Easy Ways to Decorate Cakes and Cookies

Everyone loves to present a yummy looking cake and cookies to their friends, co-workers or at that special social event. But, cake and cookie decorating can be challenging and time consuming. Many people who want to add a designer touch to their cake or cookie creations often fall short of what they had in mind.

Does this sound like you? You practically have icing bag in hand when you suddenly find yourself with some cake decorating challenge that requires some expert advice.

So, you start flipping through those cake decorating books sitting on your shelf, but the answers or instructions you need are no where in sight.

You quickly head to your computer, and search through every cake and cookie decorating website you can find for an answer. An hour later, you find yourself still searching and ready to give up on the confusing instructions. You are not alone!

Instead of getting the answers and help you need, you jump from one website to another, and email several websites hoping to get your question answered. And, in the meantime, your cake is sitting on your kitchen counter waiting to be decorated. You are frustrated but need to complete the cake decoration for the event that is planned just 12 hours away!

Maybe you want to know how to decorate a cake for a bridal shower, a retirement party, or a family gathering. So, what do you do? You could call a professional cake decorating business and pay hundreds of dollars to have your cake decorated, or you can purge ahead and hope your artistic ability or homemade decorations will turn out as a spectacular presentation.

Open Star Tips: These tips seem to be popular, especially with bakers who like to decorate cupcakes. The most common tip is the #1M, which is used to decorate the tops of cupcakes. The large star-shaped opening is effective when creating large puffy swirls.

Round Tips: These tips are essential for those wishing to decorate cakes and cookies. The round opening makes them perfect to outline and script. The tips seems to be perfect for outlining shapes on cookies, and just the right size for writing letters on cakes.

Multi-Opening Tips: These tips are used to create rows and clusters of beads, stars. The most popular multi-opening tips is #233, commonly used to create grass, hair or fur on cake-creatures. The triple star tip is good for filling in large areas with colored frosting.

Try not to get discouraged. A good way to perfect and practice your cake and cookie decorating skills, is to make a batch of practice icing to get the feel for cake decorating techniques. Pipe designs directly onto a cookie pan and just scrape off to reuse. Practice icing can be kept for months in an airtight container.

Here's a good recipe for Practice Icing:

1 cup shortening

1 lb confectioner's sugar

2-3 Tablespoons of water

Place the shortening in a mixing bowl. Beat until softened. Add confectioner's sugar, and then water. Beat on medium speed until creamy, scraping the bowl sides as necessary. (Note: You will need 2 Tbsp for borders and flowers; 3 Tbsp for lines and string work.)