Welcome to my first ever cake related blog.
6 months into the helloCAKEblog.com…. well done Emma – organised as ever!
Before I start with the tutorials I thought it’d be a good idea to tell you what essential decorating equipment I have and could not live without. Most of this I keep in a little basket so it’s handy to reach into when I need to. I’ve been cake decorating for years now so as you can imagine this is a snippet of my collection but if you’re just starting out these are the things you definitely need….
Most of the stuff you can buy super easily from ebay or my go-to online cake decorating shop cake stuff (I use their own-brand couture fondant for all of my cakes, it really is amazing stuff!) I’ve also seen quite a good array of decorating stuff in Home Bargains FYI!
Non-stick mats and rolling pins – There are so many different non-stick mats and on the market fairly low-cost, you could probably manage without to begin with as long as you cover your surface with cornflour.I have two sizes of rolling pins – a giant one for rolling out fondant for giant cakes and a smaller one for doing smaller things – surprisingly.
Cornflour – I use this to sprinkle over my non-stick board just to make sure the fondant really doesn’t stick!
Smoothers x2 – Crucial for getting those smooth and super sharp edges.
Basic tool set – You can get these super cheap of ebay. They’re super handy for making models/flowers etc.
Basic sugar flair colours – I recommend getting pink, blue, yellow, green, paprika/flesh, to begin with. They last for ages and these are the ones I use the most.
Brushes – Very handy for when you need to stick things together with either glue or water.
Edible Glue – (or you can use water) For when you need to stick things together 😀 You can make it yourself but I buy mine from cake stuff and it lasts me a long time.
Boards and Boxes – These are super cheap to pick up. I use the silver drum boards and buy the white boxes.
Selection of ribbons – 12mm ribbons are perfect for using around the edges of the boards. I get my ribbons off ebay and probably use white/ivory, pastel pink, blue, red and black the most.
Selection of Cutters – This list could go on forever but I think for starters, round, heart, simple flowers, letters/numbers. I’d recommend buying the as you need them. Your collection will soon grow.
Couture Fondant by Cake Stuff – I use this stuff all the time. I’ve tried so many different brands over the years but this has never let me down. It’s probably middle of the road cost-wise. If the supermarket is your only options I think Tesco is probably the best.
Renshaws Modelling Paste- I get through tonnes of this stuff. It’s so good for modelling, letters and flowers and that sort of thing.
I think that’s about everything for now.
If there’s any particular tutorials you’d like me to share please let me know. (I don’t even know where to start!) HELP!
Lots of love, Emma.hellocake xx
Hello Cake 
This is fab, thank you! I tried the Couture fondant for the first time the other day, it’s amazing. Which letter cutters do you use? I have tried a few and have a nightmare getting the letters out of the cutters. Do you have any tips?
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Yesssss I used to have a nightmare with letter cutters too!! Still do sometimes.
Biggest tip is roll out the modelling paste or even flower paste a hin as possible and leave it for atlas 15 minutes and then try and use them. Let me know how you get on! xx
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Fab – I would love to see a tutorial on how to ice a cake with fondant icing, I’ve tried before but it’s never neat and I often use decoration to cover the cracks ha!
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Yes Lauren, this has been requested by a few people so I will definitely be sharing! x
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