Cake decorating
Cake decorating is one of the sugar arts that uses icing, frosting, and other edible decorative elements to make plain cakes more visually interesting. The cake itself may also be molded (during baking) and sculpted (after baking) as part of this, and may take on simple or elaborate three-dimensional shapes as part of or as its entire decoration. Cakes may be baked and decorated for almost any occasion, whether social or simply for the baker's own pleasure; however, they are commonly decorated to mark special occasions and celebrations such as birthdays, weddings, national or religious holidays , or as a promotional good for a business. History. The decoration of cakes arose in 17th-century Europe, typically for special occasions as a luxury good. Wedding cakes have the longest tradition as a decorated cake, and are considered the most artistic form of cake decorating. Christmas cakes began to be decorated in the 18th and 19th centuries, having evolved from Twelfth Night cakes, an earlier tradition baked and eaten on Twelfth Night, or the Feast of the Epiphany. These cakes were considerably rich, and would be decorated elaborately only by the upper classes of society due to their expense . During the 1840s, the advent of temperature-controlled ovens and the production of baking powder made baking cakes much easier. As temperature control technology improved, an increased emphasis on presentation and ornamentation developed. Cakes began to take on decorative shapes, were adorned with additional icing formed into patterns and flowers, and food coloring was used to accent frosting or layers of cake. Even though baking from scratch decreased during the latter part of the 20th century in the United States due to the increase in availability of ready-made cakes and cake mixes, decorated cakes have remained an important part  of celebrations such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, showers and other special occasions. Types of decoration. A cake may be decorated using small adornments or embellishments made separately and placed on top of or around the cake, or may be decorated by being covered with a form of icing or paste, either alone or in accompaniment to other decorations. Cake decorations can be made of edible material or food-safe plastics. Fondant icing. Fondant, also known as sugar paste or ready-roll icing, is a soft, thick paste made of sugar, water, gelatin, vegetable fat or shortening, and glycerol. Fondant is  typically sold in a variety of colours when bought ready-made, is easy to handle, and provides a smooth, matte and nonstick cake cover. Fondant must be rolled out with cornstarch to avoid it sticking to any surfaces. Once smoothed out and thin enough, fondant can be moulded into many different shapes, such as flowers or leaves, and may be cut into shapes and applied to a cake to build up decoration. Though primarily used to cover cakes, it is also used to create individual decorations to accompany cakes, consisting only of fondant with no cake inside. As a relatively  heavy form of decoration in comparison to traditional knife-spread frosting, extensive fondant application may weigh a cake down considerably, requiring a suitably sturdy cake base for support. Fondant remains soft once sculpted, unlike other forms of icing, which may harden when exposed to air. Royal icing. Royal icing is a sweet white icing made by whipping fresh egg whites (or powdered egg whites, meringue powder) with icing sugar. Royal icing produces well-defined icing edges especially when decorating biscuits and is ideal for piping intricate writing, borders, scrollwork and lacework on cakes. It dries very hard and preserves indefinitely  if stored in a cool, dry place, but is susceptible to soften and wilt in high humidity. Marzipan. Marzipan is often used for modeling cake decorations and sometimes as a cover over cakes, although fondant is typically preferred as an outer layer. Gum paste. Gum paste, also known as florist paste, is an edible, brittle material that dries quickly and can be sculpted to make cake decorations such as flowers or molded designs. Modeling chocolate. Modeling chocolate is a chocolate paste made by melting chocolate and combining it with corn syrup, glucose syrup, or golden syrup. The chocolate is formed  into a variety of shapes and structures that cannot be easily accomplished with other softer edible materials such as buttercream frosting, marzipan, or fondant. Modeling chocolate can be made from white, dark, semi-sweet, or milk chocolate. Edible ink printing. Edible ink printing is also used in decorating cakes. After breakthroughs in nontoxic inks and printing materials in the early 1990s, it became possible to print images and photographs onto edible sheets for use on cakes. The process uses preprinted images printed with edible food colors, which are then applied to various confectionery products such as cookies, cakes, or  pastries. Designs made with edible ink can be created with an speciality printer, which transfers an image onto a thin, edible paper, made of starches and sugars. Originally introduced as a specialty service provided by bakeries, this technology can now be used by home consumers using the specialized paper, ink and printers. Techniques. Decorating a cake usually involves covering it with some form of icing and then using decorative sugar, candy, chocolate or icing decorations to embellish the cake. But it can also be as simple as sprinkling a fine coat of icing sugar or drizzling a glossy blanket of  glaze over the top of a cake like a mirror cake style that uses a glaze of gelatin, sugar, water, and sometimes chocolate. A cake turntable (or rotating tray) can be used to facilitate the process. Icing decorations can be made by either piping icing flowers and decorative borders or by molding sugar paste, fondant, or marzipan flowers and figures. An embossing mat is a tool for cake decoration that creates embossed effects on the top of cakes, cupcakes, or similar items. The user presses the mat down into cake dough or icing and the pattern embossed in the mat  is transferred to the item. Embossing mats are often made of silicone rubber or similar flexible polymers. “Naked Cakes” are a popular trend, as of 2020. In this decorating style, fillings are used between the cake layers but the outside is left unfrosted, or sparsely frosted with much of the cake itself still visible between and through the frosted areas. Naked cakes are often decorated with icing sugar or fresh flowers on top. They are especially popular as wedding and engagement cakes. It may be necessary to secure cake layers in place to prevent sliding or falling, especially for large  cakes with several layers. Various forms of wooden skewers or dowels and plastic straws are commonly used for this purpose. Large and complex structures can be made by cutting shapes out of cake and piecing them together (often secured together with many non-edible reinforcements). Pre-formed baking pans make it easy to create cakes in non-traditional shapes. Though while useful for producing multiple cakes of the same general shape, they do not have the endless customizability of hand-cut building blocks. Fondant and marzipan structures can also be used to modify the overall shape of a cake. As  an art. Cake decorating has become a unique art form, with examples ranging from simply decorated single-layer cakes, to complex, multi-layered three-dimensional creation with extensive edible decorations.