● Icing (Recipe Included)● Preparing and Filling Decorating Bags● Holding the Bag/ Pressure Control● Cake Decorating Tip Basics● Leveling, Filling, and Icing Cakes● Filling and Icing Cupcakes● Decorating Techniques

What You Will Learn

● When it comes to making icing, use the best and freshest ingredients possible, it makes a huge difference.

● Icing consistency is key: each level of consistency (stiff, medium, and thin) serve a different purpose.

● Stiff: To determine if your icing is stiff consistency, place 1 cup of icing into a cup. Insert a straight spatula all the way into the center and jiggle the cup. The spatula should not move if your icing is “stiff.” Stiff icing is used for decorations such as flowers with upright petals such as the rose.

● Medium: To convert stiff icing to medium icing, add approximately 1 tsp. of milk for each cup of icing.

Creating the Perfect Icing

● Medium Continued: To determine if you have reached medium consistency, use the same test as you did for stiff. The spatula will move slightly when you jiggle the cup. Medium consistency icing is used to create stars, dimensional decorating, borders, and flowers with petals that lie flat. *This is the consistency you will be working with!

● Thin: To convert stiff icing to thin, add 2 tsp. of milk per cup of stiff consistency icing. To determine if you have reached thin consistency, perform the same test as you did for stiff icing. The spatula should fall over when the cup is jiggled. Thin icing is used for writing and printing, leaves, and icing a cake.

Icing Continued

● Although you can find thousands of different icing recipes online, and in cookbooks, I am providing you with a basic recipe that is both easy to use and manipulate to get you started with your cake decorating!

Basic Buttercream: Makes 2 ¼ Cups½ Cup solid Vegetable Shortening ½ Cup (1 Stick) Butter or Margarine1 tsp. clear Vanilla extract4 Cups sifted Powdered Sugar2 Tbls. milk (can also use different flavors of coffee creamer!)In a large bowl, beat shortening and butter with an electricmixer until fluffy and light. Beat in vanilla. Add sugar 1 cupat a time on medium speed. When all sugar has been added, icing will appear dry. Add milk, beat until light and fluffy. Alter the consistency, if needed, by adding either milk (too thick) or more sugar(too thin). *SEE SLIDE ABOUT ADDING COLOR TO ICING!KEEP BOWL COVERED WITH A DAMP CLOTH UNTIL READY TO USE.

Icing Recipe

*Try experimenting with different coffee creamers, it changes the flavor of your icing. * Vanilla that is not clear may tint your icing. If you are coloring your icing, this is not something to worry about.

● You can either use featherweight bags, or disposable decorating bags. I prefer disposable because they make for easy clean up!

● Couplers are used to hold the tips in place. They also allow for you to change tips on the same bag. There are 2 parts: base and ring.

Preparing your bag:

Preparing & Filling Decorating Bags

Filling your bag on the next slide...

● Now that you have your bag ready with the coupler and tip of your choice, you are ready to fill your bag with icing!

Filling your bag:- Hold bag with one hand and fold down the top with the other hand to form a

generous cuff over your hand.- Fill bag with approximately ½ cup of icing. Do not overfill~ Icing may come out of

the top of the bag!- Squeeze bag with spatula between your thumb and finger while removing spatula.- Close bag by unfolding the cuff and twisting the bag closed. This forces the icing

down into the bag. - Place the twisted part of the bag between your thumb and forefinger. Close your hand

around the bag so you can squeeze the icing bag between your palm and fingers.

Filling your Decorating Bag

● The way your decorations curl, point and lie depends on the way you hold and move the bag. Bag position is described in terms of both angle and direction.

● 90* angle is used when making stars or drop flowers. 45* angle is used for writing, borders, and many flowers.

● Correct bag position is easiest to learn when you think of the bag as the hour hand of a clock.

● Right handed positions: (3:00, 4:30, 6:00). Left handed positions (9:00, 7:30, 6:00).

● Right handed decorators always decorate from left to right. ● Practice helps you achieve pressure control, and move with fluidity. There

are 3 types of pressure: light, medium, and heavy.

Holding the Bag/ Pressure Control

● Star Tip: (1M, 21, 18, 16- tip #’s) Used to create stars to fill in character cakes, and borders using stars, shells, and zigzags.

● Round Tip: (1, 3, 12) Used for vines, stems, dots, and lettering, as well as outlines, beads, and figure piping.● Petal Tip: (104) Used to create icing ribbon roses, and decorative ruffles. ● Drop Flower Tip: (2D) Used to make the standard star drop flower, and the swirl drop flower.

Tip Basics

● Leaf Tip: (352) A variety of leaves will make your floral sprays look more realistic. This tip can create a basic leaf, ruffle leaf, and a stand-up leaf depending on the techniques you use while squeezing the bag.

● Specialty Tip: (230, 233) Depending on which tip you use, you can fill cupcakes, eclairs, etc, and you can also create clusters of strings for both flowers and grass.

Tip Basics Continued

● The easiest and most accurate way to level a cake is by using a cake leveler. These can be picked up at most craft stores (Michael’s, JoAnn..)

● You can also level a cake with a serrated knife. If you do this, make sure you are at eye-level, and you hold the knife parallel to the work surface.

● Torting a cake refers to dividing a cake layer in half to add fillings, and gain height.

● Fillings not only hold cake layers together but add flavor to a cake, and allow you to get creative!

● When filling a cake pipe medium consistency icing around the edge to prevent the filling from seeping out. Fill the inside of your cake with the filling of your choice using a tapered spatula. When done, place the next layer on top and ensure it is level. (smoothly baked cake bottom face up)

Leveling, Filling, & Icing Cakes

● There are two basic ways to create an evenly smoothed iced cake. The first is using a spatula, the second is through the use of a cake icer tip.

Using A Spatula:The trick to keeping crumbs out of your icing is gliding your spatula on the icing— never allow it to touch the surface

of the cake. Place a large amount of thin consistency icing on the center of the cake.

Spread icing across the top, pushing toward edges. Smooth the top using the edge of the spatula. Sweep the edge of the spatula from the rim of the cake to its center then lift it off and remove excess icing.

Cover the sides with icing. Smooth sides by holding the spatula upright with the edge against the icing and slowly spinning the turntable without lifting the spatula from the icings’s surface. Return excess icing to the bowl and repeat until sides are smooth.

Rotate the cake slightly and repeat the procedure, starting from a new point on the rim until you have covered the entire top surface. Smooth the center of the cake by leveling the icing with the edge of your spatula. For easier smoothing, it may help to dip the spatula into hot water, wipe dry and glide it across the entire surface. Set the cake aside and allow the icing to crust over for at least 15 minutes before decorating. At that point you may also lay Non-Stick Parchment Paper on the iced cake top and gently smooth with the palm of your hand.

Icing a Cake

Using The Cake Icer TipTrim a 16 in. Featherweight bag to fit tip 789. Fill bag half full with icing. Hold bag at 45° angle and lightly press tip

against cake. Squeeze a ribbon of icing in a continuous spiral motion to cover cake top, with last ribbon forcing icing over edge of cake top.

To ice the sides, squeeze icing as you turn the cake slowly. Repeat the process until the entire cake side is covered.

Rotate the cake slightly and repeat the procedure, starting from a new point on the rim until you have covered the entire top surface. Smooth the center of the cake by leveling the icing with the edge of your spatula. For easier smoothing, it may help to dip the spatula into hot water, wipe dry and glide it across the entire surface. Set the cake aside and allow the icing to crust over for at least 15 minutes before decorating. At that point you may also lay Non-Stick Parchment Paper on the iced cake top and gently smooth with the palm of your hand.

Icing a Cake Continued

● When filling cupcakes, a specialty tip such as Wilton Tip 230 is used. The tip is elongated and round. When it comes to filling cupcakes, be creative! Bakers often use fillings such as pudding, mousse, ganache, etc. to enhance the flavors of their cupcakes.

● To fill your cupcake insert the tip into the top of the cupcake. Squeeze with light pressure. Slowly move tip to surface of cupcake. Stop pressure and pull away.

Filling and Icing Cupcakes

When icing a cupcake, use medium consistency icing. Begin at the outer edge with a tip of your choice (Star, Round- typically a larger size) and work toward the center. Once at the center, stop applying pressure and pull the tip away.

Filling and Icing Cupcakes

● Swirl Drop Flowers (Tips 2D, 3) (Medium Consistency Icing)Hold bag at 90° straight up with tip lightly touching the surface.

Before piping, turn your hand ¼ turn so the back of your hand is away from you and your knuckles are at 9:00 (3:00). Lightly touch the surface with tip 2D.

As you squeeze out icing, slowly turn your hand until the back of your hand returns to its natural position, with knuckles at 12:00.

For flower center, hold the bag straight up and squeeze out a tip 3 dot of icing. Keep the tip buried as you squeeze. Stop squeezing, Pull tip up and off to the side, shaving off the point on the dot.

Hint: The swirled look of the petals happens when you twist your wrist the proper way. Practice your wrist movement, keeping your knuckles in the position described below. You can also create a star flower by not moving your wrist and letting icing build up as you squeeze.

Decorating Techniques

● E-Motion (Tip 16) (Medium Consistency Icing)Starting with bag at a 45° angle at 3:00 (9:00 for left handed decorating) with tip slightly above the surface, and at

bottom edge, squeeze out icing with even pressure, moving tip up to the right…

...and around as if writing the letter "e."

Repeat to complete the border, using a steady, even pressure. To end, stop pressure, pull tip away. You can vary the look of the e-motion border by making tight e´s or stretched e´s.

Decorating Techniques

● Shell (Tip 21- Star Tip)) (Medium Consistency Icing)Hold bag at 45° at 6:00, with tip slightly above the surface.

Squeeze hard, letting icing fan out generously as it forces the tip up

Gradually relax pressure as you lower tip. Pull the bag toward you until tip reaches the surface. Relax pressure and pull tip along the surface to form a point.

To make a shell border, start your next shell so that the fanned end just covers the tail of the preceding shell to form a chain.

Hint: Lift the tip only slightly when piping, to avoid a bumpy look.

Decorating Techniques

Zig Zags (Tip 16- Star Tip: Medium Consistency Icing)Hold bag at 45° at 3:00 (9:00 for lefties) with tip lightly touching surface.

Steadily squeeze and glide tip along the surface in an up and down motion.

Continue piping up and down with steady pressure. To end, stop pressure and pull tip away. For more elongated zigzags, move your hand to the desired height while maintaining a steady pressure. For a more relaxed look, increase the width as you move the bag along.

Hint: When piping zigzags, think about two motions simultaneously. The movement of your arm determines the height of the waves and the distance between them. The pressure on your bag determines the thickness of the line. Strive for uniform thickness and even spacing as you go.

Decorating Techniques

Star Drop Flower (Tip 2D, 3- Medium Consistency Icing)Fit the decorating bag with tip 2D and fill 1/2 full with medium consistency icing. Hold the decorating bag at 90°

(straight up). The tip should be lightly touching surface.

Squeeze, letting icing build up to make the flower. Stop squeezing, then lift tip away.

Decorate the flower center: Hold the bag straight up with tip 3 almost touching the flower. Squeeze out a dot of icing, keeping your tip buried in it. Stop squeezing, then pull tip up and away. Your dot should have a rounded top.

Decorating Techniques

Dots (Tip 3- Medium Consistency Icing)Hold bag at 90° straight up, with tip slightly above surface.

Squeeze bag and keep point of tip buried in icing until the dot is the size you want.

Stop pressure, pull tip up and to the side to help prevent points in dots.

Ball (Tip 9- Medium Consistency Icing)

Hold bag at 90° straight up with tip slightly above surface.

Squeeze the bag, applying a steady, even pressure. As the icing begins to build up, raise the tip with it, but keep the tip buried in the icing.

Stop squeezing as you bring the end of the tip to the surface. Lift the tip up and pull away from your piped ball. Use the edge of the tip to shave off any point so that your ball is nicely rounded.

Decorating Techniques

Grass/Fur (Tip 223- Medium Consistency Icing)Fit the decorating bag with Multi-Opening Decorating Tip 233 and fill 1/2 full with medium consistency icing. Hold the

decorating bag 90° straight up; the tip should be 1/8 in. above surface.

Squeeze bag to form grass. Pull up and away when icing strand is long enough (about 1/2 inch) stop pressure and

pull tip away. Grass will be neatly formed only if you stop squeezing before you pull tip away.

For a more natural look sometimes pull tip slightly to the right or left, instead of straight up. Remember to keep

clusters close together so cake does not show through.

Decorating Techniques

Ruffles (Tip 104- Medium Consistency Icing)Hold bag at 45° at 3:00 (9:00 for lefties) with wide end of tip lightly touching surface and narrow end facing away

from surface.

As you keep the wide end against the cupcake, move wrist up to pull up icing.

Move wrist down to complete one curl of the ruffle.

Repeat up and down motion.

Raise and lower the narrow end as you move around the cake. Repeat this motion for the entire ruffle.

Decorating Techniques

Star (Any Star Decorating Tip- Medium Consistency Icing)Hold the bag at 90° angle (straight up) to the surface with tip between 1/8 in. and 1/4 in. above surface.

Squeeze the bag to form star. Increase or decrease pressure to change star size.

Stop pressure and pull tip straight up and away. After squeezing out a star, be sure to stop pressure completely before you pull your tip away. This will give you a perfectly formed star shape, without peaks.

Decorating Techniques

When decorating cakes and cupcakes use the color wheel to find colors that compliment each other.

Color Wheel

Your Turn!!! Let’s practice our skills on a cookie sheet first.

Tomorrow we will decorate our cupcakes in the Cupcake Wars!

Finally – Celebration Cakes. • Design a cake• Apply Crumb Coat• Use Buttercream Frosting and cake decorating skills to compete against the other kitchen groups!