What Does THAT Do?! - "No Taste" Red Icing Color

"No Taste" Red?! Really?! Do most icing colors have a taste? To me, they don't. To lots of people, including my friend, Jeff, they do. He came up to me at his daughter's birthday party, "Beki, why does red icing always taste so awful?" I told him that it doesn't have to.

Enter... "No Taste" Red Icing Color.

Ever since I learned that some people do taste red, I use this coloring for any icing that I am going to serve to people who I don't know well enough to know if they taste red. It will take a little more coloring to make a deep red, but as you can see in the fondant and in the icing bag in the photo below, it will get you a deep color.  (And by takes a little more, I mean sometimes you'll use the whole jar on one batch of icing.)

Another note on getting a "good" red coloring. Start with any color other than white! I usually dye my icing or fondant a little yellow or orange before I add the red coloring. If I start with white, it tends to look pink, then pinker, then pinker, then pinker... etc., etc.

Your color will deepen as it sits. So, I also try to make my red (or black) the day before. I get it almost as dark as I want it to be, then I let it sit overnight before I decide if I need to add more. Dark icing colors do take a lot of coloring. Stock up before you start a big, dark cake.

Do you have an idea for "What Does THAT Do?!" Send me a photo or a description, and I'll try to find out for you.


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Sweet Little Cherry Sugar Cookies

What's better than a yummy sugar cookie... with a cherry on top?
No cherry-shaped cookie cutter? No problem. Try a bone-shaped cutter instead.

What You Need:
One batch Vanilla Sugar Cookies
Royal Icing in red, green & white
Bone-shaped cookie cutter (or heart-shaped cutter)
Decorating tips 3, 5, 352
3 Decorating bags
2 Small zip-top baggies

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cake {Recipe}

Here is a super easy, but incredibly elegant cake you can do with no decorating supplies except for a spatula!

What you need:

For the cake:
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 can cherry pie filling
1 egg

To decorate:
2-3 cups buttercream icing 
6 oz. semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
6-10 Marachino cherries (removed from the jar and dried on a paper towel)

The Proof is in the Photos - Bake Even Strips

A few weeks ago, I posted about using Wilton's Bake Even Strips, and how they work so well that I never even bother to bake without them... not even to take a comparison shot.
Well, I decided I should do it, even if I didn't want to. So, I took advantage of the fact that I was baking a cake for cake pops, so it didn't matter if it domed, and I baked one with the strip and one without.

Here's the photo comparison:

 I baked two cakes in 9" round pans. SAME cake mix. I even measured 2 1/4 cups into each pan so that they would be completely even. I wrapped the cake on the right with the strip, didn't wrap the one on the left.

Out of the oven, you can see how the one on the right baked more evenly and flat than the one on the left.

And check this out! Look at the difference in the color and "crust" on the sides of the cakes!! That cake on the right is going to be a lot easier to make into cake pops, because it won't have the annoying crusty sides. And it will also be easier to ice and decorate without extra crumbs.
Neither of these cakes ended up with a big dome, but the one baked with the strip is still a little flatter than the other.

*Note: I'm not paid by anyone here. I'm just sharing what works for me. (Though I do teach Wilton Cake Decorating Classes.)

Chocolate Lover's Cake {Recipe}

This is the chocolate-chocolate-chocolate combination that my favorite chocolate lover loves.

What You Will Need:
Two 6” round chocolate cakes
Chocolate Ganache for frosting and filling
Three or four fresh strawberries, washed and dried

Rich Chocolate Cake {Recipe}

This chocolate cake recipe takes a few extra steps and a little more time than using a box mix. But the results are definitely worth it. It is a decadent, rich cake that will have everyone begging you for the recipe.

What You Need:
6 oz. chopped unsweetened chocolate

¾ cup whole milk

1 ½ cups brown sugar

½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature

3 eggs at room temperature

1 ½ tsp. vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

3 ½ Tbsp. cocoa powder

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¾ cup buttermilk + ¼ cup water at room temperature

Chocolate Ganache Icing {Recipe}

Chocolate ganache icing is the most rich, decadent icing. For the chocolate lover in your life, this is the only way to cover a cake. It is, however, also a kind of tricky icing to make, and even harder to get on the cake nice and smooth. You can do it, though. It just takes a little practice.

What You Need:
8 oz. semisweet chocolate (preferably not chocolate chips)
8 oz. heavy whipping cream

Cake Decorating 101 - Easy Birthday Cake

Making and decorating a homemade birthday cake can be really simple if you have the right recipes, a few tools, and some easy-to-follow instructions. Making your own birthday cakes will save you money, make you proud to serve your birthday guests; and it’s fun. You can do it!

What you need:

8 or 9-inch round cake pan(s)

Cake mix

Decorator Icing

Icing Colors

Cookie Cutter(s)

Piping Bag(s)

Tip #3

Tip #18

What Does THAT Do?! - Bake-Even Strips

You know how your cake comes out of the oven with that annoying dome in the middle? You know how to ice your cake and make it look all smooth and stuff you have to level off that dome? You know how it sucks to lose that much height on your cake, and you're left with a squatty-looking cake? Problem solved!

Let me introduce you to Bake Even Strips. They're from Wilton, and I have used them for years. These save you a lot of time and a lot of cake!

Here's how they work: You soak the strips in ice water for 15 minutes (or so) to get them cold and wet. You then wrap them around the outside of the cake pan and use the pin to keep them tight.
(Note: I got these a dozen years ago, that's why they look so... loved. The newer ones don't have this little extra flap of fabric, so you just pin it right through the other end.)

Occasionally, you may need to add an extra few minutes to bake your cake, but they keep it nice and level. Why? Because they keep the outside of the pan cool. See, your cake domes in the middle because the outside cooks faster than the inside.

I always remove the strips from the pan as soon as I take the cake out of the oven-- to allow the sides to cool better.
Don't mind that this cake is kind of lumpy. It's a chocolate-covered cherry cake, so it's supposed to look like that.

And this is what the cake looks like when baked with the Bake Even Strip.


Click the link for the photos comparing cake baked with and without the Bake Even Strips.

Do you have an idea for "What Does THAT Do?!" Send me a photo or a description, and I'll try to find out for you.

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How to Ice a Cake

It's one of the most basic parts of cake decorating. Getting the icing on the cake... and keeping the crumbs off. It could be one of the hardest thing to get at first, but it all comes down to three things:
- Cake preparation
- Icing consistency
- Technique

What You Need
Cake, baked and cooled completely.
Thin consistency icing 
Spreading spatula, preferably offset
Optional:
-Turntable

Decorators' Buttercream Icing {Recipe}

Before I even begin this post... yes, this icing is shortening-based. Yes, I know that. And there are a lot of good reasons for it. Try it. 

There are a million other icing recipes out there. But this is the one that I use for DECORATING. Just like you use different soap for your hands and for your face, there are different icings out there that serve different purposes.

This is my go-to icing for decorating for a few reasons:
- It doesn't have to be refrigerated.
- It doesn't get too soft in your hands when you work with it for a while.
- It's white, not ivory.
- It holds its color well.
- It "crusts" so that you can get a great faux fondant finish.

Without further ado...
What You Need
1 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. Meringue Powder
1 tsp. clear vanilla extract
1 tsp. clear butter flavoring (I prefer Wilton brand)
1/8 tsp. almond extract
1/4 cup whole milk or half-and-half

Yield: 2-3 cups icing (I usually double it.)

How To Make Cake Pops

They're adorable and SO good... cake pops. It takes a little practice, and a few mistakes along the way, but this how-to will help you make the most awesome cake pops every time!

What You Need
Cake, any size, any flavor - baked & cooled
Icing (I prefer my cream cheese icing for cake pops)
Candy coating (Wilton's candy melts or almond bark)
Lollipop sticks
Vegetable oil or shortening
Tall mug or bowl, microwave-safe
Stryofoam
Optional:
1 tsp.-sized dough scoop

Grass, Bees & Ladybugs Cupcakes

These cupcakes are the most popular design for the cake decorating parties and workshops I do. The techniques are all simple, and even young kids can make these look cute and fun. The hardest part is coloring all of that icing! (You could always use the tubes of colored icing, though, if you want.)

What You Need
Cupcakes, baked & cooled
Filling & Tip #230
Green icing - Tip #233
Yellow icing - Tip #12
Black icing - Tip #3 (or 2) & 5
White icing - Tips #3 & 81
Red icing - Tips #5 & 12

A Monkey Walks Into a Bar...

It's not a joke... it's a really yummy cake.

I made this cake because I needed to try out the filling for a German Chocolate Cake for a friend. I messed it up a little, so it's a good thing I tried it out! But this turned out to be really good. Rather rich, but really good.

You'll want to start with my The BEST Banana Cake Recipe.

You'll also need two fillings: Caramel, Coconut & Pecan Filling; and Pineapple, Cream Cheese Filling (recipes below)

What Does THAT Do?! - Cake Release

Does your cake stick to the pan? Here's the answer... You may have seen the little bottle of "Cake Release" on the shelves with the other cake decorating supplies, and wondered "What Does That Do?!" Well, it keeps cakes from sticking. It really, really keeps cakes from sticking to the pan.

All you do, is squirt some in the bottom of your pan...

Then use a pastry brush to cover the bottom and sides of the pan.

If you use the cake release... then place the cake pan on a cooling rack/grid straight from the oven (never on the counter top)... wait 10 minutes... then flip the cake out of the pan... your cakes will almost never stick.

Do you have an idea for "What Does THAT Do?!" Email me a photo or description.

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The Icing Bag "Bullet"

Revolutionize your icing bag clean-up with icing bag "bullets." I only recently started using these... after more than a decade of decorating, and I am In Love!

What You Need
Icing (any kind)
Piping bag (disposable or reusable)
Plastic wrap
Scissors
Coupler

Beach Ball Cupcakes

These cupcakes were made for a good friend's daughters' birthday party. I liked them, and wanted to make them again.

What you need
Standard-sized cupcakes
1 recipe Marshmallow Fondant
Blue, Yellow & Red coloring
- (or one box primary-colored fondant and one box white fondant)
Biscuit cutter or round cookie or fondant cutter, a little larger diameter as your cupcake
Rolling pin
Waxed paper or a rolling mat
Shortening for spreading on rolling surface

Easy Beach Ball Cake

This cake is very easy to decorate. You can make this cake without any decorating tools other than a cake pan!

What you need:
One round cake baked and cooled  (this is a 6" round)
White Icing (I used cream cheese icing.)
Parchment paper
Cake pan
Sprinkles in red, yellow, blue & clear (or white)

Beach Ball Cake Pops

I'm making these beach ball cake pops for a pool-side birthday party for a four-year-old.

What you need
Any cake, baked and cooled
1-2 cups of icing (any kind)
White candy melts or almond bark
lollipop sticks
Tall mug or other heatproof glass
colored sugar in red, yellow & blue*
Styrofoam block or disk

* I do not recommend the 4-pack of colored sugars, even though all three colors are in there because you can't pour the sugar out (or back in). I recommend buying individual bottles of each color.

Beach Ball Cookies

What says summer like a beach ball? I made these cookies as a thank you for my boys' summer camp counselors.

What you need:
One recipe Vanilla Sugar Cookies
Large round biscuit or cookie cutter
One recipe Royal Icing
"No-Taste" Red Icing Color, Lemon Yellow Icing Color, Royal Blue Icing Color
Disposable decorating bag fitted with Tip #5
4 zipper-top sandwich bags (check that they don't have the fold at the bottom)
Toothpicks

Vanilla Sugar Cookies {Recipe}

There are as many sugar cookie recipes out there as there are bakers. But this is the one that I prefer to bake with. I find that the cookies turn out flaky and rich, and they keep their shape as they bake-- the second-most important thing (to taste) when you're doing cut-outs.

What you need
3 to 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
3/4 cup sugar
1 large or extra large egg (at room temperature)
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. white vinegar*
Optional: 1-2 Tbsp. water (if the dough seems too crumbly)

*Vinegar?! In a cookie?! Yes. I find that it makes the cookies a little flakier, and you don't taste it. Plus, adding a little vinegar when you're going to be coating them with sweet, sweetness, balances the flavor, in my opinion.
Please remember that if you skip the vinegar, you need to add in an extra teaspoon or so of water. It will be too dry if you do not.