How to Decorate a Birthday Cake
If store-bought pastries have gotten a little stale, this guide will help you jazz up that birthday cake with real style.
Up next in Cake Baking, Frosting, & Icing (35 videos)
Your next cake will be tasty AND beautiful if you follow the baking, frosting, and icing tips and tricks in this Howcast video series.
You Will Need
- An apron
- Frosting
- An icing spatula
- A turntable or lazy susan
- Toothpicks
- A pastry bag
- Assorted piping tips
- Fondant
- Cookie cutters
- Assorted candies
- Assorted cookies
- Nuts, sprinkles, or popcorn
Steps
-
Step 1
Prepare work area
Lay out all your tools and decorations so that everything is easily accessible. Put on an apron, as things may get messy.
-
Step 2
Frost cake
Apply an even coating of room temperature frosting using an icing spatula and a turntable or lazy susan to spin the cake around as you work.
-
Chill the cake in the refrigerator to solidify the frosting before adding more decorations.
-
Step 3
Etch words or designs
Use toothpicks to gently etch designs or words into the frosting. If you make a mistake, just re-frost and start over.
-
Step 4
Pipe words and designs
Use a pastry bag and piping tips to personalize your cake with words and original designs using different colored frostings.
-
Step 5
Cut out fondant shapes
Cut shapes out of fondant using cookie cutters and attach them to your cake.
-
Step 6
Add candies
Add candies, cookies, nuts, and even popcorn to create detail and let your creativity shine.
-
Avoid using inedible decorations, especially around small children, as these can be a choking hazard.
-
Step 7
Remember the candles
Add birthday candles and you'll have a completely original birthday cake.
-
In 2009, geeks around the world celebrated the internet's 40th birthday – two computers at UCLA transmitted data through a 15-foot-long cable on September 2, 1969.
