CAKE DECORATION

Above and beyond the ways to showcase the cake as highlighted in the article entitled The Look, there are several ways to decorate a Wedding cake.

Firstly, you can decorate the cake itself, and secondly you can add some finishing touches. Lets look at each one in turn. 

Decorating the Cake

Typically, a covering and an outer decoration are added to a cake to enhance its taste and appearance.

Until recently, marzipan and royal icing (think Christmas Cakes) accounted for about 95% or all coverings and outer decorations on Wedding cakes. Nowadays, that number has dropped significantly largely due to rise in popularity of the chocolate cake.

A cake needs a covering to provide a barrier between the cake and any outer decoration. The covering helps retain moisture in the cake and is also the basis for the ultra smooth surface which gives a cake a look of perfection and crisp, clean lines. Marzipan is the most popular covering, but for those chocolate lovers among you, the marzipan can be replaced with chocolate paste. 

The covering is then layered with icing. There are two main types of icing used on traditional Wedding cakes, and they are as follows:

• Sugarpaste Icing: This can be coloured and moulded for almost any cake design imaginable - it is the type often used on shop bought birthday cakes and results in a smooth outer surface. This is sometimes referred to as Regal Icing.