Cupcake Ideas for Weddings
The do-it-your-selfer can save tons of money and have great success using these 
cupcake ideas for weddings:
- You can make a beautiful cupcake tower with no cake decorating experience.
- Save on time and money.
- Mistakes don’t effect a whole cake. If you’re unhappy with a particular cupcake, don’t use it. Make extra cupcakes for this purpose.
- If you are bringing cupcakes in to a catering hall, you save on the cake-cutting fee.
- You can offer a variety of cake flavors to your guests.
- You can make a small cupcake tower for each table and save the thousands of dollars spent on floral centerpieces.
- You can offer your guests a second helping, if you like!
The cupcake tower consists of one of more different designs on the cupcakes, displayed on stacked cake boards. Even the simplest designs are enhanced by adding votives, fresh or silk flowers, or tulle alongside the cupcakes on each tier.
In advance, you will need to decide on the design of your cupcake stand and the decorations you will put on the cupcakes.
Assembling the Cupcake Stands:
Even though you can vary the size of your cake boards, the higher the tier, the smaller the cake board. To serve 150 - 200 people, you will need 2 cupcake stands. For each one, create a 4-tier stand with cake boards, starting with 16″, then 12″, 9″ and finally 6″. The boards can be square or you can cut out a shape, if you like, by purchasing large pieces of foamcore. Your local craft store will have most of the things you need. Cover each board with non-stick foil, which comes in different colors. The edge of each cake board can be trimmed with ribbon to match the color scheme. Use either craft glue or hat pins to secure it.
In between the boards, there are a number of things you can do to enhance the display. You can purchase clear vases (wide enough and sturdy enough to support the tiers above) and fill the vases with flower petals, glass marbles, seashells,etc. Very inexpensively, you can also use flower pots in between the cake boards. Just spray paint them and tie a pretty ribbon around them. Check the sturdiness of your cupcake stand before the big day to prevent mishaps.
You can offer 2 flavors of cake to your guests by placing each flavor on its own stand. Let your guests know with a hand-written sign you place on the table in front of each one. You don’t have to fit all the cupcakes on the stands. Placing them on the cake table around the cupcake stands enhances the display.
Decorating the Cupcake Stands:
Decorations should be placed towards the center of each cake board so guests can easily retrieve a cupcake without disturbing the arrangement. Extend the decorations out on to the cake table and intermingle them with the cupcakes.
Cupcake Ideas:
If you know how to decorate cakes, you can make royal icing flowers. They will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. These decorations can also be purchased. Or try adding molded chocolate decoration in hearts, seashells, or flowers. Craft stores carry chocolate in all different colors.
You can easily make the cupcakes more elaborate by adding silver non-pariels, pearl beads, ribbon, small plastic wedding bells, or other wedding decorations sold for making favors.
Cupcake Decorating Ideas:
Consider incorporating your wedding colors and theme into the cupcake decorations and the cake stand.Add a special touch to the cupcakes by icing them with a pastry bag fitted with a cake decorating tip. Once the icing hardens, the decorations won’t stick. If you work with someone else, have your helper add the decorations after each cupcake is iced. If you are working alone, you will need to keep icing handy to add fresh icing on top of the cupcake before adding the decorations.
Transporting the Cupcakes:
Any sturdy boxes will work fine for transporting the cupcakes. Separate them with balls of tissue paper to prevent them from falling over and bumping into one another.
Use your imagination to create unique cupcake ideas that will be the hit of the wedding!
Theresa Happe is a baker, cake decorator, and author of http://www.cake-decorating-corner.com
a website featuring cake photos with detailed instructions for all occasions, and cake and icing recipes.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Theresa_Happe
http://EzineArticles.com/?Cupcake-Ideas-for-Weddings&id=729376
Easy Cake Decorating Ideas For Beginners
Beautiful cakes are not just for big bucks on extra-special occasions. You can learn easy <a href=”http://technorati.com/tag/cake-decorating-ideas” rel=”tag” class=”in”><img style=”border:0;vertical-align:middle;margin-left:.4em” src=”http://static.technorati.com/static/img/pub/icon-utag-16×13.png?tag=cake-decorating-ideas” alt=” ” />cake decorating ideas</a>that you can do yourself to make even an ordinary boxed cake mix look extraordinary. With a few simple tools and techniques and the easy cake decorating ideas in this article, you’ll be able to make a beautiful cake yourself at home.
Icing The Cake
Most of the time, you’ll want to start with smooth icing all over the cake. To get a smooth surface, make sure the cake is completely cooled and your frosting is not too thick. Thinner icing will spread more easily and end up with a smoother finish.
<!–adsense#336×280–>
First, put a very thin layer of frosting all over the cake. This is called the crumb coat, and it will keep crumbs from getting mixed in with the frosting that you’ll see on the finished cake. At this point, you can refrigerate the cake to set the crumb coat and make it easier to apply the top coat.
Next, use an icing spatula to put on the second coat of icing. Start with a large amount of icing in the middle of the top of the cake and spread it toward the edges. When the top of the cake is completely covered, cover the sides of the cake. To smooth the sides, hold the spatula straight up and down and hold the edge against the cake as you spin the plate.
For the best look, try to get the frosting as smooth as possible all over cake. For the top of the cake, hold the spatula perfectly horizontal. For the sides, hold it perfectly upright. Try dipping the spatula in hot water and drying it before gliding across the frosting for even smoother results.
Getting smooth, even icing on your cakes is probably the hardest part of cake decorating. Practice these techniques until you can get perfectly smooth frosting, and you might find that you don’t even need any other cake decorating ideas for an elegant, beautiful cake.
Simple Cake Decorating Ideas
For a simply elegant cake with a really easy technique, dust your frosted cake with powdered sugar. Try using a stencil for a themed or geometric design on the top of the cake. Remember making paper snowflakes as a kid? Make one to fit the top of your cake and use it as a stencil for a one-of-a-kind powdered sugar design.
If you want a more detailed, three-dimensional design, you can buy ready-to-use decorations and cake toppers in just about any theme you can think of. Candy flowers and letters, sprinkles in special shapes, and even small toys can be used to top your cake.
For an especially tasty look, sprinkle the cake with candy, nuts, shredded coconut, or chocolate shavings. Or use fresh fruit, like a simple ring of strawberry slices or an elaborate pattern of a few kinds of fruits. For a different style, decorate only the sides of the cake and leave the top smooth, or surround a simply frosted cake with fresh fruit or flowers.
Another option is to use a decorating comb or decorating triangle to add texture to the frosting. A decorating comb is a simple piece of plastic or metal with a variety of shaped edges. You drag the comb along the frosting to leave a textured pattern in the frosting. This is a great option if you’re having trouble getting your icing as smooth as you want it to be.
Anyone Can Master These Easy Cake Decorating Ideas
These easy cake decorating ideas will help you make all your cakes more beautiful and are easy enough for anyone to learn. Master these techniques, and then consider taking cake decorating classes locally or online to learn more advanced cake decorating ideas and techniques like piping with a pastry bag and using fondant.
Want to learn more advanced cake decorating ideas and techniques? Try inexpensive and convenient cake decorating classes that you can take online.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ginger_Parker
http://EzineArticles.com/?Easy-Cake-Decorating-Ideas-For-Beginners&id=2008528
Royal Icing - Insider Expert Tips To Improve Your Cake Decorating
Royal Icing - Insider Expert Tips To Improve Your Cake Decorating
By Peter Lock
But,long before the above date this type of icing was in use. A cook, wrote in 1789, that she spread it over cakes with the aid of a board or a large feather! And then placed it in front of ‘a great fire’ to dry.
So we can see royal icing has been popular for many years. The simple ingredients, egg white and icing sugar create a dazzling icing, making it the perfect choice for wedding cakes. Dried egg whites can be used instead of fresh. Not only does this save having a surplus of egg yolks, but also the icing is whiter than icing made with fresh whites.
Begin by rinsing out bowls, wooden spoons,and beaters with boiling water. This simple but most important job is done to dissolve any grease which could be lingering on the surface of the tools. Grease and royal icing do not mix well!
Sift the icing sugar. It is a good idea to keep a small sieve especially for this job. Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Discard any whites that contain even a small amount of yolk,as once again the fat in the yolk will prevent the whites from aerating.
If a food mixer is available,use when beating three or more whites. Smaller quantities are best made either with an electric hand whisk,or with a large wooden spoon(again kept especially for that purpose). Begin by beating the whites until they are quite stiff. How long this takes varies according to the tool used,and the number of egg whites.
Now start adding the sifted icing sugar, a tablespoonful at a time, beating well after each addition until the icing stands in peaks. To store, place in an airtight container,and cover with cling film, then place in the refrigerator.This type of icing will keep for weeks, but always remember that it needs re-beating again before use.
The consistency of the icing needs adjusting according to how it is being used. For instance,to ‘flat ice’a wedding cake the icing should be the consistency of beaten double cream. If too stiff, add a few drops of water,too soft,then add icing sugar.
To prevent royal icing setting too hard one teaspoon of glycerine can be added to every pound of icing sugar used. When smooth icing a cake,use icing that is two or three days old. Freshly made icing may cause air bubbles to appear on the surface of the cake. Usually three thin layers of icing are needed,allowing each layer to dry before adding the next.
Icing used for piping decorations should be well beaten,and recently made otherwise it will not hold its shape. Do not use icing which has glycerine in it. Royal icing for Run-Outs (Colour flow) can be softened with either a few drops of water or egg white.
Use Royal icing instead of Glace Icing (icing sugar and water)for flooding over cakes. Softened down with egg white it is denser and whiter than Glace icing and gives better coverage.
Royal icing is also used when making Rock Sugar, which as the name suggests is a way of making lifelike edible rocks. It is made by adding royal icing into hot sugar syrup, the royal icing literally erupts and hardens into a volcanic-like substance.
So as you can see from the above descriptions, this is a very versatile icing. And most importantly, most people love the taste!
Pat Lock is a cake decorating expert with over 25 years experience who runs the excellent
Cake Decorating Tips website. She has won awards at the prestigious international competition at Hotel Olympia, London and is also an accomplished author.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Lock
http://EzineArticles.com/?Royal-Icing—Insider-Expert-Tips-To-Improve-Your-Cake-Decorating&id=1038755
Cake Decorating Tips - Express Your Creativity
Cake Decorating Tips - Express Your Creativity
By Berlinda Barrymore
Cake decorating is a hobby and a delight for all seasons. It is a fun and rewarding art to bake cakes yourself and decorate them for your family, it can also save you money. It is an artistic skill that anyone can master with a little expert guidance intermingled with a some good cake decorating tips and ideas. It is an art form that will keep exercising your imagination, continue building your skills, and will always make others happy. Decorating cakes is very self nurturing, since you will feel good when you give your cake to another or share it with them.
Decorating a cake in artistic ways is both rewarding for the decorating artist and the recipient of the cake. Creating your next cake does not have to be a stressful experience, just get really creative and do not be frightened to try something new. Some simple cake decorating tips are sometimes best to get you started, decorate cup cakes and cookies with some edible photos or art, using other sorts of images is now easy and cost effective with Kopykake’s edible photo cake products. Special marker kits are also now available for children to participate and help decorate. Your decorating can be as simple as applying a butter cream coating or using a stencil and dusting with some confectioner’s sugar or cocoa powder.
Your cakes can be iced with butter cream, royal fondant, or cooked icing and can be topped with features such as icing flowers, spun sugar, sprinkles or candy. You can create your cakes to look like a hot dog, drinks or even a pizza. If fact whatever your imagination can cook up. The perfect cake for you to demonstrate your artistic flair is firm, moist and not crumbly.
The real secret to producing really professionally iced cakes is two fold. 1. Eliminating crumbs. 2. Creating a very smooth and even finish. Icing your cake to a ultra smooth finish is one of the most crucial parts of cake decorating. The secrets that the experts use is to create a “Crumb Coat,” I have explained this system in more detail on my Cake Decorating Tips Blog.
Using fondant will add a nice little zest to your cakes, it can be rolled out and then draped carefully over a cake, it can be poured on for a glaze, or crafted into shapes. It is available in two kinds, white, and of course Chocolate. Utilizing special fondant produces a seamless covering for your cake. The pure white fondant that is used for wedding cakes will give that look as though it has been sculpted from one single piece. Fondant is by far the most versatile type of cake icing, it does cost a little bit more than the other alternatives, but the creative design possibilities that it opens up for your cake decorating far out weigh the extra cost.
So learn the basics and pick up as many cake decorating tips as you can. There are plenty of ideas and tips widely available on the internet. You never know, you made decide to keep your cake decorating as an enjoyable pastime or develop it into a profitable business.
Berlinda Barrymore makes cake decorating easy to understand and can help you create beautiful cake decorations, quickly and easily. Learn the basics and then graduate to expert by reading and following her Cake Decorating Tips Blog.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Berlinda_Barrymore
http://EzineArticles.com/?Cake-Decorating-Tips—Express-Your-Creativity&id=721324
