Birthday Cakes For Kids
Making birthday cakes for kids just got easier! From cake pans to cake kits - all the cake ideas, decorating tips, and resources you need are found right here!
It doesn't matter whose birthday is coming, all five of my kids get excited when they know it's someone in the family's birthday time. With five kids in our family, we ONLY get to have seven birthday parties a year! When I make birthday cakes for kids, I always keep in mind that the way the cake looks is ALMOST as important as what's in the presents to the birthday kid. The birthday cake is the centerpiece of any birthday party, my kids favorite of all cakes for a birthday party is a Dora the explorer cake which has broad appeal no matter what age the kids are (or adults for that matter!). My kids love getting involved in the party planning and cake making and decorating. That's part of the fun of birthdays to them! We all enjoy getting ready for party time! I will be adding more and more tips, resources, and ideas here!
Birthday Cakes For Kids
Frosting Tips
Frosting Consistency Your frosting's consistency will have an impact on your decorations and you will find that even a few drops of liquid may affect your results. The temperature of the room you're working in, humidity, equipment and ingredients can all affect the consistency of your frosting. It's a good idea to try different frosting consistencies when you decorate, to establish which you can work with most easily. As a rule of thumb - if you feel as if your frosting is too thin, then add a little extra confectioner's sugar. If your frosting feels too thick, then add a little extra liquid. If you are following a royal icing recipe and have thickened it with more than 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, then a good tip is to add 1 to 2 extra teaspoons of Meringue Powder. Stiff icing is used most suitable for stringwork, figure piping and for decorations such as flowers with petals that stand upright. Remember that the petals of the flowers will droop if the icing isn't stiff enough - but that the icing may crack if it is too stiff. Try adding light corn syrup to the icing that you'll be using for stringwork - it provides elasticity. Medium icing is ideal for decorations like shell borders, stars and flowers that have flat petals. For uniformity,it's important to ensure that the icing is neither too thin or too thick. Thin Icing is best for decorations like leaves and for writing and printing. Adding 1 to 2 teaspoons light corn syrup to each cup of icing makes working with thin icing much easier. You can also use thin icing to ice your cakes particularly smoothly. Just start with your prepared icing, then add water or milk until you achieve a good consistency for spreading.
How To Fill
A Decorating Bag
Filling The BagIf you overfill your bag, your icing may come out at the wrong end - the ideal amount to begin with is around 1/2 cup. To make a cuff, fold down the top of the bag. Holding the bag under the cuff, fill your bag with icing, using a spatula and adding around 3 tbsp at a time. Clean the spatula by holding the outside of the bag between your thumb and finger, then pulling out the spatula, squeezing the icing off with your fingers. To Close the Bag Just unfold the cuff, then close the bag by twisting it, which will push the icing downwards into the bag. Be sure to expel any air trapped in the bag by 'burping' it - this simply means squeezing a little of the icing out of the tip. To Hold The Bag Hold the twist in the bag between your thumb and index finger - you need to be able to apply pressure to the bag with your whole hand. Use one or two fingers of your other hand to steady the bag as you decorate, which will also help support it and prevent fatigue.
Pressure Control
of the Cake
Decorating Bag
Not only do you need to have the correct icing consistency and the right bag position... you also need to learn three kinds of pressure control: light, medium and heavy.The amount and steadiness of pressure you apply to the bag has a direct affect on your icing designs, influencing the uniformity and the size. Your aim should be to consistently apply pressure so that you can freely move the bag yet have just the right amount of icing flowing through the tip. This level of control comes with LOTS of practice!
Do You Have A Birthday Cake Idea You Want To Share?
We would love to see pictures of the cake(s) you have made. Please send in your cake pictures or pictures of yourself with your tips, ideas, comments, or anything else you'd like to say to the world about birthday cakes!
Cakes from Other Visitors
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