Cake Icing and Decorating [antikvár]

introduction After the serious business of feeding the family, you can enjoy yourself creating a fancy cake. Not that it's a frivolous occupation; a beautifully decorated cake plays an important part in many celebrations, starting with Christenings and carrying on through to Golden Weddings. But all celebrations are not formal and there is also the opportunity to create a fun cake for a child's birthday party. You will find ideas for cakes for every occasion in this book. Some require much time and skill, but there are many others that can be fitted into the busiest programme. Cake icing and decorating appeals to the artist in us all. With dull automated jobs in both the factory and the home, many people look for a craft for their leisure time. Cake icing and decorating is just such an activity. After all, cakes can be eaten without being adorned with icing; but how much nicer they are when they appeal to the senses as well as the palate. The recipes and clear step-by-step instructions in this book will help you to develop your skills. and there are many designs illustrated to inspire you. Start with a gâteau and work up to a wedding cake. Have confidence in your abilities. This is the best way to acquire a steady hand for piping. In studying the designs of cakes on the following pages you will see that most of them are regular geometric shapes. This is because a cake must look good from every angle. Once you have mastered the basic steps, create your own designs. Look in confectioners' windows for inspiration for gâteaux and royal iced cakes. Children's story books will give ideas for novelty cakes. Keep designs simple and colours delicate to show off the perfection of the icing. Don't get too carried away and forget that the cake must look edible. Take every opportunity to produce a decorated cake, because practice is an essential ingredient to success. Check your standard by entering a local show. There's nothing like a bit of competition to bring out the best in most people. When you are spending time making a cake look beautiful remember that it will be eaten, so make sure the base is worthy of that decoration. In the cake recipe chapter you will find recipes for good quality cakes for every occasion, with instructions for baking them in various shapes and sizes. Cake icing and decorating is a rewarding skill that can be developed into an absorbing hobby. Many happy and rewarding hours can be spent following the designs in this book. Enjoy yourself Note: do make sure all your equipment is scrupulously clean, sterilising such items as hat pins before use (by holding in a match flame or boiling water). This is especially important when decorating cakes that are stored for some time, and for very perishable gâteaux. Eggs used in the recipes are standard size. All spoon measures are level unless otherwise stated.