How can I make a cake for my friends birthday, with it still looking professional?!
Argh, I need to make this next week, so help me! I will buy anything to help me (short of a baker).
HELP!
Answers: I know how to make a cake, that is no problem, and I have icing and those shape caps for the icing, but how can I design it, and make it look professional?? Is there a website that I can print out stencils for letters? Any design ideas...? Round cake or rectangler?
Argh, I need to make this next week, so help me! I will buy anything to help me (short of a baker).
HELP!
Besides the fact that you made the cake for your friend, the "caring" factor is already there. There isn't any amount of fancy decorations that will improve that.
However, here is my tricks.
Use a buttercream recipe (check out Wilton or Allrecipes) that crusts. Ice your cake smooth as you can, let it sit for a half hour, and then put a Viva paper towel on the cake and run your hands over the icing. It will smooth just like the pro's. Then use a star tip (it has several cuts that go up and down, side to side, corner to corner) and just push out some icing to make stars around the top and bottom border of the cake. Take a tip that has a tiny hole and write or print Happy Birthday and you got it!
Stencils, if you want them, are terribly easy to do. Copy your picture onto a sheet of waxed paper with a pen or marker. Place the pattern, ink side towards YOU and not the cake (no inky cake, please), lay it gently against the cake. Take a toothpick and prick the paper to make the pattern on the cake. Then use your icings, candies, whatever and connect the dots...easy.
Hope that helps!
http://www.pastrywiz.com/cakes/
or just make the cake like you normally would, add the layer of icing, and put happy birthday on it. Simple & cute. just put the icing her favourite colour!
:) GOOD LUCK.
-Ariana
Go to
http://www.wilton.com/decorating/basic/i...
This website has all kinds of stuff. From recipes to techniques. Hope it helps you.
The easy way= ganache. Heat up a cup of heavy whipping cream till it's simmering and pour it over 8 oz of chocolate chips. Mix it up and pour it over the cake.
Your end result should look kind of like this
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51437651@N0...
either buy one at the local grocer or realize that your friend will accept any cake you make for her. i use Duncan Hines because it's milk-free. ice with buttercream frosting in her favorite color and add some fresh edibles flowers for decor.
I have an easy way for your cake to look pro. Make a rich cake either with nuts or chocolate. Try your best to make sure the edges are as straight as possible- the rougher they are the harder to make it perfect. Then make a quick fondant by melting a couple bars of plain dark chocolate with a few drops of pure cream. for 400g chocolate its about 1/2 cup of cream. Wait for that to cool and thicken slightly before pouring it over your cake-place your cake on a cake tray over baking paper. Spread the chocolate out with a pallet knife or any knife and let it drip down to cover the sides. Use the knife to spread it around the sides. The chocolate should not have any marks from your knife in it if you let it only cool a little bit. It looks really pro! Then you can Top with sugar roses and pipe the persons name in icing.