Place the top layer on the bottom layer, right side up 8. Ice the cake

If the icing is flowing, pull the cakes straight out of the icing. Hold them sideways for a moment so the icing runs to one edge. Then turn them upright and wipe the icing from the edge of the cakes with your finger. Do not let icing run down the sides. Spread the icing with a spatula. Take enough icing for one cake on the tip of a bowl knife and cover the top of the cake in a single smooth, neat motion, twisting the cake in one hand. Practice is necessary to develop speed and efficiency. With a pastry bag fitted with a star on plain tube, apply a swirl of icing to each cake

Consistency of the icing. Icing must be neither too thick nor too thin. With the paper cone or the writing tube, the icing must be thin enough to flow freely from the opening, but not too thin to form a solid thread.

False:

Masking the sides Stenciling Marbling Palette Knife Patterns