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Cake Decorating Made Easy!
Volume I
A Beginning & Intermediate Guide to
Baking & Decorating
Incredible Cakes
by Samantha Mitchell & Michael Prudhomme
Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 1

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Table of Contents
Volume I
Introduction: Welcome to the Wonderful World of Cake! 8
Chapter 1: Tools of the Trade _______________________ 10
Allow me to introduce … your Oven! ___________________ 10
Equipment & Supplies ______________________________ 11
Mixers __________________________________________ 12
The Baking Pan ___________________________________ 13
So What’s a Baker to Buy? __________________________ 16
General Equipment ________________________________ 17
Chapter 2 : The Set Up_____________________________ 22

The Baking Forecast _______________________________ 22
High-altitude Baking Adjustments _____________________ 22
Measurement 101 _________________________________ 23
Special Measurements _____________________________ 25
Metric Conversion Chart ____________________________ 26
1234 Ingredients __________________________________ 26
Flour ___________________________________________ 27
Sugar ___________________________________________ 27
Shortening _______________________________________ 28
Eggs ___________________________________________ 28
Chapter 3: Bake That Cake!_________________________ 29

Choosing the Pan _________________________________ 29
The Baker’s Party Chart ____________________________ 30
Pan Preparation __________________________________ 32

Professional Baker’s Grease _________________________ 33
Baking Aids ______________________________________ 33
“Evenly-Baked, Level Cakes” VIDEO __________________ 34
I’m All Mixed Up ___________________________________ 34
Get Crackin’ ____________________________________ 34
Batter Up! _______________________________________ 36
It’s Baking Time! __________________________________ 36
Is it Done yet? _____________________________________ 37
The Cool Down ___________________________________ 37
The Release _____________________________________ 38
Chapter 4: The Recipe Box _________________________ 39

Boxed Cakes _____________________________________ 39
Scratch Cakes ____________________________________ 40
Angel Food Cake _________________________________ 40
Apple Butter Cake _________________________________ 41
Banana Bread ____________________________________ 41
Basic Applesauce Cake ____________________________ 42
Carrot and Walnut Cake ____________________________ 42
Chocolate Sheet Cake _____________________________ 43
Classic White Cake ________________________________ 44
Coffee Crunch Cake ________________________________ 44
Cream Cheese Pound Cake _________________________ 45
Delicious Pineapple Cake ___________________________ 46
Easy Yellow Cake _________________________________ 46
Healthy Honey and Oat Cake ________________________ 47
Homemade Pumpkin Cake __________________________ 47

Lemon Loaf ______________________________________ 48
Red Velvet Cake __________________________________ 49
Sophie’s Chocolate Cake ___________________________ 49
Strawberry Cheesecake ____________________________ 50
Chapter 5: The Prep Room__________________________ 51

Leveling _________________________________________ 51
Trimming ________________________________________ 52
Torting __________________________________________ 52
“Leveling & Torting” VIDEO ___________________________ 52
Layer Cakes ______________________________________ 52
“Filling Your Cake” VIDEO ___________________________ 53
Rolled Cakes _____________________________________ 53
Types of Filling ___________________________________ 53
Banana Cream Filling ______________________________ 54
Coconut Cream Filling ______________________________ 55
Chocolate Whipped Cream Filling _____________________ 55
Lemon Filling _____________________________________ 56
Pastry Cream Filling _______________________________ 56
Strawberry Cream ________________________________ 57
Stabilized Whipped Cream __________________________ 57
Chapter 6: Icing ♪ ♫ ♪ ____________________________ 58

Glazing _________________________________________ 58
Almond Glaze ____________________________________ 58
Buttermilk Glaze ___________________________________ 59
Chocolate Glaze __________________________________ 59

Confectioners’ Sugar Glaze _________________________ 59
Honey Glaze _____________________________________ 60
Lemon Glaze _____________________________________ 60
Sour Cream Glaze _________________________________ 60
Crumb Coating ___________________________________ 60
“Crumb Coat” VIDEO ______________________________ 61
Frosting vs Icing __________________________________ 61
Icing Control _____________________________________ 62
The Spatula Method _______________________________ 62
“Icing The Cake” VIDEO ____________________________ 62
Paper Towel Method _______________________________ 63
“Perfectly Smooth Icing” VIDEO ______________________ 63
The Frostings ____________________________________ 63
7-Minute Frosting _________________________________ 63
Chocolate Frosting ________________________________ 64
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting _____________________ 64
Peppermint Frosting _______________________________ 64
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting _____________________ 65
The Icings _______________________________________ 65
Buttercream Icing _________________________________ 65
“Mixing Buttercream 1” VIDEO _______________________ 66
“Mixing Buttercream 2” VIDEO _______________________ 66
Chocolate Buttercream Icing _________________________ 66
Chocolate Ganache ________________________________ 67
Cream Cheese Icing _______________________________ 68
Royal Icing ______________________________________ 68
“Mixing Royal Icing” VIDEO _________________________ 68

“Royal Icing Tools” VIDEO __________________________ 68
Chapter 7: Cake Decorating Made Easy______________ 69

Easy Decorating Ideas _____________________________ 69
Easy Decorating Techniques _________________________ 71
Decorating Equipment ______________________________ 71
Icing Bags _______________________________________ 71
“Pastry Bag” VIDEO _______________________________ 72
Decorating Tips ___________________________________ 72
Decorating Supplies _______________________________ 75
Food Coloring ____________________________________ 75
The Color Forecast ________________________________ 76
Mixing Icing Colors ________________________________ 77
The Pied Piper ___________________________________ 78
“Rosette” VIDEO __________________________________ 79
“Bead” VIDEO ____________________________________ 79
“Rope” VIDEO ____________________________________ 80
“Shell” VIDEO ____________________________________ 80
“Reverse Shell” VIDEO _____________________________ 80
“Triple Shell” VIDEO _______________________________ 80
“Zigzag” VIDEO ___________________________________ 80
“Leaves” VIDEO ___________________________________ 81
Variations ________________________________________ 81
“Drop Flowers” VIDEO ______________________________ 81
Cake Writing ______________________________________ 81
A Baker’s Dozen Worth of Tips ______________________ 82

Welcome to the
Wonderful World of Cake!
You are about to read your way through the World’s
First Cake Decorating Video Books! For the first time
ever, you’ll be able to read and see how it’s done! This
two-volume set brings the basics of baking out of the
cookbooks, off the Internet and into your own kitchen,
right where they belong. Enjoy the show!
For generations, learning how to bake was a common rite of passage, but with
the advent of modern technology and the convenience of superstores, many of
us have never had the need or the opportunity to discover the wonderful joys and
unique pleasures of baking at home.
Here’s your chance! Maybe you’re an enthusiastic teenager or twenty-something

college student out on your own for the first time and you’d like to learn how to
bake and decorate your own cakes as a hobby or to save money. Great! This
book’s for you!
Maybe you’re a thirty, forty, or fifty-something and you’re feeling funny about your
inexperience in the kitchen and you’ve been trying to teach yourself on the sly
because at this point in your life, you think you should know all this stuff. Perfect!
This book’s for you!
Or maybe you’re a sixty+ someone who already knows many of the basics but is
looking to brush up on the latest skills and learn some new tips, maybe to create
birthday cakes that will enchant the grandkids or delight the bridge club.
Wonderful! This book’s for you, too!
Cake baking and decorating appeals to many different people for all sorts of
reasons. Whether you’re browsing through this book as a baker, homemaker,
mother, father, grandparent, artist, student, or entrepreneur, you’re here to learn
something new. And we’re here to help!
Baking is simply a friendly (and tasty!) form of household science. You’ll need a
little math (measuring) and chemistry (mixing and heating ingredients to
transform their structure) to see you through the cake baking procedure. Cake
baking and decorating bring together arts and sciences into one craft that will
require you to wear many different hats.

Once the cake is baked, you’ll need to don your engineer’s construction hardhat
to perfectly release, level, trim and assemble your cake into a well-formed and
well-balanced base. Next you’ll need the cap of a fine craftsman and plasterer to
ice your cake perfectly smooth. And lastly, you’ll need the artist’s beret and a
good dose of creativity to design the signature artwork that will complete your
mouth-watering masterpiece!
Taking all this into account, baking a cake and decorating

it can be daunting. Maybe you see or know yourself to be
more skilled in one area than another. Maybe the baking
is easy for you, but coming up with decorating ideas and
then making them workable isn’t so easy. Or maybe
manipulating fondant into shape and piping perfectly
symmetrical borders is no problem, but making an evenly
baked cake seems beyond possible.
No matter what your level of expertise or where your talents lie, these books will
help bridge any gaps and provide easy solutions to ensure successful and
satisfying results every time!
The first book covers the basics of baking and will help you set up your kitchen
with all the essential equipment, as well as teach you how to properly measure,
prepare and mix your ingredients. You will learn how to bake, level, fill, and ice a
cake until it is perfectly smooth and then finish it off with classic decorating
techniques that will make even your very first cake look polished and
professional.
The second book teaches several more advanced decorating techniques with an
emphasis on developing artwork and craftsmanship. You will learn about mixing
colors, piping borders, making flowers (not as hard as it looks!), covering a cake
with fondant, working with gum paste and creating character/novelty cakes.
Included throughout both books are several links to video clips, which provide
easy to follow step-by-step instructions that demonstrate some of the latest and
greatest baking and decorating techniques.
Even if the last cake you baked all on your own was a mini chocolate cake in
your Easy Bake oven, or the last icing you used came from a grocery store can,
you will be amazed at what you can accomplish with quality ingredients and a
little savoir-faire. Add a dash of dedication and a pinch of patience and these two
books will help bring you from a no-skills novice to a master cake maker in no
time! You are definitely in for a treat.
Enjoy the journey!

Chapter 1 – THE TOOLS OF THE TRADE
In this chapter, we’ll look at the essential tools and equipment required to set up
your kitchen for baking homemade cakes. We’ll cover everything from ovens to
measuring spoons in order to acquaint you with the necessary, as well as the
nice-to-have, hardware and accessories that will make measuring, mixing, baking
and decorating your cakes easy and enjoyable.
Now allow me to introduce ... your Oven!

When we look back, way, way back, to the ancient
Egyptians, they baked their breads and cakes in clay
ovens that were heated with coal or wood. The
Romans used tile ovens or raised brick hearths over
an open fire. Ovens gradually made an entrance into
the home in the 1500s, but then only for the wealthiest
of people. It wasn’t until the late 1800s and early
1900s that ovens in the home became commonplace, and even then, they were
mainly heated with wood or coal and came in one temperature ... HOT!
It’s only relatively recently that we have control over the temperature of our ovens
by simply pushing a button or turning a knob. But just how accurate is your
oven? Whether you’re lucky enough to be working with a brand new, high-end
professional Viking oven or not so lucky to be working with the artifact that was
included with your apartment rent, and whether it’s gas or electric, you might take
for granted that if you have set the thermostat for 350 degrees, then your oven is
in fact heated to 350 degrees. But that’s not necessarily the case.
Without getting too technical or going into the engineering of ovens here, you
need to know how hot your oven bakes. Just like your ancestors who spent
some time observing their little clay and tile ovens to figure out how many sticks
of wood or lumps of coal they needed to add to bake their bread or boil their
soup, you need to spend some time observing your oven too.
Thankfully, in this day and age, this observation doesn’t take very long, 90
minutes to be exact. The easiest and most reliable way to find out the accuracy
of your oven is with an inexpensive oven thermometer. These are widely
available at grocery and hardware stores and typically cost between $10 and
$25.
To perform this little test, place the thermometer on the middle rack in the center
of the oven and leave it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Record the temperature

registered on the oven thermometer. Repeat this exercise two more times, then
add the three figures together, divide the total by three and you’ll have the
average temperature of your oven.
Here’s how your notes might look:

st
1 reading 327 degrees
nd
rd
327 + 333 + 330 = 990 / 3 = 330 degrees
For this oven then, you would set the temperature 20 degrees higher to 370
degrees to reach an actual temperature of 350 degrees. Easy enough, no?
If your little experiment proves that your oven either bakes ‘hot,’ slightly hotter, or
‘cold,’ slightly cooler than the temperature you have set, this is very important
information to have. You will now know that you need to either increase or
decrease your settings to heat your oven to the perfect baking temperature.
If the experiment shows that your oven is dead on, congratulations! You’ve got
yourself a real winner! And if you’re working with an older model of electric oven,
you need to keep in mind that typically, older ovens take longer to heat up and
bake. You’ll need to allow for enough time for the oven to properly preheat
before the cake is inserted and bake your cakes for a few minutes longer. In any
case, be sure to keep your oven thermometer handy to do a spot check every so
often just to be safe!
Equipment & Supplies

It can be a little mind boggling trying to pick out the
essential equipment from the useless gadgets that
are all neatly arranged in kitchen departments and
stores with their rows upon rows of mixers, baking
pans, mixing bowls, cake racks, sieves, measuring
cups, measuring spoons, knives, spatulas, whisks
and brushes.

To help you sift out (pardon the pun) the essentials from the incidentals, we have
provided a complete list of basic equipment and supplies that will stock your
kitchen with all that you need and none of what you don’t.
Mixers
For creating fluffy egg whites, smooth cake batter and creamy icing, you’ll
need some type of mixer. You have two basic options, either a handheld
mixer or a stand mixer.
Hand Mixers
A hand mixer is considerably less expensive than a stand

mixer and will be able to handle all your cake baking and
decorating needs. This is a MUST buy. There are special circumstances
when only a hand mixer will do, such as beating over a double boiler. The
bonus feature of the hand mixer is that it gives your arms a quick workout!
You will find many reliable models on the market, but don’t be tempted to
buy one of the cheaper brands under $25, unless you don’t mind buying a
new one every few months when the motor wears out. Here’s a list of
reliable hand mixers with motors that can handle any thick, gooey, stiff
batter or icing that you throw at them.
• Braun Multi Mix 4-in-1 M880 – For just $45, you can enjoy an excellent
hand mixer that is powerful and easy to use. Best of all, this hand
mixer comes with the ability to transform from a mixer to a small cutter
simply by changing attachments.
• Kitchen Aid KHM5TB – For around $60, this five-speed hand mixer is a
favorite, performing as well as nine-speed mixers and offering both
dough hook and beaters. Includes the Kitchen Aid warranty.
• Kitchen Aid Professional KHM9P – For just $60, this hand mixer
provides a digital display, easy cleanup, and the traditional beaters,
along with whisk attachment.
• Kitchen Ultra Power Plus KHM7T – Priced around $70, this hand mixer
comes in a variety of colors, is powerful yet quiet, controlled, and
compact.

Stand Mixer
A stand mixer is a countertop appliance that makes mixing

easy and convenient since it leaves your hands free to work
on other tasks. No workout bonus here. The stand mixer
will do all your work for you! While you prepare your pans or
wash your dishes, your stand mixer will steadily beat your
22-minute frosting.
This luxury item will definitely make your baking life easier, but unless you
make a great number of cakes or are planning to open a cake business,
you can save yourself this expense and work solely with the handheld
mixer.
Again there are many models to choose from ranging in price from about
$40 to $300 or more. The heavy price tag will buy you extra beating,
folding, whipping, and kneading features, as well as a durable motor
typically covered by a guarantee.
Here’s a list of well-recommended brands and models:
• Hamilton Beach 63221 – For about $170, this is an eye-catching

stand mixer with solid construction. With 400 watts of power and 12
speeds, this mixer can handle just about any cake-baking project.
• Kitchen Aid Artisan – This stand mixer costs about $250 but is worth
every dime. Available in 22 unique colors, this mixer comes with a
bowl with handle, flat beater, dough hook, and wire whisk
attachments, as well as a splatter guard and pouring chute.
• Kitchen Aid Professional 600 – Although a little pricier at $370, this

stand mixer is designed without a tilting head. Instead, the bowl cinches
up to its position. Complete with a 6-quart capacity bowl and 600 watts of
power, this stand walker is a beautiful addition to any kitchen.
The Baking Pan

Baking pans come in all shapes and sizes, and can be made from
aluminum, stainless steel, glass or soft silicone. With all these variations, it
can be somewhat intimidating trying to figure out which pan is the right one
to buy.

To help guide you through the selection process, here is a
list of the basic pan shapes you’ll need to get started on
your new cake-making venture.
Round Pan
You will need at least two 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans that are 11/2 -
2 inches high. These two sizes of round pans are considered standard
size and are most often used to make layer cakes. For some recipes, you
will bake two separate layers and simply stack them to make a double
layer cake. Other times you will slice each layer in two and make a four-
layer torte. In any case, they are a cake baking essential!
Square Pan
The square cake pan is as essential as its round cousin. You

will need two 8-inch or 9-inch square pans, 1 1/2 - 2 inches high. This size
square pan is as versatile as the round pan for making anything from
simple single cakes to impressive quadruple layer cakes, not to mention
date squares and brownies.
Rectangle Pan
The rectangle pan, also known as the sheet cake pan, is
indispensable for whipping up a quick and easy family
dessert or for making enough cake to feed a small army
of cake-crazy kids at a birthday party. The standard sized sheet cake pan
is 9 x 13 x 2-inches.
Jellyroll Pan
This pan is essential if you intend to make fancy rolled
cakes such as the Swiss Roll and Büche de Noél (Christmas Log). These
pans come in several different sizes, but the most popular is 10 x 15 x 1-
inch.

Loaf Pan
The loaf pan is used to make loaves! Which means you’ll be
using it to make pound cakes, lemon loaves and quick
breads such as banana bread or zucchini bread. These too
come in a couple of different sizes with 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-
inch and 9 x 5 x 3-inch being the two most popular sizes. Whichever size
you choose, you should buy two of them since some recipes yield enough
batter to fill two pans.
Muffin Tin
Muffin tins aren’t just for muffins they’re also the pans to use to
make cupcakes. The standard muffin tin measures 3 inches across each cup.
Again you should have two muffin tins on hand since some recipes make
enough batter to fill 24 cups.
Tube Pan
The tube pan, or Angel Food Cake pan, has a high side
walled hollow cylinder in the middle and flat, often
removable bottom. This pan is primarily used for making
angel food, chiffon, sponge and pound cakes.
Bundt Pan
A cake decorating genius invented the Bundt pan. Don’t know
who that was, but they were ingenious! The Bundt pan has a
decorative pattern already worked into the shape and
therefore requires minimal decoration after the fact for a
beautiful finish. Typically used to bake heavy cakes such as
fruitcakes and pound cakes, this pan will make any beginner look like a pro!
One 12-cup pan will meet your baking needs, but you just might want two or
three different patterns for a change in style.
Spring form Pan

Spring form pans are round and deep with a removable sand are designed
for making cheesecakes and other desserts that can’t be turned upside
down for removal. To release your cake or dessert, you simply unlatch the
spring remove your cake or dessert with the bottom plate intact.

Specialty Cake Pan
Now we get fancy! Specialty cake pans, like heart or holiday pans, have
patterns and shapes already worked into the pan. These are especially
popular with kids and are an easy way to make a colorful and fun cake to
delight the birthday boy or girl and impress the neighbors. Specialty pans
come in hundreds of shapes, from numbers and letters, to animals and
vehicles, and even include many of the popular TV and movie cartoon (and
computer generated!) characters. To save money and cupboard space,
these can be rented from cake supply stores.
Extra Essentials
To complete your beginner’s package of bake ware, you
could consider purchasing a 9-inch glass (Pyrex) pie plate
and a couple of either 12 x 14-inch or 14 x 16-inch cookie
sheets. Once you master cake baking, you just might want to spread your
wings and try your hand at pies and cookies!
So what’s a baker to buy?

When you’re out shopping for your new collection of pans, you’ll soon
notice that there are many options available when it comes to pan
materials. You’ll see aluminum, stainless steel, coated, non-coated, in-
sulated, non-insulated, dark, shiny, glass and sili-cone to name a few.
What a pan is made of can significantly affect the

baking time and temperature. It all comes down to
the fact that different materials conduct heat
differently. Glass bake ware and dark pans conduct
heat more than light colored pans and you’ll need to
lower your baking temperature by 25 degrees F.
To narrow down your choice then, here’s some shopping advice:
DO buy shiny good quality aluminum pans.

DO buy glass (Pyrex) pie plates.
DO buy good quality stainless steel pans (although you’ll pay a LOT more
for these)

OK to buy dark colored or glass pans (as long as you remember to lower
your baking temperature)
OK to buy coated non-stick pans (you’ll still need to grease and flour your
pan for most recipes to ensure your cake releases properly)
OK to buy silicone (rubber-like) pans. New to the baking scene, they are
great for evenly baking cakes. They might twist and you might shout, but
they’ll make sure that your cake comes out!
AVOID buying flimsy aluminum and other metal pans. Flimsy pans often
warp and bake unevenly. What you save in money you’ll pay for in
frustration.
General Equipment
Mixing Bowls
Unless space is at a premium, you can never have too many
mixing bowls. You’ll need a small collection of different sized
mixing bowls to mix your cake batters, fillings and icings. If
you’re working with a stand mixer, you’ll mainly be using the
accompanying bowl, but you’ll still need other bowls.
You have the choice of using stainless steel, glass or ceramic bowls.
Typically, stainless steel bowls are used for mixing batter, fillings and icing,
while glass bowls are used for either preparing and holding measured
ingredients or mixing icing colors. Ceramic bowls are generally reserved
for making bread dough. But no matter the type of bowls, as long as
they’re of the right size – large enough to hold several cups of batter or
small enough not to ‘lose’ one beaten egg, they’ll work just fine.
If you’re starting totally from scratch and need to purchase mixing bowls,
you should look to buy one set of graduated stainless steel bowls and a set
of smaller glass bowls. That’s it, that’s all.
Sifter & Sieve

A sifter (as shown at right) is a large can with a mesh bottom and
hand-operated mechanism best suited for sifting fine dry
ingredients, such as flour and confectioners’ sugar. (And, yes,
sifting does make a difference!)
A sieve is a wire mesh bowl-shaped utensil used for sifting,
straining or puréeing ingredients. The sieve, being the more
versatile of the two, is a must have. The sifter is optional.

Measuring Cups
Maybe grandma was a whiz at casually estimating and measuring by eye,
but today’s baker should not be so quick to dismiss the necessity and
dependability of an accurate measuring cup, one that has been calibrated
to measure exactly one cup or 250 ml or 8 ounces of ingredient. The
number one reason that cakes and icings turn out poorly is inaccurate
measuring. Not only do you need different sizes of measuring cups, you
also need two different types; liquid and dry measuring cups.
Liquid Measuring Cups

Liquid measuring cups are for measuring exactly that –
liquids, such as water, milk, cream, oil, beaten eggs,
molasses, or honey to name a few. They come in stainless
steel, ceramic, plastic and glass, but glass (Pyrex) is by far
the best choice. The clear glass makes it easy to read and
accurately measure your liquids and, if heating is needed, a
glass or Pyrex measuring cup is easily microwavable.
You could make your measuring life easier by purchasing a nesting set of
graduated sizes from one to five cups, but you really only need the
standard graduated one-cup size.
Dry Measuring Cups

Dry measuring cups are used to measure your dry and solid ingredients
such as flour, sugar, grains, nuts, and chocolate
chips as well as any solid fats such as butter, lard
or vegetable shortening. They come in stainless
steel, plastic and also glass. This time, the choice
is all yours! Standard sized sets of graduated
cups include the 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 3/4 and 1-cup sizes.
Measuring spoons
Measuring spoons are needed for measuring small amounts
of either liquid or dry ingredients, such as salt, baking powder,
baking soda, milk, oil, shortening, butter, the list goes on!
Measuring spoons are usually sold as stainless steel or

plastic, either of which will work fine. They come as a set

of nesting spoons including a tablespoon, teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, 1/4
teaspoon and sometimes a 1/8 teaspoon.
Scale
The scale is the master of measurement. No matter how
little or how much you need of your dry or solid ingredients,
the scale will measure out exactly what you need and not
one coconut flake or chocolate chip more.
Mixing Spoons
A mixing spoon can be any spoon that has a large enough bowl and long
enough handle to comfortably be able to stir or fold in
ingredients. A set of wooden spoons in graduated bowl sizes
and handle lengths will be most useful. In many cases, you’ll
be using a regular old teaspoon (to mix icing colors) or your
favorite soup spoon (to stir melted chocolate).
Balloon Whisk
The balloon whisk is a series of wire (or nylon) loops attached to a handle
and is the tool of choice for whipping eggs and
incorporating meringues and other fluffy mixtures into
batters and sauces.
Spatulas
Spatulas come in many different shapes and sizes each
designed to perform specific duties. The two types of
spatulas most useful for the purposes of baking and
decorating cakes are rubber spatulas and metal icing
spatulas.
For mixing up cake batters, fillings and icings, you’ll need

a good flexible rubber or silicone spatula to scrape the
insides of your mixing bowls clean and to squeegee
every last bit of batter into your baking pans.
For spreading and smoothing icing like a pro, you’ll also need a set of
straight, tapered and angled metal spatulas.

Cake Leveler
The cake leveler would be the equivalent to the carpenter’s
level and is indispensable when it comes to slicing perfectly
even layers or leveling off for a perfectly flat cake top. You
can manage well enough with a long bladed knife for
smaller cakes, but for larger cakes, the cake leveler is a
symmetrical layers.
Wire Cake Racks

Wire racks are used to support hot-from-the-oven cakes
while they cool. They have little ‘feet’ on them that raise the
cake off the countertop to allow the air to circulate freely
over, around and under the cake.
Baking Paper
You’ll need a roll of either parchment or waxed paper for various baking
tasks. Baking paper is used to catch and transfer sifted dry ingredients,
line baking pans, separate cake layers and cover your working surface.
Cake boards or plates

You’ll also need some sort of board or plate as a base for your cake.
Commercial cake boards are generally made from either

plastic or cardboard and can be purchased at most baking
supply and craft stores. Plain boards are used for
supporting the cake while being worked on and making it
easier to move from different work surfaces and then onto
the serving platter or plate.
To serve a standard-sized round cake, everyday dinner plates work well

enough, but if you’re making square or larger shaped
cakes, you’ll need a fancy board in a slightly larger size
and shape to serve or display the cake.
A beginning cake decorator's best-kept secret is an elegant

footed cake plate in either glass or ceramic. A beautiful cake
plate can make the plainest of cakes look spectacular.

Turntable
A turntable doesn’t quite qualify as a cake decorating

necessity, but it sure makes the job a whole lot easier to
manage. Once your cake (supported by a cake board) is
set in place, you can easily rotate and tilt to smooth icing
and pipe expert details with ease.
Oven Mitts
This recommendation is made for all of you who are in the

habit of grabbing whichever dishtowel happens to be handy to
retrieve hot pans from the oven. The prudent cake baker
invests in a pair of reliable oven mitts, such as the new silicone
variety, to save their helpless hands from being singed when
the dishtowel slips. No baker wants his or her hard work to
crack apart when the pan is suddenly sent crashing onto the counter. So
save a finger--and a cake or two—by choosing a good quality, well-lined
pair of gloves!
Apron
Obviously not an essential, but just like the fancy cake plates, wearing an
apron makes any beginner look and feel like a pro! They also serve the
legitimate purpose of saving your favorite shirt from being stained with food
coloring or other indelible foodstuffs.
And that’s it! Hopefully you already own most of the items on this list. If not
and you’re starting from scratch, you might want to buy your equipment at
restaurant supply shops or pick according to what you absolutely need to
make a certain recipe. That way you can slowly accumulate the whole
collection without blowing your budget!

Chapter 2 - THE SET UP
Now that you have all your baking equipment and supplies in order, it’s time to
put them to good use! The first step in baking a cake is reading through your
recipe to familiarize yourself with the instructions and picking out which
equipment and ingredients you’ll be using. Once you’ve set out the mixer,
beaters, bowls, spoons, spatulas, measuring cups and spoons, and the
ingredients - the order that they are to be mixed - baking becomes a simple
assembly job.
The Baking Forecast

If you’ve had trouble with collapsing Angel or sponge cakes in the past,
you may be relieved to discover that it wasn’t your fault.
It may seem strange, but where you live can greatly
affect your chances of baking a successful cake! If you
live anywhere in the world at an altitude higher than
3500 feet above sea level, the air pressure is lower
which means liquids evaporate at a faster rate. The
effects of this rapid liquid evaporation will play havoc
with cakes that depend on the expansion of steam
trapped in the dough for their rising, unless you take
some precautions.
Predicting the “baking forecast” is a little like predicting the weather, and
sometimes just as accurate! Recipes generally provide both a baking time
and temperature, but depending on your particular oven, which size and
type of pan(s) you use, and where you live, you may need to adjust both
time and temperature to properly bake your cake. If you know or find out
that you live high above the clouds, there are a few standard adjustments
that you’ll need to make to each recipe to increase your chances of
success.
High Altitude Baking Adjustments

• Increase the oven temperature by 25¼F
• Reduce baking time by a few minutes to prevent over baking
• Fill pans 1/3 to 1/2 full to avoid batter overflow
• Generously grease and flour cake pans to prevent cake from sticking
• Reduce baking powder or soda by 1/2.
.

This may seem a tad complicated, but just like getting to know your oven,
you’ll soon know everything there is to know about high-altitude baking if
you live at the top of the world or close to it. So if you’ve ever had a cake
fail for seemingly no reason at all, Get Google Earth
http://earth.google.com/ and find out your elevation!
For more detailed information on high-altitude baking, visit
http://www.csuextstore.com/store/pc/home.asp.
Measurement 101
Now that you know where you are in the world and you’ve
set up your equipment and assembled your ingredients,
it’s time to measure! You can either measure out all the
ingredients in advance, placing them in separate bowls,
(as shown in this picture) or you can measure as you go.
Either method works fine; the choice is totally up to you! Just be sure to
measure correctly using the proper utensils, dry measures for dry and
liquid measuring cups for liquids. Measuring spoons are used for small
amounts of either liquid or dry ingredients. Improper measuring is a sure-
fire way to sabotage your efforts!
Dry Ingredients
For fine and powdered dry ingredients such as
flours, sugars (except brown sugar) and starches,
and cocoa, you’ll use a technique called the ‘spoon
and sweep.’ (This is the technique we all loved to
help our mothers with when we were little.)
Simply put, the flour is spooned or scooped into the measuring cup to over
full, and then with the flat backside edge of a butter knife, the excess is
swept off to give you a perfectly level cup of flour. To make sure there are
no air pockets trapped under the flour, gently tap the cup on the countertop
to release the air before ‘sweeping.’
Flakes & Crumbs

To measure flaky and crumbly ingredients such as shredded or flaked
coconut, oats, and bread crumbs, you’ll spoon or scoop until just over full
and then lightly pack down to a level cup.

Nuts & Bits
Nuts are rarely used whole in recipes (except as a garnish) and generally
require a little preparation before being measured. Your recipe will specify
coarsely chopped, finely chopped, or ground nuts. Pay attention! If your
recipe calls for 1 cup of finely chopped nuts, that would mean you would
finely chop the nuts and measure out one cup. If, on the other hand, your
recipe calls for 1-cup nuts, finely chopped, you would measure out one cup
of nuts and then chop them to bits.
To measure nuts and other bits such as chocolate or butterscotch chips,

spoon or scoop to fill the measuring cup and brush it off to level.
Solid Ingredients
Most solid fats, such as butter, are sold in 16 oz or 454 g packages, which
are marked with measurement lines representing different measurements.
Choose the line that matches the required measurement and make a
straight clear cut through the product.
You can also accurately measure some solids (such as peanut butter, lard
and vegetable shortenings) by packing them into a (dry) measuring cup
and then leveling smooth with the flat edge of a knife. Use a spoon or
small rubber spatula to scoop it out into your mixing bowl.
Liquid Ingredients
To measure liquid ingredients, which include water, juice, and the entire
milk family, you’ll use your clear glass Pyrex measuring cup. Place the
cup on a flat, level surface and pour to the required level. To properly read
your measurement, read the cup at eye level looking at the bottom line of
the meniscus--the thick surface line of the liquid.
Syrups & Such

For the in-between gang of ingredients (thick liquids and
thin solids) such as syrups, honey, molasses, yogurt, sour
cream, liquid eggs and fruit purées, use the liquid
measuring cup, fill to the desired line, and scoop out with a
rubber spatula.

Mini Measurements
Although spooned measurements might be small, they are mighty! Most
spooned ingredients – baking powder, baking soda, salt, cream of tartar and
spices, are very powerful agents and inaccurate measuring even by the
tiniest amount can throw off either the taste or consistency of your cake.
Now that we’ve scared you into being careful … measuring with spoons is
actually easy! For liquid ingredients, pour to fill the spoon to level. For dry
ingredients, use a mini-version of the ‘scoop and sweep’ method outlined above.
Special Measurements
Every so often you’ll come across a recipe that uses strange instructions
like ‘heaping’ and ‘dollop.’ Refer to the following chart if any directions
leave you wondering what to do.
Measurement Description
Scoop a heaping spoonful. For a small

Dollop dollop, use a teaspoon; large dollop, use a
tablespoon.
Place the ingredient in a measuring cup,

Firmly Packed then press down tightly, compacting the
ingredient.
Pile on as much as possible onto a

Heaping
measuring spoon or measuring cup.
Level or Even Level off the top with a flat spatula or the
back edge of a knife to make it even with the
top of the measuring cup.
Lightly Packed Place the ingredient in a measuring cup, and

then with a spoon or spatula, gently press
the ingredient down.
Pinch or Dash
Measure 1/6 of a teaspoon.
Rounded Measure to just over full leaving a rounded,

rather than flat, top.

Metric Measurements
The experts at support@cakesmadeeasy.com

frequently receive requests to convert cups to grams or
ml, teaspoon and tablespoons to ml, and ounces to
grams. For all our British, Canadian, European, Indian
and Australian readers who submitted their questions,
this chart is for you!
Standard Metric Conversion Chart

Volume
1/4 teaspoon 1.25 ml
1/2 teaspoon 2.5 ml
3/4 teaspoon 3.75
1 teaspoon 5 ml
1 tablespoon 15 ml
1/4 cup 62.5 ml
1/2 cup 125 ml
3/4 cup 187.5 ml
1 cup 250 ml
Weight
1 ounce 28.4 g
8 ounces 227.5 g
16 ounces 455 g
1-2-3-4 Ingredients
th
The 1-2-3-4 Cake first appeared in the 18 century at a time when many
people were illiterate. To simplify the baking process for the masses, cake

recipes were organized into four main ingredients - one cup of butter, two
cups sugar, three cups flour, and four eggs.
These basic four ingredients – flour, sugar, butter (shortening) and eggs—
continue to dominate the cake scene but now come in so many different
varieties that special attention must be taken to ensure a good outcome.
Flour
Generally a cake recipe will specify the type of flour to be used but even
then, it’s not always so easy to decide which brand to use. There are
several types of flour on the market, but they’re not all created equal!
Flour can be made from many different grains, nuts and even certain root
vegetables.
The main difference among baking flours is the amount of gluten they
contain. Bread flour contains a relatively high amount of gluten, which
makes for more ‘elastic’ and chewy breads. Pastry flour is best for making
pastries, piecrusts and biscuits. Cake flour contains the least amount of
gluten and produces light, tender cakes. For the purposes of the cake
recipes found in this book, you need to familiarize yourself with just three
flours: All-purpose, Cake and Self-rising.
• All-purpose flour – is an equal mix of cake and bread flours. All-

purpose flour comes either bleached or non-bleached, either of which
work fine in cake batters. This is also known as plain flour and would
be the type to use when your recipe simply lists ‘flour.’
• Cake flour – has the least amount of gluten of all wheat flours and
contains soft, high starch wheat, making it the best choice for light, fluffy
cakes such as angel food and sponge cakes.
• Self-rising flour – is an all-purpose flour to which a leavening agent has

been added in the form of baking powder and salt. Self-rising flour is
generally available at grocery stores in the baking aisle, but if not, you
can mix your own at home.
To substitute for one cup of cake flour, mix one cup of all-purpose flour + 1
1/2 teaspoons of baking powder + 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Sugar
There are dozens of types of sugar from regular granulated sugar to liquid
invert sugar. But for the purposes of baking the recipes in these books,

and most other recipe books as well, you’ll be using one of three types of
sugar: Granulated, Brown, or Confectioners’.
• Granulated sugar – is the all-purpose sugar of the sugar family and

the most commonly used in baking. Also known as white sugar, this is
the one to use when a recipe calls for either ‘sugar’ or ‘white sugar.’
• Brown sugar – is sometimes referred to as Golden Yellow sugar and is

incompletely refined white sugar that still retains some molasses. Adding
molasses to fully refined white sugar is the same thing. It has a distinctive
flavor (due to the molasses) and tastes great in spice or fruitcakes, but
does not work as a substitute for white sugar in lighter cakes.
• Confectioners’ sugar – is also known as icing sugar or powdered

sugar and is a finely ground white sugar containing a little starch or
other anti-packing ingredient. It is perfectly suited for mixing smooth
icings and glazes.
Shortening
Technically, shortening is the solid form of an edible fat such as butter,
margarine, lard or vegetable shortening. Again, all shortenings are not
created equal and besides taste, they all have different melting points,
which means they behave and perform differently when heated and baked.
Always use the exact shortening specified in your recipe. If your recipe
simply lists 'shortening,' use a vegetable shortening found in the baking
aisle of your grocery store, such as Crisco. Whichever type of shortening
is being used, it should be set out for about 30 minutes before using to
soften to room temperature.
Eggs
Unless otherwise specified by your recipe, eggs should
always be used at room temperature. Simply set out the
number of eggs needed on the countertop (make sure
they don’t roll!) or in a bowl, for about 20 minutes before
using.
Eggs are sold in four different sizes: small, medium, large and extra (or
very) large. Again, unless otherwise specified in your recipe, always use
large eggs. There is no difference baking-wise between white-shelled or
brown-shelled eggs. As long as you have the right size, either brown or
white will work fine in any recipe!

Chapter 3 - BAKE THAT CAKE!
In this next chapter, we will walk you through the entire procedure of baking a
perfect cake, from preparing your pans to serving your edible masterpiece.
Begin by preheating the oven to the temperature specified in the recipe, while
measuring and mixing your ingredients. To preheat your oven, set the
temperature and allow the oven to heat up for about 15 minutes before baking.
Most ovens have a preheat setting which will beep when the oven has reached
the desired temperature.
Choosing the Pan

Choosing which pan to use can be as easy as reading your recipe which will,
more often than not, provide you with both the shape and size of pan. But what
pan do you use when that information isn’t provided? Or which pan do you use if
you don’t own the recommended pan(s)?
The following chart will provide you with everything you ever wanted to know
about pans, and then some! It provides batter amounts, average baking times
and temperatures, the number of servings, and icing amounts for the different
shapes and sizes of pans.
The charts below show baking information and serving amounts for 2-inch pans.
The figures are based on a 2-layer or 4-inch high cake. The serving amounts are
based on party-sized portions which are generally cut to give a 2 x 1 1/2 inch (or
3-inch square) piece of cake.
The charts also provide metric conversions (a popular request at

www.CakesMadeEasy.com!) for pan size and batter and icing amounts, as well
as Fahrenheit/Celsius and gas number conversions. May you be spared many
hours of research and guesswork to convert your recipes into the baking
language of your choice!

The Baker’s Party Cake Chart
2-inch deep pans, unless otherwise specified

Pan Preparation
Next, set out the cake pan(s) suggested in the recipe. If you don’t have
the exact size specified, or you would prefer a different shaped cake,
consult the chart of alternative cake pans. If you’re using glass pans or
dark colored non-stick baking pans rather than shiny aluminum or stainless
steel pans, reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees.
Before pouring your batter into your baking pan(s), check your recipe to
see if it specifies either greased or non-greased pans. If by chance your
recipe makes no such specification, you’re to assume that the pan(s)
should be greased and floured. Greasing and flouring the cake pan(s) is
important as it keeps the cake from sticking. A little grease goes a long
way and will keep the cake from burning and allow it to release easily once
baked and cooled.
Greasing
There are two common and very easy methods for greasing a baking pan.
• Spray the inside bottom and sides of the pan with a light coating of non-
stick spray. Be careful not to spray too much!
• Or dip a paper towel or waxed paper into solid shortening such as Crisco and
then wipe the inside bottom and sides of the pan until they are lightly coated.
Flouring
Flouring a cake pan is easy to do and plays an important role in baking a
perfect cake by ensuring a cake will release easily from the pan. For light-
colored cakes, such as white, yellow, lemon or strawberry, use regular all-
purpose white flour.
But if you are baking a chocolate, devil’s food, or dark-colored cake, use
cocoa powder, which won’t affect the appearance of the bottom of the cake.
In both situations, the following directions would apply:
• Sprinkle flour or cocoa powder into the pan, lightly and evenly.
• Then lift the pan, tilting it from one side to the other and tapping the sides
to move the flour around to coat the grease evenly.

• Finally, tilt the pan over the sink and tap out any excess flour or cocoa
powder to avoid caking or crusting on the bottom of the cake.
Professional Baker’s Grease
Here we share one of the best-guarded secrets of the pros: Professional

Baker’s Grease. Once this secret gets out, cakes all around the world will
be slipping and sliding right out of their pans! To make a batch of this
highly prized grease, mix together equal parts flour, vegetable shortening
and vegetable oil. The recipe looks like this:
Professional Baker’s Grease
1 cup vegetable shortening

1-cup vegetable oil
1-cup flour
Cream shortening and add vegetable oil and flour. Mix until well blended.
You will have a bowl of greasy paste, which you’ll use to grease your pans.
This grease works especially well for greasing ‘difficult’ pans such as
Bundt and shaped pans with deep crevices and indentations. Try it you’ll
like it!
Baking Aids
Baking aids come in a few different forms, some more conventional than
others. Heating cores and flower nails should only be used when baking
larger cakes, with their smallest diameter 10 inches or larger. Baking
strips can (and should!) be used for any sized cake.
• Heating Core – This is a cone-shaped metal cylinder that is
used to help distribute the heat evenly to the middle of the
cake. To use a heating core, grease it inside and out and
place it upright standing on its narrow end in the center of the
pan and fill it level to the cake batter. When your baked cake
has cooled, remove the heating core and repair the hole left
behind with the plug of cake from inside the heating core.
• Flower Nail – For a less intrusive aid, try using a flower nail. A
flower nail is just that, a nail used to make piped icing flowers.
But somewhere in time, some baker had the ingenious idea of

using a flower nail (which is generally made out of metal) to help bake their
cake. Generously grease a flower nail and stand it on its head in the
center of your baking pan. Once your baked cake has cooled, invert your
cake and simply remove the nail. There won’t be any hole left behind to
plug and your cake will be perfectly baked through and through.
• Baking Strips – These are useful fashion accessories

for the modern baking pan. Every fashion-conscious
pan wants one! Baking strips approach the problem of
heat distribution from a different angle. These are pre-
moistened belts that are wrapped around the cake pan while the cake
bakes. The extra moisture and cooling effect of the strips evens heat
distribution and helps your cake bake evenly. Say b-bye to burnt or crisp
cake edges!
For easy step-by-step instructions and a quick demonstration of these

magical tools, Click here for the “Evenly-Baked, Level Cakes” VIDEO
(available in the purchased version)
.
I’m All Mixed Up

Once your pans are greased, floured and set to go, you’re ready to start
mixing! Closely follow your cake recipe, mixing the ingredients exactly as
directed. If you pay close enough attention, you should end up with a nice
creamy smooth batter ready to be poured into your baking pan(s). There
are in fact some recipes that produce thick and lumpy batters, but they
would be the exception, not the rule. You should be going for smooth and
creamy unless otherwise stated in your recipe.
Get Crackin’!
Working with eggs can be a little tricky until you learn a

few simple techniques. Practice the following common
egg preparations and you’ll soon be an eggspert:
to the act of separating the egg yolk from the egg white. Eggs are often
separated because the egg yolk and egg whites have different properties.
Egg yolks contain fat and work great as thickeners in custards and fillings.
The fat in egg yolks prevents the foaming of egg whites and that’s why egg

whites are beaten separately to allow them to reach their full foaming
potential.
To separate the egg, tap the middle of the egg sharply against a hard
surface. Hold the egg over the bowl to contain the egg whites, and gently
pull apart the eggshell. Tip the egg so the egg yolk settles in one half of
the shell. Then gently tip the egg yolk back and forth between the two
halves until all of the egg white has dripped into the bowl.
Or you can use an actual egg separator that has a small cup with narrow
slits, which allows the egg whites to drip through, but hangs on to the egg
yolk. Be careful not to break the egg yolk and accidentally have some
drop into the egg whites. One little drop could prevent your egg whites
from foaming. To avoid this from happening, drop the egg whites one at a
time into a cup or small bowl and then transfer them to the mixing bowl.
Place the egg yolk in a separate bowl or, if not being used in the same
recipe, in a covered container and keep in the refrigerator for later use.
Slightly beaten – beat egg yolks and whites together with a fork or whisk
until the egg yolks and egg whites are evenly blended.
Well-beaten – beat egg yolks and whites together with either a whisk or
mixer until they are light, frothy and evenly colored.
Soft peaks – describes egg whites that have been beaten until gentle
peaks form and fold over when the beater is lifted.
Stiff peaks – beat egg whites with a mixer (or whisk, but that’s a LOT of
hard work!) just until straight peaks form when the beater is lifted.
Lemon colored – refers to the color of egg yolks beaten at high speed with a
mixer until they turn a light yellow and form ribbons when the beater is lifted.
Gently folded – refers to the action of gently incorporating beaten egg

whites into other mixtures. Whether your recipe specifies it or not, folding
is always a gentle action. You are trying to combine fluffy whites with
heavier mixtures and you don’t want to lose the air you’ve managed to
beat into the egg whites. It’s best to pour the beaten egg whites on to the
heavier mixture and then with either a spoon or rubber spatula, gradually
incorporate the two with a downward, across, up and over motion.
Continue folding until no streaks remain.
Mixing Methods

Other common terms used in recipes refer to specific methods of mixing.
You need to pay close attention to which term your recipe uses because
the success of your cake depends on it!
Beat - To stir vigorously with a spoon, whisk or mixer.

Blend - To mix two or more ingredients to produce a uniform and smooth
mixture.
Combine - To mix two or more ingredients together.

Cream - To beat softened butter and/or shortening and/or sugar with
electric mixer to produce a smooth and creamy, or light and fluffy, mixture.
Fold - (The most difficult method to master and that’s why we mention it
twice!) To gently, focus on the gently, mix one ingredient fluffy mixture into
another with a spoon or spatula using a circular down (to the bottom of the
bowl), across, up and over movement. The idea is to combine the two
ingredients without deflating the fluffy mixture. Folding is most often used
to incorporate beaten egg whites into the cake batter or whipped cream
into a filling or mousse.
Stir - To mix with a spoon using a circular motion.
Whip - To beat with a mixer at high speed to increase volume until frothy or stiff.
Whisk - To use a whisk to beat with a whipping motion to add volume.
Batter Up!
Once you’re done separating eggs, beating, creaming, folding and

whipping, you’ll have yourself a bowl full of batter. Carefully pour the cake
batter into the middle of the pan. Then tilt the pan slightly so the batter
spreads out evenly. If the batter is thick and does not spread easily, take a
regular butter knife or spatula and move it along the top of the batter to
smooth it out evenly over the entire surface of the pan.
If you notice any air bubbles on the surface of the cake, you’ll want to get
rid of them. Gently knock out the air bubbles by lifting the pan off the
counter an inch or so and gently dropping it back down. You may need to
do this several times before all of the air bubbles are popped.
It’s Baking Time!

Unless your recipe states otherwise, you’ll want to bake your cake on the
center rack of your oven. If you have more than one cake to bake at a
time, be sure they don’t touch either each other or the oven walls. For
even baking you need proper circulation of heat and air around each pan.
Because different ovens tend to bake differently, you should check the
doneness of your cake five to eight minutes prior to the time listed in the
recipe. In other words, if the recipe gives a baking time of 28 to 32
minutes, check for doneness after 23 minutes. If your cake is done,
remove it; if not, return it to the oven and set the timer for an additional two
to four minutes.
Is It Done Yet?
Here’s how to test the doneness of your cake:
Gently poke a toothpick straight down through the center to the bottom of
the cake. Pull it out and examine closely. What do you see?
• If any wet and gooey cake has stuck to the toothpick, then the cake is not
done. Return it to the oven for an additional two to four minutes, re-testing
for doneness after the added minutes have lapsed.
• If the toothpick comes out clean, or with tiny dry and crumbly cake bits
attached, your cake is done! Remove it from the oven and place on wire
rack to cool evenly without cracking.
The Cool Down
After the cake is removed from the oven, it is IMPERATIVE that your cake
cool down before you begin icing and/or decorating it. (Unless you have
baked a quick bread or pound cake that takes a warm syrup or glaze to
seal the top crust.) For every other kind of cake, allow the cake to cool
before icing it. The reason? A hot cake will melt the icing and absorb it
like your best sponge. You’ll end up with one gooey mess!
Place your cake(s), still in its pan(s), on wire cake

racks to allow the air to circulate under, over and
around your cake. The yummy aroma may tempt you
to speed up the decorating. Resist! Trying to remove
a warm or hot cake from its pan will only result in

frustration. Your cake will crumble or fall apart. You must allow enough
time for your cake to completely cool.
The time it takes for a cake to cool will vary depending on the size and
type of cake pan used. Most cakes need a minimum of 30 minutes to cool
down. Your cake is completely cool when both the top of the cake and the
bottom of the pan are cool to the touch.
The Release
Removing a cake from its pan without damaging it is one of the trickier
steps in baking a perfect cake. Here’s a general procedure, which should
ensure a quick and easy release. If by chance some of the cake sticks to
the pan, don’t despair! You can easily patch your cake back together and
once assembled, filled and iced, no one will ever notice.
Begin the big release by carefully running a butter knife around the edges
of the pan taking care not to cut into the edges of the cake. Next place a
platter of some sort (a regular dinner plate works well for round pans)
upside down on top of the cake pan. Now hold the platter securely in
place while you quickly and carefully flip both platter and pan together so
that the plate ends up on the bottom.
Gently tap and wiggle the cake pan to help loosen the edges and then
slowly lift the pan off the cake.
If it seems that the cake is stuck to the pan, you can return the whole thing
to a warm oven (300 degrees) for 2-3 minutes and then repeat the above
procedure. The warmth will have melted the grease allowing the cake to
slip right out of the pan.
For cakes meant to remain in their pans (sheet cakes or dessert squares),
you won’t have any releasing troubles to deal with, but you’ll still need to
make sure your cake has completely cooled before you begin icing it.
To test the temperature of the cake, gently touch the top of the cake as
well as the bottom of the pan. If the bottom of the cake pan is still warm to
the touch, the cake is still too warm. When both cake and pan are cool to
the touch, your cake is ready to be iced!
Congratulations! You’ve just made (maybe your very first?) Perfectly

Baked Cake!

Chapter 4 – THE RECIPE BOX
In this chapter, we provide several easy-to-follow
cake recipes for you to try your hand at actually
making a cake rather than just reading about it.
Once you have mastered your first cake, you’ll have
the confidence to bake a second, and then even a
third! With each cake baked, you’ll gain more and
more confidence in your ability and you’ll soon be ready to step outside of
the box and move on to other more challenging recipes. Keep in mind that
starting out takes a lot of time and even more patience. When you make a
mistake (and you will), chalk it up as a lesson well learned and move on to
the next recipe. The bigger the mistake, the better the lesson!
Most importantly, have fun! Cakes are central to many celebrations and if
you aren’t having fun, you’re missing the whole point. If you find yourself
getting frustrated, you may be moving a little too fast or you’re a little too
critical of yourself and your newfound skills. Be kind to yourself and
choose your recipes wisely. You’ll be making yourself proud and
delighting others in no time!
Boxed Cakes
Without a doubt, a homemade cake made from scratch is a whole lot
tastier than a cake made from a boxed mix. But when you’re first testing
out your new baking skills, a boxed cake is a great choice for a starter
cake. They provide an easy introduction into the world of baking, reducing
both the amount of kitchen time as well as the amount of stress on the
baker (that would be you).
The box contains a package of all the dry ingredients, pre-measured and
pre-sifted. All you need to do is add the wet ingredients – the eggs, water
or milk, and some oil, mix them all together and voilå! A half-homemade
cake batter ready to pour!
Even some of the more seasoned pros are known to use boxed cakes in a
pinch. Boxed cakes are always great for saving time no matter how
experienced you are in the kitchen!
If you do decide to start out using a boxed cake, any of the more popular
brand names will do. Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker are both reliable

brands that make a wide selection of cake mixes to choose from. So the
next time you’re out doing the groceries, take a walk up the baking aisle
and toss a boxed cake into your cart!
Scratch Cakes
As you become more and more comfortable with your new-found baking
skills, you can move on to slightly more difficult recipes. The following
recipes have been chosen because they are easy to follow and require
minimal icing to make them table ready. Pick one and have fun!
Angel Food Cake

12 egg whites, room temperature
1 1/8 cups sifted cake flour
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 scant teaspoon almond extract
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Do NOT grease pan.

Sift flour once before measuring. Then sift flour and 3/4 cup sugar together
5 times.
Put egg whites and salt into large mixing bowl. Beat until foamy. Add
cream of tartar and continue beating until stiff, about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Do
not over-beat until dry. Gradually sprinkle in 1 cup sugar while beating on
medium speed. Beat only until sugar is blended, about 1 1/2 minutes. Turn
to low speed and add vanilla and almond extracts.
Sprinkle in sifted flour mixture evenly and quickly. Beat only enough to
blend, about 1 1/2 minutes, scraping bowl often. Pour into 10-inch tube
pan. Cut through batter with knife or spatula, going around in circular
motion 3 times to release large air bubbles.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown. Turn oven off after 30
minutes. Leave cake in oven for 5 more minutes before removing. Allow
cake to cool in pan 20 minutes. Invert to release cake. This cake can easily
be frozen. Hallelujah!

Apple Butter Cake
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup apple butter
Pecan halves
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9x13x2-inch baking pan.
In a bowl, combine the sifted flour, baking soda, salt, and various spices.
In another bowl, combine the milk and vinegar. In a third bowl, cream
shortening and sugar for two minutes until light and fluffy.
In mixer bowl, beat eggs until lemon colored. Add flour mixture alternately
with the milk/vinegar and shortening/sugar mixtures, beating well after
each addition. Using a fork, stir in the apple butter until well blended.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30 minutes
or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cake to completely cool and
then frost with either Cream cheese or Buttercream frosting. Decorate top
of cake with pecan halves and enjoy!
Banana Bread
1 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup mashed ripe or over ripe bananas (the uglier, the better!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Repeat.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and banana and
beat until just blended. Add the sifted ingredients and beat until well blended.
Pour batter into pan and bake for 60 minutes. Allow baked bread to cool in
pan for 15 minutes. Loosen sides with a knife and invert to remove from pan.
Basic Applesauce Cake

1 cup sugar
1 cup applesauce, cold
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in 1 tablespoon of warm water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup raisins
2 cups flour
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13x2-inch baking pan.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients, except the flour.
With the mixer on low, add the flour a 1/2 cup at a time, blending until the
flour is well incorporated into the batter.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes
or until toothpick comes out clean. This cake can either be iced with your
favorite icing or simply dusted with powdered sugar.
Carrot and Walnut Cake

3 cups flour, sifted
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 large carrots, grated
1/2 cup black walnuts, chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9X1-1/2-inch pans.
In large mixing bowl, whisk together by hand the flour, sugar, baking
powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a second bowl, combine the
remaining ingredients, stirring until well blended.
Make an indention (well) in the center of your dry ingredients. Pour the wet
mixture into the well and mix with a spoon until smooth.
Pour batter into prepared pans, dividing the batter evenly. Bake for 35
minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Allow cakes to cool and remove from pans. Place one cake on serving
plate, ice top with Cream cheese icing, place the second layer on top and
finish icing the entire cake.
Chocolate Sheet Cake

(This is one cake you get to ice hot from the oven!)
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
2 sticks butter or margarine
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup water
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 15-1/2 X 10-1/2
cookie sheet or jelly roll pan.
In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, mix
the eggs, vanilla extract, and sour cream, until well blended. Gradually,
add the egg mixture into the dry ingredients, beating until creamy and
smooth.

In a saucepan, place the butter or margarine, cocoa, and water. On
medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over
other ingredients. Mix well.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 23 minutes or until
done. While still hot, ice cake with your favorite chocolate frosting.
Classic White Cake

3 cups sifted cake flour
1 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
6 egg whites
Preheat oven to 325º F. Grease and flour two 8-inch or 9-inch round pans
and line with waxed paper.
Sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar
together until light and fluffy. Set aside. Beat egg whites until stiff, but not
dry. Set aside.
With a mixer at slow speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternately
with milk. Beat well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Fold egg
whites into batter.
Pour into prepared pans. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes
out clean.
Makes 6 cups batter.
Coffee Crunch Cake

1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs, beaten
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon baking powder

Crunch

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 10-inch tube pan.
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and then the flour. Stir in vanilla extract,
sour cream, baking powder and baking soda.
Pour 1/2 of the batter into the pan. Sprinkle 1/2 of the crunch to lightly cover
batter. Pour remaining batter over crunch and then sprinkle remaining crunch
to cover top of batter. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove cake from oven and
allow to cool in pan. Invert pan to release cake. Get you coffee (or tea) ready
… and enjoy!
Cream Cheese Pound Cake

3/4 pound butter, softened
8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups flour
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan.
In a bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar. One at a time, add
the eggs, beating well after each addition. Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time,
again blending well after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well.
Pour the cake batter into the Bundt pan. Bake for 2 hours and 15 minutes
or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool and remove
from pan. Serve with sweetened whipped cream or whipped topping.

Delicious Pineapple Cake
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
Dash of salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
20 ounce can crushed pineapple with liquid
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 X 12 inch cake pan.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a
separate bowl, combine the eggs, pineapple and the vanilla. Slowly add
the pineapple mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.
Pour the cake batter into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until
toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool and remove from pan.
Frost the cake with coconut frosting. Aloha!
Easy Yellow Cake

2 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans.
In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt, using a fork or
whisk to blend well. In a separate bowl, combine the vanilla extract and milk.
In a mixer, cream the butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs
one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients
alternately with the milk/vanilla mixture, and beat until creamy and smooth.
Pour the batter into the two cake pans, dividing the amount evenly. Bake
for 20 to 25 minutes.
Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 5 minutes and then invert them
onto a wire rack to continue cooling. Once the cakes are completely

cooled, place one layer on a serving plate and frost the top. Place the
second layer on top and finish frosting the entire cake.
For a 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan, bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes and allow
cake to completely cool in pan for 30 minutes. And then frost.
Healthy Honey & Oat Cake

1 1/4 cups boiling water 1 1/2 cups honey
1 cup uncooked oats 2 eggs
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups whole-wheat flour Pecan halves
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the boiling water, uncooked oats, and
butter or margarine, and stir well. Set aside and let stand for 20 minutes.
In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
After 20 minutes has lapsed, add the honey, eggs, and vanilla to the oats
mixture and stir well. Gradually add and incorporate the flour mixture.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until
toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan and then frost with German Frosting.
Garnish top with pecan halves.
Homemade Pumpkin Cake

2 cups canned pumpkin
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease, flour and line an 8 or 9-inch pan
with waxed paper.
In a bowl, blend the pumpkin, sugar, oil, and eggs. In a separate bowl, sift
the remaining ingredients. Gradually add the pumpkin mixture to the dry
ingredients and mix until well blended.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Allow
the cake to cool and then dust with powdered sugar.
Lemon Loaf
2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup milk
zest of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
In mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In large mixing
bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until
just blended. Pour batter in to pan and bake for 60 minutes.
Allow loaf to cool in pan and then top with lemon glaze when still slightly
warm. Glaze 2 tbsp. sugar 2 tbsp. lemon juice Combine sugar and lemon
juice and mix until sugar is dissolved. Spoon over cake that is still slightly
warm.

Red Velvet Cake
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp. cocoa
2 oz. red food coloring
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda Photo Courtesy Norma Buccianti
1 tbsp. vinegar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8-inch round
baking pans.
Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs. Make a paste of the cocoa and
red food coloring and add it to the shortening mixture. Mix together the
salt, vanilla, buttermilk and vinegar; set aside.
Combine the cake flour and baking soda and set aside.
Mix the buttermilk mixture and the cake flour mixture alternately to the
shortening mixture by gently folding them into the batter. Do not over beat!
Pour batter into prepared pans and bake 30 minutes.
Sophie’s Chocolate Cake

2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the egg and vanilla. Add the sugar and milk
and beat for 3 minutes.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. And to the egg mixture and
beat on high for 3 minutes. Melt chocolate and butter together in double
boiler. Add to mixture and beat for another 3 minutes.
Pour into prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes.
Strawberry Cheesecake
Crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter and press into bottom
of an 8-inch springform pan.
Cake
11 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
Cream cream cheese. Add the eggs, sugar and vanilla and blend until
smooth. Pour into pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely.
Strawberry Glaze
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 container frozen strawberries, thawed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
In a medium saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in juice from
frozen strawberries. Add (1 cup) strawberries. Cook over moderate heat,
stirring constantly until thick and clear. Stir in lemon juice. Spread glaze
over cheesecake. Chill thoroughly before serving.

Chapter 5 – THE PREP ROOM
So now you have a perfectly baked, completely cooled

cake sitting on the countertop, looking up at you, just
staring right at you, waiting for you to make the next
move. The next move you make depends on what kind of
cake you’ve just baked.
You may be preparing to simply dust the top of your cake

with icing sugar or varnish it with a glaze, either of which
your cake is ready to receive. Dusting and glazing are
popular finishes for Bundt cakes and quick breads. But if by chance you
are planning to ice your cake, or you have the makings of a layer cake or
torte staring up at you, you’ll need to level and trim those cake layers.
Leveling
The purpose of leveling your cakes is to create an even and symmetrical

base. If your base cake is crooked and lopsided, no amount of icing will
make it stand up straight or lay down flat.
To level your cake layers, you will use either an official cake leveler or a
knife with a long serrated blade, long enough to reach through your cake to
the other side. Place your cake on a cake board covered in plastic wrap to
keep the cake from sliding around. Add a spot of icing (a tablespoon or
so) to the center of the cake board to ‘glue’ to cake in place. Center the
first (or only) cake layer, bottom side facing up, on the cake board.
If you’re lucky, your cake will have baked flat and won’t have a domed top.
But if it does, that’s the first part to be removed. Position the blade of your
knife even with the outside edge of the cake and slice off the dome with an
even and straight sawing motion. If using a cake leveler, position the wire
at the correct markings and gently draw the leveler across the cake, again
with a gentle sawing motion. Make sure that both feet of the leveler remain
flat on your working surface.

Trimming
For cakes with uneven or crisp edges, you’ll want to trim them square and
even with the rest of the cake. Using your serrated knife again, trim off any
unwanted rough or misshapen areas, making sure to cut as straight and
even as possible. By the time you’re done leveling and trimming, you should
have a perfectly formed cake ready to be either filled or iced, or both!
Torting
Torting refers to act of slicing each individual cake into two or more layers
before filling and stacking. Several thin layers all neatly stacked and filled
with jam, custard, cream, fruit or a combination of fillings, will impress even
the most difficult of in-laws!
Click here for the VIDEO, "Leveling & Torting" (available in the purchased
version)
Layer Cakes
When it comes to layering cakes, the more settled

and firm your cake, the better. Baking your cakes
one day in advance will allow for enough time for
your cake to properly settle down and firm up.
Firm and settled cakes will support heavy, gooey
fillings better than weak and unsettled cakes.
No matter then number of layers, the following procedure promises to build

a sturdy cake that will keep any oozing fillings under control and prevent
them from overflowing their boundaries.
1. To build your cake, place the thickest layer first, bottom side up, on a cake
board. When layering or torting cakes, it's always best to put your best side
facing up. With a layer cake, when you're simply stacking individually
baked cakes, the best side is generally the bottom side (unless the bottom
stuck to the pan in places and you have patched 'holes.) The flatter and
smoother your topside, the more evenly your cake will stack.
2. Next, pipe (with a #10 round tip or similar large size decorating tip) an
icing dam around the outer edge of each layer to contain the filling. The

dam will act as a barrier and will prevent the filling from escaping to the
outer edge of the cake.
3. Spread the filling within the icing dam borders (or the dam icing borders
depending on how the whole process is going for you … ☺) with an
angled spatula, if you have one, to avoid dragging your fingers through
the icing dam.
4. Carefully center the second layer, bottom side up, over the first layer,
matching edges and corners (for square cakes). Repeat steps 2-4 until
the top layer has been positioned in place. And voilå! Your cake is
ready to be crumb coated!
Click here for a live VIDEO demonstration on “Filling Your Cake.”

Please note that there are certain types of layer

cakes where you actually want the filling to ooze out
from between the layers, such as this Strawberry Cream Cake. These
types of layer cake are easy to assemble since you won’t need to be so
precise and careful. Oozing filling is the look you’re after and if it droops
down a little to the lower layer(s), that’s okay too. Just call it “artistic
license” and you can do what you want!
Rolled Cakes
Rolled cakes require a totally different assembly

procedure and are comparatively easy to fill and
roll. The jellyroll pan is used to give a large, thin
and flat sponge cake.
To fill a rolled cake, place the cooled cake on a flat work surface and
spread the filling smoothly and evenly, making sure to spread it right out to
the edge. Take one long side and begin rolling the cake into a tight log or
tube. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow for the cake to set into shape.
Now you’re all set to make a Swiss Roll or Buche de Noel!
Types of Filling

Your choice, when it comes to fillings, is almost limitless. As long as it’s not
too runny just about anything can be used as a cake filling. You have your
choice of buttercream, custards, curds, cream cheese, frostings, fruit,
icings, jams, mousses, nut butters, preserves, puddings, purees, and
(breathe!) whipped cream you add in all the possible combinations –
cream cheese with purees, custard with preserves, or whipped cream with
fruit, etc., you’ll find that the list of possibilities is defined only by your
imagination!
Fillings are used to add taste and texture to cakes transform an otherwise
plain white cake into strawberry shortcake or a simple chocolate cake into
a whipped cream with cherries filled Black Forest Cake.
To get you started experimenting with fillings, here are a few all-purpose
recipes that do well to dress up any cake.
Banana Cream Filling

1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 large ripe banana, mashed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
In a sauce pan, heat the milk and beat until well blended. Return mixture
back to the sauce pan and continue thick and smooth.
Temper the egg yolks by whisking in 1/2 cup of the hot mixture.
Then slowly pour the warmed egg yolks into the saucepan, stirring
constantly. Cook over low heat for 5 more minutes until thick and creamy.
Allow mixture to cool.
Cream the mashed banana until smooth. Add the lemon juice and stir into
the cooled filling. Chill one hour before filling cake.
Makes 2 cups

Coconut Cream Filling
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
4 ounces (1 1/2 cups) sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
In a large bowl, whisk eggs until slightly beaten. Set aside.
In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Gradually whisk in

milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and
comes to a boil (10 minutes.) Remove from heat.
Whisk in 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks to temper.
Slowly pour warm yolks into the saucepan, stirring constantly. Cook slowly,
stirring constantly, over medium-low heat, until mixture begins to bubble (5
minutes.) Remove from heat. Stir in coconut and vanilla.
Transfer filling to a bowl. Cover and chill (1 hour) until firm before filling cake.
Makes 4 cup
Chocolate Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder, well chilled
2 tablespoons piping gel
In a small bowl, combine the cocoa and sugar. In a chilled bowl, combine the
cream and vanilla and whip until soft peaks form. With the mixer running or
while whisking by hand, gradually pour in the cocoa mixture; whip until stiff
peaks form. Do not over beat or your cream will turn to butter!

Makes 2 1/2 cups
Lemon Filling
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold water
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Juice of one medium lemon
1 tablespoon butter
Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a small saucepan. Gradually add
water and whisk until well blended. Whisk in egg yolks, lemon peel and
lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thick and
bubbly. Boil one minute; remove from heat. Stir in butter. Cool to room
temperature, without stirring. Fill cake.
Makes 2 cups
Pastry Cream Filling

This is the filling to use when you’re stuck for ideas. It tastes great with any
cake!
3 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons sugar
1 cup half & half cream
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a saucepan and blend in a little of the
cream. Place on medium heat and stir constantly. Add the rest of the
cream and continue stirring until the mixture reaches the consistency of
medium cream sauce.
Whisk a little of the hot sauce into the egg yolks to temper. Slowly pour the
warm egg yolks into the saucepan. Cook on low heat for five minutes until
thick and creamy. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.

Transfer filling to a bowl. To prevent a skin from forming, brush with melted
butter and refrigerate one hour. Stir a little before using.
Makes 2 cups
Strawberry Cream Filling
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg white, stiffly beaten
1/2 cup strawberries, mashed
In a mixing bowl, whip cream until stiff. Fold in sugar, egg white and
the mashed strawberries
Makes 3 cups
Stabilized Whipped Cream

Stabilized Whipped Cream can be used for filling, frosting and decorating
cakes (piping simple borders and rosettes.)
1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons piping gel
1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
Combine whipping cream and sugar in mixing bowl. Whip to soft peak
stage. Add gel and vanilla, then continue to whip stiff peaks. Do not over
beat or you’ll end up with stabilized butter!

Chapter 6 – ICING
Your cake is looking good! The filling is
nicely tucked between layers, the layers
are evenly stacked on top of each other,
and your cake is sitting pretty as a picture. Time now to send your cake
over to the wardrobe department for a spiffy new outfit!
If your cake is getting set to attend a simple affair, say a family dinner or a
friendly coffee hour, you may just need to apply a simple glaze before she
goes out the (kitchen) door. Certain types of cakes are natural beauties
and require very little extra attention to look their best. Any cake baked in a
Bundt pan, for instance, looks perfectly elegant with a light sprinkling of
icing sugar or a shiny coat of glaze. More casual cakes, pound and butter
cakes or quick breads baked in loaf pans, also look and taste their best
with a thin glaze rather than a full frosting.
Glazing
Glazes are generally made by heating sugar with water, milk or cream and
then poured or spooned onto a cake and allowed to drip down the sides
(and middle if it’s a Bundt or tube cake.) When applying applying a glaze,
it’s best to pour slowly while carefully directing the glaze to flow evenly
over the top of the cake. When you’re finished, your cake should have a
smooth and glossy coat.
When glazing flat-topped cakes, keep in mind that glazes are quick to dry and
you’ll have very little time to spread the glaze before it begins to set. If you disturb
a glaze once it has set and dried, it’ll lose both its shine and smooth finish.
So if it’s a glaze you’re after, here are a few standard and versatile recipes
for you to try. Pick one that suits your fancy and go for it!
Almond Glaze
You can easily change the flavor of this glaze by substituting a different
flavoring - vanilla or peppermint, for the almond flavoring.
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 teaspoons almond extract

Whisk ingredients together until smooth. Pour over cake that has cooled
for 15 minutes.
Buttermilk Glaze
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon white corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients and bring to boil. Boil for 5-6
minutes until thick and syrupy. Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon
vanilla. Pour over cake.
Chocolate Glaze
This glaze dries fast and must be spread very
quickly!
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons light cream
2 tablespoons boiling water
2 teaspoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Melt chocolate squares in double boiler. Add the sifted sugar, corn syrup,
light cream, boiling water and butter. Mix over heat until smooth. Stir in
vanilla. Remove from heat and pour immediately onto cake and spread
evenly and quickly with large flat spatula to cover top of cake.
Confectioners’ Sugar Glaze

Can’t get any easier than this!
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons milk
In a small bowl, stir milk into sugar until smooth. Drizzle on cake and let
harden.

Honey Glaze
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Combine sugar, honey and buttermilk in saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring

until caramel colored, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla
and 1 teaspoon water. Pour over cake.
Lemon Glaze
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle
over cake and let harden.
Sour Cream Glaze

3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 teaspoons sour cream
In a saucepan, stir confectioners' sugar and sour cream over low heat until
almost smooth. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2
teaspoon water.
Pour glaze over cake and allow it to set.
Crumb Coating
The crumb. Such an itty bitty piece of cake and such a big, HUGE, nuisance
when it comes to icing cakes. The crumb will come, with a million of his
closest friends, to invade your beautiful white and smooth icing. It’s enough
to drive a baker crazy! Luckily there is a fool proof way to regain your sanity.
You can simply apply what is known as a “crumb coat” to your cake.

A crumb coat is a thin layer of icing or glaze that you apply to your
assembled cake to seal in freshness and moisture and glue any crumbs to
the cake’s surface. Once the crumb coat has set and dried (a few minutes)
you won’t have to worry about any crumbs sticking to your final icing.
To apply a crumb coat, take some of your icing and thin it with extra of
whatever liquid is part of the recipe - water, milk, or cream, until you get an
almost runny consistency.
Spread the thinned icing over the entire cake, covering it completely. Don't
worry about crumbs getting mixed into the icing or how the cake looks (it
won't look too beautiful at this point).
When you’re finished, your cake should be covered in a thin, see-through

layer of icing. Allow the crumb coat to completely dry. Once the crumb
coat has dried all your crumbs will become glued to the surface and the
cake will have a protective shell holding it all together.
Click here for a live VIDEO demonstration on crumb coating (available in

the purchased version)
.
Applying the crumb coat obviously adds a little time to your cake
decorating, but it's always time well spent. It significantly reduces the
frustration of having crumbs mix into the final icing and does a great job of
firming up the cake base.
Frosting vs. Icing

Now that your cake has a lovely undercoat, it’s ready to receive a beautiful
overcoat of frosting! There is some debate in the cake decorating world
whether frosting and icing are synonymous or not. Many bakers,
professional or not, use frosting and icing interchangeably since they both
denote sweet spreads for cakes and other baked
goods.
For the purposes of this book, we have separated the

terms and use ‘frosting’ to mean any frosting that can’t
be piped or used to make icing flowers and other
decorations. Frostings, according to Cake Decorating
Made Easy!, include any sweet spread that is either
too gooey or runny to pipe or that contains any extra ‘bits’ for taste such as

coconut, orange or lemon rind, or finely chopped nuts or fruit. And ‘icing’
refers to any icing that contains no ‘bits’ and holds its shape when either
spread or piped to produce smooth and perfect icing flowers and other
decorations.
Depending on your preference and where you and your cake are headed
for your night out on the town, you can choose either a casual frosting or a
formal icing for your cake. A casual frosting consists of completely
covering the cake with icing and maybe swirling or spackling in a design
and topping it off with a few sprinkles, flaked coconut, chopped nuts or a
grouping of fresh fruit.
Formal icing involves a little (okay, a lot!) more work but it’s the foundation
of cake decorating and that’s what we’re all here for, right? Formal frosting
involves learning how to get your icing perfectly smooth, no ridges, no
holes, no bumps. Perfectly smooth icing is one of the more challenging
steps in cake decorating, but these following tips will greatly improve your
chances of success!
Some cake artists are so highly skilled that all they need is a big (8")
spatula and a turntable to smooth icing into silk. But then there are the rest
of us! We need a few more tips and tools than that to make icing behave
and be smooth.
Icing Control
The Spatula Method
Warm an icing spatula by holding it under warm water

before smoothing out the icing. (Just make sure the
spatula doesn't have too much water on it!) The
warmth and little bit of wet will polish your cake to a
satiny smooth finish.
To better explain this icing technique, here’s the link to a video demonstration
on how to ice a cake.
Click HERE for the “Icing The Cake” VIDEO (available in the purchased
version)

The Paper Towel Method
First, use buttercream icing and smooth out what you can with an icing
spatula. Let it dry for about 15 minutes to form a crust. (This method
won't work with icing that won't crust) Then lightly place a plain paper
towel or a piece of parchment paper on the area to be smoothed and
gently rub it with the palm of your hand. The warmth of your hand will
soften the icing just enough to smooth out any bumps and ridges. You
can also use a “fondant smoother” (the baker's equivalent to a drywaller's
trowel) on top of the paper towel. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how
smooth the surface gets!
“Perfectly Smooth Icing” VIDEO. Click to see this technique in action!

For a completely different look, try using a textured or patterned paper

towel on your cake. The finished look will be completely dependent on the
design of the towel. Using your hands again, smooth the surface and
gently press in the design. With a little practice, your cake will look like it’s
covered in beautiful dainty lace!
To test out your new frosting and icing skills, here’s a small selection of
some of the most traditional and popular frostings and icings.
The Frostings …
7-Minute Frosting
This is a very shiny icing that spreads easily and provides an impressive
pure white fluffy finish. It’s a great one to use when you need ‘snow.’
2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 cup Marshmallow Cream

Combine all ingredients except vanilla extract in the top of a double boiler.
Place over boiling water amd beat until soft peaks form. Remove from heat
and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla extract.
Makes 4 cups
Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup softened butter
3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
1/3 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
In a medium mixing bowl, cream together butter, cocoa powder, and sugar.
Slowly add milk and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add more milk a
tablespoon at a time until desired texture and
consistency.
Makes 4 cups
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

4 tablespoons butter
2 cups coconut
8 oz. cream cheese
2 teaspoons milk
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in frying pan. Add coconut and stir constantly
until golden brown. Spread coconut on paper toweling to cool.
In a medium mixing bowl, cream 2 tablespoons butter with cream cheese.
Add milk and sugar alternately, beating well after each addition. Beat in
vanilla. Stir in 1 3/4 cups of the coconut. Spread frosting on tops and side
of cake. Sprinkle with remaining coconut.
Makes 4 1/2 cups
Peppermint Frosting
1/4 cup crushed peppermint stick candy
1/2 cup milk

1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
Heat candy and milk over hot water in a double boiler until candy is melted.
Gradually add confectioners' sugar one cup at a time to make frosting thick
enough to spread on cake.
Makes 3 cups
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
1 cup butter, softened
2 (16 ounce) packages confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
In a large medium mixing bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add
sugar and chopped strawberries and beat until creamy. (Add more sugar if
frosting is too thin, or strawberries if too thick.)
Makes 3 cups
And then there are the Icings …

Buttercream Icing
Meet the Queen of Icings! Buttercream is the most
versatile of all the icings. It can be used to fill and cover
a cake, pipe decorative borders, and make icing flowers
and other decorations. It performs all these functions
and tastes great too!
1 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon of clear vanilla flavor
1 teaspoon of crème bouquet flavoring (optional)
1/4 cup milk or water (add more as needed or for thinner consistency)
1 pinch salt (if using unsalted butter)
1 teaspoon meringue powder
2 pounds of sifted powdered sugar
Mix the shortening and butter until well blended. Add milk/water and
flavoring and continue mixing. Once well combined, turn the mixer off.
Add salt, meringue powder and sugar. Turn mixer on to lowest speed and
mix just until the ingredients start to come together. Turn mixer to medium
speed and mix for 2 - 5 minutes until smooth and a little fluffy. (The time
will vary depending on the power of your mixer. Stand mixer will require
about 2 minutes, hand mixer will require 5 minutes or more.)

If the icing is too stiff and you can tell the mixer is straining, add more liquid
to obtain the right consistency. If it becomes too soft, add more powdered
sugar.

HINTS for perfect Buttercream:
• Use the paddle attachment, NOT the whip when making your icing.
• If using regular (salted) butter in this recipe, you will not need to add
additional salt. If using unsalted butter, add a little dash of salt to cut
the sweetness.
• Meringue Powder can only be found in cake supply shops, not at the
grocery store. You can leave the meringue powder out, but it helps
make your icing lighter and fluffier, which helps flowers hold their shape
when you pipe them.
• Always use name brand shortening. It has more emulsifiers so it blends

better and will not give you that "greasy" taste.
• Buy the 2 lb. plastic bags of powdered sugar so you don't have to sift it.
• If you need pure white icing or want to make your icing dairy-free, you
can replace the butter in the recipe with shortening and add 1 tsp.
butter flavoring to give the icing a buttery flavor.
Buttercream is so important to cake decorating we’ve dedicated two videos

specifically on making Buttercream icing correctly!
Click here for “Mixing Buttercream Icing 1” VIDEO (available in the

purchased version)
Click here for “Mixing Buttercream Icing 2” VIDEO (available in the

purchased version)
Chocolate Buttercream Icing

Little Butter’s baby brother …tastes great as an icing and is as versatile as
regular Buttercream. This would be the icing to mix up if you are planning
to make dark colored icing flowers/decorations. (Add 1/2 teaspoon
meringue powder if using to make flowers/decorations.)
1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
3/4 cup sifted cocoa
3-4 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
In a medium mixing bowl, cream together shortening, butter, and vanilla

until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar and cocoa on medium
speed, scraping down bowl often. Add milk and corn syrup and beat until
light and fluffy.
Chocolate Ganache
This is the icing to use for a velvety smooth chocolate finish. It is thick
enough to pipe borders and other simple decorations.
8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped to bits

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Place chopped chocolate in medium metal mixing bowl. In a sauce pan,

heat cream over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until boiling. Pour
hot cream over chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the butter and corn
syrup. Stir gently until smooth.
Note: When you first start stirring what looks like chocolate cream soup,
you’ll think we’re nuts for saying it can be used to pipe decorations. Have
some faith! It does take a long while to stir and cool it to spreading/piping
consistency, but it will happen, trust me!
Place your bowl of chocolate soup over a larger bowl of ice water (being
careful not to splash any water into the bowl) and it will cool down and set
up a lot faster. You’re looking at a good 20 minutes of stirring, so if you’re
into meditation, now’s a good time to relax!
You’ll end up with a wonderfully velvety smooth icing that is an absolute

dream to work with!
One more note! You can change the ratio of chocolate to cream to get
different consistencies. For a light Ganache cake filling, use 1 part
cream and 1 part chocolate. And for a glaze, substitute 1 part cream to

3 parts chocolate. No stirring required for the glaze; it gets poured warm
over the cake.
Cream Cheese Icing

1 cup butter
16 oz cream cheese, softened
2 lb. (8 cups) confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoon milk
In a medium mixer bowl, cream butter and cream cheese together until
smooth. Add sugar and milk. Beat on high until smooth (1 minute). Thin
with a little extra milk to ice cake smooth; use full strength for piping
borders.
Royal Icing
If Buttercream is the Queen of Icing, Royal Icing
would be the King! It’s a very strong and durable
edible and pipable ‘cement’ that is ideal for making
icing flowers and for gluing decorations in place. It’s
not nearly as versatile and good at multi-tasking as the Queen since it is
NOT recommended to cover a cake and it’s rather tasteless, actually.
Besides the fact that you could break a tooth! With Royal icing, you’ll want
to do a good job of your flowers because they will literally last forever!
3 tablespoons meringue powder

1 lb. (4 cups) confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons warm water*
In a medium mixing bowl, beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks (7-10
minutes at low speed with a heavy-duty mixer, 10-12 minutes at high
speed with a hand-held mixer).
*Watch this amount. You may need slightly more liquid or slightly less,
depending on the humidity factor.
Makes 3 cups.
Click here to watch the King get whipped! “Mixing Royal Icing VIDEO”

Working with Royal Icing can be tricky. Click here to watch the “Royal Icing
Tools” VIDEO (available in the purchased version)
.

Chapter 7 – CAKE DECORATING MADE EASY!
You can put away your chemist, engineer and architect hats and don your
artist’s beret. It’s time to have some fun! This last chapter serves to initiate
you into the wide world of cake decorating. We’ll start out easy with simple
techniques that require more imagination than skill to add some color and
flare to your frosted and iced cakes. We’ll then move on to learning some
basic piping skills which will prepare you for making the more complicated
icing designs and decorations in “Cake Decorating Made Easy!” Volume 2.
So if your beret’s in place, let’s get started!
Easy Decorating Ideas

Not all cake decorating techniques are complicated and sophisticated;
some are just plain simple and fun! The following suggestions are made for
those times when you’re looking for a quick way to add some pizzazz to a
cake without any fuss. These ideas are especially appreciated by color-
crazy kids who love to have a rainbow of colorful and tasty bits sprinkled
on their cake. The more the merrier!
Sprinkles
Sprinkles come in many shapes and colors. There

are colored sugars, sprinkles, beads, non-pareils
and dragees to name a few. Many of these can
easily be purchased at the grocery store. For a much
wider selection of colors, visit your local baking
supply store and add some color to your life!
Flakes & Nuts
Coconut, shredded or flaked, natural or toasted, sprinkled on a cake is a

great way to add both taste and texture to a frosted cake. Finely chopped
pecans, walnuts, or peanuts can be used in the same way and do wonders
for chocolate or spice cakes.

Spray Color
Spray color is essentially edible spray paint for cakes. It is sold in a variety
of colors that you can mix and match to make a freehand tie-dyed effect on
your cake, or you can use then with stencils. Lay a paper doily over your
cake and spray to stencil the pattern on your cake. Spray colors are fun to
work with and are a quick way to color in background water and beach or
grass and sky for your cake scene.
Fresh Fruit
Fresh fruit – all berries, grapes, orange, lemon or lime slices, cherries, can
be used ‘au naturel’ and grouped together on top or arranged as a border
around the cake. Fresh fruit can be sugared for crystalline effect. Simply
rinse the fruit with water and roll in white sugar. The sugar will stick and dry
to form a light sugar coating. Instant shine!
Fresh Flowers
Fresh flowers are one of the easiest ways to add a touch of elegance to an
otherwise plain cake. You do need to make sure your flowers are clean
and free of any pesticides. And not poisonous! Several common flowers
are poisonous and will taint the icing on your cake and might make your
guests sick. That’s not good! Check with your local florist or nursery for the
list of flowers to be avoided. And then ask them for the list of ‘safe’ flowers.
Edible Flowers
Some flowers – the carnation, clover, cornflower, lilac, mint, pansy, rose,
and violet, are actually edible and can be used plain or sugared much like
fruit. They can be arranged as a small bouquet or placed individually
around the top and sides of the cake. You could also mix both fruit and
flowers together for a naturally beautiful effect.

Easy Decorating Techniques
All these easy ideas are good and will always come in
handy when you’re pressed for time, but at some point,
you’ll want to venture beyond what’s easy and try some
of the more challenging cake decorating techniques.
This next section serves to introduce you to the art of
making icing flowers and decorations.
Decorating Equipment
You’ll need a few extra pieces of equipment to make your big move into
piped icing decorations. There are many little bits and pieces to buy, but
luckily many of these items are sold all together in cake decorating sets.
We’ve provided here a brief explanation of each of the pieces to acquaint
you with their names and functions.
Icing Bags
An icing bag, also called a decorating bag, is what professional cake

decorators use for squeezing out icing flowers and other decorations.
Forget those little tubes at the grocery store; the decorating bag is what
you need since joining the big leagues! Before buying your decorating
bag, consider the various types on the market:
Disposable
If you don’t plan to decorate often and/or you don’t want to fuss with clean
up, a disposable bag might be more convenient.
• Plastic – ready-to-use disposable bags are usually made of strong and

flexible plastic and can even be reused if hand washed for reuse.
However, one drawback is that the plastic can get slippery and difficult
to handle.
• Paper – makes for a less slippery alternative. Paper bags come in the
form of either pre-formed parchment triangles or a roll of parchment
paper, which you would use to cut and shape your own.

Non-disposable
Non-disposable bags are made from plastic, canvas, rubber and other
materials. Some are dishwasher safe or can be boiled to sterilize. Many of
them have a cloth outer layer, making for a more secure grip. Here are a
few examples of some of the most frequently recommended ones:
For a personal VIDEO demonstration on Pastry Bags Click Here (available

in the purchased version)
.
Coupler
The coupler has two parts, the base and the ring, which work together to
secure the decorating tip to the bag. The base fits inside the bag and is
pushed down into the small opening. Next the decorating tip is positioned
onto the base from outside the bag and secured in place with the ring.
Tips are easily interchanged without changing the bag full of icing.
Decorating Syringe
The decorating syringe serves the same purpose as the bag but is smaller
(holds less icing) and uses a pressing rather than squeezing motion to
push out the icing. It’s made of metal and/or plastic and cleans up easily.
Their smaller size makes them easier to handle, but that means you’ll be
refilling them more often than you would a decorating bag.
Decorating syringes are generally sold as part of beginner decorating kits

that include several basic decorating tips. Speaking of which …
Decorating Tips!
These mini bits of shaped metal are the central
tools for cake decorating. They each have a
different shape and size holes that magically
transform icing into either thin lines or thick ropes,
polka dots, shells, leaves, and flower petals of
every shape and size. The possibilities of design are endless!
There are literally hundreds of these little tips, including a series of extra-
large sizes and left-handed designs to choose from. It can be quite
overwhelming trying to choose just the right tip from among the hundreds

of others. Fortunately, each tip is numbered to correspond to a certain
shape and size of hole. And decorating instructions will generally include
the tip number(s) to be used to make specific decorations. All you need is
that number to bring to your local baking supply or online store and they’ll
know which tip you’re talking about. Tips are also organized into several
different groups making it easier to find the shape you need.
Star Tips
This group of tips is used more than
any other on cakes. This may not
sound quite right, but it’s true! The star
group includes a variety of shapes,
namely rosettes, shells and zigzags, which are regularly used to make
decorative borders to finish cake edges. The sizes most often used in the
star group are: 14, 16, 18 and 21, and on large cakes: 32, 199 and 4B.
Drop Flower Tips

If you want an easy way to make flowers, try the tips in this
group. Fully formed flowers are “dropped” from the tip with
a simple push or squeeze. You can create either a plain or
swirled flower with each tip – your choice! The more
commonly used sizes include numbers 31, 107, 129, 136,
191, 224, 225, and 2D.
Round Tips
The round tips are used to create everything from dots and
beads to lines and ropes. You’ll use these tips for dotting
the centers and adding stems and vines to flowers, piping
either beads (polka-dots) or rope borders and for writing
and scroll work. The most popular of the round tips are numbers 1, 3, 5,
10 and 12.
Leaf Tips
Add realistic leaves, plain or ruffled, to the flowers and
stems with a tip from this group. The leaf tips have a v-
shaped opening with two tiny ‘teeth’ that provide the
veins in the leaves. Look for numbers 65, 67 and 352 to
add a little greenery to your cake!

Rose or Petal Tips
For fancier flowers choose a tip from this group.
Following the directions provided later in this book, you
will soon be creating beautiful roses fit for the most
exquisite wedding cake, as well as pretty carnations,
daisies and pansies. Those elegant, ribbon swags and
bows that encircle some of the most charming cakes are
also created with the rose tips. The most common tips include numbers 101,
102, 103 and 104, and for the larger flowers, tips number 124 and 127.
Basket-Weave Tips
You can turn any shaped cake into a basket with
this group of tips. Basket-weave tips have both a
smooth and serrated side. By interweaving
horizontal strips of icing, you can create a pretty lattice or basket-weave
effect. Now all you need are the Easter eggs or pansies! These tip
numbers include 45, 46, 47 and 48.
Pastry Bag & Tubes
A pastry bag and tubes? That’s right! If you set up a pastry bag (an
oversized decorating bag) with a long-nosed pastry tube (oversized star,
round or basket-weave tip), you’ll have an easy (maybe the easiest!) way
to nicely cover the sides of a cake. Fill the bag with whipped cream or any
other light and fluffy frosting, and pipe individual rosettes or rows of beads
or shells. Works great for piping large rosettes or fancy swirls of whipped
cream when assembling strawberry shortcake or other desserts that
require a ‘poof’ of whipped cream.
If you happen to own a vintage cookie and pastry press that includes the
long-nosed tips, you’re all set to try this easy and fun decorating technique.
Fill the press with some whipped cream and pipe away!

Decorating Supplies
Along with your extra pieces of equipment, you’ll need a couple of supplies
to make your cake decorating dreams come true. Especially if you dream
in color! Your perfectly formed flowers, ribbons and bows will be all the
more spectacular if they are colored to coordinate with the surrounding
décor and theme of the party or wedding. spectacular if they are colored to
coordinate with the surrounding décor and theme of the party or wedding.
Food Coloring
Food coloring comes in several different forms – liquid, gel paste and
powder form and each form is suited for different purposes. Depending on
what you’re trying to color (cake batter, icing or filling) and how intense you
need the color to be, you’ll find that some forms of color are better suited
than others to produce the color you want.
Liquid Colors
There are several kinds of liquid food coloring, but the most commonly
used and readily available is the small plastic or glass bottles of red, blue,
yellow and green that you can buy at most grocery stores. Liquid colors
are relatively weak compared to the other forms and are not suited for
producing dark, intense colors such as red, purple or black. The color is
squeezed (plastic bottles) or allowed to drip (glass bottles) one drop at a
time into your icing.
Paste Colors
Paste color is a highly concentrated form of food coloring and comes in tiny
screw-top pots in a variety of colors. Depending on the brand, the paste color
may be more liquid or thick and gummy. For color that is too gummy or that
dries out over time, add a drop or two of glycerin into the pot and leave it sit
for a couple of days before mixing into the paste. Use a wooden party pick to
pick out the tiniest amount of paste to color your icing.
Gel Colors
Gel color is the consistency of liquid honey and is equal to paste color
for intensity. It comes in small squeezable plastic bottles or tubes and
like paste colors, is available in a variety of colors. The number of
premixed colors Simply squeeze the bottle or tube to add a drop of
color to your icing.

Powdered Colors
Powdered colors are the most concentrated form of food coloring and should
be handled with care. The powder is very fine and with the slightest
disturbance or breeze, it will drift and stain anything it lands on. If you’ve ever
worked with powdered ink toner for photocopiers or printers, you have an
idea of the mess it can make! Handled with care, this risk is manageable and
well worth taking if you need to mix dark colored icings. You’ll need much
less powder than any other form to turn your icing red or black.
The Color Forecast

As with the Baking Forecast and High-altitude baking, there are several
factors at work behind the scenes that will affect the color of your icing.
The factors include ingredients, temperature and humidity, time and light.
Ingredients – Back to the Chemistry lab we go! The chemical properties

of certain ingredients are known to react with food colors to darken, lighten
or alter the desired colors.
• Fat (butter, margarine, lard, and vegetable shortening) tend to darken

colors, while lemon juice tends to ‘bleach’ and lighten colors.
• Salt tends to absorb color and each grain of salt will suck up extra color
leaving you with speckled icing. To avoid this from happening, mix the
icing the day before to allow each grain of salt to completely dissolve
and dilute into the icing.
• Then there are the ingredients that come already colored – butter,
yellow margarine, cream cheese, condensed milk, and pure vanilla
extract to name a few. Use any of these ingredients in your icing and
you won’t be starting from white. They’ll be slightly cream colored and
will taint your blue to green, reds to orange and pinks to peach.
Temperature and Humidity – Icing containing any amount of fat will be

susceptible to absorbing the heat and humidity from the air. The warmer
the icing, the darker the color. The more humid or wet the icing, the longer
it will take to dry and the longer the drying time, the darker the icing. An
air-conditioned room is the ideal environment for cakes, from mixing the
batter to placing the last icing flower in place.

Time – When using buttercream icing, soft colors can be made and used
immediately and will only darken slightly. But when you are striving for dark
colors, mix in the colors and then let the icing sit overnight before
decorating: and you won’t have to use quite as much color. Charcoal gray
will turn black, and an “almost” red will turn bright red. When mixing red, I
start with a bright orange or pink and add red food color. This cuts down on
the amount of red color needed and helps prevent the bitter taste
associated with too much red color.
Light – Exposure to bright light causes more problems for colored icing.
Once you’ve spent hours and hours mixing the colors and piping our your
beautiful flowers and perfect borders, you don’t want to sit your cake in
direct sunlight or other bright light and watch all your hard work fade away
to pale. Pink will pretty much disappear and turn back into white, black will
fade to purple (or green), purple to blue, and blue to gray. A car with green
wheels or a gray cake for a baby shower just doesn’t quite look right.
Keeping all these factors in mind, you’re ready to mix your icing palette!
Mixing Icing Colors

To mix your icing colors, you’ll need some icing and colors (we like to state
the obvious … ), clean bowls and spoons, party picks (if using paste
colors), and a color chart if you’re less familiar with combining colors.
The thing to remember when adding color to icing is that a little goes a long
way. If this is the first time you’re mixing your own colors, you might be
surprised how one drop of liquid or tiny dab of paste can color a whole cup of
icing. It’s always wise to add the tiniest bit of color at a time. You can always
add more, but it’s not always so easy to dilute the color back to pale.
Dark Colors
When mixing dark colors such as red, purple and black, there is another
(just one more!) thing to consider. Colorants are by nature bitter tasting.
When you mix dark colors, you’ll need a LOT of color to turn your icing red,
purple or black. This won’t cause you any grief until you and your guests
take that first bite of your beautiful, but bitter, red buttercream rose. Blech!
To save your cake and your reputation, try following these tips for mixing
dark colors.

• Use the more concentrated forms of color – gel, paste or powder, to mix
dark colors. Powder is the best choice. The more concentrated the
color, the less you’ll need to use and the less bitter your icing will be.
• Add a pinch of salt to your icing (the day before, remember?) The salt
will cut the bitter taste.
• Use colored ingredients – maraschino cherry juice for the liquid in red
icings or chocolate for brown or black icings.
The Pied Piper

You have your cake, still sitting there on the counter (or in the fridge)
waiting for you make your move; you have your cake decorating
equipment and supplies all lined up; you have your icing, colored and
ready to go; and now it looks like you have the courage to pick up the
decorating bag and pipe out some decorations! Let’s not waste your
enthusiasm and let’s get started!
First up is how to properly hold the decorating bag. How the decorating
bag is held and the angle at which you hold your icing bag is very
important. The decoration produced depends on the angle of your icing
bag in relation to the cake’s surface. The two basic positions are 90
degrees (vertical, straight up and down) and 45 degrees (half way between
vertical and parallel to the decorating surface).
Deciding which hand you will use to hold the bag depends on what works
best for you. A right-handed decorator will usually hold the icing bag with the
right hand, guiding with the left. Do what feels most comfortable for you.
Instructions are written for right-handers, so if you are holding the bag with
your left hand, and the instructions say to “hold the decorating bag over to
the right,” then do the opposite and hold your decorating bag over to the left.
Whichever hand holds the bag is the hand with which you apply the
pressure that pushes the icing out the tip. Your free hand will support and
guide the icing bag.
If this is your very first time, don’t be discouraged if holding the icing bag
feels quite awkward. Follow these steps, and it won’t be long before you’re
manipulating the bag like a pro!
1. Hold the bag in the “V” between your thumb and index finger.

2. Squeeze out the icing by applying even pressure with your other
three fingers on the side of the bag and with your thumb on the top of
the bag while continuing to support the bag in the crook of your hand.
3. With your free hand, steady and support the weight of the bag and
direct the tip. Steadying the bag is very important because if it wobbles or
shakes, your writing or decorations will be turn out wobbly and messy.
4. The direction in which you navigate the tip will depend on which hand
is holding the bag. If you are holding the bag in your right hand, then
decorate from left to right; conversely, if you are holding the bag in your
left hand, decorate from right to left. There’s one exception; left-handed
cake decorators will of course still write from left to right!
5. Where to start? Begin at 3 o’clock and after you’ve created a

decoration or two, rotate the cake clock-wise and continue your run.
It takes some (sometimes much!) practice, so be patient with yourself,

learn from your mistakes - and have some fun!
Here are some of the easier piped decorations to practice your piping skills:
Rosette
Set up your decorating bag with a star tip. Hold the decorating bag at a 90
degree angle with the tip positioned slightly above the surface of the cake.
Squeeze and rotate your hand slightly to the left to ‘swirl’ the rosette. See
“Rosette” VIDEO (available in the purchased version)
.
Bead
Set up your bag with a round tip. Hold the decorating bag at a 90 degree angle
with the tip positioned slightly above the surface of the cake. Squeeze with an
even pressure and as the bead forms, keep the end of the tip buried in the icing
and raise the tip up. To finish the bead, release pressure on the bag and bring
the end of the tip to the surface of the bead. If you get a slight point, smooth it
over with the end of the tip. See “Bead” VIDEO (available in the purchased
version)
.

Rope
Set your bag up with one of the larger round tips. Hold the decorating bag at a
45-degree angle with the tip positioned slightly above the bottom edge of the
cake. Begin squeezing the bag with an even and steady pressure and gently pull
the icing along the edge of the cake to form an even and continuous rope. See
“Rope” VIDEO (available in the purchased version)
Shell
Set your bag up with tip 21. Hold the decorating bag at a 45 degree angle in 6
o’clock position with the tip positioned slightly above the surface of the cake.
Squeeze hard and let the icing build to form the shell. Release pressure and pull the
tip to a point. For a shell border, begin your next shell over the tail of the first shell to
make a continuous line of shells. See “Shell” VIDEO (available in the
purchased version)
Reverse Shell
The trick to this is remembering which part you are on. First, you squeeze and
pull down into the shape of the top of a ‘?’, and then squeeze and pull down into
the shape of the top of an ‘S’. See “Reverse Shell” VIDEO (available in the
purchased version)
Triple Shell
This makes for a beautiful border for large sheet cakes. It consists of a series of
three shells. Begin with three basic shells, one after the other, as if you were
creating a basic shell border. But instead of finishing the third shell in the usual
spot, drag it out the end for the length of a shell. Repeat this process until your
border’s complete. See “Triple Shell” VIDEO (available in the purchased
version)
Zigzag
We’ll be using a medium size 18 star tip for this one. If you want a larger zigzag,
tip 21 works just as well. Hold your icing bag at a 45 degree angle. Remember to
steady with two of the fingers on your free hand. Squeeze very lightly, moving tip
back and forth, for a very nice and neat little zigzag. Or use the same motion, but

squeeze with heavy pressure for a nice, fat, puffy zigzag. See “Zigzag” VIDEO
Leaves
Hold your icing bag so that one of the pointy sides of the tip is facing down, and
the tips of your fingers holding the bag are facing you. Squeeze while holding
the tip in place just long enough to allow the icing to fan out at the leaf’s base.
Then ease off the pressure while pulling the tip away and drawing the leaf to a
point. As you are completing your leaf, lift up the decorating tip so the leaf bends
up slightly in a natural manner. Thanks to the corn syrup in your buttercream, the
leaf’s tip should stay intact as it comes to a nice, graceful point. See “Leaves”
VIDEO (available in the purchased version)
Variations
Ruffled Leaf - For this pretty leaf, follow the steps above with one
exception. As you pull the tip away from the leaf, move it back and forth to
create the ruffled effect.
Rising Leaf - For leaves that stand up, follow the same steps above,
except hold your icing bag at a 90 degree angle.
Drop Flowers
These are fun, fast, and friendly. And, easier to learn by watching! Click here to
see the "Drop Flowers" VIDEO (available in the purchased version)
.
Cake Writing
Set up your decorating bag with round tip 3. Hold you icing bag at a 45 degree
angle with the tip lightly touching the surface of the cake. For script writing, apply
even pressure until you’ve completed a word, but remember to stop squeezing
before you lift the tip. Go back and cross your t’s and dot your i’s. To print, keep
the back of the bag to the right for horizontal lines, such as when crossing a T,
and toward you for vertical lines. Again, be sure to let off the pressure before you
lift the tip. See “Cake Writing” VIDEO (available in the purchased version)
Congratulations!

You’ve just completed Cake Decorating Made Easy! Volume 1! You may
be covered in icing sugar and your kitchen’s probably a mess, but you did
it! How does your cake look? If you found some of the piped designs a
little difficult to master, that’s normal and easily fixed with lots of practice.
Give yourself a pat on the back for trying something new and keep
practicing to develop your skills and build up your
confidence!
And if by chance you’re very pleased with your cake and

feeling quite successful, thank you very much, you just
may be ready to move on to the bigger ideas and grander
designs. So pack up your tools and equipment, we’re
moving over to Volume 2 ! See you there!
A Baker’s Dozen Worth of Tips
• Center the rack in the oven, preheat your oven and prepare your
pans prior to mixing any of your ingredients.
• Invest in a $5 oven thermometer to test the accuracy of your oven’s

thermostat. Once you know your oven’s ‘true’ temperature, you’ll
save yourself from a lot of frustration and failed cakes.
• The shinier the pan, the better for baking cakes. Shiny pans reflect
heat protecting the sides of your cake from over-baking.
• Refrigerated cake ingredients such as eggs, milk, sour cream and

butter should be warmed to room temperature for best results.
• To lower the cholesterol in your cake, substitute two egg whites for
every 1 whole egg.
• Your recipe calls for buttermilk or sour milk but you’re fresh out?
You can make your own! Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or
vinegar to 1 cup of milk and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before
using.

• To soften butter or margarine, microwave on high for 10 seconds or
so until soft, but not melted!
• Cream butter or margarine and sugar according to the directions
provided in your recipe. Different cakes require different creaming
and beating times.
• For a mocha chocolate cake, substitute cold brewed coffee in place

of the water in a regular chocolate cake recipe.
• To keep chopped fruit, raisins and/or nuts suspended in the cake

batter, toss them with some flour before adding to the batter. A light
dusting of flour will help them ‘float’ and not ‘sink’ to the bottom of
the batter.
• To lighten the color of a whole-wheat flour cake, add 2-3

tablespoons of cornstarch for every 1 cup of flour.
• To protect your cake from cracking, add one envelope of unflavored

gelatin powder to the dry ingredients.
• Never fill a cake pan more than half-full.
• After pouring the batter into the cake pan, tip it slightly from side to
side to settle and level the batter to make for a more evenly baked
cake.
• Never open the oven door during the first half of the baking time.
Any disturbance to the circulation of heat may interfere with the cake
rising and cause it to sink in the middle.
• If the top of your cake starts to brown too early, place a pan of warm
water on the oven rack above where the cake is baking.

• If you’re out of toothpicks, you can use a piece of uncooked
spaghetti to check the doneness of your cake.
• When possible, bake your cake one day before icing and decorating.
Fresh cakes are less settled and more difficult to work with.
• If your layer cakes bake to different heights, you can level them once
fully baked and cooled by slicing off any extra height with either a
serrated knife or a cake leveler.
• Cake layers must be completely cooled before they are stacked.

Stacking warm layers may cause them to crack and break apart.
• Dust your cake platter with powdered sugar to prevent the cake from
sticking.
• Use a clean paintbrush to gently brush away any crumbs on the

cakes surface prior to icing.
• To cleanly cut through a cake, dip your knife in water to keep the
icing and cake from sticking.
• To slice a light and fluffy Angel Food cake and keep it from either
crumbling or sinking, place it in the freezer for 10 minutes prior to
slicing.
• For loaf cakes, rather that begin slicing from one end, make the first
cut through the middle. After slicing off the desired number of pieces,
slide the remaining two ends together and wrap in plastic.

• Most cakes (except cheesecakes) can be frozen (un-iced) up to
three months.

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Cake Decorating Made Easy!

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 1

Copyright © 2011 CakesMadeEasy.com All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 2

Chapter 2 : The Set Up_____________________________ 22

Chapter 3: Bake That Cake!_________________________ 29

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 3

Chapter 4: The Recipe Box _________________________ 39

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 4

Chapter 5: The Prep Room__________________________ 51

Chapter 6: Icing ♪ ♫ ♪ ____________________________ 58

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 5

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 6

Chapter 7: Cake Decorating Made Easy______________ 69

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 7

Here’s your chance! Maybe you’re an enthusiastic teenager or twenty-something

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 8

Taking all this into account, baking a cake and decorating

Enjoy the journey!

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 9

Now allow me to introduce ... your Oven!

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 10

Here’s how your notes might look:

327 + 333 + 330 = 990 / 3 = 330 degrees

Equipment & Supplies

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 11

A hand mixer is considerably less expensive than a stand

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 12

A stand mixer is a countertop appliance that makes mixing

Here’s a list of well-recommended brands and models:

• Hamilton Beach 63221 – For about $170, this is an eye-catching

• Kitchen Aid Professional 600 – Although a little pricier at $370, this

The Baking Pan

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 13

The square cake pan is as essential as its round cousin. You

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 14

Spring form Pan

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 15

So what’s a baker to buy?

What a pan is made of can significantly affect the

To narrow down your choice then, here’s some shopping advice:

DO buy shiny good quality aluminum pans.

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 16

Sifter & Sieve

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 17

Liquid Measuring Cups

Dry Measuring Cups

Measuring spoons are usually sold as stainless steel or

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 18

For mixing up cake batters, fillings and icings, you’ll need

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 19

Wire Cake Racks

Cake boards or plates

Commercial cake boards are generally made from either

To serve a standard-sized round cake, everyday dinner plates work well

A beginning cake decorator's best-kept secret is an elegant

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 20

A turntable doesn’t quite qualify as a cake decorating

This recommendation is made for all of you who are in the

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 21

The Baking Forecast

High Altitude Baking Adjustments

Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 22