This a buttercream-style frosting recipe that has a smooth and creamy texture with a sweet and buttery vanilla flavor. Ask our Test Kitchen cooks and they’ll tell you that a small offset spatula is one of their most used tools for decorating cookies, cupcakes and cakes. Create perfectly smooth cake tops and sides every time thanks to the sleek, stainless steel blade of this smoother. Icing is the most important ingredient in cake decorating. A small spatula like this ($8) makes spreading an even layer of frosting onto sheet cakes and fancy decorated cakes a breeze. Tips For Icing and Glazes: Use about half the liquid called for in an icing recipe, adding more liquid as needed to thin to your desired consistency. You can dip your metal icing spatula in cold water and go over the icing, this will smooth the icing beautifully. The icing should be quite stiff, if it is too stiff to work with you can always thin it out. Decorate the cake with fondant cutouts or icing designs, if desired. Whether you're baking for a holiday—like Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa—or simply celebrating the winter solstice, cookie decorating is a perfect (and delicious) activity for kids and adults alike. Of all the types of cookie icing, our thinned royal icing recipe is perfect for covering and decorating cut-out sugar cookies. Smaller spatulas are used for detail work, smoothing out smaller portions of frosting, and picking up or placing decorative features on the cake. Also known as flow-in icing or flood icing, this recipe dries icing to a smooth finish. Metal spatulas come both flat and offset. You will want to repeat the process of heating (and drying) your spatula throughout this process, ensuring the spatula stays warm to the touch for best results. After decorating the cookies, as the icing dries at room temperature, it will set. Spread onto cut out sugar cookies, or flood into piped outlines. The best icing tips are made of stainless steel or nickel-plated brass. Q. What’s the best way to choose and care for icing tips? A. Stir until smooth and the desired consistency has been reached. And for a pourable home-made icing, please visit this new post. Use a fondant smoother to finish the cake, gently buffing away any imperfections. The Ultimate Guide to Icing Cookies. The sugar also helps create a sturdy and thick consistency in the frosting. Sized specifically for standard cake heights to easily smooth icing, the flat bottom is convenient for resting on the cake board while smoothing the sides of your cake. Make sure the icing is smooth and even. Icing smoother (I 100% recommend Ateco Decorating Comb over any other) 9 inch offset spatula (I use Wilton Angled Spatula) Fondant smoother (I use Wilton Easy Glide Fondant Smoother) Viva paper towels (Viva brand specifically) Let’s talk about that icing smoother for a second. When it comes to frosting tools, this one is a must-have. Larger metal spatulas are used for smoothing the frosting on the top of the cake, cleaning up edges, and lifting the cake off the board or stand. Unlike softer cookie icings, thinned royal icing is durable once it sets, making it ideal for flooding and decorating sugar cookies. The tiny particles create a smoother texture instead of crunchy granules. Small offset spatula. This frosting won’t give you quite the precision that you get from decorating with something like royal icing, BUT, you will be blown away by the flavor difference. A couple of tips and tricks if you run into problems: -if your cake looks lumpy, take a knife or offset spatula and gently smooth the icing. Then add a thin layer of icing that is slightly warm over the cake -if your icing … Once you reach the edge of the cake, work the icing down the sides, using the same gentle movement to spread the icing love all over the cake from top to bottom. Divide into separate bowls and add desired food coloring. 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