The smartly decorated holiday cake can rightfully be called a real work of art. But to create such a masterpiece is painstaking and delicate work. Baking cakes and preparing a cream is just the beginning. The most time-consuming part of this work is decoration. But, you must admit, this process is very entertaining and creative. Where, no matter how here, you can show your imagination and surprise guests with an unusual culinary masterpiece.
Decorations for cakes can be made by yourself or purchased ready-made, the benefit of their choice is simply huge today: it is multi-colored coconut flakes, sugar colored beads of any size, jewelry made of colored sweet paper, figures of marzipan and mastic, and much, much more.
You need to start decorating by applying a “base” - glaze on the cakes. But before proceeding directly to the process of applying it, you need to wait for the freshly baked cakes to cool, otherwise the jewelry may begin to “melt” from high temperature. The most affordable and easiest to use at home glaze is chocolate. For its preparation, it is enough just to melt the usual chocolate bar in a water bath and cover it with the surface of the cake. In the same way, you can cast any figures using special confectionery molds. You can use any chocolate - both white and black, as well as combine them to produce a variety of patterns.
In pastry shops you can also buy ready-made multi-colored glaze. This is a soft and plastic material that can be rolled out like plasticine, and then gently cover the entire cake. Her taste is neutral and therefore it is suitable for absolutely any type of cake. It’s simple and very beautiful - a cake decorated in this way is practically indistinguishable from a cake made in a confectionery.
Traditional cake decorating is cream. What cake does without it? It gives soft airiness of forms and elegantly hides all the flaws of the lower layer. When applying the cream, it is better not to rush, gently and accurately placing it layer by layer on the surface of the cake. Using a pastry syringe or an ordinary plastic bag with a small hole made in it, you can create any patterns: roses, hearts, various figures, make any inscriptions. Do not forget to also apply a layer of cream on the side surfaces of the cake, also for decoration they can be sprinkled with coconut flakes or almond flakes.
Of course, the decoration of cakes should be sustained in the traditions and style of the celebrated holiday, be it a birthday, anniversary, wedding or any other solemn event. And in each case there are small nuances that need to be taken into account.
The best decoration for children's cakes is bright marzipan or caramel figurines, sweet colored beads, stars, rings, a sprinkle of coconut. There is one rule here - the more flowers, the more enthusiasm the children have. Also, the little one will be pleased with colorful figures from edible paper or foil: butterflies, stars, flowers - all this can be bought in almost any culinary store. If you are good at sculpting, then you can independently make figurines of your child’s favorite cartoon characters from multi-colored fondant. Do not decorate the cake with inedible figures, especially if the children are still small - they may try to swallow them. And don’t forget about the little confectionery candles - according to the number of years the little birthday is performed!
Decorating cakes on the occasion of the anniversary, as a rule, is performed in a not very bright, but a little pompous style. If the birthday girl is a beautiful lady, then the festive cake must certainly be decorated with roses from cream, mastic or marzipan. It is best to arrange them on the sides, so that they do not cover the main decoration - numbers and a congratulatory inscription. For a male hero, the festive treat is kept in more strict colors, without bright color elements. Wrap the cake with a cream pattern, small roses of white or cream colors. And, of course, the symbol of celebration - candles, in an amount equal to the age of the birthday man, which, according to tradition, he must blow out and make a wish before tasting the cake.
Not a single wedding, whether it is a celebration in a narrow family circle or a magnificent pompous ceremony, can do without a traditional cake. And here, too, have their own nuances, which should not be forgotten. Cake decorating for a wedding is usually held in gentle light colors: white, cream, pink. Traditionally, these are flowers, figurines of pigeons, angels, decorative bedding from hearts. The final solemn note for the cake will be the figures of the bride and groom, two crossed rings or two white swans, placed at the very top. They are sold in a large assortment and for every taste - from classic romantic to depicting some kind of comic scene. If edible figures are chosen, then by tradition the newlyweds themselves should eat them to the applause of all the guests of the wedding.