Chapter 7
Here are the crowning touches. Simple easy ways to add glamour to your cakes. Designing and executing a pretty decorative finish for a handsome cake is pure fun, and certainly worth the trouble and the extra pleasure that it gives. Do it when you won't be disturbed, and remember planning is half the battle.
If the plan is elaborate, draw it on paper first and then mark the important spots with toothpicks set lightly in place after the cake is frosted. They will serve as guides and ensure even spacing. Be sure cake is thoroughly cold before starting to frost. Brush off loose crumbs and trim off over-browned or ragged edges.
Have decorations ready to use. How to Frost a Cake For layer cakes, turn the bottom layer from the rack onto the cake plate, bottom side some of the frosting with a spatula evenly over the surface. Top it with the second layer, bottom side down with edges even.
Frost sides of cake first, using light up and down strokes and bringing the frosting up and just over the top rim of the cake. Pile the remaining frosting on top and spread out to rim, making graceful swirls or soft ridges according to the type of frosting. With a seven minute frosting, attractive little peaks can be made by lifting the frosting
gently with a spatula. For certain types of decoration like lettering, a smooth frosted top is best. Avoid puttering with frosting as overworking ruins its appearance. For tube or loaf cake, place cake top or bottom side up as preferred. Frost sides, then top, following suggestions for frosting layer cakes.
To adorn the frosted cake For decorating, use good to eat ingredients, chosen to go with the cake in color, texture and character. Let the decorations be simple but artistic and effective. For example, the ingredients commonly found in the kitchen cupboard make beautiful decorations
when used correctly. Coconut For an all over sprinkle of coconut, use the canned moist shredded coconut with long glistening white shreds. Pat it on while the frosting is still soft.
To tint, add a few drops of food coloring, then rub between the palms of the hands to color it evenly. For a rainbow effect, tint separate lots of coconut, pink, green, yellow and violet, and then mix them. To tint and flavor, rub one cup coconut with eight fine cut maraschino cherries or with
the grated rind of one orange. For some cakes, golden toasted coconut is effective. To toast coconut, spread a thin layer in a shallow pan, toast in moderate oven, 350 degrees Fahrenheit, until a delicate brown, stirring often to toast evenly. Chocolate
Striking effects can be obtained on a frosted cake with melted chocolate. For decorative dribbles or lettering, melt together over hot water, half ounce unsweetened chocolate and half teaspoon spray. Cool before using. For enough chocolate to cover the entire top of the cake and let it drip down the sides
in interesting icicle formations, double these quantities. Melted chocolate can also be used for lettering, as in happy birthday treatment. White frostings or delicately tinted pink or green mint frostings are especially pretty with melted chocolate decorations. Halloween black cats or witches for the top of a frosted cake can be made as follows.
Draw or trace an outline of the desired shape on waxed paper. Fill in the outline with melted chocolate. Put in refrigerator to harden. Loosen from paper and place on cake. Make other designs similarly.
A lacy filigree effect can be made on a white frosted cake as follows. Melt half ounce chocolate with half teaspoon spray. Mark five circles around top of cake and pour in chocolate. With a pointed knife, make eight evenly spaced strokes toward the edge of the cake. Then between them make eight upward strokes toward the center to get web effect.
Even curls or shavings of sweetened or unsweetened chocolate make interesting decoration. They can be made with a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife. Semi-sweet chocolate bits can be used as push-ins on a soft frosting to form letters or designs. Nuts. Use perfect walnut or pecan halves for making interesting patterns on frosted cakes, pressing
them in while the frosting is soft. Nuts can be tipped or tilted into frosting with artistic effect. For making nut borders, lines or designs, cut the nuts in pieces. Do not chop the nuts as this makes unattractive dust. Brazil nuts can be curled by softening them first in hot water, then cutting in very thin
slices or curls. Blanched almonds can be used for making patterns. Sprinkles of toasted slivered almonds are attractive on beige colored frostings. Sprinkling the sides of the cake with chopped nuts gives an attractive finish. Fruits and peels.
Fruits canned, candied, dried or fresh can be used endlessly. Maraschino cherries are especially good for Valentine, holiday or party cakes. Cherry halves can be cut to resemble hearts or flowers, then placed around the rim of the frosted cake. Lengthwise cherry slices can be arranged to form attractive poinsettias.
Pineapple can be tinted with food coloring or cut up and arranged in simple patterns with green citron. Crushed pineapple, citron and orange peel can be used to make an unusual flower lei. At Christmas time, charming holly wreaths and Christmas trees can be fashioned on frosted cakes with bits of red and green cherries and green citron.
Citron can be colored bright green with green coloring. Streamers of fine cut dates, figs or raisins are pretty on some frosted cakes, or definite patterns can be made with larger pieces if preferred. Candies. Sprinkles of silver or gold dragis are beautiful on cakes with fluffy white or pastel frostings.
Dragis can be used to outline interlocking hearts for a bridal shower, or to spell out happy birthday. Gumdrops cut in small pieces can be sprinkled on a white frosted cake for sparkling color or arranged to outline a pattern like a green shamrock for St. Patrick's Day. Lollipops, canes, all-day suckers or stick candy can be crushed and used as gay color
on the frosted sides and for lettering on top of the cake. Contrasting colors are pretty. Those round flat orange patties can be used as jack-o-lanterns by making little faces on them with melted chocolate and arranging them on a chocolate frosted cake for Halloween. Chocolate candy animals standing lightly on frosted cupcakes delight the children.
Tiny colored sugar flowers can be bought in the 5 and 10 cent store and these are pretty arranged on cakes with fluffy white or pastel frostings. For extra special cakes, you can buy candied violets or rose petals to make wreaths of dainty flowers on a frosted cake. You've probably had thoughts of your own as you were reading, of other materials and other
ways to use them. Go for it! Experimenting is half the fun. Happy decorating! Fancy Frosting Effects
These call for special tools, balton or homemade and special frostings. Cake decorating sets, consisting of a bag or gun and assorted tubes can be purchased in housewares departments. They can be used for making flowers, designs or lettering on special occasion cakes. If you have an into tube set, a paper cone for decorating can be easily made.
First cut a 6 inch square of waxed paper and roll it into a cone. Spoon in the frosting, filling the cone not more than half full. Fold down the top edges and cut off the tip at the bottom to make a tiny opening for the frosting to come through. Then take the cone in left hand and grasp its top with right hand, bringing thumb down
to about the center. Going down with the thumb forces the frosting down to the tip of the cone and out through the hole while your hand directs the movement of the cone. With a little practice, lovely effects can be obtained. The best frosting for this purpose is ornamental frosting because it is very stiff, squeezes
out ideally and sets up firm on the cake. To use in cake decorating set or paper cone. 2 1⁄4 cup confectioners sugar, 1⁄3 teaspoon cream of tartar, 2 egg whites unbeaten, 1⁄3 teaspoon vanilla, sift sugar and cream of tartar through very fine sieve. Add egg whites and mix with slotted spoon or wire whip.
Continue to mix for 3 to 4 minutes. Add vanilla, beat 8 to 20 minutes, longer with spoon or 3 to 4 minutes on mixer at high speed. Frosting should be so stiff that a sharp ridge is held when the tip of a knife is drawn through. Filling may be tinted with a few drops of food coloring if desired.
Yield 1 1⁄2 cups. Spray pan coat. Prepare cake pans for baking by rubbing them with spray pan coat. Mix 1⁄2 cup homogenized spray, 1⁄4 cup all purpose flour. Use for greasing cake pans, baking sheets, etc.
Use even brown crust, prevents sticking. Store pan coat and covered dish in cupboard for handy use. Can be made ahead and stored till wanted. Need not be refrigerated. How to tell when a cake is done.
The cake recipes in this booklet specify a baking range in minutes within which the cake should finish baking and be done. However, before removing the cake from the oven, test it for doneness by touching the top of the cake in the center lightly with finger. If the cake springs back leaving no impression, the cake is done.
Also, insert a toothpick or wire cake tester in the center and if it comes out clean, the cake is done. If any dough adheres to the tester, longer baking is needed. Care of cake after baking. When cake has finished baking, remove it from the oven and put it on a wire rack in the
pan. This permits circulation of air around it and ensures even cooling. Let it stand 10 to 15 minutes. Then gently loosen the cake from the sides of the pan with a spatula or knife, working carefully to avoid breaking edge.
Place another rack on top of the pan, turn over and lift off the pan. Then turn the cake right side up on the rack to finish cooling. When the cake is thoroughly cold, it is ready to be frosted. You can bake a better cake with homogenized spray. Dip your spoon into homogenized spray.
See how much lighter and fluffier it is than other shortenings. How easy to work with. It's pre-creamed, easier to blend with dry ingredients, and spray is the only kind of shortening that is specially made to mix with the liquids your cake recipes call for. So you can see why spray with this special blending action makes any cake a better cake.
You can count on it every time. You'll bake a better cake, be a better cook with homogenized spray. End of section 7. End of 10 Cakes Husbands Like Best from Spray's Recipe Roundup by Lever Brothers Company.
