Learn to Decorate Cakes - Part 1

Custom cake art is a challenging—yet, very rewarding—hobby that focuses on creativity as well as hand-eye coordination. Cake art begins with an idea for a carved cake followed by a thought process that evolves until the artist can see the finished product. In order for a custom cake to look as stunning as the artist predicts, every part of the progression must come together with precision. The goal of custom cake art is to produce a dramatic cake that inevitably looks too good to eat. The reward for the artist is a gasp of awe and heartfelt tears, which is a true sign that the cake is just as the artist envisioned.

Successfully carving a cake is not an easy task. The cake itself must be moist, yet stable. Butter cream should be thick, while still tacky enough to adhere to the cake. Using a saw tooth knife will result in streamlined cuts, while a flat blade will rip the cake to pieces. The technical details are only a portion of the work, as the artist must have a steady hand and the ability to see how the shape of a pig roast can emerge from a stack of three rectangular portions of cake.

When the artist is finished carving then she applies butter cream and, oftentimes, fondant to the surface of the bare cake. Decorating is the final stage of cake art and it takes precise strokes, a gentle hand and a great amount of patience. The presentation of cake to customer is the moment when the artist realizes all of the hard work was worth every second.

This is the first in a series of articles on custom cake art. Look for the upcoming articles on baking, filing, stacking, carving and decorating cakes.