Oh Hey Friday!

I want to thank Karli and Amy for hosting Oh Hey Friday!

 

I've got a lot on my plate today...literally. I'll be decorating a baby shower cake for a dear friend at church. I haven't done much cake decorating as of late so I'm a little anxious to begin again. I began decorating a little over 3 years ago to bring in a little extra money while I was finishing up grad school. I really enjoyed it and hey, if you can get paid for doing something you like, I say "do it!" Here are just a few examples of my handiwork.

Hand drawn and piped VT Hokie Birthday Cake

Bandana Themed Wedding Cake

Owl First Birthday Cake

Rubber Ducky Baby Shower Cupcakes (with handmade fondant ducks)

Fall Wedding Cake

 

I put cake decorating on the back burner when I was about 5 months pregnant. My carpal tunnel had become very painful and lets face it, pregnancy, a full time job, prepping for a new baby, etc. takes up a lot of time and energy. I had to step away from cake.

I recently took on an order for 250 wedding cake pops. They were an adventure but well worth the effort.

I thought I'd center this Oh Hey Friday! around 5 of my favorite cake decorating tools. Who knows...maybe you'll feel inspired!

OH 1:
Wilton Cake and Cookie Lifter

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This tool is extremely handy! It is my go to tool for lifting and transferring cake tiers. That can be a tricky undertaking and having this tool has really made this part of the process a lot easier.


OH 2:
Cake Spatula

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This spatula is one of my closest cake decorating friends. It allows me to ice my cakes, regardless of height, with ease. It's perfect for a basic crumb coating and does just as well to layer on a smooth layer of icing.


OH 3:
Kitchen Aid Mixer

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Of course you don't have to have a mixer such as this, but let me just tell you, if you do a lot of baking, this machine will pay for itself in no time. We got an excellent deal on my machine a few years ago. We banked on coupons and a great Mother's Day deal. I've made double batches of both my cake batter and icing with no problem.


OH 4:
Piping Bags

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People will tell you that using plastic zip lock bags will do just fine...and for some little projects, they will. However, if you don't want icing squirting out the sides mid decorating, you'd fair well to simply invest in some piping bags. I have both the reusable and "throw away".

OH 5:
Wilton Fondant

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While my icing and cakes are homemade, my fondant is not. I'm not a fan of eating fondant icing but a lot of people really like the look it gives to the cake and it works really well for making various types of decorations. With that being said, it has been my experience that making my own fondant is both time consuming and not cost effective. Make your life easy and purchase some premade fondant. It comes in a variety of colors and gel food colorings make tinting the fondant a breeze.

If you are opting to purchase any of these items, many of your big name craft stores offer coupons that help cut the cost down a good bit. Just about all of my cake decorating supplies are bought with coupons, have been bought on sale, or were given to me as gifts.

I hope you'll find some time to enjoy something sweet today!

*I was not compensated in any way to share any of the above mentioned products.