Week 7

Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Week 7
Assembling and Decorating Cakes

AT THE END OF THIS UNIT, YOU ARE

EXPECTED TO:

1. Decorate sponges and cakes suited to the

product and occasion and in accordance with standard
recipes and Enterprise practices;

2. Use suitable icings and decorations according

to standard recipes and/or enterprise standards and
customer preferences.
WK7
Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Icings
Icings, or frostings, are sweet coatings for cakes and
other baked goods.
• The three main functions of icings or frostings:
1. Contribute flavor and richness.
2. Improve appearance.
3. Improve keeping qualities by forming protective
coatings.
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Icings
The eight basic types of icings and cake coatings:
1. Fondant
2. Buttercream
3. Foam-type icings
4. Fudge-type icings
5. Flat-type icings
6. Royal or decorator’s icing
7. Glazes
8. Rolled coatings
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Fondant
Fondant is a sugar syrup that is crystallized to a
smooth, creamy white mass.
• Commonly used for napoleons, éclairs, petit fours.
• It is often purchased already prepared for bakeshops.
Week 7
Assembling and Decorating Cakes
Fondant
Procedure and guidelines for using fondant:
• Heat the fondant over a warm water bath to thin it and
make it pourable. Do not heat it over 100°F (38°C) or it
will lose its shine.
• If it is still too thick, thin it with simple syrup or water.
• Flavorings and/or colorings may be added as desired.
• To make chocolate fondant, stir melted bitter
chocolate into the warm fondant until the desired
color and flavor are reached.
Week 7

Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Buttercream
Buttercream icings are light, smooth mixtures of fat
and sugar.
• Easily flavored and colored for many purposes.
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Buttercream
Five basic kinds of buttercream formulas:
1. Simple buttercreams: Cream together fat and
confectioners sugar.
Decorator’s buttercream (rose paste) is creamed less
to keep it from having too much air. Shortening is
used rather than butter because of its higher melting
point.
2. Meringue-type buttercreams: Mixture of butter and
meringue
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Buttercream
Five basic kinds of buttercream formulas (continued):
3. French buttercream: Made by beating a boiling syrup
into beaten egg yolks and whipping to a light foam.
Soft butter is then whipped in.
4. Pastry cream-type buttercream: Made by mixing
equal parts pastry cream and softened butter.
5. Fondant-type buttercream: Made by creaming
together equal parts fondant and butter.
Assembling and Decorating Cakes
Icings
Butter is the preferred fat for buttercream.
• Butter adds flavor and melt-in-the-mouth quality.
• Shortening congeals and coats the inside of the mouth.
• Use buttercreams only in cool weather.
• Blend a small quantity of emulsifier shortening with
the butter to stabilize it.
• Buttercreams may be stored in the cooler for several
days.
• Always return to room temperature before using.
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Foam-Type Icings
Foam-type icings, sometimes called boiled icings, are
meringues made with a boiling syrup.
• These icings are not stable.
• Should be used the day it is prepared.
• Variations include:
• Plain Boiled Icing.
• Marshmallow Icing.
• Chocolate Foam Icing and Filling.
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Fudge-Type Icings
Fudge-Type Icings
• Are rich and heavy.
• Contain less fat that buttercreams and contain mostly
sugar.
• Are stable and hold up well on cakes in storage.
• Store fudge-type icings covered tightly.
Assembling and Decorating Cakes
Flat Icings
• Also called water icings.
• Mixture of confectioners’ sugar and water.
• Warmed to 100°F (38°C) for application.
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Royal Icings
Royal Icing
• Also call decorating or decorator’s icing.
• Made with egg whites and confectioners’ sugar.
• Hard and brittle when dry.
• Must be protected from drying when in use.
• May be piped into designs on parchment and then
dried and saved for later use.
• May be used for string work.
• May be used for flooding outlined areas of a design
with colored icing.
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes
Glazes
Glazes are thin glossy, transparent coatings that give a
shine to baked products and help prevent drying.
• The simplest glaze is a sugar syrup or diluted corn
syrup brushed onto baked product white it is hot.
• Fruit glazes may be make by melting apricot or other
preserves that have been strained.
• Fruit glazes are available commercially prepared.
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes
Rolled Icings
Rolled coatings include fondant, marzipan, and
modeling chocolate.
• Marzipan is a paste made of ground almonds and
sugar.

• Rolled fondant is essentially a form of fondant that is

firm and stiff enough to be kneaded.
• Modeling chocolate is a stiff paste made of melted
chocolate and corn syrup.
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes
Assembling and Icing Simple Cakes
Selection of Icing:
• Use heavy frostings with heavy cakes and light
frostings with light cakes.
• Use the best quality flavorings but use them sparingly.
• Use color sparingly. Pastel shades are more appetizing
than loud colors.
• Use paste or liquid colors.
• To avoid over coloring, mix a little color with a small
portion of the icing, then use this icing to color the rest.
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes
Assembling and Icing Simple Cakes
Sheet Cakes
• Good for volume service.
• Require little labor.
• Keep well as long as they are uncut.
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes
Assembling and Icing Simple Cakes
Cupcakes may be iced by:
• Dipping the tops of the cupcakes in the icing.
• Spreading the icing with a spatula.
• Applying a swirl of icing to each case with a pastry bag
fitted with a star tube.
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes
Assembling and Icing Simple Cakes
Procedure for Assembling Layer Cakes
• Cool cake layers completely.
• Trim layers if necessary.
• Brush all crumbs from cakes.
• Place the bottom layer upside down on a cardboard
cake circle of the same diameter.
• Spread filling on the bottom layer out to the edges.
• Place the top layer on the bottom layer right-side up.
• Ice the cake.
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes
Basic Decorating Techniques
Tools needed for assembling and decorating cakes:
• Palette knife or steel spatula
• Offset palette knife
• Serrated knife
• Icing screens or grates
• Turntable
• Icing comb
• Plastic or steel scraper
• Brushes
• Sugar dredger
• Cake rings
• Cake cards and doilies
• Parchment paper
• Pastry bag and tips
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes
Basic Decorating Techniques
Tips
• Round tip- writing, lines, beads, dots,
and stringwork.

• Star tips-rosettes, shells, stars, borders,

drop flowers.

• Rose tip-flower petals.

 Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Basic Decorating Techniques

Tips
• Leaf tips- leaves.

• Ribbon or basket weave tips-smooth or

ridged stripes or ribbons.
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Basic Decorating Techniques

Making a paper cone:
• Make a single cone out of a small triangle of parchment
paper. Hold the cone with the fingertip in the center of the
long side and curl one side.
• Curl the other side around to complete the cone.
• Fold over the peak at the open end of the cone to secure
it.
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Basic Decorating Techniques

Making a sturdier double paper cone:
• Start as for a single cone.
• Twist the long end around twice to complete the cone.
• Complete single and double cones.
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes
Basic Decorating Techniques
Two methods for making decorations
• Drop-string method, or falling method: the cone is held
above the surface and the icing is allowed to fall or drop
from the tip of the cone onto the surface.
• Contact method: Hold the cone as you would a pen, with
the tip in contact with the surface and at an angle of about
30-45 degrees. This method is used when you want to vary
the thickness of the lines and when you are decorating a
vertical surface.
Basic Decorating Techniques

Filling and using a pastry bag:

• Fit the desired metal tip into the pastry bag.

• Twist the bag just above the tip and force it into the
tip.
• Turn down the top of the bag into a “collar.”
• Fill the bag half to three quarters full.
• Turn up the top of the bag again. Gather the loose top
together and hold it shut with the thumb and
forefinger
of your hand.
• Use the fingers of your left hand to lightly guide the
tip of the bag. Do not squeeze the bottom of the bag.
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Basic Decorating Techniques

Factors that are important in using a pastry bag:
• Consistency of the icing.
• Pressure on the cone or bag.
• Angle of the cone or bag.
 Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Other Decorating Techniques

To organize the decoration of a cake:
• Divide the cake into portions with the back of a long knife.
• Decorate the cake in a repetitive pattern so each slice has
the same decorations.
• This also provides portion control for restaurants and retail
shops.
Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Other Decorating Techniques

• Masking the Sides
• Stenciling
• Marbling
• Palette Knife Patterns
• Piping Jelly
• Adding Fruits, Nuts, and Other Items
Assembling and Decorating Cakes

Decorating Sequence
• Mask the sides of the cake with nuts, crumbs, or
other coatings.
• If the cake is to have an inscription, put this on
first.
• Add borders and paper cone designs.
• Add flowers, leaves, and similar decorations with
a pastry bag.
• Add additional items such as fruits, nuts, or
candies.
Sources/ References:

A. Books/eBooks:

1. Yagoda, M. (2021, March 30). 12 recipes every beginner

Baker should know. Food & Wine.
2. McHenry, J. (2022, August 28). Baking tips for beginning
bakers.
3. Baking for beginners: Clabber girl baking tips and tricks.
Clabber Girl. (2023, April 20).
QUIZ FOR WEEK 7

REFER TO SCHOOLOGY/ TEACHER’S

INSTRUCTIONS
Assignment for Week 8

Research about:

Presenting Cakes and

Storing Cakes
REFLECTIVE JOURNAL

Answer the following questions based on your understanding about the recent
discussion. Explain your answer in detail.

1. What were the two or three main idea/concepts I found useful in today’s session,
and why?

2. What beliefs of mine have changed about teaching and learning as a result of this
session?

3. One thing I learned in this session that I may be able to use in the future is…

4. Issues that interested me a lot, and that I would like to study in more detail

5. I am still unsure about

6. What did we not cover that I expected we should?

7. What strategies have I used in the past were reinforced by this session; Have I
been discouraged from any others?

8. Miscellaneous interesting facts I learned in this session…

PRESENTED BY:

MS. DIONNA MARY M. DELOS SANTOS

FACULTY IN CHARGE

NOTED BY:

MS. MARY ROSE ANSON P. IGNACIO

PROGRAM HEAD

APPROVED BY:

DR. VICTORIANA A. PILIIN

DEAN