How to: mummy cookies

Super cute and easy to make for Halloween:
mummy cookie pops.

Royal Icing recipe

Ingredients

- 1 pound Confectioners Sugar
- 5 Tablespoons Meringue Powder
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of salt

How to: flood a cookie with royal icing

Want to decorate your cookies? Flood your cookies with royal icing to make a great underbase. It also gives your cookie a sweet taste! 

Brush embroidery

How to: Stripy fondant

A original way to use fondant to decorate your 
cupcakes and cakes!

Stunning Neapolitan rose cake

Source: I am baker

How to: make a buttercream rose

Give your cupcakes a luxurious look with a buttercream rose. It looks difficult but it's so easy with a little practice!

How to: reverse shell decorating technique

Reverse shells look spectacular as top and bottom borders and as framed areas on your cake.

What you need:
- Buttercream icing
- A decorating bag
- Tip 21 


Instruction

Step 1: Fit the decorating bag with tip 21 and fill 1/2 full with medium consistency icing. Hold the decorating bag 45°; the tip should be slightly above the surface. Squeeze bag to form a shell. As you begin to form a shell, squeeze hard, letting the icing fan out. To form curve, lift tip up and over the shell as you move tip from 9:00 (right or left handed) to 12:00 to 6:00. 

Step 2: Relax pressure, lower tip. Pull tip straight towards yourself at 6:00 to form tail.

Step 3: Repeat with another shell, curving from 3:00 (right- or left handed) to 12:00 to 6:00. To continue the reverse shell border, pipe a chain of swirling reverse shells, with the fan end of each new shell covering the tail of the previous shell. If you are making the border on a round cake, turn the cake as you go so that the back of the bag is at 6:00 and you are working towards yourself.

How to: cover cupcakes with poured fondant

Ingredients
- White fondant
- Abricot jam
- Hot boiled water
- Cupcakes 
- Pastry brush
- Tea spoon
- Heatproof bowls
- Optional: food colors

Instruction

Step 1: Brush the cupcakes with a thin coat of hot abricot jam. 
Let it dry.

Step 2: Place the fondant in a heatproff bowl and heat it gently in the microway for approx 1 min. It needs to be warm but dont let it boil. Give it a stir to get it smooth. It is important that you get the right consistency. If it gets too thick you will have difficulty to dip the cupcake properly and if it is too thin it will look transparent on the cupcake. Give it a few tries and you will find the right consistency. You can use boiled water, a teaspoon at a time, to thin it down. If it gets too cold gently reheat it in the microway oven a few seconds.

Step 3:  Now take the cupcake and dip it upside down in the hot fondant. Carefully shake the excess fondant off. I like to dip my cupcakes so the fondant sticks to the paper cases. 






Step 4:  Set the cupcakes aside and let them dry. If you like you can give them a second coat when the first one is dry. 

Step 5: Attach your choosen or selfmade decoration on the cupcakes with dots of royal icing or some honey.

Note: Store the cupcakes in cake boxes. NOT in the refrigerator because that will dissolve the poured fondant. Also air thight containers can make the fondant melting.

Source: http://www.cakejournal.com

How to: Rope decorating technique

A nice technique for finishing your piped baskets/. Excellent too for western or nautical theme cakes

What you need:
- Buttercream icing
- A decorating bag
- Tip 21 

Instructions

Step 1: Fit the decorating bag with tip 21 and fill 1/2 full with medium consistency icing. Hold the decorating bag 45° angle. The tip should be lightly touching the surface. Using a steady, even pressure, move the tip in a gentle sideways "S" curve. Stop pressure and pull tip away.

Step 2: Insert tip under the bottom curve of the "S" shape.

Step 3: Squeeze the bag with steady pressure as you pull down, then lift the tip. Move up and over the tail of the "S" as you continue to squeeze and form a hook.

Step 4: Keep spacing as even as possible and "S" curves uniform in thickness, length and overall size. Be sure to tuck the tip into the bottom curve of the previous "S" before you begin squeezing, to insure the clean, continuous look of a rope.

Want to see some cakes with this rope
decoration technique? Click here! 

Cupcake cake

Ideas for Mother's Day

How to: cover cakes with rolled fondant

How do you cover a cake with fondant that's perfectly smooth,
without wrinkles or air bubbles? The flexibility of fondant is your
secret weapon. Just follow our instructions for the right ways to knead,
roll out and lift the fondant, and you'll find that covering a cake is easy.

Round cake

step 1

Prepare cake by lightly covering with buttercream icing.

step 2

Before rolling out fondant, knead it until it is a workable consistency.
If fondant is sticky, knead in a little confectioners' sugar. Lightly dust
your work surface and your rolling pin with confectioners' sugar to prevent
sticking. Roll out fondant sized to your cake. To keep fondant from sticking,
 lift and move as you roll. Add more confectioners' sugar if needed.

step 3

Gently lift fondant over rolling pin or slip cake circle under fondant to
move; position on cake.

step 4

Shape fondant to sides of cake with a Smoother. We recommend using
 the Smoother because the pressure of your hands may leave impressions
 on the fondant. Beginning in the middle of the cake top, move the Smoother
 outward and down the sides to smooth and shape fondant to the cake and
 remove air bubbles. If an air bubble appears, insert a pin on an angle,
release air and smooth the area again. Use the straight edge of the
Smoother to mark fondant at the base of cake. Trim off excess fondant
using a sharp knife.

step 5

Your cake is now ready to decorate.

Covering large rounds with rolled fondant

In most cases, the smaller your cake, the easier it will be to cover with rolled fondant. However,
there is an easy way to position and smooth fondant on cakes that are 12 in. diameter or larger.
Follow the steps below to lift fondant onto the cake without tearing.

step 1

Cover cake lightly with buttercream icing. Roll out fondant sized to your
cake.

step 2

Slide a large cake circle that has been dusted with confectioners' sugar
under the rolled fondant. Lift the circle and the fondant and position over
cake. Gently shake the circle to slide the fondant off the board and into
position on the cake. Smooth and trim as described above.

Square cake

step 1

Position fondant on cake, smoothing the top with a Smoother. Pull the
corner flaps gently out and away from the cake; smooth the corners
with hand to eliminate the creases. Smooth sides with Smoother.

step 2

Trim off excess fondant at bottom with a spatula or sharp knife.

step 3

To give a finished look, smooth top, all sides and bottom edge of
cake again with the Smoother.

Tip: Don't use to much confectioners sugar, it makes the fondant dry.
Tip: Don't know how much fondant to buy to cover te cake?
Click on this link to see the post with the fondant coverage chart. 

Butter Cream (icing) recipe

This buttercream icing recipe is perfect for spreading cakes of decorating. Follow this instruction to make the ideal consistency you need. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
• 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
  (I useally don't use this because most of the time, the cakes are already sweet enough with the fillings etc.) 
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
• 2 tablespoons milk

Makes about 3 cupes of icing

Instructions:

step 1

Put the cream shortening and butter in a large bowl and mix this with the electric mixer. cream. Add some vanilla if you want.
Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often.
When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add a bit milk and beat at medium speed until the cream is light and fluffy.
Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

step 2

For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

step 3

For thin (spreading) consistency icing, add 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk.