Decorating may be used on many kinds of food and is not confined to cakes alone. Once the decorating technique is acquired, it may be used equally well on cupcakes, petits fours, French pastries, Jello, pies and salads. The same procedure is followed throughout; the only things that change are the ingredients of the decorating formula and this occurs only when working on salads or hors d'oeuvres. Instead of using an icing, we use a cream cheese. When worked to the proper consistency, the results are the same.

CUPCAKES

Here are a few ideas for cupcake decorations. A No. 16 tube was used for most of these designs. Any one of our decorating icings may be used for the designs.

This is another way of decorating a cupcake. The top portion of the cake is sliced off and cut in half down the center. The bottom section is iced heavily with buttercream. The two half sections are then placed in an upright position to simulate a basket. The cupcake may be decorated with nuts and cherries.

FRENCH PASTRIES

The designs are worked out in pastel colors and in some cases were decorated with a small amount of jelly piped through a No. 3 tube. Some may be rolled or sprinkled with toasted cocoanut or ground almonds. These French pastries were decorated with a No. 16 star tube using French buttercream (see icing recipes). The circular, oblong and triangular pieces of cake were first sliced in half and iced in a layer of buttercream.
 
If you are going to cover only a few pieces, you may do so by spooning the fondant icing over the object. Illustrated here are a few samples of the many attractive ideas that may be carried out when decorating petits fours.

Petits fours may be decorated in a buttercream or boiled icing. The small rosettes are made with a No. 16 tube and red jelly may be piped in the center.

ICING PETITS FOURS

Petits fours are small pieces of cake cut into different designs. These may be iced with a heated fondant or you may use the recipe below.

Petits Fours are placed on a screen and the icing is poured over them as illustrated. The icing that drains off may be saved and re-heated for further pouring.

PETITS FOURS ICING

Recipe:
41/2 oz. water
6 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
A few drops vanilla flavoring
Heat to a luke-warm temperature.

CREAM PUFFS

With your knowledge acquired in pressure control while handling a cake decorating tube, it is possible to work with any pliable substance and obtain any variety of shape that you desire.

To pipe the swan, a large oblong mound is first piped out. Fill a large cone with puff paste and cut the tip to a 1/4 inch opening. The swan neck is piped into a slight question-mark shape. The upper third of the mound is cut in half and after filling the cream puff with whipped cream or ice cream, the two sections are inserted into the mound forming the wings. The neck is then placed into position as illustrated.

Bake in a hot oven 450 degrees. Remove when cream puff becomes a delicate brown. After baking, the cream puff is sliced off approximately 1/3 from the top.

This 1/2 section is then cut in half and the cream puff is filled with whipped cream or ice cream and the two halves are placed in an angle after the handle is put into position as illustrated.

This is an example of piping fruits or any number of designs using this cream puff paste. Remember, in piping a large object do not rest the cone or tube on the pan but lift it off about 1/2 inch as you build up pressure. The fruits may be filled with whipped cream, custard or ice cream. Make a large cone, fill the cone with the desired filling and make a small hole at one end of the fruit. Insert the tip of your cone and apply pressure, thus filling the cream puff. These may be placed on a rack and poured with a fondant icing, the same type we use for pouring petits fours.

The fondant icing may be colored to a pastel yellow shade. After drying, a cloth may be dipped into your coloring and rubbed over the outer edges to obtain the various color effects, a dark for the banana and a light pink for the apples and a green for the pears. By rubbing the cloth lightly over the object, you may blend in the color for a realistic effect.

This is an example of piping fruits or any number of designs using this cream puff paste. Remember, in piping a large object do not rest the cone or tube on the pan but lift it off about 1/2 inch as you build up pressure. The fruits may be filled with whipped cream, custard or ice cream. Make a large cone, fill the cone with the desired filling and make a small hole at one end of the fruit. Insert the tip of your cone and apply pressure, thus filling the cream puff. These may be placed on a rack and poured with a fondant icing, the same type we use for pouring petits fours. The fondant icing may be colored to a pastel yellow shade. After drying, a cloth may be dipped into your coloring and rubbed over the outer edges to obtain the various color effects, a dark for the banana and a light pink for the apples and a green for the pears. By rubbing the cloth lightly over the object, you may blend in the color for a realistic effect.

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