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CREATIVE CAKE POP

DECORATING

Module 02

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2. Module 02: Decorating cakes

Table of Contents

2. Module 02: Decorating cakes ............................................................................................................ 1

2.1 Decorating Accessories & Extras ................................................................................................................ 2

2.1.1 Other Decorating Ingredients You Can Use ...................................................................................... 3

2.2 Techniques ................................................................................................................................................. 4

2.3 Choosing a theme ...................................................................................................................................... 5

2.3.1 Choosing Your Colours ...................................................................................................................... 6

2.4 Safety tips ................................................................................................................................................... 7

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2.1 Decorating Accessories & Extras

So far we’ve covered some of the basic tools and ingredients you will need going forward. When it comes to

decorating and presenting your cake pops, there is so much you can do! We will cover decorating later in

the course, but I encourage you to be creative and feel free to use substitutes when it comes to decorating.

This course offers suggestions, but if we use dark chocolate and you prefer milk chocolate - that’s totally

fine!

Here’s a list of extras we will use on this course

Sprinkles (a variety of colors and sizes)

Dyes to color candy melts

Cello bags and ribbon for packaging

Piping bags and tips for decorating

Tiny paintbrushes for decorating

Mini chocolate chips for decorating animal pops

Fondant

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If you come up with a concept for your cake pops, for example, apples for back to school, then you’ll have

to think about how to add those extra elements to get the look you want. There’s no hard and fast rule here

– you can use many different techniques, ingredients, and tools to achieve your desired look. Some pastry

chefs use fondant to sculpt things like animal ears, eyes, leaves, wings, etc. to bring the cake pops to life. But

fondant is a relatively advanced technique, and there are much easier ways to get the same effect.

It helps to take a stroll through the baking aisle in your local grocery store, or to see what’s available online

– you may even find that you won’t have to hand-make anything, because it’s all premade, packaged, and

ready to use!

2.1.1 Other Decorating Ingredients You Can Use

Sanding Sugar: Regular sugar is tiny and solid, but sanding sugars have large grains and are clear and sparkly.

They also don't melt when subjected to heat! They come in many colours, and you can dust, sprinkle, or coat

your cake pops with sanding sugar to create a glittery effect.

Dust: You can use edible luster dust to create a gorgeous pearly shine on your pops. Using a small brush, the

dust can be applied to the entire pop, or just to make certain details come to life. Luster dusts are available

in many colours and finishes, but the metallics and pastels are our favorites.

Gum Paste: A pliable dough that you can buy ready-made or make from scratch, gum paste (or sugar paste

as it's sometimes called) is used for sculpting and modeling accessories and ornaments. it's mostly used on

cakes and cupcakes, but you can also use it to hand sculpt flowers, bows, animal parts, and other decorations

for your cake pops. Gum paste dries hard, and is not known for being delicious (though it is edible), so use

this sparingly if you're executing an ornate design.

Fondant: Fondant is also a pliable dough used for decorating, but unlike gum paste it doesn't dry hard and

brittle. It's smooth in texture, and can be rolled out to cover your pops entirely, or into small shapes. Fondant

isn't commonly used in cake pop recipes because it isn't very tasty, and you can achieve a smooth surface

using candy melts. But, it is an option for specific types of designs, or to create cut-outs or other decorations

from.

Dragees: You've probably seen those tiny silver balls on top of cakes, cookies or sunadaes - those are dragees.

They have a hard candy exterior, and the interior can be made of confection or a nut. Dragees are sometimes

called Pearls, and they come in a variety of colours, with either a metallic or pearly shine. They're a nice

addition to any cake pop!

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2.2 Techniques

Creaming- Most cake recipes begin by creaming together the butter and sugar. This step might sound simple

but there can be a big difference between under-creamed and over-creamed. In order to avoid that gummy,

rubbery texture that is sometimes found in a poorly mixed cake, you should make sure to get this step just

right. When properly creamed, the mixture will be pale and fluffy - you can check the texture with your

spatula as you go. It usually takes about 3-5 minutes to get the right consistency but this also depends on

the temperature of the butter when you start. If you are starting with cold butter it might take a little longer.

Folding- Cakes will often call for folding the dry ingredients into the wets as the final step. This is because

folding ingredients is gentler than stirring and you want to handle the dough as little as possible once the

dry ingredients are added to make sure you have a tender crumb. If you are using a handheld mixer, I would

advise switching to a rubber spatula at the final stage and folding by hand.

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How to tell when your cake is finished - There are a few telltale signs that will let you know that your cake is

finished. First, when you move it there should no longer be any jiggling and the cake will have started to pull

away from the sides of the pan. The best way to be totally sure is to use a toothpick or cake tester and insert

it into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean then your cake is done!

2.3 Choosing a theme

Before you begin a project, you should have a specific end product in mind. Do some brainstorming and

come up with a plan. Why are you making cake pops? Is it for a birthday party? You’ll probably want to do

something that is bright and colorful. For a wedding or anniversary party you might want to keep it simple

and elegant by using a lot of white and maybe some silver or gold sprinkles. The thing to keep in mind, is

that you will have to execute your vision, so don’t give yourself an impossible task. Generally, it’s best to

stick with a design that uses the traditional round cake pop shape, and doesn’t require too much sculpting

or additional elements.

Here’s a list of occasions where cake pops would make excellent desserts or party favors:

Birthday party

Anniversary

Baby shower

House warming party

Office baking competition

Engagement party

Afternoon tea with friends

Wedding reception

Kids’ sleepover party

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2.3.1 Choosing Your Colours

If you’re baking for a specific event, find out what colour scheme is being used agead of time, so you can

make your pops to match. The key thing to keep in mind, is that you most likely will have to experiment with

food colouring and dyes until you get your desired shade of icing, batter, melt, or even paint.

Some classic colour schemes for specific events include:

Weddings

White is always a popular choice, but you can add a bit of elegant flair with gold or silver drizzles, piped

flourishes, or even a coat of sugar dust to make your pop shine. Using dragees or sugar pearls will also give

your pops some texture, and they can mimic the buttons of a bride’s dress, or the décor of centerpieces.

Birthdays

Bright colours like baby blue, yellow, pink, and green are a great choice. You can coat your pop in one colour,

and then use a contrasting colour for drizzles. Or, use a neutral colour as your base, and add brightly coloured

sprinkles or candy confetti for a fun and vibrant look. If the birthday boy or girl has a favorite super hero,

movie, or animal, you can create pops in their image.

Showers

For wedding or baby showers, pastels are most popular. Soft pinks, yellows, white, and baby blue are a

popular colour palette, and simple designs work best for these functions.

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2.4 Safety tips

While carrying out these projects, please use the utmost care in order to prevent any unnecessary harm.

Accidents happen all the time in the kitchen but usually they can be avoided. Here are some basic safety tips

to keep in mind throughout the entire cake pop production process:

1. Make sure you have some really sturdy oven mitts to protect your hands when you are removing

cakes from the oven.

2. Keep your kitchen space clean and the floor clear of debris, so you don’t trip over anything while

you are working.

3. Make sure you always turn off any electric devices, such as mixers before scraping down the

bowl.

4. If you’re baking in a communal kitchen, make sure to label any trays that are hot – especially if

there are children in the house.

5. Keep a first-aid kit on hand in case you do sustain a burn or cut. For burns, run the affected area

under cool water for at least 5 minutes, and then apply a soothing antibiotic cream. For cuts,

apply pressure using a paper towel or clean kitchen towel to stop bleeding, rinse under cool

water to clean away any food or dirt, and then cover with a Band-Aid. If you cut yourself during

the baking process, use a glove to finish, to ensure that no blood gets into your pops – that is a

major health hazard.