Tag Archives: art

Decorating Cakes Using Icing Bags

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Decorating bags are simply pastry bags that are filled with icing. However you should not use bags that have been filled with batter as grease can cause your icing to become lumpy and affect the pressure of the flow of icing out through the bag. There are three types of bags: Featherweight, Disposable, and Parchment.

These bags can be used with or without a coupler. To use without a coupler, cut about 3/4 in. off tip of Disposable Bag (Featherweight Bag is ready to use). Simply drop the decorating tip you want into the bag with the narrow end of the tip down.

A new Featherweight bag will have to be trimmed with scissors to accommodate the coupler base. First, twist the ring off the coupler base. Drop the coupler base, narrow end first, into the bag and push as far down as you can.

With a pen or pencil, mark the spot on the outside where the bottom thread is outlined against the bag material. Push the coupler back up into the bag, and cut across where you have made the mark. Push the coupler base back down through the bag opening. One thread should be showing.

Choose the decorating tip you want to use and slip it onto the coupler base. Now twist the coupler ring over the tip, locking it in place. Changing decorating tips is easy: Twist off the ring, replace with new tip, then screw the ring back on.

Disposable Bags are made of clear plastic. You simply throw them away when you are done. Parchment Bags are made from envelopes created by parchment paper triangles. Generally, you’ll use parchment bags to make decorative highlights with small amounts of icing, then discard each bag when it’s empty.

The coupler is a two-part device that screws on to the icing bag. This allows you to change the decorating tip without changing the bag.

The two parts of the coupler are the base and the ring. The base fits inside the bag, and then you put the decorating tip of your choice over the portion of the coupler that sticks out of the bag. When you screw the ring on, you’ve locked the decorating tip onto the coupler and bag.

When using disposable bags note that notice that the threads in the coupler base start about 1/2 in. above the tip. Push the coupler base into the bag as far down as possible. With scissors, trim bag about 1/4 in. below bottom edge of coupler. Position decorating tip over coupler base and bag. Screw ring in place to secure. To change decorating tips, unscrew ring, replace decorating tip and screw on ring.

The most important thing to remember is not to overfill the bag, or icing may squeeze out the wrong end. The right amount of icing to start with is about 1/2 cup.

Fold down the top to form a generous cuff, and hold the bag beneath the cuff. Use your spatula to fill the bag with approximately three tablespoons of icing at a time.

To remove icing from the spatula, hold the bag on the outside between the thumb and fingers. Then pull the spatula out of the bag, using the bag and your fingers to squeeze the icing off.

To close the bag, twist the icing bag tightly closed, forcing the icing down into the bag. You can make sure you’ve released any air trapped in the bag by squeezing some of the icing out of tip into the bowl. This is called “burping” the bag.

You are now ready to make whatever designs you need to for your cake.

How to Decorate A Cake With Gum Paste

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Gum Paste is a pliable mixture that can be used to shape flowers, favors, and all kinds of fancy shapes. These confections are very hard so they are not often eaten.

Once again Wilton is the company that makes the ideal gum paste mix. This is very simple to use. You simply prepare the mix, tint it with food coloring and then simply put it in a cake bag and use it to create use create that resemble seashells, daisies, roses, lilies, holly, ivy and hundreds of more cake decorations.

To prepare the Wilton gum paste mix, combine 1 lb. of mix and 1/4 cup of water in a large bowl. Stir until well mixed. Dust your work surface with confectioners’ sugar; turn out mixture on surface and knead like bread dough until mix is well worked in.

Place in a tightly sealed plastic bag and let rest for 15 minutes at room temperature. Turn out on a surface lightly dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Knead for about 5 minutes, gradually working in 1/3 cup of confectioners’ sugar. Mixture should be smooth and non-sticky.

Use at once, or store at room temperature in a tightly sealed bag in a covered container.
1. Prepare a smooth work surface — formica, plastic or glass. To be sure the gum paste does not stick while you are rolling it, grease the work surface lightly with white vegetable shortening.
2. Break off the amount of gum paste you need (see directions for the decoration you are making). Keep the remainder under a glass or plastic container.
3. Knead the piece of gum paste with your fingers, knead in color. Form into a ball about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
4. Roll out the gum paste ball to about 1/2″ thickness. Pick up the piece, turn it over and give it a quarter turn on the work surface. Repeat this procedure 2 or 3 times until the gum paste is about 1/16″ thick.

Will keep up to 6 weeks. Refrigerate if storing longer than 1 week. Makes enough for 50 roses or 100 daisies.

To tint this type of gum paste you simply add a dab of food or icing coloring with a toothpick. : With your fingers, knead the color into the gum paste until it is evenly spread. Repeat until you reach the desired color.

Wilton also sells a world famous kit for making gum paste cake decorations. These consist of little molds and cutters that can help you cut out petals and other forms so you can make flowers fast. Otherwise you roll out the paste by hand and cut the shapes yourself. In fact you can mold gum paste the same way you mold modeling clay. It is different that decorating with cake icing because it is simply not put in a pastry bag or squeezed through a specially designed tip or coupler as icing is. It is a totally different cake decorating material altogether.