If you are just starting in cake decorating, then you may be thrown by the numerous cake decorating phrases. While these terms may be scary at first, if you take the time to get familiar with them, then you will attack them with assurance. Here are many of the most common cake decorating terms, and their definitions. After you master these terms you will likely be inspired with your own cake decorating ideas.
Airbrushing
Cake airbrushing is a quick way to add a picture or setting onto a cake’s surface using food coloring. Airbrushing is done with an artist’s paint gun used with an compression air pump.
Border
The border of a cake is a uninterrupted thread of icing that graces the top, sides, and/or bottom edges of a cake.
Buttercream
Buttercream is a rich icing that is made by mixing together either butter or shortening (or both) with icing sugar, and beaten until smooth. Buttercream is an all-purpose icing, easily made, that can be used to both cover and decorate a cake
Decorating Bags
Decorating bags are also called icing bags, frosting bags, or pastry bags. Decorating bags are small, triangular shaped bags that are made from cloth, plastic, or parchment paper. The bags are fitted with embellishing tips and filled with frosting and used to pipe ornamental items such as icing flowers, borders, scrollwork, and lacework designs.
Decorating Tips
Decorating tips are often called decorating nozzles. Decorating tips are used to make decorative items such as basketweave patterns, icing roses, and shell edges. Tips come in several shapes, and are applied with an icing or pastry bag filled with icing. When the bag is pressed, the frosting or cream is piped out in the shape of the tip. Drop flowers are made with a single squeeze of the icing bag, while rose petals are produced with practiced maneuvering of the tip and icing.
Flower Nail
A flower nail is shaped like a nail with an large, oversized head. A flower head is used for piping royal icing and buttercream flowers that are transferred to a cake after drying.
Frosting
Frosting and icing are often flipped for each other. Americans tend to use the term “frosting” to mean the creamy, sugary substance that covers a cake, while those in other English speaking countries tend to use the word “icing”. In the U.S.A., “frosting” ordinarily refers to the icing that is spread over the cake, while “icing” ordinarilyrefers to decorative icing, such as piped borders and icing roses.
Fondant
Fondant is also known as sugar paste. Fondant is an frosting sugar dough that can be manipulated in much the same way as pie dough. Fondant can be rolled into smooth sheets, then draped over cakes, creating a smooth, flawless finish.
Ganache
Ganache is a velvety smooth frosting. It is made by melting either dark or white chocolate, then mixing it with heavy cream.
Gumpaste
Gumpaste is an edible, clay-like dough. It is made by blending glycerin, gum Arabic, and frosting sugar. Gumpaste is used to mold edible flowers and figures. Gum paste can also be rolled exceedingly thin and used to make complex ribbons and lacework, as well as delicate flower petals.
Marzipan
Marzipan is a doughy almond substance. It is formed from the identical ingredients as almond paste, though marzipan has more sugar, fewer almonds, and has a smoother consistency. Marzipan is often used for modeling cake decorations, and as a base covering underneath fondant.
Piping
Piping is a decorating method where a decorating bag or tube is filled with icing and outfitted with a decorating tip. Piping happens when the bag islightly squeezed to create shaped dots and ribbons of icing toadorn cakes and other baked goods.
Royal Icing
Royal icing is a sweet white frosting that is created by whipping icing sugar with either fresh egg whites or dried egg whites and meringue powder. Royal icing produces crisp icing borders. It is perfect for piping complicated writing, borders, scrollwork, and lacework on cakes. Royal icing dries very hard and keeps indefinitely if stored in a cool, dry place, but is vulnerable to softening and wilting in high humidity.
