CHAPTER 3

Cake Decor

DR. ZAHIDAH AB LATIF

Content
• Introduction
• Brief history
• Functions of Icing/Frosting
• Types Icing/Frosting
• Basic Ingredients
• Common Equipment, Tools and Utensils
• Methods in:
• Icing/Frosting Making
• Cake Assembling
• Characteristics of Quality Icing/Frosting
• Icing/Frosting Faulty, Causes and Prevention
INTRODUCTION
Introduction
• Brief history
• Cakes as ritual for weddings
• Ancient Roman: “Crowning the Bride” -
Crumbling fruit cake over marrying bride for
gods' blessings.
• Elizabeth 1st of England: Almond paste
covered wedding cake.
• Charles II: When he reclaimed England, cake
iced in crust of sugar was introduced -
“Royal Icing”.
• Main Functions of Icing/Frosting/Decor
• Contribute flavor and richness.
• Depends on the type of icing.
• Different cakes suited with different icings.
• Improve appearance.
• Basically to mask imperfections on bare cakes.
• Type of icing relatively depends on occasions.
• Weather may be accounted for type of icing selection.
• Improve keeping qualities by forming protective coatings around
cakes
• Keeps moisture intact.
• Buttercream - Lipid barrier from moisture loss.
• Sugar glazes - Humectant
• Avoiding pathogens attack
• Sugar: Antiseptic
TYPES OF ICING/FROSTING
Types of Icing/Frosting/Decor
• Fondant
• Smooth, creamy white mass.
• Sugar syrup that has its sugar recrystallized in finest form.
• Pliable dough that can be molded.
• Readily available in bakery supply shops for uniform production.
• needed to be softened by kneading prior of using.
• Can be used as pliable dough or thinned for “Poured Fondant”
Types of Icing/Frosting/Decor
• Buttercream
• Light, smooth mixtures of fat and sugar.
• May contain eggs to increase their smoothness or lightness.
• Easily flavored and colored.
• Weather sensitive.
• Used in cool weather only - Easily melt off.
• Popular type of icing covers:
• Simple buttercream: Creaming together fat and confectioners’ sugar
to the desired consistency and lightness.
• Decorator’s buttercream: Fat and confectioner's sugar creamed only a
little, at low speed to ensure stiff consistency to be able to sustain the
delicate form flower petals and other details.
• Meringue-type buttercream: Mixture of butter and meringue.
• These are very light icings as meringue incorporates much air into the
mixture.
Types of Icing/Frosting/Decor
• French buttercream: Opposite to Meringue-type buttercream
as egg yolk is being incorporated.
• Beating a boiling syrup into beaten egg yolks, and whipping to a
light foam. Soft butter is then whipped in.
• Pastry cream-type buttercream: Mixture of equal parts of
pastry cream and softened butter parts thick pastry cream
and softened butter, and whipping until light.
• Fondant-type buttercream: Mixture of equal parts of fondant
and butter.
Types of Icing/Frosting/Decor
• Foam-type Icing
• Sometimes called boiled icings: Meringues made with a boiling
syrup.
• May contain stabilizing ingredients like gelatin.
• Foam icings should be applied thickly to cakes and left in peaks and
swirls.
• These icings are not stable. Therefore, regular boiled icing should be
used the day it is prepared.
• Fudge-type Icing
• Rich and heavy icing.
• Predominant ingredient is sugar, and they contain less fat than
buttercream. Fudge icings may be flavored
• Fudge icings are stable and hold up well on cakes and in storage.
Types of Icing/Frosting/Decor
• Flat Icing
• Also called “water icings”: Mixtures of confectioners’ sugar and
water.
• May adds corn syrup and flavoring.
• Royal Icing
• Also called decorating or decorator’s icing: Thick and made with
egg whites, which make it hard and brittle when dry.
• It is used almost exclusively for decorative work. Pure white royal
icing is most often used, but it may also be colored.
• Glaze
• Thin, glossy, transparent coatings that give a shine to baked
products and help prevent drying.
• The simplest glaze is a sugar syrup or diluted corn syrup brushed
while hot onto coffee cakes or Danish pastries.
• Syrup glazes may also contain gelatin or corn starch.
Types of Cakes

Fondant Buttercream Foam-type Icing

Fudge-type Icing Flat Icing Royal Icing

Glaze
BASIC INGREDIENTS
Basic Ingredients
• Ingredients may be differ according to the
type of icing.
• Relatively these are the main basic
ingredients:
Powdered
Sugar
Lipids
Liquids
Eggs
Ingredients
Lipids
Specification
• Relevant for Buttercream
• Butter as optimal choice
• Margarine as substitute
and for its stability
• *Specially made
shortening: “Krimwel” for
additional stability in
Buttercream
Function Storage
• Flavor - Butter • Refrigeration for
• Preservation of cake butter
- moisture retainer • Lidded container for
• Smooth and margarine and oil in
spreadable - melt in room temperature
mouth quality
Ingredients

Sugar
Specification Function Storage
• Confectioner's sugar/Icing • Structure stability • Lidded container
sugar/Powdered sugar as best • Moisture retainer • Air-tight container
choice • Sweetness • Room temperature
• Choose the finest grade - 10X
Grade *(not applicable in
Malaysia due to unavailability)
Ingredients

Eggs
Specification Function Storage
• Room temperature eggs are the • Emulsification • Refrigerated for
best • Flavor enrichment longer shelf life
• Fresh eggs are favorable • Structure stability • Not to be cleaned
• Pasteurized eggs for health before storing
concern • Clean only prior of
using/crack
Ingredients
Liquids
Specification
• Fresh cream for natural
Chantilly Cream frosting
• May opt for Non-dairy
whipping cream for
vegetarian
• Milk as additional ingredient
Function Storage
• Light icing for • Keep dairy in lidded
delicate cakes like container in
sponge cakes refrigeration away
• Milk as icing from strong odor.
consistency adjuster • Do not freeze dairy
products
Ingredients
• Supportive ingredients (Additives)
• Flavoring
• Extract
• Natural flavor substances (flavor and odor) that extracted by alcohol
solution.
• Essence/Flavoring
• Artificial compounds that resemble flavor and odor of intended flavor.
• May be found in “nature-identical flavoring” grade: closely resembles natural
flavor.
• Emulco
• Artificial compounds that resemble flavor, odor, and color of intended
flavor.
• Stabilizer
• Ingredients that support the structure and body of the icing.
• Examples: gelatin, agar, protein powder, meringue powder, glucose
syrups.
COMMON EQUIPMENT, TOOLS
AND UTENSILS
Common Equipment, Tools and
Utensils
• Cake turntable
• Serrated knife
• Spatula
• Straight edge
• Off-set
• Cake boards
• Piping bags and nozzles
• Cake comb
METHODS IN
ICING/FROSTING MAKING
Methods in Icing/Frosting
Making
• There are numerous method of making each type of icing.
• Basic method that are popular with its icing type are:
• Creaming method
• Used for making Buttercream.
• Identical to the creaming method in cake making and cookie making
but is processed much less time than both.
• Whipping method
• Used for Chantilly Cream.
• Whipping air into the liquid cream and sugar mixture to lighten
and stiffen the consistency to spreadable consistency.
• Used for Royal Icing.
• Whipping air into liquid egg whites and confectioner's sugar
mixture to stiffen into spreadable consistency.
Methods in Cake Assembling
• The methods used in cake assembling may be differ from the type of cake to
be presented.
• Generally there are 4 components of cake assembling:
1. The cake
• As cake itself comes in various types and textures, it will be the determining factor of
the selection of the rest of cake assembling components.
2. Icing
• The selection of icing is predetermined by the type of cakes as heavy icings like
fondant and fudge-type icing will cause sponge cake to deflate.
• Heavy cakes or high-fat cakes are much more suitable for heavy icing.
• Light cakes always call for lighter consistency and weight of icings like Chantilly cream.
3. Filling
• Filling may be predetermined by the “specialty nature” of the cake itself like Black
Forest Cake (Schwarzwalder Kirsch-torte)
• Historic cakes also preserve the requirements of the type of filling to be included in
cake assembling.
4. Decor
• Can be Edible and Non-edible
• Edible decor such as chocolate ornaments, sugar flowers, and sugar figurines
• Non-edible decor such as toys, rhinestones, and fabrics.
Methods in Cake Assembling
• The process of cake assembling may involve:
1. Trimming
2. Layering
3. Moistening
4. Filling and stacking
5. Crumb Coating and Chilling
6. Final Icing
7. Decorating
• Side masking
• Decorative Piping
Methods in Cake Assembling
• Trimming
• Sometimes called “Carving the Cake”.
• The process of cutting off any unevenness of the baked cake.
• Examples: undesirable bumps, burnt, crusts and hollows.
• The severely uneven tops of cakes may be used as the first layer when stacking
and layering the cake later.
• Layering
• The dividing of cakes into layers by horizontally cut the side of a cake through to
the other side.
• This may be done in several sections to get more layers in the final cake.
• Moistening
• Moistening is the reintroduction of moisture or liquids in the cake by brushing
specific liquid between the cake layers.
• Simple sugar syrup is always the moistening liquid used but may be opted for
others accordingly
• Example: Black Forest Cake uses the syrup that comes with Black Cherry in
the can.
Methods in Cake Assembling
• Filling and Stacking
• When the cakes have been layered and moistened they will be
stacked on top of each other.
• In doing so, a component of filling will be put in between the
layers.
• Filling can be the icing itself, fruits, nuts, jams or any edibles that
is spreadable but stable in consistency.
• Crumb Coating and Chilling
• Crumb coating is the first icing on the outside of the stacked cake
layers.
• The purpose is to prevent final icing to have specs of cake crumbs
that will make the cake look unprofessionally done.
• Chilling is optional and subjected to cake decorator's experience.
Methods in Cake Assembling
• Final Icing
• Final icing is the outer most icing of the cake that visually apparent to
consumer.
• Usually the cake will be iced thicker to mask all of the crumb coating
layer.
• Decorating
• Decorating may involve the pattern imprints on the final icing using cake
comb to create ripples, and ridges.
• “Side-masking” is the decoration made on the side walls of the cake.
• Decorative piping is the use of icing and specific nozzles to create
creative ornaments such as:
• Rosettes
• Shells
• Borders
• String-work
CHARACTERISTICS OF
QUALITY ICING/FROSTING
Characteristics of Quality
Icing/Frosting
• there are various quality with regards to the various type of
icing available.
• These are the assigned icing (for practical class) and their
quality:
• Buttercream
• Smooth and spreadable without lumps of hard butter or clumps of
icing sugar.
• Firm enough to hold shape.
• In piping flowers, the buttercream consistency may required to be stiffer.
• Chantilly Cream
• Preferably whipped into just a medium stiff peak stage.
• Chilled
• Thoroughly whipped without weeping liquid while icing the cake
ICING/FROSTING MAKING
FAULTY, CAUSES AND
PREVENTION
Icing/Frosting Making Faults,
Causes and Prevention
Faults Probable Causes Prevention
Lumpy texture • Icing sugar not sifted. • Measure ingredients
• Fat used is not brought accurately.
to room temperature • Proceed to making
thoroughly icing at the correct
temperature.
Icing/Frosting Making Faults,
Causes and Prevention
Faults Probable Causes
Stiff icing • Ingredients used are
too cold
• Lack in liquid addition
• Too much icing sugar
used
Split Chantilly Cream • Over whipped
• Unstabilized cream
used
Prevention
• Adjust recipe with
additional liquid such
as milk or sugar syrups
• Bring ingredients to
room temperature prior
of making
• Measure ingredients
accurately.
• Carefully whip the
cream into desired
consistency and
stiffness
• Used specifically
designed cream for
Chantilly or icing as
stabilizers are in the
mixture
END OF TOPIC
Credits
1. Professional Baking (7th ed.) Wayne Gisslen
2. https://livforcake.com/simple-vanilla-buttercream/
3. https://www.baking-sense.com/2017/11/02/how-to-make-rolled-fondant/
4. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alexandra-guarnaschelli/simple-birthday-cake-with-
marshmallow-frosting-recipe-1918982
5. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/overnight-cinnamon-rolls-recipe-2014250
6. https://www.designer-cakes.com/mirror-glazed-cake-perfection
7. https://rosesen.wordpress.com/tag/royal-icing/
8. http://neuroticbaker.com/2015/02/classic-yellow-cake-wchocolate-fudge-frosting/
9. https://www.leaf.tv/articles/the-best-way-to-store-powdered-sugar/
10. https://www.hollycooks.co.uk/lumpy-icing-frosting-fix-favourite-cream-cheese-icing/
11. https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-make-frosting-stiff-for-piping/
12. https://foodretro.com/the-science-of-whipped-cream-and-butter/