Buttercream swirls are piped onto the sides of cake.

Cake decorating is one of the sugar arts that uses icing and other edible decorative elements to transform otherwise plain cakes into colorful and festive works of art. Cakes come in all shapes and sizes from ordinary single layer sheet cakes to towering multi-tiered wedding cakes. Cakes can also be molded and sculpted to resemble three-dimensional persons, places and things. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 773 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2440 × 1893 pixel, file size: 696 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 773 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2440 × 1893 pixel, file size: 696 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...

In many areas of the world, decorated cakes are often the focal point of a special celebration whether for a birthday, graduation, bridal shower, wedding, or anniversary.

Generally served at the end of a meal, a special cake, decorated to match the theme of the party and often the personality of the guest(s) of honor, captures the essence of the phrase, "Save the best for last." For other uses, see Cake (disambiguation). ...

The art of cake decorating dates back to mid-17th century in Europe and has since flourished in many regions and countries, including Northwestern Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand and South America. Celebrity cake decorators appearing on cable television's Food Network, as well as in the mass media have further popularized this art form. (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Food Network is an American cable network that airs many specials and recurring (episodic) shows about food. ...

Cake decorators include those who decorate cakes as a hobby for the sheer pleasure of expressing their creativity and artistic talents, those who like to make birthday and celebration cakes for their family and friends, and professional cake decorators and designers who have mastered the art of cake decorating to the point where others are willing to pay thousands of dollars for one of their creations.^[1]

History

While the history of cake dates back to ancient Egyptian times when cakes were more bread-like, the art of cake decorating has a relatively short history that dates back to the mid-17th century when cake pans made their debut in kitchens across Europe. (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ...

For the next two hundred years, elaborately decorated cakes were mainly displayed at banquets hosted by Europe’s aristocracy. It wasn’t until the mid-19th century, when the French began including dessert as a separate sweet course served at the end of a meal, that decorated cakes began making regular appearances on tables throughout France and then across Europe. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Not to be confused with Desert. ...

Also at that time (1840s), advances in technology, namely the advent of temperature-controlled ovens and the production of baking soda and baking powder, made baking cakes much easier.^[2]

Much of the cake decorating in the colonized regions of South Africa, North American, New Zealand and Australia, evolved from the Lambeth Method, an old English method that uses intricate, dimensional overpiping of borders on a rolled fondant cake. Scrolls, scallops and stringwork are piped, one layer of icing on top of another, until a very dimensional effect is achieved.^[3]

In 1929, Wilton Enterprises began as a cake decorating school for interested chefs and caterers. Five years later, Joseph Lambeth published a book illustrating his Old World decorating style, The Lambeth Method of Cake Decoration and Practical Pastries, which included step-by-step photographed instructions for piping wonderful embellished borders, flowers and figures. Lambeth popularized the techniques of overpiped designs, runouts and stringwork that became the foundation of American style cake decorating.^[4]

By the 1960s, the Wilton Method was a well-recognized method of instruction. And by the early to mid-20th century, the ability to make a good cake was a sought-after skill among many homemakers the world over. Serving cake to guests in one's home was viewed as a sign of abundance and hospitality.

"Retro Elegance" was created with pink and brown chocolate fondant.

Cake decorating continues to thrive today as an integral part of the sugarcraft industry and popular art form with unique styles being developed in North America, North Western Europe, Australia and South Africa. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Even though baking from scratch decreased during the latter part of the 20th century in the United States,^[5] decorated cakes have remained an important part of celebrations such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and other special occasions.^[6]

Cake Decorating in the Media

Since the early 1990s, lifestyle media has become increasingly popular with food shows leading the way. The Food Network is viewed in 80 million households by half a million people every day. From year to year, the Food Network gains subscribers faster than any other ad-supported cable network.^[7] Food Network is an American cable network that airs many specials and recurring (episodic) shows about food. ...

Some of the best cake decorators are bringing the art of cake decorating into millions of homes via television. The Food Network's Ace of Cakes, Duff Goldman, back for its third season (2007), and The Wedding Cake Challenge, where teams of highly skilled cake decorators compete for a $10,000 prize are just two examples.^[8] Duff Goldman, owner of Charm City Cakes Jeffrey Adam Duff Goldman (born December 17, 1974) is the star of the Food Network reality television show Ace of Cakes. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Master cake artists are regularly featured on other popular television shows as well. For example, Colette Peters (who has created cakes for a long list of celebrities including Sting, Bette Midler, Whoopi Goldberg and the Rolling Stones, as well as for White House and Smithsonian Institute events) has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, This Morning, The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Discovery Channel, CNN, and Lifetime Television.^[9] The Smithsonian castle, as seen through the garden gate. ...

Cake Decorating as an Art

Cake decorating attracts artists from many different mediums. Several contemporary master cake artists were trained in other fine arts before discovering they had a passion and talent for cake making.

Colette Peters was a former painter,^[10] Ron-Ben Israel of New York was a former dancer,^[11] Duff Goldman of Maryland was a graffiti artist,^[12] Judy Uson of the Philippines has a degree in Fine Arts,^[13] and Bonnie Gordon of Toronto was a student of art history and is the daughter of Shirley Gordon, a well-known Canadian fashion designer.^[14]

Other masters, such as Roland Winbeckler (Washington), Earlene Moore (Texas) and Lindy Smith (Great Britain), like many hobby cake decorators, simply fell in love with cake in the kitchen.

Cakes can be molded, sculpted and decorated to resemble just about anything.

Highly skilled cake sculptors can imitate life in any form. Mike McCarey, the owner of Mike's Amazing Cakes, says on his Website (which includes a gallery of his confectionary sculptures): "Anything is possible within the limits of gravity and physics."^[15] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Master cake designers spend days - even weeks - designing, building and decorating their cakes, only for their creations to be eaten a short time later. These cake designers can make designer luggage stacked five bags high with a bride and groom perched on top all made out of cake and gum paste;^[16] they can make a pile of decorative pillows,^[17] or a stack of shoe boxes;^[18] they can produce awe inspiring works of bejeweled wonder;^[19] and they can sculpt life-size statues fit to serve thousands of guests.^[20]

But unlike other forms of fine art, the cake artist’s masterpieces do not appreciate with time; they are regularly destroyed and consumed to be preserved for posterity only in photos and in cherished memories of a special event.

Styles of Cake Decorating

Decorating a cake usually involves covering a cake with some form of icing and then using decorative sugars, candies, chocolate or icing decorations to embellish the cake. But it can also be as simple as sprinkling a fine coat of icing sugar or drizzling a glossy blanket of glaze over the top of a cake. Icing decorations can be made by either piping icing flowers and decorative borders or by molding gum paste, fondant, or marzipan flowers and figures. Icing can mean: icing (food) icing (shipping) icing (ice hockey) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Glaze is a thin shiny coating, or the act of applying the coating. ... Fondant is a confection used as a filling or coating for cakes, pastries, and candies or sweets. ... Fruit shapes molded from marzipan Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar and ground almonds that derives its characteristic flavor from bitter almonds, which constitute 4% to 6% of total almond content by weight. ...

The precursor to most styles of cake decorating is the European style, which entails covering a cake with a smooth layer of icing, either royal icing or rolled fondant, and then using royal icing to pipe flowers, borders and decorative stringwork to adorn the cake. Traditionally, the wedding cake is a graduated multi-tiered cake stacked in Victorian style or separated by pillars with flowers and other decorations applied to each tier. Royal Icing is a hard white icing, made from softly beaten egg whites, icing sugar, and sometimes lemon juice. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her accession to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian era of the United Kingdom marked the height of the British Industrial Revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ...

The Lambeth Method uses intricate dimensional overpiping of borders on a fondant covered cake. Scrolls, scallops and stringwork are piped, one layer of icing on top of another, until a very dimensional effect is achieved.

The Australian Method also uses intricate royal icing piping over fondant-covered cakes, but then adds delicate lacework and detailed extension and curtain work.^[21]

The Wilton Method uses buttercream icing to both cover the cake and then pipe flowers and decorative borders. Buttercream, although much tastier than either royal icing or rolled fondant, is much less refined making for heavier and less intricate decorations. The Wilton course in cake decorating covers The Basics (Level I), Assorted Flowers & More (Level II), and Rolled Fondant & Tiered Cakes (Level III). Wilton has also popularized the quick and easy approach to cake decorating where a cake is baked in a shaped pan and then colored buttercream icing is piped to color in the design, one star at a time. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Icing (food). ...

Wedding cake styles have evolved over the years from the traditional white iced cake with icing flowers and a plastic groom and bride on top to highly artistic designs that mirror the tastes and style of the wedding couple. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

"Cake in White Satin" is a beautiful example of why fondant is such a popular wedding cake choice.

Cake decorators like Jay Ellis, owner of Cakes by Jay in New York, report that current trends call for more sugar detailing and fresh flowers and prices per slice range from $4 for the inexpensive to the average $7 to $10 per slice.^[22] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Whimsical topsy-turvy cakes where the cake appears to be teetering and about to fall over are popular at weddings. And novelty cakes depicting a favorite hobby, sport, pet or object are in high demand when it comes to making a groom’s cake, retirement, or birthday cake. Birthday Cake The birthday cake has been an integral part of the birthday tradition in Western cultures since the middle of the 19th century. ...

Cake Decorating Classes

Cake decorating techniques are sometimes taught at culinary schools, while cake decorating classes can be found at many large crafts stores across North Amercia; for example the Wilton method is taught in classes held at Michaels.

Cake decorating can also be learned in one's own home by following the step-by-step instructions provided in cake decorating books and DVDs.

Cake decorating how-to books, as well as books featuring works of art by cake decorating masters, are readily available at book stores around the world.

Several master cake artists offer cake decorating classes and workshops, which can be booked online from their home websites. Free resources for learning cake decorating skills are also available, such as how-to articles on Websites.

Wilton

Wilton Industries was founded in 1929 when a pulled sugar artist by the name of Dewey McKinley Wilton began a small cake decorating business in Chicago. During the lean years of the Great Depression, the family business flourished by creating wedding cakes for famous hotels and clubs.^[23] For other uses, see The Great Depression (disambiguation). ...

Building on the reputation they earned by catering to the rich and famous, the Wiltons opened a cake decorating and candy-making school for caterers and chefs. The Wilton Method grew in popularity, and in 1947, the Wiltons began marketing cake decorating products. Wilton continued to grow when, in 1983, Wilton merged first with Copco, a kitchenware company, and then in 1991, with Rowoco, to form Wilton Industries.^[24]

An Austin Chronicle report notes that the Wilton Method was unparalleled until the 1980’s when Martha Stewart appeared on the scene. She advocated made-from-scratch cakes that taste as wonderful as they look, thus challenging the Wilton Method that often included using cake mixes and vegetable shortening.^[23] Martha Stewart (born Martha Helen Kostyra on August 3, 1941) is an American business magnate, author, editor and homemaking advocate. ...

However, Wilton continues to enjoy sweet success according to Hoover’s November, 2006 business report that documents Wilton Industries reported $325 million in sales for 2005.^[25]

For the past 75 years, Wilton has provided a wide variety of cake decorating classes throughout United States and Canada, including the Wilton School of Cake Decorating in northern Illinois. Wilton’s method instructors have helped introduce the intricate European way of cake decorating to North America, attracting nearly 200,000 students annually from around the world. Major retailers in 150 countries sell Wilton products, ranging from books to decorating tools and more, worldwide.^[24]

And thousands of cake decorators in North America have participated in Wilton’s annual Your Take on Cake contest. Winners have received $5,000 in cash and an all-expenses-paid trip to attend The Wilton School’s two-week Master Course for Cake Decorating in the Chicago suburb of Darien, IL.^[26]

ICES

The International Cake Exploration Societe (ICES) was founded in 1976 in Monroe, Michigan at the National EXPLO Cake Show sponsored by Betty Jo Steinman.^[27]

Dedicated to the promotion and advancement of the sugar arts, ICES meetings are held around the world with an annual convention organized each summer with a different chapter hosting the event. ICES promotes the art of cake decorating by awarding one or more annual scholarships to applicants deemed most likely to develop and promote the art form.

ICES members are men, women, and children who share the love of cake decorating and the confectionery arts. Membership is represented by beginner to professional level cake decorators, ranging from homemakers who occasionally bake cakes for their families to professional bakers, caterers and exhibitors. Those interested in joining ICES can find the nearest chapter on their Website.

Cake Decorating Terms

Airbrushing: A quick way to cover a scene or background on the cake’s surface with food coloring using an artist's paint gun used with an air pump (compression). The airbrush is a small, highly precise spray gun for applying paint. ...

Border: A continuous ribbon of icing used to decorate the top, sides and bottom edges of a cake.

Buttercream: A rich icing made by combining either butter or shortening (or a bit of both) with icing sugar and beating until smooth. Buttercream is an easy all-purpose icing that can be used to both ice and decorate a cake. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Icing (food). ...

Decorating Bags: Small triangular shaped bags made from cloth, plastic or parchment paper which are fitted with decorating tips and filled with icing and used to pipe decorative items such as icing flowers, borders, scrollwork and lacework designs.

Decorating Tips: Sometimes called nozzles. These tips are used to create decorative items such as icing roses, shell borders, basketweave patterns and more. These come in various shapes and are used with an icing or pastry bag so that when the bag is squeezed the icing or cream is piped out in the shape of the tip, which may or may not be the final shape desired. For example, drop flowers are created with a single squeeze, while rose petals are created with skilled maneuvering.

Flower Nail: Shaped like a nail with an oversized head, this is used for piping royal icing and buttercream flowers onto before transferring to the cake.

Frosting: Americans tend to use the term frosting when referring to covering a cake with a creamy, sugar substance, while those in other English speaking countries tend to use the word "icing." This is probably because in many other English speaking countries, the sugar used in frosting (or icing), confectioners' or powdered sugar is known as "icing sugar." Frosting often refers to icing that is spread in a freehand way over the cake while icing more often refers to decorating icing, such as piped borders and icing roses.

Fondant:Also called sugar paste, fondant is an icing sugar dough which can be manipulated much in the same way as pie dough and rolled into smooth sheets and draped over cakes to provide a flawless finish. Traditional fondant has an unappealing taste and is most often peeled away before the cake is eaten. Fondant is a confection used as a filling or coating for cakes, pastries, and candies or sweets. ...

This "American Bandstand" cake is decked out for the Fourth of July in red, white and blue fondant.

One new recipe for fondant, Marshmallow fondant, actually tastes good and is growing in popularity among cake decorators.^[28] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 514 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1080 × 1260 pixel, file size: 208 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 514 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1080 × 1260 pixel, file size: 208 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...

Ganache: A velvety smooth icing made by melting chocolate (either white or dark) and combining with heavy cream. Ganache is a French word (literally translated as fool) for a mixture of chocolate and heavy cream. ...

Gumpaste: Edible clay-like dough made by combining glycerin, gum Arabic and icing sugar and used to mold edible flowers and figures. Gum paste can also be rolled extremely thin and used to make intricate ribbons and lacework as well as delicate flower petals.

Marzipan: A palatable almond substance made from the same ingredients as almond paste; however marzipan has more sugar, less almonds and is milled to a smoother consistency. It's often used for modeling cake decorations and as a base covering underneath fondant. Fruit shapes molded from marzipan Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar and ground almonds that derives its characteristic flavor from bitter almonds, which constitute 4% to 6% of total almond content by weight. ...

Piping: A decorating technique where a decorating bag or tube fitted with a decorating tip and filled with icing is gently squeezed to produce shaped dots and ribbons of icing to decorate cakes and other baked goods.

Royal Icing: A sweet white icing made by whipping fresh egg whites (or dried egg whites, meringue powder) with icing sugar. Royal icing produces well-defined icing edges and is ideal for piping intricate writing, borders, scrollwork and lacework on cakes. It dries very hard and preserves indefinitely if stored in a cool, dry place, but is susceptible to soften and wilt in high humidity. Royal Icing is a hard white icing, made from softly beaten egg whites, icing sugar, and sometimes lemon juice. ...

Footnotes

Also see: 2002 (number). ... is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 161st day of the year (162nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 74th day of the year (75th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 208th day of the year (209th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 161st day of the year (162nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... April 14 is the 104th day of the year (105th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 261 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 208th day of the year (209th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further Reading

• American Cake Decorating Magazine
• CakeJournal.com techniques, recipes, and general information about cake decorating and sugarcraft.
• Cake Decorating For Dummies by Joe LoCicero
• CakeAnswers.com offers free-to-read cake decorating how-to articles and free cake decorating tips, recipes and videos.
• Cake Decorating Made Easy! books, DVDs and downloadable Video Books at Cakes Made Easy
• Cakes to Dream On: A Master Class in Decorating by Colette Peters
• Celebrate with Cake! by Lindy Smith
• Family Fun Birthday Cakes: 50 Cute And Easy Party Treats by Deanna F. Cook and experts at Family Fun Magazine
• Figure Piping Ideas by Roland Winbeckler
• Wedding Cakes You Can Make: Designing, Baking, and Decorating the Perfect Wedding Cake by Dede Wilson