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8 Ways to Decorate Cakes without Fancy Tools
Sep 6, 2024
I’m going to show you how to decorate professional-looking cakes without fancy tools, using things you already have at home like spoons and baking paper. *Start your FREE 7 day trial on my cake school https://britishgirlbakes.teachable.com/p/all-you-can-cake/ *LEARN The Basics of Cake and The Basics of Buttercream in my most popular online courses! https://britishgirlbakes.teachable.com/ *My 4 Minute Buttercream recipe https://www.britishgirlbakes.com/recipes/buttercream-frosting/ *READ a written version of this tutorial (with photos!) https://www.britishgirlbakes.com/how-to-decorate-a-cake-without-tools/ *SUBSCRIBE to my channel for a new cake decorating tutorial every week! *SAY HI! Website: https://www.britishgirlbakes.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britishgirlbakes
View Video Transcript
0:00
You don't need lots of fancy tools to be able to decorate cakes
0:03
I'm going to show you eight ways to use things you already have at home to create stunning cake designs
0:13
After icing or frosting your cake, there are so many ways to decorate it without needing to buy lots of expensive tools and materials
0:21
You can make homemade versions of most tools, like cake stencils, which I'll make and use for this next cake
0:27
Hi, I'm Emily of British Girl Bakes. I can't wait to show you these techniques, so let's dive straight in
0:33
To make your own stencil for a cake, first measure the circumference of the cake
0:38
and the easiest way to do this is to wrap a piece of string or ribbon around the cake
0:43
Now you'll need baking paper, or parchment paper, or wax paper. Use the string to measure a piece just long enough to wrap around the cake
0:50
and cut it so that it's about the same height as the cake too. I'm going to make a zigzag pattern for a border around the bottom of the cake
0:58
and to space the zigzags evenly, I'm folding the strip of paper in half and then in half again and again and again
1:04
until it's the size that I want my zigzags to be. Cut diagonally up from one of the bottom corners
1:10
unfold the paper, and voila, a zigzag stencil. Put around your cake, lifting it up as high as you want the border to go
1:17
and press it against the cake. You need to put the cake in the fridge for at least an hour before doing this
1:23
so the tick gets cold and firm, and that way you won't damage the buttercream icing or frost
1:28
when you press the stencil against it. Spread another colour of butter cream below the stencil
1:33
to cover up the exposed part of the cake. Moving the cake from the fridge to room temperature
1:38
will cause some tiny, practically invisible beads of condensation to form on the outside of the cake
1:43
and those will help the stencil stick. When you've worked your way around the whole cake
1:48
use the edge of your spatula or pallet knife to smooth the butter cream you've just spread on
1:53
spinning your turntable to take off the excess butter cream until there's a thin, smooth layer left behind
1:59
Now pinch one of the top corners of the stencil and peel it off to reveal your zigzag pattern
2:04
And there it is. A pretty border to add some color and detail to your cake
2:09
Now let use chocolate to make a sparkly cake topper Melt chocolate chips or a chopped up chocolate bar in the microwave at 70 power for 30 seconds at a time
2:20
Stir until it's smooth and then spoon the chocolate into a sandwich bag
2:24
You can use white chocolate or dark chocolate or whatever kind you like. Cut a tiny piece off one of the bottom corners of the bag
2:31
and then draw a design or write a message onto a piece of baking paper
2:35
or parchment paper or wax paper. make the lines as thick as you can while still being legible
2:40
so that they're strong and less likely to snap than if they're thin
2:45
Push a toothpick into the bottom of each section and cover it up with some more chocolate
2:49
The lines don't need to be neat or smooth because next, cover them up by pouring sprinkles or coloured sugar over the top
2:56
pressing down gently to attach them to the melted chocolate. It's a good idea to do this on a cakeboard, or a small tray or cutting board
3:04
so that you can lift it up and put it into the free. so that the chocolate sets quickly and it will be the strongest when it's cold
3:11
So then when you pick up the toothpicks to lift up the chocolate, it won't break
3:16
Then push the chocolate into the cake and this is what the toothpicks are for, to secure the chocolate so that it stands up straight
3:22
This is such an easy way to make fun, colourful cake toppers. With just a simple spoon, you can create lots of interesting textures
3:30
which I'll show you on this next cake. If you struggle to get your buttercream smooth
3:35
texturing it is a great option. Use a cake comb or icing scraper
3:39
to get the sides of the cake straight and the top level, but don't worry about indents
3:44
or any imperfections on the surface of the butter cream. As soon as you've finished
3:49
press the back of a spoon gently into the side of a cake as you spin the cake on the turntable
3:54
letting the spoon imprint a groove in the butter cream. Drag the spoon slowly up the sides of the cake
4:00
as you finish each lap around the cake so that the texture continues all the way up
4:04
If buttercream builds up on the spoon, you can always swipe away, clean the spoon and then start again
4:10
This works best straight after frosting the cake while the buttercream is still very soft
4:15
And you'll get the neatest results if you dip your spoon into a cup of hot water and then dry it before pressing it against the cake
4:22
The hot metal will glide easily across the buttercream and leave a smooth surface behind You can leave the top edge unfinished like this or push sideways with a spatula to flatten and smooth it
4:34
This is a fun technique to do because it's not precise, and the result is pretty and rustic
4:39
Now let's rewind and try a different texture also using a spoon
4:44
This is a similar technique, but in a different direction. Press the back of the spoon into the cake and drag upwards
4:51
pushing gently against the buttercream to leave. a trail going up the sides of the cake. Keep pulling all the way up above the top of the cake
4:58
to leave a peak at the top of each one. Start each one right beside the previous one, overlapping
5:04
slightly so that there aren't any gaps in between the texture. This also works best with a spoon that's
5:10
been dipped into hot water and if you skip that step, you might get little air pockets in the buttercream
5:15
where the spoon pulls and tears it. You can leave the peaks at the top of the cake as they are
5:20
or tidy them up with your spatula, like I did with the last texture
5:24
This is another simple design that's a great base for other decorations, like cake-toppers, for example
5:31
Let's rewind again for a third texture using a spoon. This time, use your spoon in every direction
5:37
to make little arc shapes in the buttercream, curving up and down and side to side to completely cover the cake
5:44
with random swushes of texture. I often say less is more, but that's not the case here
5:50
because I think this texture looks best all over the cake rather than having a few scattered swishes around the cake
5:56
At the top of the cake, as you curve your spoon around, you'll push the buttercream up above the top edge
6:02
and you can leave it like that or level it with your spatula to make a straight top edge
6:07
For any of these textures created with a spoon, cake toppers will turn these simple cakes
6:11
into something much more eye-catching. A very quick way to add detail to any cake is with fresh or artificial flowers
6:18
wash them and let them dry and then wrap the stems in cling film or plastic wrap so that they don't come into contact with the cake
6:26
Wrap large flowers on their own or I like to group little bunches of flowers together
6:32
Fresh flowers are beautiful but if you want to decorate the cake a day or two in advance
6:36
artificial flowers won wilt or discolor Push the wrapped stems into the cake and ta For this next cake I use a cupcake pan to mix my buttercream colours It much more convenient than using lots of little
6:49
balls because it's quicker to wash up afterwards compared to using a different bowl for each
6:54
colour. Put a bit of buttercream into each hole, add some colour, stir to mix it in, and you have
7:00
a buttercream colour palette. For this next technique, you'll need the buttercream on your cake to set
7:05
so it's firm. So put your cake in the fridge for about an hour. Then scoop up a color and spread it onto the cake
7:11
And since the icing or frosting has said, the colors won't blend into it. They'll sit on top
7:16
and the color will chill quite quickly after you've spread it on. So as you continue to add colors all over the cake
7:23
scraping off the excess to leave a thin layer of each color on the cake
7:27
these colors won't blend together much so you'll end up with a bold oil-painted effect
7:31
rather than a blended watercolor effect. If you want the colors to make
7:35
mix even less, add one color at a time and scrape off all of the excess before you add the next
7:40
color. And by then, the previous color will have chilled and set and you'll have even less blending
7:45
of the colors. Now let's add a stencil design to the top of the cake. Draw a shape like this
7:51
heart onto baking paper or wax paper or parchment paper and cut it out. Position it on your cake after
7:58
the cake has been in the fridge for at least an hour and spread buttercream onto the
8:02
stencil to cover up the shape you've cut out. You can use one color or several colors
8:08
Scrape and smooth it with a spatula or cake comb to leave just a thin layer and then peel
8:13
off the stencil. It's important to take the stencil off as soon as you finish spreading the
8:17
colours onto it because while that frosting is still soft and sticky you'll get the neatest edge
8:22
to your design. Use a toothpick to touch up any smudges which happen if the stencil moves at all
8:27
while you're spreading the colors on. This is such a quick and cheap and easy way to
8:32
add an interesting detail to your cake. And there they are. Eight different ways to decorate cakes
8:37
without using fancy tools. If you try any of these, please tag British Girl Bakes so I can see what
8:43
you come up with. And if you're looking for more tutorials, visit my online cake school on
8:47
British Girlbakes.com
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