Decorating Genius

Dear Decorating Genius,

I love to experiment with frosting fabulous cakes. However, every time I get to the fine details with tips and frosting bags, the consistency of the frosting changes. The color separates, the texture gets mushy and won’t hold shape, and the whole things turn into a flop. HELP!

Respectfully yours,

Frosting Wrecker

Dear Frosting Wrecker,

I completely understand your problem. When I started frosting cakes as a hobby, this was a problem I would run into often, especially when I would use a butter-based frosting instead of the shortening kind. Cake decorating takes a lot of patience, especially when everything looks like a mess. What I would first suggest is that you work in a very cool place. Try to get the room to a lower temperature before even mixing the frosting. Secondly, I would not put all the frosting in the bag at once. Only do a bit at a time, and fill your bag with fresh frosting as you go. Thirdly, I would advise you to work fast. Know what you are going to do before you even touch the frosting. The longer the frosting is resting in your palm, the likelier it is that your frosting is going to warm up.

I hope this helps. Good Luck!

Tata now,

The Decorating Genius. 

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Dear Decorating Genius,

I am a cake fanatic. However, I cannot seem to make a beautiful creation of my own. My cakes never look like the pictures no matter how I try. I end up covering everything up with fake flowers or putting on so much frosting that the cake cracks and falls apart. I am desperate. Please send advice A.S.A.P.!

Sincerely,

Always Failing

Dear Always Failing,

Don’t give up. There are a lot of things that go into making a cake look perfect. The most important thing that you should know is that unless you have years and years and years of experience and practice behind you (Well, and a great camera) you shouldn't expect your cakes to look like those in the pictures. Keep working at it and you will succeed. As with all things, it takes time and effort, but it will pay off in the end. Even after all the cakes I have decorated (For weddings, for fun, and for classes), I still haven't made all of them picture perfect in everyway. 

For now, try to make all layers of frosting thin and even. Go add the layers on slowly if you need to. Make sure the frosting is thick enough to stay on the cake well, but not so thick you are pulling the cake apart as you spread it around. If you see you are cracking the cake, add milk to the frosting and try again. I would start by putting a lot on the top of the cake and work it gently down with a spatula. If you are patient and gentle, you shouldn't need to apply so much frosting and your creation will fare better.

I hope this helps. Tata,

Decorating Genius. 

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Dear Decorating Genius,

Crumbs keep making their way into my frosting. It looks awful and I don’t know how to get rid of them. Please give your ideas.

Thanks,

Feeling Crummy

Dear Feeling Crummy,

With all my years of experience, this is a problem that still plagues me. There are a few things that might be helpful to know, though if you wish to tackle this task. Start with a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. I know it is fun to be creative with flavors and colors of frosting, but if you use do chocolate on chocolate, not only is it amazingly delicious, but chocolate crumbs show up much less on a chocolate background. 

Also, start with a crumb coat. This is simply a thin coating of frosting that is applied beforehand to make sure all the crumbs are sealed in. The crumb coat acts as a barrier between the cake and the final layer of frosting. Thankfully, the first coat does not have to be anything beautiful to serve its purpose. 

Finally, if crumbs still show up, be creative in your fine detailing work. Sometime swirls and flowers can hide a multitude of mistakes. Remember, chocolate cakes can be really quite beautiful.

Tata,

Decorating Genius.