6 Cake Decorating Tips for Beginners
Are you new to baking and decorating cakes? I am so happy you’re here! Cake decorating does not have to be scary or intimidating. Once you learn a few tricks and practice them, you will be well on your way to a cake-decorating pro. I put together this list of my top 6 cake decorating tips for beginners that will help you get started off on the right foot!
When decorating your cakes, the first step is nailing the bake of your cake layers and getting the perfect consistency for your buttercream. So, check out this post HERE that will show you how to make those moist cake layers you are looking for. And we’ll talk about the buttercream more in a bit. OK, let’s jump into the cake decorating tips.
6 Cake Decorating Tips for Beginners
Cake Decorating Tip #1: Use quality cake decorating tools.
You may have mixed feelings about having quality cake-decorating tools. But, you guys, I cannot express enough how much of a difference it makes when you have the quality tools to decorate your cakes! It makes the experience go so much smoother and your cake turns out a million times more beautiful.
Here are some of my favorite products I recommend:
Cake Decorating Tip #2: Freeze your cake after the crumb coat.
The freezer will be your best friend when you’re decorating your cake. After your entire cake is assembled and it’s ready to be decorated, always start by spreading a thin layer of frosting around your entire cake. Then freeze your cake for 10-15 minutes to let it set. This thin layer of frosting is known as your crumb coat.
Your crumb coat is what will hold all of your cake layers together when you start to add the rest of your buttercream and decoration. If you take your cake out of the freezer and you’re noticing some of your cake layers mixing into your buttercream, this means your crumb coat is not set all the way. Put it back in your freezer for another few minutes and then try it again. This crumb coat is key to getting you a nice and beautifully decorated cake!
Cake Decorating Tip #3: Hold your cake scraper at a 45-degree angle.
I talk about this tip quite often. Holding your cake scraper at a 45-degree angle makes it so you get those perfectly smooth edges for your cake. It helps if you get almost eye level with your cake too, so you can see exactly what’s happening as you smooth out every inch of your cake. Click HERE for a quick video tutorial on how to hold the scraper and get the perfect angle for your cake.
Cake Decorating Tip #4: Use a cake acrylic disk when applying your buttercream.
Using an acrylic disc on top of your cake will help create those clean-cut edges you’re looking for on your cake. This just helps with making sure the top and sides of your cake are nice and distinct from one another. It can be a little tricky to remove the acrylic disc once you’re done applying your buttercream though. Watch this video HERE that shows you the best way to do it.
Cake Decorating Tip #5: Keep your piping away from the edge of your cake.
There are several different piping techniques you can apply to the top and border of your cake. But whatever you do, make sure to always hold your piping bag a little bit toward the middle of your cake, so your designs are not directly on the edge of your cake. If it’s too close to the edge, your piping designs will just fall down the sides of your cake. Click HERE for a quick tutorial on how to pipe some of my favorite simple designs.
Cake Decorating Tip #6: Make sure your buttercream is silky smooth.
Unlike your cake layer ingredients, you want your buttercream ingredients to be slightly cold when mixing them together–specifically your butter and eggs. I usually take mine out 30-60 minutes before I start baking.
Having your butter slightly cold makes it so the other ingredients have something to hold onto, which helps the buttercream not be too soft or runny (almost like it’s melting). Just whip the butter on its own for a few minutes and then you can add in your other ingredients. Make sure to sift your powdered sugar before adding it because that helps with getting that silky smooth texture!
At the very end, you want to mix your buttercream for 3-5 minutes on medium-high speed to make it light and fluffy, and ready to be added to your cake. Click HERE for a video tutorial on how to make the best buttercream step by step.
6 Cake Decorating Tips for Beginners
Alright, you guys, those are my top 6 cake decorating tips for beginners! I hope these help as you start to decorate more and more cakes. If you have any questions about them, feel free to come send me a DM on Instagram and I’ll get back to you! You can find me @cakebycourtney. And make sure to follow me for more tips and recipes on all things cake!
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Lovely
Hi ourtney have a question on tip 5 On 6 steps for beginners there is a picture of a peanut butter cake or think peanut butter cake can’t find out what kind of cake is it please