To adorn the frosted cake
For decorating, use good-to-eat ingredients, chosen to go with the cake in color, texture, and character. Let the decorations be simple but artistic and effective. For example, the ingredients commonly found in the kitchen cupboard make beautiful decorations when used correctly.
Coconut—For an all-over sprinkle of coconut, use the canned moist shredded coconut with long glistening white shreds. Pat it on while the frosting is still soft. To tint, add a few drops of food coloring, then rub between the palms of the hands to color it evenly. For a rainbow effect, tint separate lots of coconut pink, green, yellow, and violet, and then mix them. To tint and flavor, rub 1 cup coconut with 8 fine-cut maraschino cherries or with the grated rind of 1 orange. For some cakes, golden toasted coconut is effective.
To toast coconut, spread a thin layer in a shallow pan, toast in moderate oven (350°F.) until a delicate brown, stirring often to toast evenly.
* * * * * * *
{decorated cake frosting}
Chocolate—Striking effects can be obtained on a frosted cake with melted chocolate (see directions for Chocolate Rapture Cake, [p. 1]). For decorative dribbles or lettering, melt together over hot water ½ oz. unsweetened chocolate and ½ teaspoon Spry. Cool before using. For enough chocolate to cover the entire top of the cake and let it drip down the sides in interesting icicle formations, double these quantities. Melted chocolate can also be used for lettering as in “Happy Birthday” treatment. White frostings or delicately tinted pink or green mint frostings are especially pretty with melted chocolate decorations. Halloween black cats or witches for the top of a frosted cake can be made as follows: Draw or trace an outline of the desired shape on waxed paper, fill in the outline with melted chocolate. Put in refrigerator to harden, loosen from paper, and place on cake. Make other designs similarly.
{decorated cake frosting}
A lacy filigree effect can be made on a white-frosted cake as follows: Melt ½ oz. chocolate with ½ teaspoon Spry. Mark 5 circles around top of cake and pour in chocolate. With a pointed knife, make 8 evenly spaced strokes toward the edge of the cake, then between them make 8 upward strokes toward the center, to get web effect (see illustration).
* * * * * * * *
Thin curls or shavings of sweetened or unsweetened chocolate make interesting decoration. They can be made with a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife. Semisweet chocolate bits can be used as push-ins on a soft frosting to form letters or designs.
* * * * * * * *
Nuts—Use perfect walnut or pecan halves for making interesting patterns on frosted cakes, pressing them in while the frosting is soft. Nuts can be tipped or tilted into frosting with artistic effect. For making nut borders, lines, or designs, cut the nuts in pieces; do not chop the nuts as this makes unattractive “dust.” Brazil nuts can be “curled” by softening them first in hot water, then cutting in very thin slices or “curls.” Blanched almonds can be used for making patterns; sprinkles of toasted slivered almonds are attractive on beige-colored frostings. Sprinkling the sides of the cake with chopped nuts gives an attractive finish.
{decorated cake frosting}
Fruits and Peels—Fruits (canned, candied, dried, or fresh) can be used endlessly. Maraschino cherries are especially good for Valentine, holiday, or party cakes. Cherry halves can be cut to resemble hearts or flowers, then placed around the rim of a frosted cake. Lengthwise cherry slices can be arranged to form attractive poinsettias.
Pineapple can be tinted with food coloring, or cut up and arranged in simple patterns with green citron; crushed pineapple, citron, and orange peel can be used to make an unusual “flower lei” ([p. 9]). At Christmastime, charming holly wreaths and Christmas trees can be fashioned on frosted cakes with bits of red and green cherries and green citron. Citron can be colored bright green with green coloring. Streamers of fine-cut dates, figs, or raisins are pretty on some frosted cakes, or definite patterns can be made with larger pieces if preferred.
{decorated cake frosting}
Candies—Sprinkles of silver or gold dragées are beautiful on cakes with fluffy white or pastel frostings. Dragées can be used to outline interlocking hearts for a bridal shower, or to spell out “Happy Birthday.” Gumdrops, cut in small pieces, can be sprinkled on a white frosted cake for sparkling color, or arranged to outline a pattern like a green shamrock for St. Patrick’s Day.
* * * * * * * *
Lollipops, canes, all-day-suckers, or stick candy can be crushed and used as gay color on the frosted sides and for lettering on top of the cake. Contrasting colors are pretty.
{decorated cake frosting}
Those round flat orange patties can be used as jack-o’-lanterns by making little faces on them with melted chocolate and arranging them on a chocolate frosted cake for Halloween. Chocolate candy animals standing lightly on frosted cupcakes delight the children.
Tiny colored sugar flowers can be bought in the 5-and-10 cent store and these are pretty arranged on cakes with fluffy white or pastel frostings. For “extra-special” cakes you can buy candied violets or rose petals to make wreaths of dainty flowers on a frosted cake.
You’ve probably had thoughts of your own as you were reading—of other materials and other ways to use them. Go to it! Experimenting is half the fun. Happy decorating!