I want to start cake decorating as a hobby but there is so much equipment available that I simply don’t know where to start.
Sugarpaste is an excellent medium for the beginner to use as it is easy to cover cakes with it and to make simple decorations. The basic bits of equipment you would need are a rolling pin, small, sharp non-serrated knife, and a small paintbrush which you would use to dab water onto the icing to stick you models together.
It would also be worth contacting your local adult education college to see if they run any courses for beginners.
2 I’ve just started cake decorating and would like to meet up with other like-minded people to swap ideas and learn a bit more.
If you’re in the UK then you might like to try the British Sugarcraft Guild. Have a look at their site www.bsguk.org to see if there’s a group that meet near you. There are similar organisations in many other countries too.
3 My son wants a model of a TV character on his birthday cake. There’s no way I could make one myself and my local baker says they haven’t got time to make me one. His birthday’s in a few days. Help!
Many supermarkets do TV character cakes but if nothing there fits the bill, pop into your local toy store and buy a small plastic model of the character concerned. (You could look online too) Next go to the sweet shop and buy a load of horrible cheap brightly coloured sweets Bake your cake. (If time is really short then use a cake mix or shop bought cake) Wash and carefully dry the toy. Spread some buttercream or melted chocolate over the cake. Place a little tin foil on the cake and stand the toy on the top surrounded by the sweets. (Keep the toy away from any candles on the cake)
Not only should this bring your stress levels down but your son will be thrilled with his extra present.
1 When I try to spread buttercream around the top and sides of my cake I get loads of crumbs caught up in it.
To get a perfect buttercream finish, first spread a thin, soft coating of buttercream around the sides and top of the cake. Then place the cake in the refrigerator for about an hour. The buttercream will harden literally “gluing” the crumbs to the cake. Take the cake out and spread your final buttercream coating over your cake.
If you are planning to cover your cake with sugarpaste then these crumbs won’t matter as they will be hidden.
2 I cover my cake with buttercream prior to covering it with sugarpaste but I find that by the time I am ready to put the sugarpaste on top, the buttercream has hardened and the sugarpaste won’t stick to it.
To keep the buttercream coating soft, place a sheet of cling film over the cake once you have covered it with buttercream and remove it just before you place the sugarpaste on top.
3 Can I freeze buttercream?
The buttercream recipe I use – butter, icing sugar and water is fine to freeze. Once made it can be covered and frozen for up to a month.
1 What do I use to stick sugarpaste onto my sponge cake?
You can use either Jam or buttercream. Coat the outside of the cake with either and cover with sugarpaste.
2 I covered my cake with sugarpaste but got a big air bubble trapped underneath. How can I get rid of it?
When you put sugarpaste on to a cake, gently smooth the top first before moving onto the sides. This should minimise your chances of getting an air bubble trapped. If one persists, then deal with it while the icing is still soft. Dip a dressmaker’s pin into boiling water for a few seconds to sterilise it then holding the pin at a slight angle, poke it into the centre of the bubble. Remove the pin and gently press the air out of the bubble.
3 When I tried to colour some sugarpaste with food colour it went all sticky and soggy and was impossible to use.
This probably happened because you were using liquid food colour to colour the sugarpaste. Food colour paste concentrates work much better because they are much thicker. They are available in a vast range of colours from specialist cake decorating shops (look up your nearest in the telephone directory or order online from one of the specialist mail order shops) Also from some supermarkets.
4 My sugarpaste always looks streaky when I mix colours in.
This simply means that you are not kneading the colour into the sugarpaste for long enough. You need to keep on going until it is all one flat matt colour.
5 What can I do about dusty icing sugar smudges and marks on my sugarpaste models?
When you have finished your cake, lightly brush away any dusty marks using a soft, damp paintbrush. The brushed areas will look shiny for a while but they will revert back to a matt finish.
6 How can I store my sugarpaste models after I’ve made them?
You can store your models in a tin or cardboard box – never Tupperware though. The cardboard cake boxes available from cake decorating shops are ideal. It is important that the box has a lid to protect them from dust and flies. Keep the box at room temperature (not in a fridge or garage)
7 Will the colours on my models fade?
The colours will begin to fade after a while if they are left out in daylight.
8 I got a drop of water on my cake. Can I get rid of the watermark it’s left behind?
Try to deal with drips as soon as you can. If you leave them too long they will begin to dissolve the surface of the sugarpaste leaving an unsightly hollow behind. Wipe them away immediately with a soft clean cloth. If a mark has been left, rub gently in a circular motion with the tip of your finger to smooth out the sugarpaste. If this doesn’t work then you may have to place a decoration over the top to hide the damaged area.
9 When I am making models, what should I use to stick the bits of sugarpaste together?
I always use cooled boiled water.
I have compiled a list of the most common questions that I am most frequently asked.
If you have a problem or query that is not covered then please feel free to e-mail me and I will try to help if I can.