Decorating a cake worthy of an Instagram update doesn’t need to be a stressful undertaking. No professional skill is required, and you don’t need to rush to the store in search of special equipment or cake-decorating paraphernalia. If you have a piping bag for your classic vanilla buttercream icing, great, if not, you can use a plastic baggie and a simple dinner spoon to create a cake that looks just as impressive as it tastes.
You may want to practice on an alternate surface before making designs directly onto your cooled cake. To make cute crescent shapes with your icing, pipe an even, round blob using either a piping bag or a cut plastic baggie. Once this shape is made, you will press the center of this small dollop of icing down to flatten half of the icing into a moon-like indentation. Create coherency in your design by placing these shapes next to each other in a row along the edge of your cake, or sprinkle the scalloped designs haphazardly across and around your classic red velvet cake.
Unleash your inner pastry chef
If you choose to go wild and cover an entire cake with rows and columns of scalloped shapes, it can be helpful to have a wet cloth on hand to wipe the spoon clean should icing stick to the utensil. Alternatively, a shallow dish of water can be used to keep icing on the cake and not rise with the spoon as you drag the base of the silverware through the icing.
Experiment by making varying sizes of icing blobs and use different sizes of spoons for unique visual effects. Tap decorative sugar pieces into or around the scalloped shapes for added aesthetic appeal. You can top your frosted cakes with colorful sprinkles or drizzles of caramel or chocolate syrup, or leave the scalloped pieces as is for an elegant finish. With a bit of practice and patience, your cakes will be as pretty as a pastry chef’s creation, and you can proudly present an impressive-looking treat for dinner party guests to marvel at.
