STARTUP LIBRARY

Cake Decorating
WITH JENNY MCCOY
Jenny McCoy

As a pastry chef with more than 10 years of

experience in some of the country’s finest
kitchens, Jenny McCoy has learned to transform
classic techniques into inventive and exceptional
desserts, many of which you’ll find in her book,
Desserts for Every Season. Jenny’s philosophy on
baking is simple: By combining the best ingredients
available and a personal creative touch, anyone
can expand their repertoire to create expertly
refined recipes and original pastries with ease.
A truly approachable expert, Jenny’s detailed
lessons are both inviting and inspiring.

www.craftsy.com
 STARTUP LIBRARY: Cake Decorating

with Jenny McCoy
Tools & Equipment

Buying Guide Tips

While there are specialty cake supply stores in many large
cities, the cake tools used in this class are readily available
at big-box craft stores as well as online and each can
be purchased for less than $5-10 (except hand mixer).
For beginners, you can choose any brand you prefer, as
general use will not vary greatly. If you get very interested
in cake decorating, you may want to consider investing
in a few more expensive tools, including a heavy-duty
turntable and stand mixer.

Cake Baking & Construction

Before you start the cake construction process, you will need:
• Two baked 8-inch (20-cm) cake layers (recipe included)
• One batch Swiss meringue buttercream (recipe included)

Tools for Baking & Buttercream Making

• Mixing bowls and spoons
• Liquid and dry measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Sifter
• Parchment paper
• 8-inch (20-cm) cake pans
• Hand mixer (or stand mixer)

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 Tools & Equipment

Tools for Cake Construction

• Serrated bread knife
• Large offset spatula
• Small offset spatula
• Bench scraper
• Cardboard cake rounds
• Turntable

Decorating With Buttercream

Before you get started, you will need a cake that has been
stacked, filled, and frosted with Swiss meringue buttercream.

Additional Materials
• Gel colors of choice

General Kitchen Tools

• Pastry brush
• Rubber spatula
• Parchment paper

Cake Decorating Tools

• Small offset spatula
• Piping bags (disposable or cloth)
• Piping tips (Ateco tips used in class)
• Round: 800, 802, 804, 806
• Star: 820, 822, 824, 826
• Petal: 104
• Leaf: 352
• Flower nail

Decorating With Fondant

Before you get started, you will need a cake that has been
stacked, filled and frosted with Swiss meringue buttercream.

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 Tools & Equipment

Additional Materials
• Pre-made fondant
• Gel colors of choice
• Powdered sugar
• Edible marker (as seen in Lesson 13)

General Kitchen Tools & Supplies

• Large rolling pin
• Small paring knife or craft knife
• Toothpicks
• Disposable vinyl gloves (optional)
• Small paintbrush

Cake Decorating Tools

• Small fondant rolling pin
• Two fondant smoothers
• Ateco alphabet cutters (optional)
• Piping tips or other small circle cutters

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 Recipes

Vanilla Cake
Yield: Makes two 8 x 2-inch (20 x 5-cm) cake layers

Ingredients
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 3¼ cups (360 g) cake flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (8 ounces or 230 g)
unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1¾ cups (350 g)
granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1¼ cups (10 fluid ounces
or 300 ml) buttermilk
• 5 large eggs

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C). Lightly coat two 8 x
2-inch (20 x 5-cm) round cake pans with nonstick cooking
spray and line with parchment paper. Lightly coat the
parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside
until ready to use.

2. On a piece of parchment paper or over a bowl, sift the

cake flour. Set aside until ready to use. If you would like, you
may also sift the baking powder and salt with the flour at
this time.

3. Using a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl
of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), beat
the butter and sugar on medium speed until completely
combined, light in color, and no lumps of unmixed butter

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 Recipes

remain, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl

and continue to mix until smooth, about 1 minute.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix on medium speed

until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and
continue to mix until smooth, about 30 seconds.

5. Add the vanilla and mix until smooth, again, about

30 seconds.

6. Reduce the speed of the mixer and add about a third of

the dry ingredients, alternating with half of the buttermilk.
Repeat with the dry ingredients and buttermilk, adding
slowly to the bowl, and mix until they are fully combined.
You will end by adding the last third of the dry ingredients.

7. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix until
smooth, about 30 seconds.

8. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake

pans and knock the pans on the table firmly to remove any
large air bubbles. Place the pans on the center rack of the
oven and bake until they are light golden brown, the sides
pull away from the cake pans, and a toothpick inserted
into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 to
55 minutes. Carefully rotate the cake pans in the oven after
baking about 30 minutes to ensure even cooking.

Chocolate Cake Variation

Substitute ½ cup (55 grams) of the cake flour for cocoa powder.
Proceed with the recipe as directed, sifting the flour and cocoa
with the other dry ingredients and adding to the cake batter
with the other dry ingredients.

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 Recipes

Doctored Box Cake Mix

Yield: Makes two 8-inch (20-cm) layers

Ingredients
• 1 box yellow or white cake mix
(do not use mixes with pudding added to them)
• 4 large (120 gram) egg whites
• ½ cup (120 grams) water
• 1⁄3 cup (80 grams) vegetable oil
• 1 small package (28 grams) of instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 cup (240 grams) sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Preparation
1. Follow the mixing and baking directions as listed on the
box, adding the pudding mix in with the cake mix and the
remaining ingredients in with the wet ingredients.

Chocolate Doctored Box Cake Variation

Substitute the instant vanilla pudding mix with chocolate
pudding mix and follow the recipe as directed.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Makes 6 cups (1.5 kg)

Ingredients
• 8 large egg whites
• 2½ cups (560 g) granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 sticks (675 g) unsalted butter, softened

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 Recipes

Preparation
1. Combine the egg whites,
sugar, and salt in a large
heat-proof bowl (or the
bowl of a stand mixer), and
set over a double boiler
with simmering water.
Be sure the level of the
simmering water is below
the bottom of the bowl.

2. Whisking constantly by hand, heat the mixture until hot to

the touch, approximately 160° F (71° C). Carefully remove
the bowl from the double boiler and using a hand mixer
(or transfer the bowl to the stand mixer fitted with the whip
attachment), whip the mixture on medium speed until very
thick, glossy, and cooled to room temperature, about 10
minutes. As the mixture thickens, slowly increase the mixer to
its highest speed.

3. Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and add the softened
butter, If your butter is not very soft, you’ll want to add it one
stick at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, increase
the speed of the mixer to high, and whip until the mixture is
thickened and completely smooth, about 10 minutes.

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream

With the mixer set on low speed, slowly pour 11 ounces
(320 g) chopped dark chocolate, melted and cooled to room
temperature, into the buttercream as soon as the frosting is
smooth. Continue to mix on high speed until the frosting
is smooth.

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 Guide to Piping Tips

Piping tips are plastic or metal tubes that you attach into a
piping bag to shape or texture your buttercream frosting as
it is pushed through the tip. They may also be called pastry
tips, piping nozzles, or even decorating tips. They come in a
variety of shapes and sizes and are often referred to by their
shape as well as a number. While numbers may differ among
manufacturers, some piping tips, including small round and star
tips, often share the same numbers. For example, a No. 6 round
tip is a piping tip with a small opening about 5⁄32 inch wide.

Some of the most common shapes include:

Round
These tips vary from very small (less than 1⁄16
inch) to up to large (nearly a ½ inch wide).
They produce a rope of smooth icing when
piped. Smaller tips can be used for outlining
details, writing messages, and creating
strings, lace, vines, and small dots. Larger tips
can be used to create kisses, dots, balls, and
bead borders. Very large tips can be used to
create swirls of icing on top of cupcakes.

Star
Star tips come “open” or “closed.” Open star
tips (left) have tapered opening with a sharp,
clean zigzag pattern resembling teeth at the
end. Closed tips bend those teeth in slightly
to make the opening a bit smaller and the
star more pronounced. Like round tips, star
tips can be used to create star kisses and
bead borders, but they also can be used to
pipe shells, shell borders and rosettes. Very

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 Guide to Piping Tips

large star tips can be used to create large rosettes or icing swirls
on cupcakes. They are not recommended for writing or making
straight lines.

Petal
Petal tips come in a variety of shapes and
sizes and are used to create a single petal.
Combined, these petals will make flowers,
including roses, carnations, dahlias, and
pansies. Rose petal tips are teardrop shaped
and may include a slight curve. The larger
the teardrop, the larger petal and rose.

Leaf Tips
V-shaped notch in this tip creates a leaf
shape with a pointy end. Great for adding
between roses or other flowers, or on their own
if creating a vine. You can pipe leaves plain,
ruffled, or standing up between decorations.

Specialty Tips Including Basketweave, Grass & Ruffle Tips

These come in a near endless assortment and can be used
to create patterned lines or designs. Basketweave tips have a
smooth side for making wide icing
stripes and a serrated side for creating
ribbed stripes. Grass tips have multiple
openings and can be used to create
lots of thin strands of icing, perfect
for recreating grass or hair. Ruffle tips
create a long ruffled line of icing.

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 Guide to Piping Tips

Tip Conversion Chart

In this class, Jenny uses round and star tips from the Ateco 800
series. They are about 2” tall and offer more stability than a small
1” tip, which makes them perfect for beginners. They are readily
available online and may be available at cake specialty stores
as well as big-box craft stores. If you cannot find them at a local
retailer, you can usually find the smaller 1” piping tip. Below is a
conversion guide between the Ateco 800 series and 1” tips

Large 2" Ateco brand Smaller 1" piping tip

pastry tip numbers Size of opening
number equivalent
used in class

No. 800 round No. 6 (most brands) ⁵⁄ 32" (4 mm)

No. 802 round No. 8 (most brands) ¼" (6.5 mm)

No. 804 round No. 10 (most brands) 3

⁄8" (9.5 mm)

No. 806 round No. 12 (Ateco) ½" (12.5 mm)

No. 820 open star No. 16 (most brands) ⁵⁄ 32" (4 mm)

No. 822 open star No. 19 (most brands) ¼" (6.5 mm)

No. 824 open star No. 21 (most brands) 3

⁄8" (9.5 mm)

n/a; try the

No. 826 open star ½" (12.5 mm)
Wilton 1M 2" tip

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 How To Slice and Serve

Tips on Slicing & Serving Layer Cakes

Determining Portion Size

When serving an 8-inch (20-cm) layer cake or smaller, simply
cut it into wedges, anywhere between 6-12 slices per cake,
depending on how many servings you desire. For larger round
cakes, a different technique is used to prevent the wedges from
being very long and too large.

Marking Cake Slices

Mark your cake before you cut—determine precisely how many
servings you would like to yield from your cake and gently score
a line in the frosting on the top of your cake with a knife before
you begin cutting. Looking to serve a lot of people? Check out
this handy cutting guide from Pam’s Tiers of Joy: http://www.
pamstiersofjoy.net/how_to_cut_your_celebration_cake.

Cutting the Cake

• Always use a large chef’s knife to cut layer cakes.
• Dip the entire blade of the knife into a tall container, such as a
pitcher, filled with very hot water. This will warm the blade and
allow you to cut cleanly through your layers of buttercream
and cake.
• Dry the water from the blade with a clean kitchen towel or
paper towel.
• Cut into the cake, placing the tip of the knife blade into the
cake first, and cutting downward through all the layers.
• Be sure to dip the knife back into the hot water and wipe the
blade clean between every cut – to ensure clean cuts for
each slice of cake.

11
 How To Transport Cakes

Tips on Transporting Cakes

Here are some easy-to-follow tips on how to transport your
decorated layer cakes:
• Layer cakes should be set on one cardboard round the size of
the cake’s diameter—this is the cardboard round you used to
assemble your cake in Lesson 4.
• Place your layer cake on another cardboard round—1 to 2
inches larger in diameter than your cake. Using a small piece
of tape, roll the tape sticky side out and attach the two layers
of cardboard together. This larger cake board will allow you to
more easily pick up and move your cake around.
• Storing your cakes in bakery boxes makes transportation
a lot less stressful. It will protect your cake from dust, lint,
accidentally being knocked into, etc.

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 How To Transport Cakes

• Place the cakes in boxes that are sized to the cardboard

base of your cake. This will prevent the cake from shifting
within the box. If the box is too big, roll pieces of masking tape
sticky side out and attach to the inside bottom of the box.
Position the cake on top of the tape. The tape will hold the
cake in place within the box.
• Do not tuck in the bakery box flaps inside the box, as they can
damage your cake. Keep them on the outside of the box and
tape them to close the box.
• For boxes which must hold taller decorations, prop up top and
sides and secure with masking tape.
• Large toppers, candles, and decorations should be packed
separately from your cake. You can attach any larger
decorations to your cake on site.
• For multi-tiered cakes, transport each tier separately and
stack on site.
• Be sure to have with you the equipment and icings you will
need to finish any decorating needed after assembly at the
final destination—I always pack a small bag of buttercream
(colored if necessary), a large and small offset spatula, a few
toothpicks, and a pair of scissor and tweezers. These will help
in case you have to make an unexpected repair to your cake.
• Place your cake boxes on the floor of your car, on a very flat
surface. Do not put them on a slanted car seat, and only
place them in the trunk of your car if the weather is cool and
they are on a surface that will prevent the cakes from sliding.
• If the weather is warm, be sure to transport the cakes in an air-
conditioned vehicle (the trunk is not air-conditioned). I prefer
to place the cakes on floor of the front passenger side of the
car, with direct access to the car’s air-conditioning vents in
hot weather.

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 Glossary

Appliqué: Using cutout pieces of thinly rolled fondant to create

designs on the surface of a frosted or fondant-covered cake.

Bakery box: Cardboard box used to store and transport cakes.

Buttercream icing: The most versatile and popular type of

frosting. It is smooth and creamy, made with a butter or
shortening, sugar, and sometimes egg whites. It is used for
covering cakes, and piped decorations such as flowers, borders,
and writing.
• American Buttercream: A whipped frosting made from
confectioner’s sugar and butter or shortening.
• Swiss meringue buttercream: A whipped frosting made from
egg whites and sugar cooked over a double boiler. The
mixture is then whipped until cooled, light and fluffy. Butter or
shortening is added and the mixture is whipped to create a
thick frosting consistency. (Sometimes abbreviated at SMBC
by cake decorators and bakers.)

Cake board: A corrugated cardboard disk that is sized to

provide bases for standard circular cakes. They can be waxed,
unwaxed, patterned, or with ruffles already applied. May also
be called a cake round or a cake circle. Also come in other
shapes, including square and oval.

Cake dummy: Polystyrene form cut into the shape of a cake

tier. Dummies can be used for practice decorating, fake tiers to
increase the height and size of a cake, inedible cake displays,
or in some decorating competitions. They are often covered in
icing or fondant and decorated to look like real cake tiers. Also
called Styrofoam dummies.

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 Glossary

Cake flour: A finely milled, low-protein flour used for cakes (8-9
percent protein as compared to all-purpose flour, which is 10-13
percent protein). This makes cakes more tender with a lighter,
fluffier crumb.

Confectioner’s sugar: Sugar that has been processed into a

powder that is 10x more fine than granulated sugar. Often
contains cornstarch to keep the powder from clumping. It is
used to make icings, gum paste, fondant, or sprinkled on top
of baked goods. Also known as icing sugar, powdered sugar or
sometimes simply 10x.

Craft knife: A sharp knife with a small folding or retractable razor-

like blade on a stick pen shaped handle that is suited for small
detailed cutting work. It is mostly used for crafts. Also called a
utility knife.

Creaming: A mixing method that begins with the blending of

butter and sugar, followed by eggs and dry ingredients and is
often used when making cakes, cookies, and similar items.

Crumb coat: To coat a cake in a very thin layer of frosting,

in order to trap loose crumbs. This technique is primarily used
before flat-masking a cake with an additional layer of frosting.

Decorating bag: The bag that holds a decorating tip and

frosting for piped designs. Bags can be made of plastic,
polyester, canvas, or parchment paper. Also called a piping
bag or pastry bag.

15
 Glossary

Decorating tips: Often referred to as pastry or piping tips,

these specially-shaped, open-end tips are used to form
icing decorations. The size and shape of the opening on a
decorating tip determines the type of decorations the tip will
produce. Sometimes called decorating tubes or nozzles.
• Round tip: Circular opening at the end of a piping tip. Can
be very small for detailed work and writing, or very large for
swirling frosting on top of cupcakes.
• Star tip: Can come open or closed, creating ridges on the
frosting as it passes through the tip. Can be used to create
scrolls, borders, kisses, and rosettes.
• Leaf Tip: Includes a V-shaped notch, which creates a leaf
shape when piped.
• Rose Tip: Curved tear-drop shaped tip used for creating flower
petals.

De-pan: To remove a cake from its baking pan.

Dry measuring cups: A set of measuring cups that usually range

in size from ¼ cup to 1 cup and are used to measure the volume
of dry cooking and baking ingredients such as flour and sugar.
Not to be confused with liquid measuring cups which come as
a pitcher with a handle, usually made of clear plastic or glass,
and used to measure the volume of liquid.

Double boiler: A set of two pans, or a bowl set over a pan, that
stack on top of each other. A double boiler is used for any
cooking process that requires gentle indirect heat. Water is
heated in the lower saucepan and the contents of the top pan
or bowl are heated. Also known as a double saucepan.

Edible marker: A marker used for cake decoration on rolled

fondant or royal icing that is made with edible ink.

16
 Glossary

Elephant skin: The term used for rolled fondant that has a dried
out and has a fine wrinkled appearance on its surface.

Filler flowers: Small flowers or buds used to fill space gaps

between larger flowers to give cake flower sprays or bouquets a
fuller look.

Filling: Frosting, puddings, creams or preserves that are spread

between layers of cake to hold them together.

Flat mask/flat frost: To cover a cake with frosting with a perfectly

straight top and sides. It is an essential frosting technique used
before covering a cake with rolled fondant.

Flower nail: A small round, flat surface on a stem, similar to a nail

and usually made of metal. It is finger-held and can be rotated
to make piped icing flowers.

Fondant/rolled fondant: A sweet, elastic icing made of sugar,

glucose, and sometimes gelatin that is rolled out with a rolling pin
and draped over a cake. It has a smooth, porcelain finish and
provides a firm base for sugar flowers, decorative details, and
architectural designs. It can also be used to make flowers, leaves
or other appliqué and cut out decorations for cake designs.

Fondant rolling pin: A hard plastic rolling pin used for creating a
smooth and professional-quality finish on rolled fondant. Can be
large, up to 18” or very small, 9” for rolling out small pieces
of fondant.

Fondant smoothers: An essential tool made of hard plastic

with a flat surface and handle that is used for shaping and
smoothing rolled fondant.

17
 Glossary

Fondant spackle: A pliable thin paste made from water and

fondant that is used to patch small holes and tears in rolled
fondant.

Frost: To cover a cake with icing.

Gel paste coloring: A gel-based food coloring used to give

frostings or fondant deeper, more vivid colors than liquid or
water-based food colorings. It is very concentrated and thick,
and should be used in very small quantities.

Gum paste: A sugar paste dough made from a combination of

rolled fondant and a gum stiffening agent that dries hard. It is
used for handmade, lifelike flowers and other three-dimensional
decorations that will last for years if stored in dry and cool
environments in airtight containers.

Marble: To partly mix food coloring into cake batter, frosting, or

fondant to create a decorative swirled pattern of colors.

Metal bench scraper: A flat, rectangular piece of metal with a

handle on the top often used to cut pieces of pastry, bread,
fondant and other doughs. It is also used frequently by cake
decorators to smooth frosting on the sides of layer cake.

Offset spatula: A metal utensil, with a long flat tip and a bend
just at the handle, used to spread frosting smoothly and evenly
on to cakes.

Parchment paper: A heat-resistant paper often used in baking

that is available in sheets or in rolls.

18
 Glossary

Petal/leaf veiner: A sculpting tool, often made of silicon, that is

used to press fondant or gumpaste flower petals and leaves to
give them a natural veining surface texture. Also called petal or
leaf presses.

Piped designs: Decorations created with frosting that is pressed

through a pastry bag fitted with a piping tip. Also called piping.
• Bead borders: A continuous decoration of small dots or beads
used around the top, side or base of a cake. Also called pearl
borders.
• Kisses: A drop of icing created with a round piping tip, that
resembles a Hershey’s kiss.
• Swiss dots: A piping technique that forms tiny dots in random
patterns that resemble a fine dotted Swiss fabric.

Piping gel: A transparent gel that can be tinted any color for
decorating, writing, or pattern transfer. Often found pre-colored
and in tubes at the grocery store and used for writing. It is not to
be confused with gel paste food coloring.

Practice board: A hard surface that can be used flat or upright

for practicing piped decorations.

Spoon-and-level measuring: To spoon the flour into a dry

measuring cup and then use a flat tool, such as a spatula, to
level it off. This technique is used to accurately measure flour by
volume versus by weight on a scale.

Scratch cake: A cake made using no prepared ingredients.

Stacked cake: A multi-tiered cake, with each tier placed

directly on one another in graduating order from large to small.
Dowels or large straws are often placed inside the cake to
support the cake placed on top of it.

19
 Glossary

Swiss meringue: A whipped frosting made from egg whites and

sugar cooked over a double boiler. The mixture is then whipped
until cooled, light and fluffy. It can be used on its own as a
frosting or butter or shortening can be added to the meringue
to create Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

Sugar flower: A three-dimensional, botanically realistic flower

made from fondant, gum paste, or other sugar dough.

Tier: The term used to describe a layer cake, when used in a

stack of cakes arranged in graduating sizes.

Toppers: A cake decoration that is placed on the top of a cake,

often a hand-modeled figurine made of fondant or gumpaste
and traditionally a representation of a couple in formal wedding
attire. Modern designed toppers can be made into any
decoration the cake designer chooses, ranging from people to
animals to fantasy characters.

Torting: Splitting a single cake layer in half horizontally to form

two layers.

Turntable: A revolving cake stand used in the decorating

process for ease, especially when covering a cake in frosting.
Some turntables can be tilted to decorate the sides of the cake.
Can also substitute a level Lazy Susan or even a microwave
plate and rollers.

20
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