There are several different types of icing or frostings used in cake decorating. The choice of icing or frosting while cake de or milk. Take care when thinning the frosting, remember, a little milk goes a long way.

If you find the frosting is too thin, you can add a bit of confectioners sugar to thicken it. To assure an even finish on your frosting, dip the icing spatula in cold water to make the surface smooth. This will give a smoother finish for writing. corating, will have a great deal to do with how the decorated cake will look.

1. Buttercream Icing: Buttercream is the icing that is used the most in cake decorating. This is the same type of frosting that we can buy readymade in the grocery store. This icing is easy to use and easy to make.

The ingredients are confectioners sugar, and butter or shortening.

What you use to thin the frosting will differ with the icing texture you need to work with, to determine whether to use eggs Buttercream is used to create flowers and other decorations made with a pastry bag. The icing needs to be the right consistency to make flower petals or writing.

When you make roses out of icing, you can freeze them and add them to the cake later. This will make them easier to handle. Buttercream can be stored in the refrigerator without getting hard. Make sure it is back to room temperature before you attempt to use it.

2. Foam Icing: This is a meringue and is used on lemon pie or Baked Alaska. This frosting is made of egg whites beaten into stiff peaks.

It is possible to add flavoring and color to the meringue. You will not be able to use this icing for intricate cake decorating, and you won’t be able to use an icing bag with this icing. This icing is used when you want the cake to look fluffy, with little ornate decoration.

3. Fondant: This icing is very popular with those who decorate wedding cakes, and cakes for very special occasions.The ingredients are simply powdered sugar, water, cream of tartar, or glucose. Fondant is thick and doughy, with a silky, smooth, texture.

Fondant will give the cake a flawless surface, and soft, rounded edges. Working with fondant is an art and will take practice to get it right. Fondant has a translucent quality, and will work best when placed on the cake over a thin layer of buttercream frosting.

4. Fudge Icing: Fudge icing is made from chocolate, peanut butter, almond, or mint. This icing is quite thick and contains both shortening and butter.
5. Glazes: This frosting is thin and watery, and will harden into a shell after it is placed on the cake. This frosting is mostly used on pastries. Glazes help to keep the pastry moist.
6. Flat Icing: This icing is similar to a glaze, but it is a bit thicker. Flat icing is a combination of confectioner’s sugar and water and is used to drizzle onto pastries.
7. Royal Icing: This is also a flat icing, and hardens after it is set. Royal icing is a wonderful choice to make flowers, sculptures, and garnishes for cake decorating.

You can use any combination of the basic seven icings listed, to create a personal masterpiece. You will need to practice before you become good at cake decorating. You will get the hang of it sooner than you think, and even the mistakes will taste great.

This blog is about the wedding cake. A wedding is a way to celebrate the union of two people who are starting a life together.

People come to eat and drink and a great deal of work is put into the preparation for this day.

The wedding cake is often the focal point of the event. There are times that it is considered bad luck not to have a piece of the wedding cake.

There are specified rules for cutting the wedding cake that are a part of tradition. For instance, at a wedding reception, it is traditional to cut the wedding cake just before dessert is served, if the wedding reception takes place during lunch or the dinner hour.

However, if the reception is held during tea or cocktails, the cake is cut just after all of the guests arrive. It is tradition for the bride and groom to cut and eat the first slice together, as a symbol of their choice to be together. The rest of the cake is sliced by the maid of honor or a family member.

Choosing a wedding cake is quite an easy task:

Tradition calls for a white cake with white frosting for weddings. In this day and age, couples are choosing their favorite flavor. This has bakeries and cake decorators striving to offer a larger selection of cakes. Chocolate, fruit, yellow, pound, and marble are some of the cakes made for modern weddings.

Some wedding cakes offer a different flavor for each layer.

White icing, while still ordered, has made way for a wider selection of frostings. Chocolate, mocha, lemon, and any other flavor you can imagine are used for wedding cake decorating. It is possible to customize your cake using all of your favorite flavors.

How the wedding cake is decorated is a personal choice as well. You can have just about anything you can dream up put on a wedding cake including, fruit and even real edible flowers.

The wedding reception is the most anticipated part of the wedding. And everyone looks forward to seeing the cake cut and sharing it with the bride and groom as a symbol of good will and a hope, that as a couple, the bride and groom will be prosperous and fertile.

If you would like to become a cake decorator, there are several ways you can go about it. There are hundreds of books out there that will teach you how to decorate cakes, from the simple to the ornate.

Another way to learn cake decorating is to purchase one of the many videos or DVD’s that will take you, step-by-step, through the cake decorating process. The best way to learn cake decorating is to take a class. While DVD’s, videos, and books are highly popular and informative, taking a class will help you move along faster. You will be able to get immediate feedback from the teacher, and they can see where you might be going wrong and correct you before the project is ruined.

To clear things up a bit, sugarcraft is a type of cake decorating that is three- dimensional. Sugarcraft is decorating that stands out from all other forms of cake decorating.

Sugarcraft is to cake decorating what clay is to sculpting. It is the art of modeling 3-D figures on a cake. The type of icing used in sugarcraft, rolled fondant, is dough that can be used to cover the cake and making cake decorations.

Sugarcraft is rolled into sheets and draped over cakes, or cut to make ribbons, bows, and flowers. Fondant is made in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container until needed.

When a rolled fondant is prepared for cake decorating, liquid food coloring should not be used-it can make the fondant runny and unusable. It is better to use coloring paste.

It takes a bit of time to learn sugarcraft decorating, and the process can be frustrating. There is no set formula for sugarcraft, you will need to use your artistic eye, and practice until you feel you have it right.

Sources that help you in mastering sugarcraft:

If you are serious about mastering sugarcraft, it is to your advantage to purchase a DVD or video that will show you the art step-by-step. An even better option would be to take a class in sugarcraft, as the teacher can give you tips and feedback as you learn.

When you look for sugarcraft supplies, Surbiton Sugarcraft is an online store with everything you will need. Based in the UK, this company has so many items this article does not afford the space to list them all.

A sampling of their sugarcraft art and tools:

Stainless Steel Cutters to Make: Blossoms, flowers, Leaves, Calyx, Micro and Midi cutters on the cake.

Large array of tools that are food grade plastic and stainless steel such as: Ribbon cut from flower paste, ribbon insertion, garrett frill cutters, and plaque cutters.

Icecraft Sugarpaste – A superior professional sugarpaste that is ready to use. This sugarpaste allows for a smooth finish every time it is used and covers cakes without cracking and forming craze lines. This paste is less gritty and oily than other sugarpastes and easy to handle. It is bright white and unflavored.

Edible Lustre Air Brush Colours – A Lustre air brush spray for food in a can. Works wonderfully for coloring sugarpaste, modeling paste, marzipan, buttercream etc. Available in 6 colors.

Sugarcraft rosebuds and roses – The rosebuds come in lemon, peach, violet, pink, red, ivory, white, cerise, claret. They are sold in various quantities and are incredibly beautiful.

Piped roses – These wonderful roses are a bit smaller and a bit different. They are great for cupcake decoration. Available in dark pink, pink, or white.

There are many more sugarcraft decorations including orchids, cake pans, cake dummies, cake boxes, leaves, and flower sprays all made with sugarcraft.

For pricing and more information visit the website and see the wonderful sugarcraft designs and tools to assure your cake decorating will be spectacular.

Most people prefer starting a cake decorating business because when they made these great cakes for family occasions, and those who saw the cake wanted them to make cakes for their special occasions.

The positive aspects in starting a cake decorating business form home:

There is also the appeal of working at home-you have the freedom to work when you want, as long as you get the cake to the customer on time. Many of these artistic cake decorators have children at home and want to stay at home with them, and be able to make a living too.

Maybe you have been thinking of starting a cake decorating business in your home. Think about why starting a cake decorating business. If you have a good business plan and are good at time management, this can be a lucrative business.

Even though the main reason of starting a cake decorating business is to stay at home with the kids, or to save cash on a daily commute.

Your main reason for starting a cake decorating business at home should be that you are getting so many cake orders that it is taking a lot of your time and you feel you can go into business and make a go of it.

Before starting a cake decorating business from home know about it:

The cake decorating business can be fun, but it is also a lot of work, and you will need to have enough money to get your business off the ground.

Accessories needed for starting a cake decorating business from home: There are certain items you will need to start.

You will need a few icing tips (the ones you use most often), a heavy duty mixer, mixing bowls, food coloring, spatulas, the right cake pans, enough room to work without being cramped, and an oven. The cake decorating business is time consuming, but it is very rewarding and enjoyable.

Tally the charges:

You will need to remember that family and friends are customers, and you will need to charge them for the cakes they want you to make. You have expenses and it will cost you to make a cake and you are in the business to make money.

You may want to give them a discount, but you will definitely need to charge them for your time and the money you put into making the cake.

You will need to check nearby bakeries and stores to find out what they charge for cake decorating. Don’t put your prices lower than the bakeries, try to charge around the same price and let your talent show the quality of your cakes.

You will never be able to charge for your time, after all is said and done- you will probably be making about $1.00 an hour.

That is why you charge by the cake. Although, the more cakes you make, the faster you will become, and you will be making a bit more for your time.

Why should people come to you?

While bakeries make good cakes, you can make cakes that taste as good or better. You can also offer different options such as, a variety of cake flavors, a willingness to offer unique decorating options, and discounts or specials from time to time.

At first, it is a good idea to charge around the same as the bakeries, when you become more experienced you can evaluate your prices. Once you become more popular and have made a name for yourself, you can charge more.

The advantages of operating a legal cake decorating business from your home are:

1. You can work when you want and take a break when you need one.
2. You won’t have the overhead expenses that you would if you opened a shop.
3. You can be home to care for your family.
4. You will be able to make appointments to see customers. They would not be able to drop in unannounced.
5. You can set your own hours and even work in the middle of the night if you choose.

You need to be an organized, disciplined person, and have a bit of business sense.

While it would be great if the business was all fun, it does require a commitment.

The question is will your family go along with the long hours you will need to put in? You will need the support of your family if you are going to make the cake decorating business succeed.

Some areas to consider while starting a cake decorating business from home are:

1. Weekends are usually tied up with baking cakes, as most events are held on the weekend. Will your family understand when you need to work every weekend? You will need to plan your cake decorating in advance and keep good records.
2. You are going to need extra storage for all of the equipment you need for your business.
3. You may find expenses for special equipment and classes to improve your art can run a bit high.
4. You may need a separate kitchen to use for your business because of health requirements for the state.

You will surely have a memorable birthday for your kid.

Below are a few kids birthday cake decorating ideas that will help make your child’s birthday a very memorable occasion:

Kid’s birthday cake decorating ideas:

• Candy Land Cake: Make a standard sheet cake in your child’s favorite flavor, in a rectangular pan. When it is cool, frost it with butter cream frosting in your child’s favorite color.

If you can get your hands on a Candy Land game board, you will be able to fashion the kids birthday cake decorating to resemble the board.

You can also go to Candyland.com to see a game board. The Candy Land game features peppermints, iced gingerbread men, colored gumdrops, licorice sticks, chocolate candies, and circus peanuts.

If you can’t find some of these items, you can use construction paper to make them, staple or tape them to a Popsicle stick to stand it up in the cake.

• Race car cake: Bake two cakes, one in a loaf cake pan and one in a rectangular pan. Allow the cakes to cool thoroughly. Remove them from the pans, cut the loaf cake in an arch, like the shape of the top of the car.

Frost the sheet cake and place the cut loaf cake in the middle, centered to give the cake balance. Ice the car with a different color icing than you did the cake, red or blue are good racing colors.

You should be able to find decorations in the store for this kids birthday cake. Use your imagination- many times craft stores have some nice decorations. You can either use icing to outline the doors and windows, or string licorice works well for this.

Small chocolate doughnuts make good tires for your race car.

• The Doll Cake: This kids birthday cake is very popular with young girls who still love to play with dolls. Bake a cake in a metal, oven safe, bowl. When the cake has cooled, turn the cake out, centered, onto a prepared cake board.

The widest part of the Doll kids birthday cake should be on the board. Use a butter knife to hollow out a spot in the top of the cake for the doll’s legs. Once the doll is inserted, the cake becomes a dress for the doll. Make sure the doll is clean and undressed.

Wrap the legs in plastic wrap before placing the doll into the cake, up to her waist. Ice the cake and the top of the doll to make it appear that the doll is fully dressed. You can purchase accents at the supermarket to jazz up the dress.

These kids birthday cakes are a great idea for children who love different themes, and you have a fondness for cake decorating, These are basic, simple ideas, for a children’s theme party too.

You can use the doll cake and have a Barbie® theme party, the race car cake to have a Car’s® theme party, and of course, you can decorate for the Candy Land® party with huge gumdrops and gingerbread men made of construction paper to hang or affix to the walls.

You may also want to include a pinata that goes along with the party theme.

You must follow the directions carefully for best result and ease in application.

Tips to Apply Edible Cake Art Images:

• Make sure you have clean, dry hands before touching the image. If you are working with a frozen cake, let it thaw a bit before applying the icing. Edible cake art Image cake decorations need a bit of moisture to blend into the icing.

• If the cake is dry, spray it with a light mist of water, brush on light syrup, or add a thin layer of icing before you apply the image so it will stick to the cake. If your cake is moist, don’t add water or moisture to the cake. Too much water will cause the colors to run.

• Once the edible cake art images are applied, it cannot be removed or moved. Know exactly where you plan to place the edible cake art image. Using care applies the image to your cake, face up. Once the edible cake art image has been applied, tap the edible cake art image down gently with your fingertips. Start from the center of the image and work toward the edges.

• If the edible cake art images should become moist or hard to remove from the backing, it can be placed in the freezer for a couple of minutes, the image should peel off easily.

• If the edible cake art image should bubble after it is applied, gently tap and DO NOT RUB the image. If the cake is still frozen after application, it should be placed in the refrigerator to thaw slowly. Avoid exposing the image to ultraviolet light. The edible cake art images may fade over time, as with any food coloring.

• If the image bubbles during freezing, again you can gently tap the image.

Handling and Storage of the edible cake art Images:

• Edible cake art Images decoration should be stored in the silver bag it came in, and kept in a cool, dry place.
• Make sure to reseal the original bag after you remove an edible cake art image.
• You will need to use the edible cake art image immediately after it is removed from the bag.
• Once you have finished decorating with Edible cake art Image decorations.

You can store your product as you normally would. The edible cake art images are freezer, shelf, and refrigerator friendly.

How to apply the edible cake art Images to other products:

• Ice Cream: To apply the edible cake art image to a cake frosted with ice cream or non-dairy whipped topping, do not add any additional water.If you are applying the edible cake art image directly on ice cream, you should let the ice cream melt just a bit before application. When you are working with soft serve ice cream, you will get better results if you apply the image while the ice cream is soft and then freeze it.

• Buttercream icing: Apply the edible cake art image immediately after icing the cake. Butter cream will form a crust about an hour after they have been applied. If this has happened, spray the icing with a fine mist of water before you apply the image.

• Frozen Cakes: Thaw a bit before icing to avoid cracks forming in the cake and then you can apply the edible cake art image. If the decorated cake is frozen, you will need to let it thaw slowly in the refrigerator, uncovered, so the cake will not sweat and the colors will stay true.

• Royal Icing: Make sure you add a good mist of water over a cake iced with royal icing before you apply the image

• Non Dairy Whipped Topping: When working with this medium, do not add any extra water before you apply the image. Keep the finished cake in the refrigerator to maintain the integrity of the image and the topping.

• Rolled Fondant or Sugar Paste: When placing an image over sugar paste or fondant, plan where you will put the image. With a small paintbrush, apply a good amount of plain water. Brush water only where the image will be. Any water outside the image will leave a mark on the fondant or sugar paste. Although you must be sure to apply enough water, or the image will not stick.
• Edges can be tapped down with a very small, slightly moist paintbrush.

Poured White Chocolate, or other poured icings: Apply the image while the icing is wet. Be sure your cake is on a flat surface or the image may slide.

Standard Instruction for Application:

• Remove the Edible cake art Images® from the sheet just prior to application.
• If there are still edible cake art images in the bag, reseal it immediately.
• Remove the image from the backing sheet by gently placing it on a table edge, (facing up) and rolling the backing sheet over the table edge. This will loosen the image so that it can be carefully peeled from the backing.

Here are a few simple ideas and hints for easy cake decorating ideas and making your project a winner.

Easy cake decorating ideas for apprentice:

• Buy readymade cakes, or make your cake from a mix.
• Make sure you have several pastry bags, a coupler, a flower nail, and 6 icing tips– #824 large open star, #23 small open star, #104 small rose, #125 large rose, and #109 and #129 drop flowers.
• A turntable makes icing a cake much easier. A lazy susan will work.
• Use decorations that are already made– fresh flowers, silk flowers, ribbons, and fruit are some of the items you can use.
• Always brush fresh fruit with a glaze to seal in moisture.
• Use a decorative cake plate or platter to present your cake.
• Use Ganache icing.

How to make Ganache icing for easy cake decorating ideas:

• 1 pound semi sweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream or evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tsp. unsalted butter

Place the chocolate in a bowl.

Combine cream, butter, and sugar in a pan, bring the mixture to a boil.

Pour the mixture over the chocolate, stirring gently until it is melted.

Using royal or buttercream icing, ice the cake with a thin coating, and freeze for 15 minutes.

Place a cooling rack on a cookie sheet.

Make sure the icing is set, and place the cake on the cooling rack.

Quickly pour the ganache over the top of the cake and down the sides. You can use a spatula to smooth the surface if needed.

The hot ganache will melt the icing so, only smooth as necessary. Tap the rack to remove any excess ganache, this can be refrigerated for later use.

Chill the cake until set, remove to a serving platter.

Fruit Flan easy cake decorating ideas:

You can choose to purchase a pre-made flan, or bake one yourself.

Slice your choice of assorted fruit and arrange it on the cake surface in concentric circles.

Coat the cake with apricot glaze.

Serve on a decorative cake plate or platter.

Apricot Glaze easy cake decorating ideas:

12 oz. jar of apricot jam

2-3 tbsp. Water

Combine jam and water in a saucepan.

Bring ingredients to a boil.

Strain glaze and keep in the refrigerator until needed.

Heat to brush on fruit.

Piping for easy cake decorating ideas:

Using a pastry bag and the tip of your choice, you can create a number of cake decorations, ranging from flowers to simple borders. Basic icing recipes can be found on the internet. Work on a piece of waxed paper before you apply any icing to a cake.

Edible Flowers for easy cake decorating ideas:

Apply icing to your cake

Decorate the cake with piping if you desire

Distribute edible flowers in a decorative fashion

I hope that any, or all, of these tips on easy cake decorative ideas will work for you and will help you with your cake decorating projects.

My suggestion is to gather all of the tips, tricks, and ideas you can find and print them out.

Put your collection in a binder and the next time you are having a problem with your cake decorating project, you will have an answer at your fingertips.

Here are a few ideas for decorating cakes that are so easy to achieve.

• Flowers: Real flowers have become quite popular in cake decorating circles. You should choose smaller flowers that are edible, and make sure they have been cleaned. It is best to use flowers from your own garden, or a garden that you know the owner does not use poisons. Rinse the decorating cake flowers in a lukewarm water bath and blot them dry with a paper towel. Make sure you pick the flowers right before you are ready to use them on the cake so they are fresh. If you would like to add a dewy look to your cake flowers, brushing on a bit of luster dust will make them look as if they are wet.
• Fruit: Decorating Cake with orange slices, grapes, mandarin oranges, etc… You can make these fruits look frosted by beating an egg white, and brushing it on each piece of fruit, then dipping it in clear or colored sanding sugar. This has become very popular.
• Decorations Made of Fondant: You are able to use fondant icing to make beautiful cake decorations. You can choose to make flat decorations, or make them 3-D. You will find that you can copy designs from just about anywhere, and model the decorations as if you were making them out of modeling clay.
• Ready to Use Frosting: Frosting in a tube is the new rage for decorating cakes. A variety of tips can be bought to make different decorations. These tubes of icing come in quite a few colors, and can be kept on the pantry shelf between each use. You simply remove the icing tip and recap the tube.
• Color in a Can: You do not need to add color to your icing when frosting a cake. There are wonderful food colors in a can that can be sprayed on any light colored frosting for a dynamic effect. You can tint the lake and sky blue, the trees and grass green, or spray the entire top of the cake to change the color.

All of the above ideas are very easy to use. Anyone can achieve a great look by decorating cakes by using one or all of these ideas.

If you are like most of us, your life can be quite hectic at best. If there is any way to make life a bit easier, and still afford beautiful cake decorations, it is worth the time to learn about it. You may never use all of the tips you will find on the internet for cake decorating.

If even one of the easy decorating cake ideas above works to help you save time, it will be priceless.

It is a terrific time saver for any one, and no longer need to worry about when finding enough time to decorate that cake for your son’s birthday, or yours parent’s anniversary.

Here is hoping all of your cakes rise well, and decorating cakes always looks beautiful.

They came in two colors, red and green, but they did not have the best taste.

The candied fruit available now is much more beautiful and tastier than it was then. Trust me it isn’t just for fruitcakes anymore.

Making your own candied fruit:

Make your own candied fruit to use as a garnish for dishes, in cookies, as a snack, and in cake decorating.

Making candied fruit is a simple process. You infuse fruits and citrus peelings in sugar syrup. You can candy orange wedges, orange peel, lemon peel, grapefruit peel, pineapple and fresh cherries. You can also candy fruits, such as carrots for carrot cake decorating.

You will need two sauce pans, one for making the syrup, and another to blanch the fruit. This is a recipe for candied fruit orange peel.

Simple Syrup:

This syrup is used for making candied fruits, adding flavor to cold drinks, and adding moisture to sponge cake. There are different strengths of simple syrup for different uses.

Thin simple syrup, made with 1 part sugar to 2 parts water, is used to brush on cake layers, mostly sponge cake, to provide extra moisture and sweetness.

Medium simple syrup is made with equal parts of sugar and water. This is excellent for adding sweetness to mixed drinks, coffee, iced tea and to candy fruit. Syrup made of 2 parts sugar and 1 part water is used as a base for sorbet, and making rock candy.

Combine equal parts of sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and let the sugar dissolve. You do not need to stir the syrup, but if you do it will do no harm. You can flavor the syrup. Take the syrup off the heat and cool slightly.

Stir in 1 or 2 tsp. vanilla essence for a basic vanilla syrup. This syrup can be kept in a lidded jar in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Remove the bottom and top of an orange. Set the flat end of the orange on a cutting board. With a sharp paring knife, slice the peel off in strips, starting at the top and slicing downward, following the curve as much as possible.

Don’t worry about cutting off the white pith of the peel. Although it is usually bitter, blanching it will make it translucent and the syrup will sweeten it.

You can candy the peel as it is, or cut into strips that are 1/4 inches wide, to use in cake decorating and garnishes. You can also dip it in chocolate and use it for a snack. Larger peels, like grapefruit should be cut into strips for even cooking.

Place the peel in a pot of cool water. Bring water to a rolling boil, remove from heat and transfer the peel into a colander to drain. Repeat the process twice more.

For grapefruit or a more tart flavored fruit, you will need to blanch them seven or eight times.

Cherry and pineapple do not need blanching and can be placed directly into the syrup. Between blanching taste the peel, if it is tender it has been blanched enough.

Place the peel into the pot of syrup and bring to a low simmer. Let simmer for 15 to 30 minutes or until the orange rind becomes translucent and the peel tastes sweet and tender

Remove the pot from heat and let it cool. The orange rind can be stored in its own syrup for weeks in the refrigerator. You may choose to drain them and roll them in sugar.

Sugared rinds tend to dry out quite fast and should be eaten within a couple of days. You can dry the peel and dip it in tempered chocolate to make it last a bit longer.

You can use the orange flavored syrup in other drinks or dishes. Nothing really goes to waste!

Very few supermarkets carry edible flowers, but they are available at specialty markets that carry gourmet produce. These flowers can be stored up to a week in the refrigerator as long as they are wrapped well.

This is fine if they are to be used in a salad, but when they are used in cake decorating they need to be fresh.

You should never eat flowers that have been sprayed with pesticides.

Some of the most popular edible flowers are:

Nasturtiums have a Peppery flavor, Chive blossoms taste like a mild sweet onion, Roses, Violas and Pansies taste a bit like grapes.

Other edible flowers are apple blossoms, almond, lavender, borage, chamomile, lovage, lemon, orange blossoms- plum blossoms, peach blossoms, and squash blossoms.

We also have daisies, chrysanthemums, geraniums, marigolds, jasmine, lilacs, and violets.

Candied Flowers:

Candied flowers are great for desserts and in cake decorating.

Here is a recipe for candied flowers in cake decorations.

Time to prepare: 8 hrs. and 15 minutes

Yield: 2 dozen flowers.

1/4 cup beaten egg whites

1/2 cup superfine sugar

2 cups edible flowers of your choice

Clean and blot flowers dry with a paper towel. With a paint brush, brush on a thin layer of egg white on each side of the flower petals or blossoms.

Place flowers into a shallow bowl of superfine sugar and sprinkle more sugar over the flowers so that they are coated. Make sure all the flower has been sprinkled with sugar. Remove flowers and place them on a sheet of waxed paper.

Sprinkle each candied flower with another layer of sugar again- make sure the entire candied flower gets a layer of sugar.

Allow candied flowers to dry on the waxed paper for 8 hours. Store these tasty treats in an airtight container at room temperature until they are needed.

We are seeing more real flowers and fruit in cake decorating than ever before. The addition of these wonderful edible gifts of nature, gives the cake an elegant look.

Whether you are making a wedding, anniversary, retirement, birthday, or a cake for any special occasion, you will get many compliments on your choice of decoration.

Cake decorating can be a bit frustrating and time consuming, but once you learn the techniques and utilize the newest ideas when cake decorating, you will find that it can be fun, rewarding, and lucrative.

Most cake decorators have an artistic background, or artistic talent.

If you are thinking of starting a cake decorating business in your home you will need to keep up with the latest trends in cake decorating to be able to offer your clients new unique and wonderful choices.

As with anything designs get old, while some will stick with the traditional white or ivory for a wedding cake, but there are those who want to step out of the mold and have a little color in their wedding cake.