the minefield that is icing!!

cord123

Hello lovlies!

I am going to get into baking next year - i am determined! I have written my christmas list including all the mixers, spatulas and god knows what else I think I will need.

I then started looking into the world of decorating and embelishments... my good god!:eek:

Please could someone explain to me..... loud and slowly......:rotfl: what I would use each type of icing for?

Ie. butter icing, fonadant, sugarpaste etc and also do I buy it ready made? Make it myself etc ( and how!) ie. what would I use to cover the cake, to ice cupcakes etc.....

If someone could enlighten me or point me into the right direction that would be great!

Also, where is a good place to buy bits from.... like food colouring gels, glitters etc....?

Thanks in advance..... esp from my husband as he has comissioned me making him his 30th birthday cake in April so I need to get practising! hahahaha!

thrifty-gal26

My mom bought my this last Christmas

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cupcakes-Primrose-Bakery-Martha-Swift/dp/1856268470/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323175535&sr=1-1

And the butter cream is AMAZING

I am rubbish as baking but this book is fab and even my cakes and icing come out ok!!

Linda32

Wow, best of luck in your new venture. I suspect you can make it as challenging as you want it to be.

I'll choose butter icing Butter icing is icing sugar and butter mixed together. An electric hand held mixer is best for this. Or you arm and a wooden spoon depending on how much effort you want to put in :eek:

Butter icing goes between sponge cakes, or can be ontop, you might have had it as coffee or chocolate cake filling.
Also on fairy cakes.

Best of luck, sounds like a nice new years hobby.

motherkitty

I can help you a little bit but I am sure there will be someone along soon who knows far more about cake decorating than me as I really only know the basics!

Glace icing is just icing sugar and a little water which you would use to ice something like fairy cakes.
Butter icing/cream is a mixture of icing sugar and butter or margarine, normally double the amount of sugar to butter (eg 2oz butter/4oz icing sugar). You could add some vanilla or almond flavouring or some food colouring, or leave out some of the icing sugar and add cocoa to make a chocolate buttercream.
The fondant or roll out icing is probably best bought, too much faffing to make yourself but that's just me! This stuff can even be bought ready rolled which is useful. You can also soften it in the microwave and spoon onto cakes which is very nice, and I guess you could add flavouring/colouring to this too.
All of this stuff can be bought in supermarkets, including sprinkles and little sugar flowers, etc for decorating.
There are some specialist cake decorating shops which will sell the glitter and more unusual bits and pieces but you would have to search locally to you, there are only one or two of these in my area.
Good luck with the birthday cake!

cord123

HA HA thanks!

I feel like I am asking stupid questions but I am a postman pat cake mix kind of girl with my son ;-)

So what would I use to cover cakes, roll out icing? I have seen sugarpaste and fondant adverstised? what would these be used for? While my mum has the purse open I may as well stock up hehe!

Ooh I will order that book (well, tell my hubby to!) it looks fab!

I do do the odd carrot cake and choc cake etc but never have iced a cake 'properly'. God I am going to get fat! hahaha!

cord123

motherkitty wrote: »

I can help you a little bit but I am sure there will be someone along soon who knows far more about cake decorating than me as I really only know the basics!

Glace icing is just icing sugar and a little water which you would use to ice something like fairy cakes.
Butter icing/cream is a mixture of icing sugar and butter or margarine, normally double the amount of sugar to butter (eg 2oz butter/4oz icing sugar). You could add some vanilla or almond flavouring or some food colouring, or leave out some of the icing sugar and add cocoa to make a chocolate buttercream.
The fondant or roll out icing is probably best bought, too much faffing to make yourself but that's just me! This stuff can even be bought ready rolled which is useful. You can also soften it in the microwave and spoon onto cakes which is very nice, and I guess you could add flavouring/colouring to this too.
All of this stuff can be bought in supermarkets, including sprinkles and little sugar flowers, etc for decorating.
There are some specialist cake decorating shops which will sell the glitter and more unusual bits and pieces but you would have to search locally to you, there are only one or two of these in my area.
Good luck with the birthday cake!

You are a superstar:T just what I was after!
No if you could pop round and do the washing up for me when I have created my masterpieces that would be great! :rotfl::A

pinkteapot

Linda32 wrote: »

I'll choose butter icing Butter icing is icing sugar and butter mixed together. An electric hand held mixer is best for this. Or you arm and a wooden spoon depending on how much effort you want to put in :eek:

On a slight tangent, I have never managed to make buttercream using my hand mixer. I have one of these mixers:

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4232173.htm?CMPID=GS001&_%24ja%3Dkw%3Ahand%20mixer%7Ccgn%3Ape%7C%7C4232173%7Ctsid%3A11677%7Ccn%3Ape%7C%7C4232173%7Cmt%3Ae%7Ccrid%3A8778577965&ctype=2

And use the main mixer attachments shown attached to it in the pic.

If I try and whisk butter on it's own (even softened), it just all ends up inside the cage of the attachments! And if I put it anywhere near icing sugar I just end up with a cloud filling the kitchen. :rotfl:It works great for making cake mix etc but I've never managed icing.

How do you make buttercream with a mixer? My arm would be eternally grateful for some tips...

pinkteapot

p.s. OP - another book recommendation:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gorgeous-Cakes-Published-Association-Magazine/dp/1856266141/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323176620&sr=1-1

This book is fab - the photos will make you drool and all the recipes I've tried so far have worked.

There's a fresh cream chocolate swiss roll in there which is a particular favourite. But there's a huge mix of styles, flavours etc.

evelyn-b_2

Hello - I know I'm going slightly off-topic but I'd advise against getting too much equipment until you've found out what kind of cakes and decoration you prefer to make. I did a cake decorating course about 25 years ago and we were required to buy all sorts of stuff, much of which was used once during the course and never again! Most of the books I have are rather dated now, but I saw this one recently and it looked good: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beginners-Guide-Cake-Decorating-Merehurst/dp/1853918156 If you can get to one or two classes it does help to have someone show you how to do things in real life and to recommend recipes and products.

I get supplies from these places: http://www.cakecraftshop.co.uk/ and http://www.cakescookiesandcraftsshop.co.uk/ but if you can get to a shop it is often better to see things before you buy - some things look lovely on a website but can be quite different in reality. I remember ordering some 'silver glitter flakes' that turned out to be a dull grey!

Good luck with your venture - you'll have lots of fun!

Ceirdwyn

pinkteapot wrote: »

On a slight tangent, I have never managed to make buttercream using my hand mixer. I have one of these mixers:

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4232173.htm?CMPID=GS001&_%24ja%3Dkw%3Ahand%20mixer%7Ccgn%3Ape%7C%7C4232173%7Ctsid%3A11677%7Ccn%3Ape%7C%7C4232173%7Cmt%3Ae%7Ccrid%3A8778577965&ctype=2

And use the main mixer attachments shown attached to it in the pic.

If I try and whisk butter on it's own (even softened), it just all ends up inside the cage of the attachments! And if I put it anywhere near icing sugar I just end up with a cloud filling the kitchen. :rotfl:It works great for making cake mix etc but I've never managed icing.

How do you make buttercream with a mixer? My arm would be eternally grateful for some tips...

The trick is to warm the butter ever so slightly. The butter should already be at room temp, I use a metal mixing bowl, and put it on the gas hob just for a few seconds, it heats the metal so the butter melts a bit. It shouldn't get stuck in the cage then, if it does, just keep banging it on the side, until it comes out, and is really soft. Then add the sugar a bit at a time, that should stop the mushroom cloud effect.

Ceirdwyn

cord123 wrote: »

So what would I use to cover cakes, roll out icing? I have seen sugarpaste and fondant adverstised? what would these be used for?

Fondant is usually used to cover cakes but you can model things with it, sugar paste is used more for modelling things. It dries harder than fondant, but not as hard as royal icing.
I made this one with sugar paste...
(Clickable pics)
And this one with fondant (not a great pic)


I used to love decorating cakes, it's great fun. I've not done any for years, I'm not up to it anymore:(