Cake Decorating Terms and Meanings A-H

Terms and Meanings

Airbrush An artist’s paint gun using an air pump to spray food coloring finely and evenly on a cake or cupcakes.

Almond Paste A mixture of finely ground almonds and sugar.

Angel Food Cake A type of cake made of meringue (egg whites and sugar) and flour.

Attach To secure royal or buttercream icing flowers or plastic decorations, pipe dots of icing to "attach" the decoration to an iced cake. Royal Icing dries hard and is more permanent than buttercream.
Use your icing to attach as you would use "glue."

Australian A complex technique comprised of delicate string work and icing lace on a rolled fondant covered cake.

Backdrop Fabric or paper background that is either draped or hung smoothly.

Baked Alaska A dessert consisting of ice cream on a sponge-cake base,
covered with meringue and browned in the oven.

Baking Ammonia A leavening ingredient that releases ammonia gas and carbon dioxide.

Baking or Bitter Chocolate Unsweetened chocolate that contains no
additional ingredients

Baking Powder A leavening agent made from a combination of baking soda,
an acid (such as cream of tartar) and a moisture absorber (such as cornstarch).
When baking powder is mixed with moist ingredients, carbon dioxide bubbles are
released, causing batter to rise.

Baking Soda A leavening agent known as sodium bicarbonate. When baking
soda is combined with an acid ingredient, carbon dioxide gas bubbles are
released, causing dough or batter to rise.

Batter A semi liquid mixture containing flour or other starch, used for the production of such products as cakes and breads and for coating products to be deep-fried.

Basket weave A piping technique that features interwoven vertical and horizontal lines (like a wicker basket)

Bavarian Cream A light, cold dessert made of gelatin, whipped cream, and custard sauce or fruit.

Blown Sugar Pulled sugar that is made into thin-walled, hollow
shapes by being blown up like a balloon.

Bombe A type of frozen dessert made in a dome-shaped mold.

Border A continuous decoration used around the top, side or base of a cake.

Boston Cream Pie A sponge cake or other yellow cake filled with pastry
cream and topped with chocolate fondant or confectioners' sugar.

Bran Flour Flour to which bran flakes have been added.

Brown Sugar Regular granulated sucrose containing various impurities
that give it a distinctive flavor.

Bud The first stage of a growing branch, leaf, or flower.

Butter A saturated fat made from churning cream until it reaches a
semi-solid state.

Buttercream An icing made of butter and/or shortening blended with confectioners' sugar or sugar syrup and sometimes other ingredients.

Buttermilk A thick, smooth liquid made by adding lactic acid bacteria to
nonfat or low-fat milk.

Cake Flour A fine, white flour made from soft wheat

Calyx The outer protective covering of a flower, which folds back when open in segments called sepals.

Candy Clay Candy clay comes in many formulas, but it's usually a combination of chocolate and corn syrup to keep the chocolate pliable. It can be modeled in many ways and is often used for larger pieces
like bows and ribbons. It can also be used to make flowers.

CaramelizationThe browning of sugars caused by heat.

Cascade A continuous flow of decorations that tumble down from level to
level.

Cast Sugar Sugar that is boiled to the hard crack stage and then poured
into molds to harden.

Celstick is a thin cylinder of food grade plastic (there are various sizes
of celsticks, the most common size is the same size as a standard pencil)

Charlotte (A) A cold dessert made of Bavarian cream or other cream
in a special mold, usually lined with ladyfingers or other sponge products.
(B) A hot dessert made of cooked fruit and baked in a special mold lined
with strips of bread

Chemical Leavener A leavener such as baking soda, baking powder, or baking ammonia, which releases gases produced by chemical reactions

Chiffon Cake: A light cake made by the chiffon method.

Chiffon Method A cake mixing method involving the folding of whipped egg whites into a batter made of flour, egg yolks, and oil.

Chiffon Pie A pie with a light, fluffy filling containing egg whites and, usually, gelatin.

Chocolate Made from ground cocoa beans in a process that separates cocoa
butter from chocolate liquor. The dark-brown chocolate liquor paste is then
refined and mixed with various ingredients to produce different varieties.

Chocolate Liquor Unsweetened chocolate, consisting of cocoa solids and cocoa butter.

Christmas Pudding A dark, heavy, steamed pudding made of dried and candied
fruits, spices, beef suet, and crumbs.

Classic buttercream Has a creamier texture and a more pronounced sweet
taste.

Cobbler A fruit dessert similar to a pie but without a bottom crust.

Cocoa Powder of roasted cacao beans, when added to oil makes an excellent substitute for processed chocolate.

Cocoa Butter A white or yellowish fat found in natural chocolate.

Color flows This is a name given by Wilton Industries to the procedure they teach which relates to other names such as "Flood work", "Run Sugar", or "Icing Run out". It is Royal
Icing that is thinned down with water, and formed into a picture. You outline
the picture with thicker icing, and then thin the icing down. It flows out of
the bag filling the area. After it dries, it is lifted off the wax paper, and
set down on the cake on top of sugar cubes or wax paper cutout, so as not to
come into contact with the grease or humidity of Buttercream. Very fragile.
Good idea to make two or three. For a shiny effect, use a warm light bulb
shining close to the surface while drying for 48 to 72 hours.

Compote Fruit cooked in a sugar syrup.

Confectioners’ Sugar Powdered granulated sugar used to make icings, gum paste,
fondant, etc. (Powdered Sugar).

Cornelli Lace An elaborate piping technique that yields a lace-like pattern.

Cornstarch A powdered maize used as a thickener in cooking and to dry gum paste when working.

Corn syrup A thick, sweet liquid (light or dark) made by processing
cornstarch with acids or enzymes. Light corn syrup is clarified to remove all
color and cloudiness. Dark corn syrup has a stronger flavor and a deeper color
because it is flavored and colored with caramel. It is a popular ingredient
used in candies, frostings and jams because it doesn't crystallize.

Covered wire floristry wires covered with paper not plastic.

Coupler A two-piece device placed in piping bag allowing speedy interchange
of decorating tips.

Crème Anglaise A light vanilla-flavored custard sauce made of milk, sugar, and egg yolks.

Crème Brulee A rich custard with a brittle top crust of caramelized sugar. French name means "burnt
cream."

Crème Caramel A custard baked in a mold lined with caramelized sugar, then unmolded.

Cream of Tarter Potassium bitartrate; a white powder used to hold beaten
egg whites and to harden flowed sugar.

Crumb Coat This is where you put a thin layer of your frosting on to the cake just to keep the crumbs sealed in. Then you just frost the cake. This also helps with your cake not drying out if your not able
to frost your cake right away. But make sure that your cake is completely
cooled before frosting.

Cupcakes Individually decorated cupcakes can be arranged in tiers to resemble a larger wedding cake.

Custard A liquid that is thickened or set by the coagulation of egg
protein.

Decorating Tubes The size and shape of the opening on a decorating tube determines the type of decorations the tip will produce.

Devil's Food Cake A chocolate cake made with a high percentage of
baking soda, which gives the cake a reddish color.

Dotted Swiss Texture effect made by dotting surface area.

Dragees Round, edible sugar balls coated with silver or gold and used for decorative purposes.

Dutch Process Cocoa Cocoa that has been processed with an alkali to
reduce its acidity.

Elongated When we use the term elongated shells, leaves, etc., it means to taper an icing decoration by relaxing bag pressure and moving before stopping the technique.

Embroidery A delicate technique that creates a pattern resembling fine embroidery.

Evaporated Milk A liquid, slightly thicker than milk, made by
homogenizing whole milk from which 60 percent of the water has been removed.

Figure Piping Decorating technique used to form figures out of icing.

Filling Frosting, preserves or pudding that's spread between cake layers and holds them together.

Flood work Precise and exact decorations made by flowing liquefied royal icing within piped borders.

Flour The finely ground grain of wheat, corn, oat, rye or barley used in
breads, cakes and cookies.

Foaming The process of whipping eggs, with or without sugar, to
incorporate air.

Fondant A sweet, elastic icing made of sugar, corn syrup, and gelatin that's literally rolled out with a rolling pin and draped over a cake. It's a smooth, porcelain finish and provides a firm base for hand
molded sugar flowers, decorative details, and architectural designs. Cakes iced
in fondant have a layer of buttercream or ganache underneath.

Frangipane A type of almond-flavored cream.

French Pastry A variety of small fancy cakes and other pastries, usually in single-portion sizes.

Fresh Flowers Fresh flowers can be added to your cake as long as they are non-poisonous and organically grown.

Ganache A sweet, rich chocolate, denser than mousse but less dense than fudge. It is made of chocolate and heavy cream, and will soften in very humid weather.

Garland Swags of buttercream icing create a garland along the top of the cake.

Gelatin Ingredient of gum paste, this protein strengthens the sugar work. (Unflavored Jell-O).

Genoise A sponge cake made with a batter
containing melted butter.

Glucose A type of sugar used in commercial candies and frosting, baked good, soft drinks and other processed foods because it doesn't crystallize easily. Also called dextroglucose or dextrose. Check in a
store that has a large cake decorating section or offers cake decorating
classes.

Glycerin A colorless, odorless, syrupy liquid made from fats and oils and used to retain moisture and add sweetness to foods. It also helps to prevent sugar crystallization in foods like candy. Stir into
icing to restore consistency or use to soften fondant or royal icing.

Granulated or White Sugar Made from highly refined beet or cane sugar.

Gum Arabic Powdered resins of the acacia tree, when mixed with water makes gum glue, a substitute for egg white as an adhesive.

Gum Paste A sugar paste (dough) with a gum stiffening agent, this mixture is most often used for handmade flowers and other three-dimensional decorations. Flowers made from Gum paste usually look
the most lifelike. It dries very hard and breaks easily if not handled
gingerly. Gum paste is susceptible to heat and humidity. If properly stored,
Gum paste decorations will last for years as keepsakes.

Gum Paste Flowers This paste of sugar, cornstarch, and gelatin is used to mold realistic-looking fruits, flowers, ribbons and bows to garnish a cake. Gum paste decorations are edible and will
last for years as keepsakes.

Gum Tragacanth Powdered resin that is essential ingredient for gum paste to ensure its elastic qualities.

Honey Made from flower
nectar by bees, honey is a thick sweetener often used for pastries and other
baked goods. They comes in three varieties: comb (containing the edible
honeycomb), chunk-style (containing pieces of comb) and liquid (comb-less and
often pasteurized).