Honey cake - one of the most common cakes that are cooked with their own hands. Many people like its taste, therefore it is this delicacy that can often be seen on the festive table. However, without the original decoration, the cake may look too modest and not festive. Even ordinary icing can turn a honey cake into a work of art, if you approach this issue with imagination.
Making your cake look professional and impressive isn't as hard as some people think. There are several simple and easy methods for decorating a honey cake, which are easy to perform in the home kitchen without much effort.
Marshmallows, or chewing marshmallows
You can try decorating the cake with marshmallows. In molten or natural form, this sweetness helps turn any pastry into a masterpiece. How to decorate a honey cake at home with marshmallows? Put these sweets in a tower or other figure on the surface of the cake, or melt slightly over low heat on a stove and pour over the resulting mass - the choice is yours. Marshmallows are available at reasonable prices in most supermarkets, so you can make a decoration for your honey cake without much cost and effort.
Useful tip: when it comes to melting sweets, it’s best to use a non-stick pan. Hot marshmallows are very viscous, they melt slowly, so you need to constantly mix them when heated and in no case bring them to a boil. Otherwise, you will get a sticky "putty", unsuitable for confectionery purposes.
Sugar fudge
The list of ways to decorate a honey cake will be incomplete without sugar fudge. It can be made independently from scratch, or you can buy a semi-finished product. It is perfect for any cake and easy to apply. You can buy several types of different colors or add a few drops of food coloring to a white fondant to create your own color palette or even a drawing. Speaking about how to decorate a honey cake, it would be a good idea to make a picture in the form of a bee or a barrel with honey.
Helpful Hint: Before you start working with fondant, make sure that you have prepared a clean, dry surface for stirring. Add icing sugar to avoid sticking and use a clean rolling pin.
Powdered sugar
If you are looking for a simple but effective method for decorating a honey cake, powdered sugar is the best choice. You can simply sprinkle a cake on it or cut out a stencil from paper and make a drawing. In addition, you can add a little water and a flavored extract to the icing sugar and mold three-dimensional figures from the resulting mixture.
Useful advice: When it comes to sprinkling a cake, make sure that it is completely cool, otherwise the powdered sugar will melt.
Oil glaze
The preparation of such a design does not take much time. All you need to do is mix butter, powdered sugar, flavored extract and a few drops of milk. This coating can be made with different tastes, different colors and in different shapes. To the question of how the finished cake is made out before serving, many answer: "Decorate the honey cake with cream."
Oil glaze in a similar way can be applied to the surface of the dessert in an even layer, or you can create a three-dimensional pattern. If desired, creamy soft cheese can be used instead of butter.
Useful tip: If your buttery glaze is too soft, add more powdered sugar to it. Before serving, the cake should be stored in the refrigerator.
Special Cake Figures
Everything is simple here. It is necessary to buy ready-made edible figures for cakes that correspond to the holiday for which dessert is being prepared. In this case, the honey cake is covered with an even layer of cream or glaze, and a thematic exposition is created from above.
Useful advice: figures can be very fragile, so store them in a closed container in advance and handle them with care when it comes to placing them on the cake.
Sweets and sweets
Speaking about how to decorate a honey cake for a children's holiday, do not be afraid to use chocolate and sweets. You can stack them in the middle of the tower, cover the entire surface of the cake with jelly candies or chocolates, or make a drawing by laying them out in a certain order. Marmalades in the form of bees will be especially appropriate.
Useful advice: If you plan to decorate your cake with chocolate and sweets, it is recommended to coat it with sugar, butter or chocolate in advance . Sweets must be set before the coating has frozen, so that they can “stick” to the honey cake.
Coconut flakes
Grated coconut pulp is also a common way to decorate honey cake at home. This is a more useful option than powdered sugar or candy, and this design looks just as impressive. Cover your cake with an even layer of cream that was used in the filling, and then sprinkle with a thick layer of coconut. Its taste is so delicate that it goes well with any cream, including sour cream or condensed milk (which are most often used in honey).
Useful advice: it is better to buy more coconut shavings by weight, since the portioned packets on sale are very small, and it can be difficult to calculate the right amount. You can purchase a topping of different colors and place it on the cake in the form of patterns.
Fruits
If you are looking for something light and refreshing, fruits are the best choice. You can choose any type - from fresh raspberries to raisins. Sweet fruits combine best with honey.
Useful advice: If you use fresh fruits, place them on the cake literally at the last minute. If they are juicy, cream or frosting may leak.
Nuts
A mixture of nuts is another way to decorate a honey cake beautifully. You can cover them with the whole cake from top to bottom or sprinkle them only on the top. Whichever option you choose, your honey cake will look amazing.
Useful advice: try the best way to combine the type of nuts and cream with which you coat the cake. For example, if the cream contains peanut butter, peanuts will be the best choice, and if chocolate is added to the cake, it is better to take sweet pecans.
Chocolate or waffle rolls
This is a great method to hide any flaws on your cake. If honey cake cakes are slightly burnt at the edges, you can not trim them, but hide them under a beautiful design. Just coat the finished cake with a layer of cream or glaze on all sides and glue the wafer tubes in the vertical position at the edges. Since their edge will be above the level of a honey cake, you can decorate its top with sweets, fruits or cream patterns.
Useful tip: the more tubes you have in stock, the better. There is nothing worse than starting to put them around the cake and find that they are missing the whole circumference.
Congratulatory inscription
A great idea on how to decorate a honey cake for a birthday is a congratulatory inscription on its surface. Let the hero of the occasion feel special by writing him a personalized message. The easiest way to do this is to squeeze the icing or thick cream from a thin culinary syringe. In addition, you can also buy culinary art pens or special stamps to decorate the cake.
Useful advice: if you can’t make the inscription cream, you can use icing or icing sugar mixed with a little water. The mixture should be quite thick, otherwise it will spread over the surface of the honey cake. If you don’t have a cooking syringe, you can cut a small hole in a plastic bag and inscribe it with it.
Meringues
If you are very fond of meringues, this might be another idea how to decorate a honey cake. Prepare soft meringues by whipping egg whites and sugar and gently spread on the surface of the cake. If you want to get a classic crunchy meringue, you can bake it in the oven and put it on top of dessert (technically it will be the same as decorating with sweets).
Useful tip: if you have never made meringue before, cook it slowly in a low heat oven. Better it stay soft than burn.
Natural flowers
Using rose petals and lavender twigs, you can turn any cake into a work of art. Fresh flowers will make your honey cake very attractive and add a floral aroma. Lay out the petals and whole flowers at the edges of your cake or on the surface.
Useful advice: You can eat flowers only if you are sure of their edibility. If you use any petals from your garden to decorate, eating them can cause indigestion.
Chocolate paste
Nutella and other chocolate pastes are a great choice if the cream looks pale and unattractive, and you don’t have enough time to decorate the cake. Simply spread the honey cake evenly with a spoon or a cooking spatula. You can complement this decoration with sweets or fresh fruits.
Useful tip: decorating the cake with chocolate paste is especially recommended if the cream contains peanut butter. You should decorate a non-chilled honey cake (before placing it in the refrigerator) to ensure an even coating.
Whipped cream
Honey cake can become even more beautiful and tastier if you decorate it with freshly whipped cream, on which you can place pieces of chocolate or fruit. They are very easy to apply even if you don’t have a cooking syringe.
Good advice: remember that cream is best kept in the cold. If you plan to cook a honey cake in advance, store it in the refrigerator or decorate with cream at the last minute before serving.
Caramel
A caramel layer is also a good way to decorate a honey cake. You can spread a layer on top of the dessert or mix it with cream cheese to make a caramel cream. It can be used for impregnation of honey cake, and for decoration.
Useful advice: if you decide to make caramel from scratch, you should cook it gradually over low heat. Otherwise, it may burn out and become unusable.
Chocolate
Chocolate is one of the common ways to decorate cakes. It can be melted or mixed with cream. You can also just use cocoa powder as a sprinkle - the possibilities are endless! At the same time, the cake does not have to contain cocoa in cakes or cream - this design is suitable in any case.
Useful advice: when it comes to melting chocolate, you should keep it on low heat and melt gradually. Otherwise, it will burn. White chocolate will melt much faster than milk chocolate or dark chocolate, as it contains more sugar.
Marzipan
Marzipan is a nutty, often almond, fondant that is traditionally used in the manufacture of festive cakes. This is a delicious alternative to sugar glaze that is easy to apply and holds its shape.
Useful advice: when handling marzipan, do not use its too thick layer, otherwise it will be difficult for you to roll it.
These were the main ways to decorate the honey cake (a photo of some options is attached). It goes without saying that the design of cakes is not limited to this list - it all depends on your imagination.