Common Cake Decorating Terms

If you just started in cake decorating, so you can be with the loss of many cake decorating terms. It is possible that these phrases can be intimidating at first, but if your taking the time to get familiar with them, you will approach them with confidence. Below are many of the most common cake decorating terms and their definitions. Once you master these conditions you're likely to get inspired for your own cake decorating ideas. 

Airbrushing

Airbrushing a cake is a quick way to add a scene or setting on a cake surface with food coloring. Airbrushing achieved through an artist's paint gun used with an air compression pump. 

Border

A cake is a continuous border strip of glaze that beautifies top, sides, and / or bottom edge of a cake. 

Butter Cream

Butter Cream is a rich glaze made by mixing either butter or shortening (or two) with icing sugar, and beaten until smooth. Butter Cream is a lightweight, all-purpose icing that can be used both to cover and decorate a cake 

Decorating Bags 

Decorating bags are also known as icing bags, frosting bags, or pastry bags. Decorating bags are small, triangular shaped bags made from parchment paper, fabric or plastic. The bags are fitted with decorating tips and filled with glaze and used to pipe decorative items such as icing flowers, borders, scroll work, and lacework patterns. 

Decorating tips 

Decorating tips are sometimes known as decorating nozzles. Decorating tips are used to create decorative details such as basket weave patterns, icing roses, and Shell edges. Tips come in various forms, and are used with an icing bag or pastry bag filled with icing. When the bag is squeezed, frosting or cream, piping out through the tip. Drop flowers are made with a touch of frosting bag, while rose petals were produced with practiced maneuvering the lead and icing. 

Flower Nail 

A flower nail is shaped like a nail with a large, heavy head. A flower head is used for piping royal icing and butter cream flowers that are transferred to a cake after drying. 

Frosting 

Frosting and icing are often turned to each other. Americans have a tendency to use the word "frosting" of creamy, sugary substance that covers a cake while people in other English speaking nations have a tendency to use the term "glaze". In the U.S., frosting "" typically refers to the glaze, which is spread over the cake while the "glaze" commonly refers decorative glaze, which whistled borders and icing roses. 

Fondant 

Fondant is also referred to the sugar paste. Fondant is an icing sugar dough that can be manipulated like pie dough. Fondant can be rolled into smooth sheets, then draped over cakes, making a smooth and flawless finish. 

Ganache 

Ganache is a velvety smooth glaze. It is made by melting, either dark or white chocolate to mix with heavy cream. 

Gumpaste 

Gumpaste is an edible, clay-like dough. It is created by mixing glycerin, gum arabic and sugar glaze. Gumpaste used to mold edible flowers and figurines. Gum paste can also be rolled super thin and used to make complex ties and lace, and delicate flowers. 

Marzipan 

Marzipan is an almond pasty substance. It is made of the same ingredients as almond paste, marzipan has even more sugar, less almonds, and has a smooth texture. Marzipan is often used for modeling cake decorations and as a base covering the fondant. 

Piping 

Tubing is a decorating technique where a decorating bag or tube is filled with glaze and fitted with a decorative tip. Piping occurs when the bag isgently pressured to create shaped dots and strips of frosting toornament cakes and other pastries. 

Royal Icing 

Royal icing is a sweet white glaze produced by whipping icing sugar with egg whites either fresh or dried egg white and meringue powder. Royal icing creates different glaze edges. It is ideal for piping complex to write, borders, scroll work, and lace on the cake. Royal icing dries very hard and keep indefinitely if stored in a cool, dry place, but is susceptible to softening and stuck in high humidity.