It is impossible to resist the delicious cakes that turn into real works of art. Confectionery is a great field for the wild imagination of sweet chefs. The most skilled craftsmen will be able to create entire worlds from whipped cream and various creams. But they exist for every taste and request!

Good housewives work wonders in their kitchens! Each sorceress has her own little tricks and secrets for creating a birthday cake. The hard work is rewarded by the delight of the guests and their crazy eyes at the sight of man-made beauty!

When focusing on the taste of the dessert, do not forget about the design. An integral part of creating the next masterpiece is a cake decorating cream that holds its shape well. Let's figure out how to properly decorate the “head of the holiday” and finally put all the cherries on the cake.

Pastry cream is an important part of the cake, which, in addition to decoration, has the function of impregnation. It is he who makes simple cakes a delicious dessert. Impregnation binds all the components together, creating a new melody of taste, a symphony of gastronomic pleasure. Therefore, there are different types of creams for decorating a cake. And this is a weapon, having mastered which, you will conquer more than one heart!

We bring to your attention specially selected recipes. This is a collection of the best subtleties and technologies. Having them in your arsenal, you can always create incomparable and original cake decorations at home. Let's start with the main, basic option.

Oil

His classic recipe is quite simple to implement and accessible to novice housewives. You can even make figures of different shapes. The main rule is that such cream should be very cold. It is also light in consistency, with a shiny, smooth surface. What a sight for sore eyes!

• Butter 82.5% - 400 g;
• Powdered sugar – 400 g;
• Milk – 100 ml.

1. Soften the prepared butter using a regular fork.
2. Beat it with a mixer until an airy white foam forms, adding powdered sugar.
3. Pour in the milk, while increasing the mixer speed.
4. Cool before use. We continue our journey into the magical world of decorating cream cakes.

Protein

This option is the most capricious of all. Therefore, follow the instructions strictly word for word, step by step! But it is the easiest to sculpt; you can use it to create real masterpieces of confectionery art.

• Egg whites – 5 pcs.;
• Powdered sugar – 400 g;
• Lemon juice – 5 ml.

1. Beat the prepared egg whites; they should be at room temperature. Slowly add the powdered sugar without lifting your hands from the whites.
2. Heat the resulting mass in a water bath until the powdered sugar is completely dissolved. At the same time, continue whisking.
3. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and continue beating until smooth peaks form.

Custard

It is a favorite of children and adults. Taste of childhood! Remember those delicious eclairs? Let us share with you some tricks for making the right custard:

1. only fresh milk with sufficient fat content, approximately 3-3.5%;
2. premium flour;
3. if you cook a thick cream, it will be ideal for leveling the surface and errors;
4. the thickness can be adjusted by the amount of flour;
5. Having a neutral taste, it goes well with various additives: cinnamon, vanilla, cognac, coffee.

And now the recipe itself!

• Milk 500 ml;
• Flour 120 g;
• Powdered sugar 230 g;
• Butter 100 g.

1. Dissolve the powder in half the volume of prepared milk.
2. Add flour to the second part of the milk. Mix well to obtain a sticky, thick liquid.
3. To avoid the formation of lumps, use a blender or mixer. The result is a thick, homogeneous mass.
5. In a large container, combine the two milk mixtures. This is where the “kneading” process begins, which cannot be stopped until the cream is completely ready.
7. Place the semi-finished cream on very low heat.
8. Stir until the desired consistency is formed.
10. Add chopped butter and vanilla sugar to it.

Creamy

In order to prepare the perfect buttercream, buy only vegetable or special pastry cream. You can't go wrong! And the result will please you!

• Cream with fat content 33-35% - 400 ml;
• Powdered sugar – 150 g;
• Citric acid – 2 g.

1. Chill the cream in advance. Next, whisk thoroughly until a fluffy foam forms.
2. Add powdered bread and citric acid.
3. Use a mixer. Using high speed, beat until stiff peaks form.

By the way, such buttercream would be an excellent option for decorating a cake or cupcakes from a syringe.

Sour cream

We present to you a simple recipe for magic cream! It will be the best option for soaking a sponge cake, and is also suitable for decoration!

• Butter - 150 g;
• Sour cream - 150 g;
• Powdered sugar - 100 g.

1. Place sour cream (chilled) in a container.
3. Mix some sour cream with powdered sugar. This includes softened butter.
4. Beat all products with a mixer until thick.
5. Add the remaining powdered sugar. Beat the cream for another 5 minutes.
7. You get a soft, airy mass that is ready for use!

Cream Charlotte

It is refined, subtle and delicate. There are also plenty of options for decoration! You can use it to make festive roses that will delight you and your loved ones and create a joyful atmosphere! You can decorate using a pastry bag.

• Egg yolks – 5 pcs.;
• Powdered sugar – 200 g;
• Milk – 150 ml;
• Butter 82.5% - 250 g.

1. Boil milk plus sugar.
2. Mash the egg yolks well.
3. Introduce them into the milk in a thin stream.
4. Using a mixer, beat the resulting mass.
5. Place on low heat. Bring to a light boil.
7. Cool the cream.
8. Beat the melted butter until fluffy.
9. Combine the milk mixture with the butter mixture.
10. Continue working with the mixer.

The result is a luxurious airy cream with shine! That's why it is used quite often when decorating cakes and soaking them!

Chocolate

This option is similar to frosting. Also dense and thick. It will reliably protect the surface of your wonderful dessert!

• Dark chocolate – 200 g;
• Confectionery cream – 120 ml;
• Powdered sugar – 70 g.

1. Heat the cream and powdered bread in a small container. Do not bring to a boil!
2. Place chocolate bars into the resulting liquid.
3. Mix thoroughly.
4. Wait until the chocolate is completely dissolved, stirring the mixture.
5. Cool the cream before using.

A chocolate boom is guaranteed for you!

Cream Cheese

It is made from mascarpone or other curd cheeses. Ideal for decorating cakes! It is better not to use it for a layer; the cakes may remain dry. Or pre-process the cakes.

• Cream 35% fat - 100 ml;
• Cheese – 250 g;
• Powdered sugar – 50 g.

1. Whip the cream until thick peaks appear. The cream should be chilled.
2. Add powdered sugar.
3. Add the cheese without stopping whisking with the mixer.

Now you are fully armed in your kitchen! Any dessert can become a work of art in your skillful hands! There is a recipe database! All you have to do is pick up the necessary equipment, tools, and go ahead - conquer sweet peaks!

Hurry up and share in the comments which recipe you chose for yourself!

What is a holiday without guests, gifts and cake? Boring! What a holiday is all about is having fun, socializing, dancing and pampering yourself with all sorts of goodies! If you know how to bake cakes and make delicious creams, that’s already half the success. Today we will look at options on how to decorate a cake at home.

How to decorate a cake at home?

How to decorate a cake at home using cream

First of all, you need to understand the question of which cream is ideal for decorating confectionery products. There are not many of them:

• oil;
• protein;
• creamy.

The base of the butter cream is butter, with a fat content of at least 82%. You can also use condensed milk or powdered sugar to prepare the cream. As for the proportions, when preparing butter cream with condensed milk, it is necessary to take into account the consistency of the milk. Very often, experienced confectioners use boiled condensed milk; it is denser and ensures the stability of the cream. To give the decor the required shade, it is more advisable to use liquid food coloring.

In butter cream You can also add cocoa powder or chocolate melted in a water bath. This technology is ideal for decorating chocolate biscuits and cupcakes.

Protein cream is one of the capricious. Its preparation will require patience and endurance from you. To decorate cakes, custard protein cream is used, the preparation of which occurs in three stages:

• Pour ¼ cup of clean water into the pan and add 6 tablespoons of sugar. Place on the fire and cook the syrup for 3-5 minutes after boiling (checking the readiness is quite easy - dip a spoon into the syrup and lift it so that the finished syrup flows down - if the thread is thick and continuous, your syrup is ready);
• Place 3 cold egg whites in a clean, dry bowl and beat with a mixer until thick white foam (to obtain stable peaks, you can add 3-4 drops of lemon juice or a pinch of citric acid);
• Continuing to beat, pour the prepared sugar syrup into the whites in a thin stream and beat the resulting mass for another 1-2 minutes. At this stage, you can add the necessary flavors and colorings to the cream.

The finished cream is also applied to the cake using a pastry syringe and nozzles. The capriciousness of the cream lies in the fact that overcooked or undercooked sugar syrup will cause the flowers and patterns of the cream to very quickly lose their shape. And overcooked syrup will add bitterness to the cream. To thicken the protein cream, you can use agar-agar (this is a natural product, safe for children and adults).

To prepare the buttercream you will need heavy confectionery cream (at least 32% fat) and powdered sugar. Cream is also a rather capricious ingredient. Before whipping, you need to cool not only them, but also the container in which you will beat the cream, as well as the mixer whisks. Taking time when whipping the cream also plays an important role; a common mistake made by novice cooks is over-whipping the cream. Cold cream is whipped with powdered sugar until stable peaks are obtained. If you doubt that the cream will not lose its shape within 12-24 hours, you can add a special thickener to it, which is sold in almost any supermarket. Buttercream can also be given any color, but the classic option for decorating cakes with cream is the white color of the cream.

How to decorate a cake at home using mastic

Today, confectionery products decorated with mastic figures are very popular. It is also worth clarifying here that there are two options preparing mastic:

• sugar;
• marshmallow.

The first option is more labor-intensive, but guarantees the stability and strength of your figures and flowers. By the way, almost every one of us has come across such figures and flowers - they are sold as decoration for Easter cakes. Sugar and marshmallow mastic are sold ready-made, but you can make them yourself.

To prepare sugar mastic you will need:

• 80 ml water;
• 7 g instant gelatin;
• 15-20 g soft butter;
• 2 tablespoons of glucose (fructose);
• 1 kg of powdered sugar.

Gelatin must be prepared in advance. To do this, fill it with cold water and set aside for 30-40 minutes, then heat the mass until the gelatin is completely dissolved (but do not boil!). Add butter and glucose to hot gelatin, stir until smooth and cool. If you want to give the mastic any shade, then the dye must be added to the hot gelatin. Powdered sugar is added to the mass only after complete cooling. You need to knead the mastic like dough for dumplings (sprinkle the table with powdered sugar and knead the mixture until the mastic stops absorbing the powder).

To prepare marshmallow mastic You will need chewing marshmallows (marshmallows), powdered sugar, and a little butter. The marshmallows must be heated in the microwave or in a water bath until they increase in size by 1.5-2 times (a piece of butter must be added to the container with the marshmallows before heating). Stir the enlarged candies, add dyes and, adding powdered sugar, knead the mass to a consistency similar to plasticine. This mastic is used to cover cakes and create various figures.

You can decorate the cake with fresh or canned fruits, grated chocolate, and coconut.

When you look at store-bought baked goods, it seems that you cannot replicate this yourself. Beautiful flowers, curls of cream and various interweavings of chocolate figured decorations. But it turns out that the devil is not as scary as he is painted and making a cream that can be used to decorate a cake is not as difficult as it seems, and the flowers themselves and other paraphernalia can be created quite quickly with skillful hands.

Basic materials for decoration

Of course, it’s impossible to decorate a cake without special tools, but you don’t need much to make voluminous flowers or decorate a cake in the form of a basket of fruits or berries. What you need for work:

• Pastry bag;
• Regular scissors;
• Sushi stick or pencil;
• Baking paper or clean sheets of plain paper;
• Long knife or spatula - to level the cream;
• Various nozzles for pastry bags;
• Rotating circle for cake. It can be made from a circle to improve your figure by attaching a stand made of durable plastic to it.

This is not the largest set of tools, but the most necessary for starting decorating cakes with cream.

Recipe for creams for decoration

Everyone wants the decoration on the cake to last as long as possible, ideally until the cake completely disappears in the stomachs of family and friends. All creams are divided into simple ones, which can only be used to coat cakes, and thick ones, which are suitable for figured decorations. Let's consider creams for figured decorations, which are created using a pastry bag:

• Protein custard;
• Oil;
• Charlotte;
• Creamy;
• Mastic.

You can read about mastic, its production and decorating cakes with mastic figurines on our website in the articles:

Let's try to figure out the rest of the creams and find the best recipe for decorating our culinary masterpieces.

Protein custard

This cream holds its shape well in decorations and is also called “Wet Meringue.” The recipe for making this cream is not very complicated, it just requires care in separating the egg mass into yolk and white. What you need to make cream for decorating a cake from egg whites:

• White of 3 chicken eggs;
• 150 gr. Sahara;
• Citric acid – 2 pinches;
• Vanillin (to taste)

If the whites have already been separated from the yolks, then we begin by whipping this product. While we are whipping, put a saucepan of water on the fire and let the water boil, then lower the temperature of the burner and place the whipped whites in a water bath. Add all the sugar and citric acid and continue whisking. When the volume of the cream increases and the mass begins to stretch and stick to the whisks, remove the dishes from the bath and beat for another five minutes. Then we put our mixture in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes.

You can decorate any cake with beautiful flowers and leaves; to do this, you need to divide the cream into several parts (according to the number of different colors). Depending on the volume of a particular color, it depends on how much protein mass should be put into a separate container for coloring. Apply this cream before decorating.

More often, when there is no food coloring, many people use white cream for decoration, simply sprinkling the various swirls with dark chocolate chips or nuts.

Buttercream and its varieties

This is the most common material for beautiful decoration, since the butter hardens well in the refrigerator, so flowers and other delights stay on the cakes for a long time. This coating has a lot of derivatives that add flavor to the cream. Let's start with the basics. The buttercream recipe is quite simple to make and does not require much effort or time to prepare.

Main ingredients:

• Water – 60 ml;
• Butter (quality, not spread) – 150 gr.;
• Egg yolks – 2 pcs.;
• Sugar – 75 gr.

Preparation begins with boiling the syrup. Pour water into a bowl and put it on the fire; when the water boils, remove it from the burner and add sugar. Stir and return to high heat; when the sugar has completely dissolved, cook the mixture until syrup is obtained. Beat the yolks with a mixer until white, then pour the syrup into them in a thin stream, while continuing to beat the mixture with the mixer.

Soften the butter and beat with a mixer until a fluffy mass is obtained. Then add the egg mixture to the oil in small portions, and after each addition, beat again. The white, thick and stable cream for the cake is ready and only after that you can add dyes and other food additives to it to give it a better taste.

A thick buttercream is also obtained by using butter and condensed milk in the proportion of 1 stick of butter - 8-10 tablespoons of condensed milk. Recipe. Beat the softened butter at medium mixer speed until a homogeneous fluffy mass is obtained, then add condensed milk. It is better to immediately measure out the required amount of condensed milk and transfer it to a separate mug or glass. Pour the milk into the butter in a thin stream, without stopping the mixer; after adding the milk, increase the speed to maximum and beat until smooth. The mixture for decoration is ready. Add colors using food coloring, place in a pastry bag and make any curls and flowers. After finishing working on the cake, place it in the refrigerator to allow the butter to harden.

What flavorings are best for buttercream:

• Lemon (add the juice of half a lemon to the prepared butter cream)
• Chocolate (add 50 grams of chocolate melted in a water bath to the prepared mixture)
• Walnut (add 2-3 tablespoons of ground nuts into dust - this can be done using a coffee grinder)
• Berry (prepare cream and at the last moment add a couple of spoons of syrup from any jam or berries ground in a blender)
• With alcohol (at the last moment you need to add a tablespoon of cognac or rum)
• Chocolate made from cocoa (Add 2-3 teaspoons of cocoa, passed through a sieve)

It's worth noting that if you make chocolate buttercream with dark dark chocolate, it will turn out much darker than cocoa buttercream. If the cake requires three colors: brown, white, cream, then you can divide the resulting buttercream into three parts and add melted dark chocolate to one, cocoa to the second, and the third part will remain unchanged.

Then we decorate the cake with flowers or curls, following a certain sequence so that the colors look better. You can put one golden or silver mastic bead in the middle of the cream roses after the roses have hardened.

How to cook Charlotte

The cake decorating cream with the wonderful name Charlotte also holds its shape well and can be painted in any color. It is not difficult to prepare this type of decoration at home and does not require a lot of food, and all of them are available in the nearest supermarkets.

How to cook Charlotte correctly. To decorate a cake with this cream you will need:

• 250 gr. butter, high-quality oil;
• 200 gr. Sahara;
• 1 egg;
• 150 ml. milk;
• 2 gr. vanillin

First, take the butter out of the refrigerator and, in a separate bowl, cut it into small cubes to soften it faster. Break the egg into the milk and beat it a little with a whisk. Then add sugar and place the pan with this mixture on the stove. Bring to a boil, move the burner temperature control valve to the lowest heat and cook, constantly stirring with a spatula or spoon until the consistency of condensed (Soviet, if anyone remembers) milk. Remove from heat, cover with cling film and let cool to room temperature.

While our improvised condensed milk is cooling, beat the butter and vanilla until fluffy.

Then we begin to add the prepared mixture one tablespoon at a time. And after each addition, beat at medium mixer speed. When all the ingredients are collected and whipped, place the bowl with the contents in the refrigerator for 5 minutes. Then we take it out and decorate the cake using a pastry bag or syringe.

Buttercream recipe

This product is most common for cakes that we prepare for children, as it does not contain eggs. Many people are afraid that cooking in a steam bath does not kill the salmonella found in chicken eggs, so they try not to give creamy egg desserts to children. The creamy decoration does not require eggs, just gelatin, heavy cream and powdered sugar. The recipe for the basic cream decoration is as follows:

• Cream with a fat content of 33 - 35% - a glass;
• Gelatin – 1 teaspoon;
• Powdered sugar - 2 tablespoons.

Fill the gelatin with water according to the instructions on the packaging and place it in a water bath. When the gelatin has dissolved, remove from heat and let cool. Beat the cold cream with a mixer until thick, gradually adding powdered sugar. After the sugar, carefully add gelatin and beat too. The whipped cream is ready to use; if you want to add coloring, then this is done at the last moment.

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Adding 1 teaspoon of sifted cocoa will give the cream a chocolate color.

The whipped cream recipe is very simple, but it has one important feature - cold cream whips better and faster than when left at room temperature. For this reason, keep the package of this product in the refrigerator for as long as possible.

The second feature of this cake coating is its perishable qualities. You need to eat culinary masterpieces with creamy peaks or flowers very quickly and you need to make decorations for the cake almost before it is served.

Whatever recipe you choose for your culinary masterpiece, you should start with basic creams; only when you are confident in your taste and ability to make decorations, you should use a recipe with dyes.

for the holiday, despite the fact that you can buy any masterpiece of culinary art in stores. And the point is not at all that a homemade cake tastes better, although sometimes this is true - it’s just that if it is made with your own hands, and even exclusively decorated, it cannot be compared with anything! In addition, you will not find a second one like this, because it will be created in a single copy.

Basically, cakes are decorated with mastic or cream. Moreover, very often they practice preparing a second cream specifically for decorating cakes. As a result, it turns out that one is liquid, for soaking the cakes, and the second is thick, for decoration.

Experts advise those who are going to decorate their cake for the first time not to try to repeat some complex masterpiece they have seen before. Come up with something of your own, create some unusual ornament that will be elegant, neat and beautiful. You should be more careful with dyes - it is better not to overuse bright “acid” colors. The following cream recipes are best suited for decorating cakes.

Oil cream

This cream is the most common for decorating cakes and pastries. It has a lot of derivative recipes.

1. Butter cream with condensed milk. Heat the butter – the consistency should be like thick sour cream, and then whisk into a fluffy white mass. Pour condensed milk in small portions, continuously whisking the butter. After all the condensed milk is mixed with butter, the mass must be beaten for another 15 minutes, without ceasing. The cream is ready.

2. Butter cream with powdered sugar. The manufacturing process is similar to that described above, but instead of condensed milk it is necessary to mix in powdered sugar.

3. Butter cream with rum. Prepare as described above, at the end adding a few drops of rum essence or a few spoons of rum.

4. Pistachio butter cream. Prepare the cream, add two tablespoons of pistachios ground into flour.

5. Butter cream with black currant. Prepare the cream, add a few tablespoons of blackcurrant juice and citric acid to it - to taste.

6. Butter cream with chocolate. Add 50 grams of heated chocolate to the finished cream and mix quickly.

Sour cream

1. Regular sour cream. Mix half a kilo of sour cream with 1.5 cups of sugar. Beat with a mixer until fluffy. Add vanilla.

2. Sour cream and lemon cream. Place the lemon in boiling water until it becomes soft. Cut into pieces, remove the seeds, and grind through a meat grinder. Add the mixture to the prepared sour cream.

3. Chocolate sour cream. Mix three tablespoons of cocoa with sugar, then add to the finished cream and beat until fluffy.

4. Nut-sour cream. Prepare the cream as described above, add two glasses of finely chopped walnuts. Mix.

Protein custard

1. Cold method. Place 8 tablespoons of sugar in a saucepan, pour in half a glass of water, and cook until the mass reaches a spoon. Place four egg whites in another pan. Place the pan in cold water and beat the whites until fluffy. Pour hot sugar syrup into the whites, whisking the mixture continuously. Add a couple of drops of lemon essence or acid or other flavors and colors.

2. Hot method. Mix 5 whites with 1.5 cups of sugar. Continuously whisking with a whisk or mixer, brew the cream in a water bath. Add lemon juice or acid to taste. The cream is ready when the mass begins to move away from the wall.

Cream "Charlotte"

Boil a glass of milk, add vanilla and a glass of sugar, then simmer for a quarter of an hour, stirring continuously over low heat. Beat the egg well. Gently pour the milk syrup into the beaten egg in a thin stream. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer over low heat for seven minutes, stirring all the time. Cool. Beat soft butter until fluffy. Mix both masses - milk and butter. Beat.

Cream laid out in the form of flowers, leaves, inscriptions, borders is the simplest and most effective design for a homemade cake according to any recipe. Preparing the cream takes a minimum of time; the most common products are used for it. You will need some equipment - a pastry syringe, plastic “nails” of different diameters (photos of the equipment are available on the Internet). But even with the help of an ordinary thick plastic bag, you can decorate a birthday cake in an original way at home.

The mass suitable for decoration should be:

• thick;
• oily;
• holds its shape well;
• do not spread, but do not be too hard;
• fresh and chilled.

The best option is a simple recipe based on butter and condensed milk. In addition to these components, it may contain:

• sugar syrup;
• instant coffee (colors and flavors the mixture well);
• natural or synthetic food colors;
• cocoa powder (to add chocolate flavor and color);
• fresh whipped cream (gives a white color);
• high-fat homemade sour cream;
• flavorings – vanilla, rum or cognac essence, cinnamon, lemon zest.

It is not advisable to add the following to the cake decorating cream:

• nuts, candied fruits;
• pieces of fruit or berries;
• chocolate (you can add finely grated);
• other coarse particles.

The mass ready for decoration should be shiny, smooth, and homogeneous. The average beating time is about 5, and preferably 7 minutes. Each component is added to the mass one by one: soft butter is whipped first, then condensed milk. Afterwards, add dyes and flavors as desired, or leave the mixture white. The resulting mass must be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator, otherwise the decoration will simply “flow.” If you are decorating a large two-tier cake at home, divide the mixture into parts and refrigerate half.

Products must be fresh. If you use sour cream or cream, be sure to choose a product with a fat content of at least 25%, unless the recipe specifies a different composition. If the consistency is a little runny, you can add a thickener or even gelatin for better hardening, which is especially important when decorating the sides. Some people don't use real butter, but a spread. However, such a replacement will worsen the quality and taste of the entire cake, so it is optimal to use only natural butter from cream.
Cream:

Cream for various types of decoration

For various purposes (sides, cake surface or decoration), the cream can be prepared according to special recipes. Depending on how exactly you will decorate the cake, you can use:

1. To create voluminous flowers on the surface of the cake at home and sides, you need to make a thick, fatty, oily mass. It will retain its shape until serving and will not lose its shine or appearance. Step-by-step instructions will be useful here, especially for novice housewives.
2. The sides of the cake can be decorated with a lighter textured mixture. Better - cream based. It turns out to be light, will not flow, and will not lose its shape. The creamy mass can also be painted over with dye or cocoa powder. You can use store-bought plant-based cream. It is convenient to squeeze them out of the container onto the sides of the product - you get beautiful corrugated stripes.
3. High sides can be made from cream that does not lose its shape for a long time - oil or gelatin.
4. To create inscriptions on a cake, the cream should be light and thin, especially if you need to create thin lines and small elements. The inscription will turn out clear and even if you use a pastry syringe with a special nozzle.
5. To prepare a flower on a confectionery “nail”, use cream from condensed milk and butter (classic recipe). After the flower is formed, it must be placed in the freezer for a few minutes, and only then decorate the top or sides of the cake.

Gelatin-based cream can be both a decoration and a layer for a cake. It can be beautifully poured onto the cake or completely cover the base of dough and fruit. After hardening, it will retain the shape of the container. There are simple instructions for working with this cream:

• at home, you can use both regular and instant gelatin;
• After swelling, ordinary gelatin must be heated until the grains dissolve, but under no circumstances should it be boiled, otherwise it will not harden;
• with gelatin you can prepare a white cream from cream, sour cream, milk, that is, not very thick (depending on the recipe);
• hardening time depends on the thickness of the layer - minimum 1-2 hours or 30 minutes in the freezer;
• It is necessary to pour the jelly cream after first installing a ring of thick tracing paper or parchment or a special metal rim around the sides of the cake (a photo of it can be found on the Internet).

The simplest option for decorating a cake is to make jelly cream with pieces of fruit or berries and beautifully pour it over the entire surface of the cake.

Choosing cream for different types of dough

When decorating the finished cake, the compatibility of the cream and the base dough is important. It is important to follow the rules so that the cake is soaked, but not too wet, the mass does not spread on the sides and holds its shape beautifully for a long time:

1. Biscuit dough is the most airy and porous: there are only three components in the recipe. It absorbs liquid like a sponge. Therefore, the cream for a sponge cake must be made thick - based on fat sour cream, thickened cream, butter, condensed milk or gelatin. Then the decoration will not settle, will be beautifully distributed on the surface of the sponge cake, and will not “settle” the two-tier cake.
2. Dense, tight cake layers, such as those in the Napoleon cake (for example, a recipe made from puff pastry) will require a fairly liquid and soft cream. The best option is custard for the layer and cream for decoration.
3. “Medovik”, “Smetannik” according to the recipe can be decorated with any cream (the photo of the cake is proof of this). The dough in such cakes has medium elasticity, hardness and a neutral taste.

It is also necessary to consider what surface the mixture will be placed on when decorating the cake. The following coating will “stick” the decoration well to the product:

• not completely hardened chocolate or caramel icing;
• jam, confiture;
• cream;
• the grout used “under the mastic” is cake crumbs mixed with cream (look at the photo of such a mixture on the Internet).

Cake decorating cream will slide off the following surfaces:

• mirror glaze;
• jelly coating;
• cake without coating at all.

1. Do not pour hot ingredients into butter creams: melted chocolate, gelatin. The mixture will become liquid and will not hold its shape when decorating baked goods. You can prepare a high-quality mixture from products of the same temperature.
2. Storing the mixture only in the refrigerator before decorating and after, on the finished cake.
3. The container in which the mixture is whipped must be clean and dry. When whipping egg whites, make sure that there are no traces of fat on the walls and bottom of the container.
4. The ingredients must be at the appropriate temperature: butter - warm, cream, proteins, sour cream - chilled. When whipping cream, it is even recommended to place a large bowl of ice water or ice under the container in almost all recipes.
5. When coloring the cream, add the dye one drop at a time, otherwise after stirring the color may become too rich and unnatural.

Storing cream at home depending on the cake recipe:

• oil, Charlotte – 36 hours maximum;
• creamy – up to one day;
• custard - ideally 6 hours;
• protein - no more than 24 hours.

If you have some unused cream left over, you can put it in the freezer and decorate your next cake. When frozen, it can be stored for up to 2-4 weeks without loss of taste. The same can be done with leftover dough (raw). To freeze, transfer the mass (by color and type) into plastic containers, cover with lids and first put in the refrigerator for 2 hours, and then place in the freezer. You can also use special vacuum containers for freezing. food products.