Wedding cakes come in all shapes, sizes and prices. So, how are you going to decide on one cake when there are literally thousands of designs, frostings, and fillings to choose from? Before you get overwhelmed, realize that there are some practical elements to consider that will help you narrow down your choices. 

      The first and most important thing to decide when choosing a cake is how much of your budget you are going to allot for this edible, sometimes extravagant decoration. The average wedding cake costs about 500 dollars and is generally priced by the slice.

The final cost of the cake is determined by time and labor, design, number of tiers, icing and filling choice, decorations and method of delivery. If you are on a specific budget, then you will want to be careful not to choose an elaborate cake from a bridal magazine that will take a significant amount of time for the bakery to reconstruct. A good idea is to show the bakery the cake and to ask them what they could do to make a similar design.  

      Another practical factor when choosing a cake is the choice of frosting, which can affect price, delivery and design. Butter cream and royal icings are less expensive, but could melt or get crushed in transit. Fondant however, is more durable, but also more expensive. At the same time, fondant is used on most designer cakes and can be molded to just about any idea the bride or baker can dream up. Fondant is also an important choice when you are planning to have the cake displayed outside during a summer wedding, as butter-cream tends to melt. 

      Considering how many guests will be attending the wedding should also help you to determine how many tiers and types of layers you will be having. If you are planning on accommodating 200-300 guests you may want to have a three tiered cake but order two sheet cakes so that you will have enough to go around.  Many couples will decide to have different cake and filling flavors on each tier, which will allow for variety and taste preferences. Another traditional thing is for couples to have the smallest tier to keep for themselves.  Many newlyweds like to freeze the top tier and eat it on their first anniversary to remember their special day.  

      Finally, be sure to arrange a cake tasting with your baker, as they will be able to help you decide on flavors based on your preferences. Not only is this fun, it’s a tasty way to spend an afternoon. 

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Cake decorating has always been around, and as time goes by, new ideas are added to the list. Here are a few ideas for cake decorating that are so easy to achieve.

- Flowers: Real flowers have become quite popular in cake decorating circles. You should choose smaller flowers that are edible, and make sure they have been cleaned. It is best to use flowers from your own garden, or a garden that you know the owner does not use poisons. Rinse them in a lukewarm water bath and blot them dry with a paper towel. Make sure you pick the flowers right before you are ready to use them on the cake so they are fresh. If you would like to add a dewy look to your cake flowers, brushing on a bit of luster dust will make them look as if they are wet.

- Fruit: Orange slices, grapes, mandarin oranges, etc… You can make these fruits look frosted by beating an egg white, and brushing it on each piece of fruit, then dipping it in clear or colored sanding sugar. This has become very popular.

- Decorations Made of Fondant: You are able to use fondant icing to make beautiful cake decorations. You can choose to make flat decorations, or make them 3-D. You will find that you can copy designs from just about anywhere, and model the decorations as if you were making them out of modeling clay.

- Ready to Use Frosting: Frosting in a tube, is the new rage in cake decorating. A variety of tips can be bought to make different decorations. These tubes of icing come in quite a few colors, and can be kept on the pantry shelf between each use. You simply remove the icing tip and recap the tube.

- Color in a Can: You do not need to add color to your icing when frosting a cake. There are wonderful food colors in a can, that can be sprayed on any light colored frosting for a dynamic effect. You can tint the lake and sky blue, the trees and grass green, or spray the entire top of the cake to change the color.

All of the above ideas are very easy to use. Anyone can achieve a great looking decorated cake by using one or all of these ideas. If you are like most of us, your life can be quite hectic at best. If there is any way to make life a bit easier, and still afford beautiful cake decorations, it is worth the time to learn about it. You may never use all of the tips you will find on the internet for cake decorating.

If even one of the easy decorating ideas above works to help you save time, it will be priceless. I know it has been a terrific time saver for me, and I no longer need to worry about when I will find enough time to decorate that cake for my son’s birthday, or my parent’s anniversary. Here is hoping all of your cakes rise well, and your cake decorating always looks beautiful.

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Everyone seems to enjoy cakes that are baked at home, it is a wonderful surprise on special occasions. When you are the one bringing the cake, you probably will want the cake decoration to stand out, and look a bit more professional than those you make for your family at home. I have put together a few ideas you may want to try.

Cake Decorating Themes

- Fun and activity: These cakes are full of color and whimsical design. The use of different shapes, Balloons, circles, stars, clouds, and other interesting designs will help to make your cake decorating the talk of the party. With the use of animal crackers, you could make a zoo or farm cake. Your imagination can take you anywhere.

- Say it With Flowers: The use of floral patterns in soft shades, are perfect for cake decorating. The addition of a few green leaves make this type of cake decoration an excellent choice for any special occasion. Flowers are great on wedding cakes, birthday cakes, mothers day cakes, and for other happy celebrations.

- A Little Romance: Romantic cake decorating is perfect for sweethearts day, valentines day, a birthday for a husband or wife, or a wedding anniversary. You can make any color frosting, including the favorite of the person or people you are baking the cake for. You can add hearts, cupids, or anything that will remind the guests what the celebration is about. Use your imagination and make it a little jazzy without going overboard. Just a bit of glitter or candies that sparkle should do the trick.

- “What’s Up Doc”: Younger children (and some that are over 90) love cartoon characters as much as they love cake. This is why it is a great idea to combine both when decorating a cake for the birthday of someone who loves these whimsical critters. You can either draw them in icing and color them in, or use molds and fondant to make the characters. After they are made, they can be colored before they are placed on the cake. So invite Bugs Bunny, Tweety, Taz, Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Garfield, Donald Duck, or any of the many cartoon characters that have stolen our hearts and funny bones, and are doing the same to our children, to the party.

There are some supplies that are essential when you are thinking about cake decorating, these are:

- A professional icing smoother or thin metal spatula. This tool will help you to cover your decorated cake with an even layer of icing, and to make the frosting very smooth so that it can be decorated. This will make the cake look as if a pro did it.

- The use of decoration Molds is a very easy way to make figures and objects to use in cake decorating. You will probably want to start with the basic shapes like circles, squares, or triangles, until you are sure of how to perfect the process. You can move from that to flowers, numbers, and characters. Some molds also have text so you can add a message.

- Icing bags are an absolute essential if you want to do any type of cake decorating. Once you get the hang of it, you will be able to use it as you would an ink pen, except it is held with both hands. One hand is used to apply steady pressure on the upper part of the bag, while the other guides the tip to make the decorations.

- The use of frosting flowers that are already made for you is a less time consuming way to add beauty to your cake decorating.

- Edible glitter and colorful sprinkles are a great way to spruce up your cake decorating design. These small additions could be just the thing to give your cake that finishing touch.

- Edible color sprays are quite easy to use, especially when you are using a template. It can be the difference between a cake decoration that is blah, to one that has everyone complimenting you on your artistic ability.

- You can also print out edible photographs of the graduate, that fish that almost got away, or a wedding photo of the bride and groom, the way they looked when they were married to place on their 50th anniversary cake. The paper these edible images are printed on is also edible, so you can place the whole thing on the cake.

A cake stand will make your creation stand out, especially a glass stand.

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