By no means am I saying that I my decorated cakes look professional; I am not that delusional. But I know a little more than the average person, and sometimes my cakes don’t turn out half bad. I’ve figured out some pretty neat stuff through all my successes and failures, and thought I’d share it with you.
1. Vegetable Oil
I’m not talking about greasing the pan, I use it to grease the fondant. Most places will tell you to use powdered sugar to keep the fondant from sticking on your counters when you roll it out, but it makes such a mess and can dry out or make your fondant powdery looking. I don’t know how I started doing this, but it works just as well to spray some vegetable oil non-stick spray on your counter instead. And it makes your fondant nice and shiny! Just be careful not to use too much, that could be gross.
2. Tools
I was taught in math class that the calculator is a crutch, but I look at it as a tool. I love tools, they make things easier! I have a lot of baking tools but one of the most useful for fondant decoration is a Ribbon Cutter. Since I’ve gotten it I use it every time I decorate a cake. A fondant ribbon or some stripes is a really easy and cute way to decorate a cake, and the cutter satisfies the need I have for perfectly straight lines.
3. Keep it clean
If you were to put two plain cakes, one professionally done and one homemade, next to each other you would probably know which one is professional. The key to making something look like you bought it is nice clean edges and level layers. When you’re making the layers, use a cake leveler to make sure they’re even. When you coat with buttercream, make sure it’s even. You can even square off the top edge of the cake using your angled spatula, and chill before you add fondant or more buttercream.
4. Do what you know
Fondant covered cakes have been all the rage the last few years, but it’s not always necessary. Pick a skill or two that you can do well, and do it well! It’s better to pick something that you’re good at and use it artfully than to try a bunch of things and cover the cake with them. It helps to plan out what you’re going to do in advance, and as things go wrong you can add or subtract. Save the new skills for the practice run!
Save the Baker 