Tag: Right Tools

A Few Cake Decorating Ideas

Did you know that the first cakes baked in America where small loaves of sweet bread? Look how far we have come. Home bakers should not be intimidated by the elaborate cakes being made today. You do not need to be a pastry chef to make beautiful cakes, you just need the know-how and practice. Of course the right tools will go a long way in your cake decorating endeavors. Here are a few ideas you might like to try.

Every cake worth merit starts with a smooth icing. The cake needs to cool completely before they are iced and decorated. To keep crumbs from ending up in your icing and ruining the look of your cake, start with a thin base coat of frosting that is not quite as stiff as the regular layer will be. Once this coat is on, set the cake in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. This will set the icing and any crumbs will be caught in this first layer. Now you can spread a regular layer of icing without worrying about crumbs.

Use an icing spatula to apply and smooth the second coat of icing. Once the icing is on the cake, start smoothing on the sides by running the spatula around the perimeter of the cake. One trick for smoothing the frosting is to dip the metal icing spatula in cold water, this will aid in smoothing the frosting. To smooth the top, dip the spatula in cold water and holding it horizontally over the top of the cake. Start at the point farthest from you, holding the spatula in both hands, skim the top of the icing by bringing the spatula straight toward you.

Simple Designs

Some cake decorators say learning to smooth the icing is the hardest part of cake decorating. Practice will make you a pro in not time. Once you have it down, show it off, even a cake without many decorations that is clean and smooth will make an perfectly elegant offering.

Instead of icing, cake tops can be dusted with powdered sugar. You can choose to use a stencil for a more decorated appearance, or just the powdered sugar for a clean look.

Edible decorations are a beautiful yet simple cake decorating technique. The use of sprinkles, candy, nuts, and coconut pressed into the icing before it sets, will make your cake stand out.

To apply a textured look for your cake decorating, use a small cardboard comb, available in baking supply stores.

Piping is achieved by using a pastry bag fitted with a metal tip that is held on by a coupler. This is your most important tool for cake decorating. You can make lines, words, shells, flowers, and many other designs on the top or sides of the cake. Fill the bag with no more than 1 cup of icing at a time, twist the top of the bag and keep steady pressure when piping the design. Use your other hand to guide the tip. It is wise to find out everything you can about piping before you begin.

Fondant a smooth white paste, is used in complicated cake decorating. Fondant is kneaded and rolled to cover cakes with a sleek smooth layer of icing. It is also used to make designs that are 3-D. It is less tasty than buttercream, but the cake will look sleek and elegant.

Key Components on How to Become a Pastry Chef

Do you want to learn how to become a pastry chef? Many people think that in order to become a pastry chef, you need to graduate from culinary school. However, you should realize that learning how to become a pastry chef today can be quite easy. This is because all the information you need can be found on the internet. Here are some of the things that you need in order to become a pastry chef:

Passion People can be very passionate about different types of food. In order to become a pastry chef, you need to be passionate about pastry. You need to see more than just a piece of glorified bread. You need to see a whole universe of possibilities in pastry. You need to be driven to excellence. Everyone can become a pastry chef if they just follow recipes to the letter. However, you need to transcend that and become a great pastry chef.

Creativity The key to becoming a great pastry chef is creativity. The difference between a good pastry chef and a great pastry chef is the fact that one follows recipes while the other creates recipes. Creativity, of course, comes from passion. Creativity, however, needs to be unleashed. In order to make your creativity work for you and make you a great pastry chef, you need to be willing to experiment. This means that you need to be curious and ask yourself “what can I do to make this pastry better?”

Pastry, on its own is actually quite uninteresting. It is the different things that people do with pastry that make them great food. In order to become a pastry chef, you need to possess the creativity that can turn pastry from part of the main course to dessert.

Tools Of course, in order to unleash your creativity and become a pastry chef, you need to have the right tools. These tools will help you translate your creativity into the pastry. These will help you transform your thoughts into delectable creations. A huge part of becoming a pastry chef is knowing the right tools to buy. This is because these tools will serve as translators. Your talent and creativity will be limited by what tools are available for your use. This means that you have to find tools which will be able to let you express your creativity to the fullest. This will help you become a great pastry chef.

Patience Becoming a pastry chef requires a huge amount of waiting. You can only exercise your creativity for a certain period of time and then, you have to let the heat of the oven do its job. You need to learn patience in order to get through this part of making pastry. You have to accept that when the pastry is in the oven, there is nothing you can do but wait. If you don’t take any shortcuts, you will be rewarded with something that comes purely from your skills.

Practice In order to become a pastry chef, you need to become a pastry chef. The key to cooking is cooking. You don’t just learn how to become a pastry chef, you need to practice it. This is the only way to truly become a pastry chef. So what are you waiting for?