Simple Tools for Cake Design

Professions come in all shapes and sizes, and one of the most creative is that of a cake designer.  When visiting the local bakery with its magnificent cake designs, I thought some talented soul at the bakery was responsible.  But a friend of mine told me I was wrong -- there are specialists who do nothing but design cakes.  My friend, who has taken some classes in baking, told me that cake design has been one of the most sought after courses in food design. Well, I am not sure that I have the skill to become a professional cake designer, but I have found some tools to help me with a cake design that matches the special occasion that I am baking for.  For example, I have found cake molds shaped like Christmas trees for the holidays, wildflower designs for my teenager daughter's birthday, and other shapes make for a quick and simple design that's easy to decorate with frosting and get me enough "oohs and ahhs" from my family to boost my ego a bit.

The Cake Design Secret is in the Baking Mold

Different cake molds are now available in a variety of shapes so that the cake itself does not need to be square or round.  One of the best online sources for cake molds is Pan.com (links open in a new window).  At Pan.com, you will find some of the following kinds of molds for your cake design:

• Christmas trees
• Holiday bells
• Cake mold sheets
• Wildflower cake pans
• Snowflake cake pans
• And more!

When I have shopped Pan.com for a cake mold, I use "cake mold" and "cake pan" in their search box.  For some reason, these two different terms bring up different results.  The special cake pans that they have are reasonably priced.  Since I live in a small town, I rely on sites such as Pan.com to buy things I cannot otherwise find. The holiday selection is a favorite amongst my family.

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Different Icings Add a Personal Touch to Your Cake Design

Although it is possible to have a number of flavors in the icing used in the cake design, the most popular option continues to be a plain vanilla or chocolate flavored icing.  These frostings come in different colors.  You can add food coloring to your sugar icing, too. For youngsters' birthday cakes, I like to use two or three different colors and a lot of candy sprinkles.  With today's health consciousness and people concerned about their weight, there are some sugar free and fat free icings, but to tell you the truth, sugar free frosting has not gone over well in my family.  One  trend these days is to bake cakes in different shapes and to forget the icing.  If the cake is moist and flavorful, it seems to work -- but not with my kids.

A good cake designer can convert even the plainest of cakes into a brilliant and tantalizing creation. Cake design is more creative than it is expensive.  Use edible wafers, a whole lot of frosting, and a good and dependable icing cone to do the trick.

"Simple Tools for Cake Design" contributed by Bettie Larson