A beautifully decorated cake is pleasing to the eye and can charm and surprise guests. Housewives should show maximum imagination and make extraordinary efforts to make their baked goods not only tasty, but also surprisingly beautiful and unusual. Today there are a great many techniques and recipes for decorating cakes. For this, a variety of devices are used, of which the most inexpensive and accessible is a pastry syringe or a bag with nozzles.
Recipes
For pastry syringe The cream is selected to be sufficiently thick, plastic, and retains its shape well. Too much thick mass will be squeezed out of the nozzle unevenly, in chunks. And if it’s too liquid, it will spread immediately after applying the decoration to the surface or sides of the cake. Therefore, the main parameter for choosing a cream recipe is its consistency.
Oil cream
The simplest and inexpensive recipe. Consists of several available ingredients. Can be used for decoration in pure form, as well as tinted and additionally flavored.
Ingredients:
- Butter – 250 grams;
- Condensed milk – 1 can (boiled is used more often in this case);
- Vanilla, cognac, liqueur optional.
Cooking process:
- Soften the butter and chop it finely with a knife.
- Add condensed milk and beat with a mixer for 5-10 minutes. Make sure that the mass does not separate.
- Add flavoring and food coloring according to the recipe.
Protein
This cream is more airy. The mass turns out snow-white, and therefore can be used for decoration in in kind or shaded with natural or artificial dyes. The cream holds its shape perfectly if prepared strictly according to the recipe.
Ingredients:
- Half a kilo of sugar;
- 5 whites very cold;
- Half a teaspoon of citric acid;
- Half a glass of water.
Cooking process:
- Make syrup from water and sugar. Add citric acid to it.
- The syrup is boiled, stirring, for at least 5 minutes.
- Cool the mass slightly.
- Beat the egg whites until fluffy and add the uncooled syrup in a thin stream.
Creamy
Cream based on fresh cream is also suitable for decorating a cake using a syringe or bag. It is light, squeezes out well even from the narrowest nozzle, its consistency is uniform, so there are no voids or air bubbles in the finished decor.
Ingredients:
- One large egg;
- One glass of cream (35 percent);
- 80 milliliters of milk;
- 80 grams of granulated sugar;
- 10 grams of gelatin;
- Vanilla.
Cooking process:
- Soak the gelatin in regular water for 25 minutes. cold water. Wait until it swells and absorbs all the water.
- Mix the egg with sugar and grind until white. Boil the milk, immediately remove from the heat and pour into the egg mixture in a thin stream.
- Add gelatin, stir and place in a water bath.
- Continuing to stir, dissolve the gelatin (just do not bring the mixture to a boil).
- Whip cold cream until foamy. This will take about 10 minutes.
- Chilled until room temperature Add the milk mixture little by little into the creamy foam, add vanilla and stir.
Decoration technology
The method of decorating using a syringe is quite simple. You will need the syringe itself and several nozzles. There are sets with nozzles in the amount of 4–10 pieces. The more of them, the more sophisticated and unusual decorative elements you can make on the cake.
Decoration technology:
- Prepare the cream according to the chosen recipe. If you paint with a slightly warm mixture, the decor will turn out shiny, and if the cream is pre-cooled, the decoration will be matte and more durable.
- Use a teaspoon to place the cream into the syringe. Shake it a little so that there are no voids or air bubbles inside. There is also interesting recipe to create an “ombre” effect: apply a cream of the same color to the walls inside the syringe with a thin flat stick, and carefully place a contrasting mass inside with a spoon. As a result, the decorations come out with interesting tints of color and look very original.
- Decide on a decorating scheme. If you are going to squeeze patterns directly onto the surface of the cake, you can draw their outlines on the coating (icing or mastic) with the point of a knife or a special pastry stick with a sharp tip. This will make it much easier to apply the design evenly and accurately.
- If decorative elements will be formed separately and only then laid out on the cake, prepare plastic caps or long sticks (for creating flowers). Place parchment mats or pieces of foil of the appropriate diameter on the caps so that you can easily transfer the flower to the cake.
- Prepare the cake according to the recipe: cover it with mastic, cream or glaze. The surface should be slightly sticky. If the product is covered with dry mastic, coat the decoration areas with a thin layer of special gel or jam, jam, so that the decor does not slip off and is well attached to the cake.
- Place the nozzle on the syringe or bag to create the intended pattern. Borders around the edges of the cake can be made using a bias cutter, while wedge-shaped tips are used to create leaves and thin petals (for example, in a chrysanthemum). The tip with the narrowest straight cut is used for making inscriptions, finely outlined patterns, lace, stems on flowers, ears, eyes and mouths on figures. The toothed nozzle can be used to decorate with stars, zigzags, and flowers, including on the sides of the cake.
- The size of the element varies depending on the force of pressing on the piston of the pastry syringe. The harder you press it, the larger the element will become. When creating many identical elements, it is important to maintain the same pressure throughout the entire decorating process.
- Raise the syringe higher if you are making a large drawing. To apply fine details, hold the nozzle as close to the surface of the cake as possible.
- Upon completion of decoration, sharply move the nozzle away from you along the pattern line so that the tongue remains invisible.
You can color the decor after it has been applied to the cake. Today, a special device is used for this - an airbrush. Spraying dye from it onto white cream, you can achieve amazing color combinations and overflows. As an alternative, you can use improvised means - perfume bottles, nozzles with sprayers. The decorated cake must be immediately refrigerated. A recipe made with gelatin may turn out to be quite runny. You can put it in the cold for a few minutes, and only then decorate the cake. The elements made separately are also placed in the cold (you can even put them in the freezer) before placing them on the cake.
Bon appetit!
Hi all. Today I come to you without a prescription, but with an extremely important article! We disassemble pastry attachments. Yes, this time I’ll tell you in detail about my attachments and show examples of caps on cupcakes.
This question became so popular in my direct message that I couldn’t pass it by. Many girls who begin to comprehend this path of sweets get lost in the world of tools and do not understand where to start.
If you open the website of any confectionery store, you can spend half a day browsing its contents. And at first it seems that all this is so important and necessary for beautiful design your desserts.
I can calm you down! A good half of all this is useless trash! You don't need many tools to get the job done.
And here we will look at some of them today with examples.
So, what attachments do a beginner need to decorate cupcakes?
You will be surprised! But, in fact, with only 1-2, or at most three attachments, you can create absolutely incredible patterns on cupcakes!
Do you know how many of them I have? 15! And some are in duplicate) And I work with only three!
What is the most basic and required nozzle for a home pastry chef? What should you pay attention to?
The nozzle that every cake maker needs is a 1M or 2D Wilton. The principle of operation is approximately the same, just like appearance. These are closed star attachments. Here's what they look like.
I have 2D. This is the same attachment I use to make roses on cupcakes. That's the plan.
And I decorate my trifles - desserts in cups, and Pavlova cake.
When choosing nozzles, be sure to look at their size. Standard attachments are approximately 3-4 cm high. Less than 3 cm are not convenient to use. There are large nozzles of 5 cm, they make beautiful patterns on cakes and wonderful meringues.
Below I will give examples of caps with different attachments.
In order for you to understand that different nozzles sometimes produce the same patterns, I have made the following selection.
Nozzle 2 D.
Rosette with this nozzle.
Nozzle 4CS. Similar to the previous nozzle.
This is what it looks like from the side.
But such a rose is obtained using this attachment.
Next nozzle. I have it without a number. It's called a French fantasy rose. This is what it looks like from above.
And this is the rose that comes out.
As you can see, all three of these tips have a similar pattern on the cupcakes. And you can safely choose just one attachment of this type - a closed star. Don't buy a whole set)
But, not only roses can be twisted with such attachments. If you pipe the cream not from the middle of the cupcake, but from the edge to the center, then you get tall, beautiful cupcake caps. Now I’ll show you examples of such cool hats.
The Wilton 2 D attachment is my favorite.
So, for comparison, there is both a tall cap and a rosette with a Wilton 4cs attachment.
And here is the cap with a closed rose again. The pattern itself is beautiful, but the nozzle is too small, so it’s not very convenient to work with.
So from these three examples it is clear that not very a big difference in the picture, so you can safely buy one of the attachments without spending money on others of a similar plan.
Here's what the drawing looks like.
Nozzles of this type are available with different slots, wider and narrower. But the essence is the same. Tall hat on cupcakes. There is only one drawback: the middle is empty, so you will have to decorate it with berries or candy cookies. But, after all, cupcakes are almost always decorated with this kind of decor, so you can safely take such an attachment.
If I find any new favorites, I'll be sure to add photos of them here.
Well, in the next article I will write a recipe for lemon cupcakes, the same ones from the photos above.
Confectionery attachments. If you have one, then this is definitely just the very beginning of the collection :) And to make it easier for you to decide on its continuation, we at elle-craft have prepared a small inspiration guide on pastry attachments, from which you will learn:
Types of basic nozzles,
What effects can be achieved with their help?
And get some inspiration :)
So, let's begin.
Tube attachment(it is also called round or simple).
This is one of the basic attachments. It is perfect for decorating cupcakes and cakes, placing macarons and meringues. Look at what interesting effects you can achieve by making not the traditional usual hat on cupcakes, but this floral or cloudy one. In addition, a tube attachment is simply necessary to form such beautiful “shell” sides on cakes: you place several balls of cream in a vertical stripe and “stretch” it with a spatula or spoon.
Open star attachment
Another basic nozzle. Also suitable for cakes, cupcakes, molding homemade marshmallows and meringues. Open chainrings come in a wide range of sizes, with the most commonly used ranging from 5mm to 18mm. Large-diameter nozzles are convenient for forming delicious tops on cupcakes, smaller ones are for decorating cakes, for example, as in the photo, as well as for creating unusual fluffy cupcakes.
Closed star nozzle
Its main difference from an open star is that the rays of the nozzle are tucked inward. Thanks to this, the grooves on the cream are deeper and more pronounced. This allows you to get interesting effects on cakes and cupcakes. This attachment is one of the most popular among chefs who specialize in cupcakes. The closed star also comes in different diameters. Nozzles with a small diameter are often used when decorating cakes, as they allow you to create beautiful waves and borders.
Open rose nozzle
An open rose or turbine is good because it literally swirls the cream during its application. It is with its help that these beautiful roses are created on cupcakes and cakes, in which each next layer of “petals” slightly covers the previous one. The most pronounced effect with this attachment can be achieved on creams with a dense texture that hold their shape well. Also, this type of attachment is ideal for planting marshmallows.
French nozzle
The main difference between the French nozzle is the small rays. It is thanks to them that the fine, delicate pattern of the cream with a small ribbed pattern is obtained. The diameters of such nozzles range from 3 mm to 18 mm or more. Traditionally, large ones are used for cupcakes and small ones for cakes. With the help of a French tip, you can easily make both a funny hedgehog and “galactic swirls” with planets and stars out of a cupcake.
Flower nozzle
Traditionally, these are small attachments that are ideal for creating real flower bouquets on cakes and cupcakes. Look carefully at the photo of the nozzle in the store catalog, because “flower” nozzles come with a center (as in our photo) and without it. Nozzles that have a metal rod in the center allow you to deposit cream without it accumulating in the middle. This is convenient if you want to make it a different color, or if you want a shabby, disheveled effect.
Weed attachment
Grass nozzle - a real find not only to create a clearing effect, but also for monster cakes and cupcakes. Look what fun examples you can create with it! When choosing a grass attachment, pay attention to the number of holes - the more, the thicker the fur of your monster will turn out and the easier it will be for you to plant the entire cake with green grass.
Smooth strip nozzle
Finally! A long-awaited post about pastry attachments for many. Let me make a reservation right away that here I will tell you about the most popular attachments that I have and which I regularly use to decorate cakes and cupcakes for the blog.
And further. With this post I am starting a series of publications in which I will talk about the culinary equipment and equipment that I use more or less regularly. I think this will remove a good part of the questions in the comments to recipes :)
First, some general information.
Which attachments to buy
Let’s immediately agree that we do not buy plastic nozzles that are sold complete with bags or syringes in stores in post-Soviet countries and do not seriously consider them. Most often they are too small and have an inexpressive relief of the outlet. I myself threw one such set in the trash about six years ago, because... It's of little use. An exception that I have seen in popular retail chains is a set of attachments in Ikea. They are made of stainless steel, of normal size and even come with a more or less decent bag included. In all other cases, we turn around and go look for specialized confectionery stores or explore the Internet for online ordering (ozone, Amazon, Ali Express and others like them will help you).
If when purchasing you have a choice between a set or several individual attachments, buy separately. As experience shows, most of the attachments from the set are simply lying around idle. Choose and buy a few attachments that you will actually use - saving both money and space in your kitchen cabinet.
About bags
If you choose between pastry bag and a syringe, then a bag is preferable. It is more convenient for several reasons:
- Size. You can put more cream or dough into a bag at a time than into a syringe.
- Ease of use. With a bag it is easier to control the force of squeezing out the cream.
- Versatility. You can use any attachments without a connector (special adapter) with the bag. Especially with disposable ones - we cut the tip to the desired diameter - and use it.
I have a couple of reusable nylon bags. But given the fact that I hate washing them with every fiber of my being, my favorites are disposable bags - a set of large ones for everything and a set of small ones for small decor. If you buy a reusable bag, take at least 35 cm in length. The material is already a personal matter.
MY ATTACHMENTS
I divide everything I have into three groups:
1. Asterisks.
1 – 20 mm at the outlet, 8 twisted teeth.
2- 22 mm at the outlet, 12 teeth, large clearance in the center.
3 – 18 mm at the outlet, 8 teeth.
4 – 14 mm at the outlet, 10 cloves.
5 – 8 mm at the outlet, 9 teeth.
6 – 7 mm at the outlet, 4 cloves.
7 – 9 mm at the outlet, 8 cloves.
8 – 4 mm at the outlet, 5 cloves.
Diameter – from 3 to 17 mm. The photo does not show the entire set.
3. Other curly attachments.
9 – “weaving” nozzle 10 mm wide.
10 – “weaving” nozzle 17 mm wide.
11 – “leaf” nozzle 10 mm wide.
12 – “leaf” nozzle 6 mm wide.
13 and 14 – petal attachments.
And now - about what can and should be done with them.
This is the result of working with nozzle number 4:
I use it most often to decorate cake borders. Like here, for example:
I use them to “finish” cupcakes, add meringues and marshmallows.
Nozzles 8, 6 and 7:
Again, borders and small decor.
Nozzle number 2:
I give her a break choux pastry for profiteroles and eclairs. And also for custard rings.
Well, it’s also suitable for cupcakes, although here the volume of cream is too big for my taste.
Nozzles 11 and 12:
The most obvious thing is leaves for flowers on cakes. They can also be used to decorate the sides of the cake. Like, for example, here:
Nozzles 9 and 10:
The braids on the sides are made with just such attachments. There is an example in (sorry for the photo, the recipe is very old).
Unfortunately, I won’t give an example of working with nozzles 13 and 14. To be honest, I haven’t learned yet. But roses on cream cakes are made with their help.
Now - about direct nozzles. They may be needed for:
- French macarons,
- Profiteroles, eclairs and shu,
- Meringue,
- Savoiardi cookies (“lady fingers”)
- Putting cream between cake layers,
- Decorating cakes, pastries and cupcakes.
My most popular ones are 6, 10 and 15 mm.
That seems to be it :) If you still have questions, ask them in the comments. Then I will add to the post if necessary.
I’ll say right away that I do everything as it’s convenient for me personally. If anyone does otherwise, please do so.
Today's cake. Again the heart and again the roses. And I really want snowdrops and daffodils!
I make the cream from Rama cream. Occasionally, when asked, they make butter. I don’t know how to make protein custard, I haven’t tried it and I don’t like it. Although if I tried to do it, problems would hardly arise.
From my experience - the cream of the crop delicate cream. They quickly melt in your hands in a bag and then absolutely do not want to hold their shape. This cream is the softest. That’s why it’s probably more difficult with him. But we love each other :-)
Cream:
for 2 bottles of Rama cream (250 ml each) 3 gelatin leaves, 1 sachet vanilla sugar and 1-2 tsp. Sahara.
Soak the gelatin for a few minutes in cold water, squeeze out, pour in a small (4-5 tbsp.) amount of Rama cream and low heat, stirring constantly, dissolve it. Pour the remaining cream into the mixer bowl, add sugar and vanilla sugar, start whisking. Because I have a 1000W mixer, so it whips this cream for about 1-2 minutes. As soon as the cream in the mixer begins to thicken, pour the cream and gelatin into it in a thin stream. This is what the finished cream looks like
For this cake I wanted to use such attachments
But in the end I didn’t use carnations for the roses (because I made them on a piece of biscuit) and a small tip for leaves. I will describe the nozzles, from left to right:
- the first two with holes of different diameters. I don’t know the exact diameter, but something around 2-3 mm. They are for lines, inscriptions, dots, squiggles. Instead, you can make a regular bag of baking paper.
- asterisk, diameter 4mm. I use it for small borders and for “knitted” designs (animals, cars, etc.)
- for petals, diameter 15mm. I have smaller ones and curved ones, but this one is my favorite. Making roses small is more difficult. So if possible, then first take a larger nozzle. Often the gap is too thick and the petals turn out rough. Therefore, you can squeeze it a little (I squeezed it). At the end I’ll show you what else you can do with this attachment.
- nozzles for leaves, different sizes and shapes.
Spatulas are needed to apply cream to the cake and level it out. I recently bought a long one; before that I used a regular cake spatula. The main thing here is practice. But of course it’s easier with a large spatula. Although both are needed.
I cover the cake with cream like this:
top first, smooth the cream to the edges
I cover the sides with cream and smooth it out well. The cream on the sides should rise slightly above the cake. Then, using a spatula, using gentle movements from the edge of the cake to the middle, smooth out this protruding cream. The photo shows spatula marks.
After the edge of the cake is also leveled, we smooth the top surface of the cake with several movements of the spatula. If there are any irregularities, don't worry. They can be hidden with leaves, flowers, beads. I use disposable freezer bags for decoration. I cut off a corner and insert the nozzle there.
When the cake is covered with cream, we begin to decorate. First the border at the bottom. I used to make a border along the top edge of the cake, but now I don't like it, or I just learned how to carefully align the edge.
Then the inscription. Even if your hands are not as crooked as mine, either make thin strips along which you will write, or first write the text with a thin nozzle and white cream (or cream the same color as a cake), and then write the text on top. Only very short inscriptions can be written directly like this, without preparation. If you don't believe me, try it. For example, today I missed a letter and, swearing, I had to remove half the word and straighten the cake.
I'll show you roses another time - here you need an assistant for photographing. Or search on the Internet - there are a lot of videos and photos on this topic. In general, this border on the side should have been done together with the border on the bottom, but I didn’t know if I would have enough cream, so I did it at the very end.
Well, the last lines are leaves and squiggles.
Here's what you can do with the petal attachment. True, this is from the remains of the cream and it has already warmed up, which is why the petals are quite thick and not very neat. To avoid this during the decorating process, I put a little cream in the bag, then add a new portion.
- frills (upper left corner). She's upside down there. For ruffle, we move the wide end of the nozzle along the line on which the ruffle “holds”, the movement is back and forth, as if laying folds.
- bow - draw all parts of the bow with the wide end of the nozzle towards the surface of the cake, and at the end squeeze out a small knot.
- rose bud. We hold the nozzle with the wide end towards the cake, the slot in the nozzle is perpendicular to the cake. First squeeze out the middle petal. We wrap it with one petal, and the second. (it’s easier to try it than to describe it)
- two types of flowers - the first on the left - the wide edge of the nozzle is towards the middle of the flower, the second flower - the wide edge of the nozzle goes along the edge of the petals.
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