Wilton Course 1

I just finished Course 1 of the Wilton Cake Decorating. So I thought I would finally share some tips we received. The techniques are too complicated to do on the blog but I can at least show you some short cuts for a smooth icing.

Tip 1: Get the right tip. If I wasn't lazy I would go look what tip number it is but you need this big massive tip with a featherweight 18 bag I believe. It makes the icing go on so much easier.

Tip #2: Put your bag with tip in a cup while you fill it with icing. This way you have both your hands available to fill the bag.
This isn't really a tip so much as this is what it looks like after you put the icing on using the tip. See how it is almost all covered. So you don't need to spread and worry about crumbs so much as just smoothing. My icing her is a little too soft/thin/runny but so is store bought icing. Just so you know. To get a good layer you need two store bought containers.
This is what the cake looked like just after smoothing with a spatula. To make it even smoother if your icing is more thick you can get the spatula wet. If your icing is thin then you need to heat up your spatula. You dip in hot/warm water and shake the water off.
Tip#3: Let it sit for a while like it is. I have to put mine in the fridge anywhere from 10-20 minutes but like I said I think my icing is too runny. Store bought will need longer sitting time as well. Then the tip part. You get a Viva paper towel. And place it over the cake and smooth it out. It will get all the wrinkles out from your spatula and can even fix where your finger just jumped into the cake to taste the icing.Now you have a nice pretty smooth cake. Notice mine still shows the cake underneath. I think it is because I don't use enough icing. I scrap off a lot when I am smoothing it out. That is okay because I am not a big icing fan.
Now here are a couple of the cakes I made. The first one is a clown cake. I took this after the warm car ride home and the icing melted and the clowns and roses shifted but you get the idea.

This is our final cake. I learned and took the pictures first but I used a cream cheese frosting recipe I got and it melts too easily. I don't think it would have been such a problem if I was home with a fridge near me but it is all a learning experience.

Here is my concentrating face. Ignore the lack of make up and red face. I got a little sunburned at the park and took a shower before this to wash off all the icing I get on my self while making the icing.
This is Shanda and myself with our final cakes. She does a much butter job with making a smooth icing.

Okay, that is all. Course 2 starts next week. Luckily, we only have to make one cake at the end so I won't be so overloaded. I think Robert probably thinks he struck gold because he has had cake almost every day for the past three weeks.