The undisputed leader of all desserts, of course, is the cake. Not one important festive event, especially a children's birthday, can do without such a dessert. A special delight in the child is caused by cakes decorated with mastic.
It is about how to make it at home and how to decorate a cake with it, we will discuss today. Let's figure out how to make a beautiful pink cake for your princess.
Dispel myths
Many mothers believe that a birthday cake for a girl should definitely be ordered in specialized candy stores or from private owners. In fact, this is just a myth that only professionals can decorate cakes with mastic. And at home, knowing the right recipe, you can easily cook a tasty and proper mastic. How to do this?
Milk mastic
There are several recipes for making mastic at home. Someone makes it with gelatin, others buy and melt sweets in the microwave. One of the most popular is based on the use of milk.
Ingredients
- 150 grams of milk powder.
- 200 grams of condensed milk.
- Two teaspoons of lemon juice.
- 150 grams of powdered sugar.
- One teaspoon of vodka or brandy.
- Food color pink.
The process of creating mastic according to such a recipe is so simple that even an inexperienced young housewife can handle it. You just need to mix all the ingredients. It is recommended to do this until the mastic is supple and comfortable to warm up in the hands. If it turns out to be too liquid, then gradually add the powdered sugar. If, on the contrary, it began to crumble or crumble, then there is less powder, more lemon juice.
Why is this mastic good? Firstly, it cooks very fast. Secondly, making it very simple. Thirdly, it perfectly conveys the colors of dyes. If, for example, you need a white and pink cake, then white will be bright white and pink will be bright pink, as you would like. As a rule, mastic made from gelatin or sweets does not give such a white shade. It turns out more matte, closer to beige. But sometimes we need just the snow-white color of the dessert.
Pink color. How to choose a dye
It is very important to choose and acquire food colors for mastics in the right way. If you need a pink cake, which color is best to buy?
There is an option to use dry dyes. But it is better to use it in cases where there is a need to tint some small details. Such a dye will give only a small shade, but you will not get a saturated pink color.
The second option is liquid food colors. This option is already more acceptable if you are going to make a bright cake for the girl. Liquid dye can be added directly during the preparation of mastic, replacing part of the milk. And you can add it later, when the mass will be almost in the consistency you need.
There is a third option, which is often used by professional confectioners. These are gel dyes. They will also give a bright saturated shade, but at the same time they will be spent more economically. Such dyes can be used not only to give color to the mastic. If, for example, on an idea and inside there should be a pink cake. Add a little gel dye to the dough or cream. With dry or liquid dyes, this option will not work, they can be used only for coloring mastic. But with gel - please, at least in the dough, at least in the glaze, at least in the cream (except for protein).
How to decorate a cake with mastic
Having learned to make mastic with your own hands, you can proceed to the main action - to create a beautiful pink cake from mastic. Pink it will be either red, white or green - it does not matter. The principle of work with this confectionery material is the same for all colors and shades.
First you need to roll the material well with a rolling pin. We do the same manipulations as with a regular dough, but instead of flour we will (to not stick) pour powdered sugar. Then, having thought over the concept, we cut out the details, figures, figures, flowers from the mastic sheet. If you have the skill and desire, you can create a variety of voluminous figures or decorate plastic forms with mastic.
You can cover the cake with a single sheet, and only then decorate it. There are a lot of stencils, so you should not have problems with options and ideas.