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Decorate these five cakes in five minutes or less
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Tray bakes are a great option for quick but eye-catching cakes. Bake your cake in a casserole
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dish or a pie dish and skip the assembly step by decorating it right there in the dish. Use a few
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different piping tips and a variety of colours of frosting to create different textures and you can
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even make shapes for designs like this heart. I'm using my 4 Minute Buttercream but you can do this
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with ganache, whipped cream or meringue buttercream too and this is my very vanilla cake recipe but
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you can even do this with brownies or chocolate chip cookie dough. Tray bakes are easy to make
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and decorate and easy to transport and serve. Fresh flowers will turn even a very simple cake
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like this semi-naked cake, into a stunning beauty. You'll need some straws and some flowers
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that you've washed and dried and cut them so that the stems are about two inches long, just long
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enough to secure the flowers in the cake. Pull off any leaves from the stems and then pinch together
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little bouquets of flowers, combining different flowers or adding greenery to make arrangements
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that you'll use to decorate your cake. The stems will need to fit into a straw, which is why you
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pull off all the leaves, to make the stems as narrow as possible so you can fit in as many as
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possible. Wrap the stems in plastic wrap to catch any liquid that comes out of the stems so that
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that doesn't get into your cake and then push the wrapped stems into a straw. Cut the straw just
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below where the stems end and make as many of these as you like, then push each one into the cake
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using your fingers first but then pushing them in that last little bit using scissor blades
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which will let you go much deeper into the cake without poking it with your fingers and damaging
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the frosting. If you haven't already, click the subscribe button for a new cake decorating
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tutorial every week! This next technique is perfect if the frosting on your cake isn't
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perfectly smooth. I like to chill the cake to set the frosting and then brush it with a bit
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of water to make it sticky, then pour some sprinkles into a bowl. These are nonpareils
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or hundreds and thousands and they work best because you won't bite into big crunchy chunks
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of sprinkles. Press the sprinkles into the frosting and since it's cold and firm, as you push against
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it you won't cause indents or bulges and also the sprinkles won't sink into the frosting so you
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won't bury them. By placing the cake on a baking sheet or tray before doing this you'll catch any
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falling sprinkles so they won't bounce away and make a mess all over the kitchen. Sprinkled cakes
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are quick and easy to decorate and they're colourful and fun! Use a spoon to give a cake gorgeous
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texture and this is another technique that doesn't require perfectly smooth frosting
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Cover the cake with buttercream or whatever frosting you're using and scrape around the
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cake a few times with a cake comb but don't worry about little imperfections or getting the top edge
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perfectly straight. Press the back of a spoon lightly into the frosting and pull it in a curve
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to make little arcs, going in different directions and overlapping to create this rustic effect
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Dipping your spoon into hot water every minute or so will give you the neatest results because the
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hot metal will smooth the frosting as you pull it, preventing tiny air bubbles in the frosting or
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if they're already there the hot spoon will make them disappear. This technique works on the sides
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of the cake and also on the top. Create any design or pattern by making a homemade stencil with
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parchment paper. Draw or trace your shape and cut it out, leaving the paper around the shape intact
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to create a stencil. Parchment paper is thin and flexible so it's easy to cut into any design
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Place the stencil on a chilled cake and spread frosting over it and since the cake is cold the
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stencil won't damage the frosting. Scrape until you have a thin smooth layer of frosting over
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the stencil and then peel it off, leaving your design on the cake. For extra decoration, press
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sprinkles into the design and since it's soft and sticky the sprinkles will attach easily. You can
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use a small paintbrush or a toothpick to nudge any sprinkles onto the shape if they roll off
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I'm adding a quick border but even with just the stencil design the cake looks pretty and fancy
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Which of these super fast cake decorations is your favourite? Tell me in the comments! Visit
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my cake school on britishgirlbakes.com to learn hundreds of cake decorating techniques and designs
