Easy Cake Decorating Tips for the Decorating Impaired

When you are hosting a party a decorated cake is often times the element that ties the theme of the party together. If you are like me and are not the most skilled cake decorator, you should know that there are easy cake decorating techniques that you can use to make a beautiful or fun looking cake quickly and easily. This article will go over a few of those techniques.

Easy Cake Decorating Tip Number One - Use Premixed Frostings

One of the most basic tips for decorating a cake easily is to use premixed frostings. Today you can find a number of different types of frosting flavors and colors in the baking department of your local supermarket. These frostings even come in decorating tubes with various shaped tips, which make it easier for writing and making decorative frosting designs on cookies and cakes.

Easy Cake Decorating Tip Number Two - Use Edible Flowers

Another easy way to decorate a spring or summer themed cake is to use edible flowers. First cover the cake with a base coat of frosting from a can, or homemade. Then before the frosting has a chance to set up apply edible flowers. You can find these flowers at your local florist, or from your own garden. For a list of edible flowers and their flavors you can visit the following link: http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/blflowers.htm.

Easy Cake Decorating Tip Number Three - Use Toys

One decorating technique that I have used in the past to decorate my son's birthday cakes is to use small toys. For example one year I made a Monster Truck themed cake by using pre-mixed vanilla frosting, pre-mixed chocolate fudge frosting, green sprinkles, a small monster truck model, and small toy trees. I began by making a chocolate road that winded across the cake. Then I used the vanilla frosting to cover the rest of the cake. I then sprinkled green sugar crystal on the vanilla frosting making it look like grass. To finish the look of the cake I positioned the monster truck on the chocolate road, and toy trees in the grass. This is a very inexpensive way to make a professional looking cake. You can even make the toy decorations a birthday gift or a party favor.

Easy Cake Decorating Tip Number Four - Use Pre-Made Frosting Inserts

Another easy way to decorate a cake is to buy Pre-Made Character Frosting Design Kits. These packages have a character design made from frosting and sugar and sugar lettering. To use these decorating packages you will just need to frost your cake with a basic frosting and then remove the backing from the frosting character design and position it on your cake. The character design will melt into your frosting enough that it becomes a part of the frosting making it look like you airbrushed the character design directly on the frosting. You can then position the "Happy Birthday" sugar letters on your cake, add candles and you're done. These decorating packages only cost a few dollars and they come in a variety of popular cartoon characters including Warner Brother's characters and Disney characters.