Cake Decorating Ideas

CHOCOLATE GANACHE DRIP

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces (1 cup) Ghiradelli semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

(White chocolate can also be used, but keep in mind it’ll take longer to melt)

½ cup heavy whipping cream

INSTRUCTIONS:

Bring the heavy whipping cream to a simmer in a non-stick pot over the stove. Alternatively, you can also heat it in a microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, just keep a close watch to make sure it doesn’t boil over in the microwave.

Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips, making sure all chips are submerged. Let it sit for 5 minutes, and then stir. Chips should all be dissolved at this point. If not, heat the mixture in the microwave for another 30 seconds, and stir again.

Make sure the ganache has cooled down to body temperature (not warm to touch), and that your cake is fully refrigerated before the application, so that the ganache won’t melt the cake frosting.

Spoon half the ganache onto the center of the cake, then slowly spread it toward the edge of the cake. Stop ½ inch from the edge.

Pour the remaining ganache into a 12-inch piping bag fitted with a Wilton #8 round tip, and slowly pipe individuals drips down from the top edge of the cake. Stop an inch before the desired length, because the drip will continue to travel down.

Alternatively, you can use a freezer bag as the pastry bag: fill one side of the bag with ganache and make a ⅛ inch cut at the bottom corner.

CHOCOLATE ART

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces (1 cup) Ghiradelli semi-sweet or white chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS:

Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler until the chips almost disappear, then take it off the heat and gently mix until all chips are dissolved. Be sure to not get any water in the chocolate, else it will seize up and become unusable. Don’t overheat the chocolate because it will be more difficult to pipe, and don’t overmix to avoid air bubbles.

Place a piece of parchment paper above the butterfly template or any template of your choice. Geometric shapes are my favorite because it has many interconnecting parts to provide stability. If you’re making an extra tall free-standing design, use semisweet or white chocolate, as they are more brittle and less likely to droop.

Pour the chocolate into a 12-inch piping bag fitted with a Wilton #3 round tip, and pipe chocolate onto the parchment paper while tracing the patterns.

Allow chocolate art to cool for 1 hour in room temperature, until the chocolate loses its shine and hardens. For extra tall free-standing designs, glue two lollipop sticks to the back of the design using leftover chocolate for additional support, it can also serve as a cake topper.

CHOCOLATE LACE

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces (1 cup) Ghiradelli semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS:

Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler until the chips almost disappear, then take it off the heat and gently mix until all chips dissolve. Be sure to not get any water in the chocolate, else it will seize up and become unusable. Don’t overheat the chocolate because it will be more difficult to pipe, and don’t overmix to avoid air bubbles.

Measure out the height and circumference of your cake and adjust the lace template accordingly. Depending on the circumference of your cake you might want to double the length of this template. Cut out a piece of parchment paper to the same height and circumference of your cake and place it above the template.

Pour the chocolate into a 12-inch piping bag fitted with a Wilton #3 round tip, and pipe chocolate onto the parchment paper, tracing the patterns.

Allow chocolate lace to cool for 10 to 15 minutes in room temperature, or until the chocolate loses its shine and can be gently touched without any chocolate coming off. Lift the parchment and wrap it around the cake, chocolate side contacting the cake.

DON’T peel the parchment just yet! Put the cake back into the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour to allow the chocolate to harden entirely, then peel the parchment off.

Using a hot butter knife, weld the seams from the two ends of the lace together.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED STRAWBERRIES

Got any leftover chocolate from the ganache or chocolate art? Reheat the chocolate in a double boiler until it’s a liquid again, hold the strawberries by their leaves and dip in the chocolate. Place on parchment paper to set. If you’re using ganache, keep in mind the chocolate shell will never truly harden, but they’ll still work great as cake toppers.

MARSHMALLOW FONDANT

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp butter

8 oz mini marshmallows

2 Tbsp water

4 cups (480g) confectioners’ sugar divided

1 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil

Wilton no taste gel-based icing colors (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Coat a microwavable bowl with 1 tablespoon of butter to prevent sticking.

In a separate bowl, mix the marshmallows and water, and transfer this into the microwavable bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time until the marshmallows have melted.

Add in 3 ½ cups of confectioners’ sugar and mix with a nonstick spatula. Once the mixture is somewhat lumpy and very little confectioner’s sugar is left at the bottom, transfer it onto a silicone mat, coat your hands and the mat with vegetable oil to prevent sticking, and knead the fondant as you would knead a dough until it’s soft and smooth, for about 10 minutes. If the fondant is too soft, add the remaining confectioners’ sugar, two tablespoons at a time.

Color the fondant using no taste, gel-based colors if desired. Use food-safe latex gloves when kneading to prevent the colors from staining your hands. Use only a tiny drop (on a toothpick) at a time. If you’re a novice, color only half the fondant at first and use the other half as a safeguard in case you need to back-track.   

For larger sculptures, use large marshmallows as fillers inside the object to reduce the amount of fondant used, and Wilton floral wires and lollipop sticks for structural support.

PIPING

For chocolate art or lettering, use a 12-in pastry bag. For frosting, use a 16-in pastry bag. If you don’t have a helper, fit the pastry bag over a tall glass first, it’ll make filling the bag a lot easier.

When frosting, make sure the cakes or cupcakes are completely at room temperature.

For cupcakes: fill the frosting into a 16-inch piping bag fitted with a Wilton 4B open star tip, and pipe swirls onto the cupcakes. Start at the center, go around in a circle, and come back down into the center. Apply pressure at the beginning and end of each swirl. For visual references, look up “Georgetown Cupcake signature swirl demo” on YouTube.

For regular cakes, you can use the same cupcake piping method to create swirls on top. Make light markings with a straight edge first (divide the cake into 6 or 8 even regions) to ensure the swirls will be evenly spaced. Top with Ferrero or any candy of your choice.