TYPES OF CAKE DECORATIONS

Edible cake decorations can be divided into different groups:

1.WHIPPED CREAM: Made by using whipped cream and powdered sugar to create a light frosting which can also be flavoured and/or colored.

2.BUTTER CREAM: Made with butter and icing sugar (and milk). It can also be flavoured with e.g lemon/orange zests or chocolates. Butter cream can be used for cake filling or as a crumb coat. 

There are different types of butter cream:
  • American style butter cream:
This is the most common classic frosting. It is made entirely oof butter and icing sugar. It can be flavoured as well as coloured.
  • Crusting butter cream:
Made with shortening and slightly more sugar than the American style buttercream so that it sets as it firms. Usually used for piping.
  • Flour Butter Cream:
Also known as cooked milk frosting. A mixture of milk, flour and sugar is boiled until it thickens to a thick consistency. The milk is let to cool then beated with the butter to a silky frosting..
  • Cream cheese frosting:
A type of American style butter cream made by using part butter cream frosting and cream cheese. Due to the addition of cream cheese, this is a heavier spread. Usually used for doughnut filling and cupcakes, carrot cakes, red velvet cake, etc.. 

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3.FROSTING: Similar to buttercream apart from the addition of egg whites. Due to this addition the frosting holds shape more than buttercream and is therefore used for piping swirls on top of cakes. There are different types of frosting.
  • Cream cheese frosting:
Made by using part butter cream frosting and cream cheese. Due to the addition of cream cheese, this is a heavier spread. Usually used for doughnut filling and cupcakes. 
  •  Meringue:
This is a light and fluffy icing.  The basic ingredients for a meringue frosting are egg whites, cold water and granulated sugar. Addition of butter will create a combined meringue and butter cream frosting of which are divided into 3 groups:  (French does not require any heating while Swiss and Italian require heating of the egg whites)

1.French meringue butter cream frosting: Does not require heating of the egg whites. 
2. Swiss meringue  butter cream frosting: This involves whisking the egg whites in a mixing bowl over a pan of hot water.
3. Italian meringue butter cream frosting; This involves the addition of caramelized sugar into the mixture.

4 MARZIPAN: Also known as ... used for covering cakes. Has the same use as Fondant but it is much more expensive. A good quality marzipan usually has an almond content of at least 25%
Ingredients: Made by use of almond powder.
 
5. FONDANT: Also known as SUGAR PASTE, ROLL ICING, REGAL ICE,COVERING PASTE etc. It usually comes in different colours (or you can colour yours with edible food colours). Fondant is primarily used to cover cakes but you can also use it to create show pieces like flowers and other artistic expressions etc.
Its basic ingredients include gelatine, glycerine, shortening, water and icing sugar (in different proportions). You can replace the gelatine and glycerine by using marshmallows..

Handling: Knead it to make it pliable and use corn flour while rolling it out to avoid it sticking to any surfaces/rolling pin. Once rolled out, shape it onto your cake or create the flowers/creations then let it dry .Once dry it turns hard and cannot be moulded/will break.

6. GLACE ICING: This is made by mixing icing sugar with a liquid (water or fruit juice). Used to drizzle over cakes or cinammon rolls.

7. ROYAL ICING: The most traditional of all icing. Also know as ....It is a pure white icing that dries to a hard, smooth matte finish outer shell.
Ingredients: It is made by whipping (fresh or pwdered) egg whites with icing sugar. 
Used to pipe cake edges/borders , lace, scrolls, writting, etc
Marzipan is usually used as an undercoat during cake coating to prevent discolouration.
Glycerine may be added to prevent the icing from setting too hard.

8. GUM PASTE: Also known as FLOWER PASTE, PETAL PASTE, oR FLORIST PASTE. It can be used to make cake decorations but dries very quickly.

9. MEXICAN PASTE: This is a very strong and elastic/stetchy than gum paste therefore can be rolled very thin without tearing. 

10. (CHOCOLATE) GANACHE: Made with Belgian chocolate and double cream. Can be used as a covering by itself, as a filling or as a crumb coat cake.
To achieve a smooth shiny chocolate glaze, the ganache is pour it over the cake.

11. MODELING CHOCOLATE: Made by melting chocolate (dark or milk chocolate) with corn syrup,glucose syrup and golden syrup. This is preffered if when making decorations which cannot be achieved using the softer buttercream or fondant.

12. EDIBLE INK PRINTING:​ Have you come across a cake that has a 'photo' stuck on it? Well... It has now become possible to print images and photographs onto edible sheets (e.g rice paper) which can then be used for cake decorations. However this requires specialized machinery (printers) and edible inks. ​

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