The Art of Cake Decorating and Brief Introduction of Cake
Decorations
 If
it's a party, there's always cake. For any occasion that is special and
celebrates something, you are sure to find cake somewhere in the party.
However, when it’s something grand like a wedding or a birthday party,
cakes tend to be more elaborate in terms of decoration and style. In
fact, some of these cakes are so elegantly designed that they could be
called cake art. While it is true that taste matters when it comes to
food, any knowing gourmet or food lover understands that presentation
values as much as how good something tastes.
Hundreds of years ago, cake making was such hard work. There was so
much to be done from separating whites from yolks to whisking eggs until
they foam. However, thanks to some developments in the culinary arts,
particularly baking, many things became easier. The first major change
happened when the temperature-controlled ovens were introduced to the
market. This made baking a cake easier since the chances of burning any
baked goods has been lowered. Another advancement was the production of
two major baking ingredients: baking powder and baking soda. These
ingredients made mixing and making the cake rise a lot easier.
A cake is enhanced by decorations. From simple icing and candles, to
more elaborate techniques that involve more tools to make the cake look
like a work of art. While toppings and candles are normal and regular
cake decorations, these are far from the techniques that elevate cake
decorating into an art. Many special tools are needed to create and
effect on the cake's surface. Basic cake decorating techniques include
the creation of flowers or leaves that surround the cake.
However, the art of cake decorating has come far from this. For one,
cake is usually sculpted, cut, molded, and decorated to work as a
centerpiece in a big event like a wedding or to resemble something. A
lot of cake decorators actually have a degree related to art. Even the
staffs of famous bakeries that specialize in cake art have degrees in
painting, art, or architecture.
Usually art cakes use shape and silhouettes for effect. A lot of
today's cake decorating has art elements that use silhouettes for
impact. What cake designers do is that they use specific tools, icing,
and ingredients to create the overall look of a cake as well as its
accessories. Like a painter working on a canvass, cake designers and
decorators need to work with a theme in order to come up with a design.
From here, he or she would plan how to sculpt the cake and add
decorations to achieve the look he or she is after. While this may sound
simple, it's actually not. Cake designers work like artists, combining
colors and making them work as icing on their canvass that is the cake.
Aside from this, they also need the right tools in order to execute
their designs perfectly.
With a bit of creativity, cakes designed for special occasions are
the subject of awe and admiration. |
