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Cake-toppers take cakes to the next level, but you don't have to spend a fortune buying them
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Try these ideas for your own homemade cake toppers. For detailed shapes, melt chocolate chips and spoon the melted chocolate into a cookie cutter
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placed on top of a piece of parchment paper. Use the spoon to push the chocolate around to completely fill the shape
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right up to the edges. Save a spoonful of the melted chocolate for later
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and then put the parchment in the freezer for 10 minutes or in the fridge for 30 minutes
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before gently pushing the chocolate out. Flip the cookie cutter over and push from the bottom
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up to the top, and this makes it much less likely to snap as you push. Push all over the shape to gradually ease it out of the cookie cutter
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The thicker the chocolate is, the stronger the shape will be, which is important for this part
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Once the shape is out, you can brush it with edible glitter or luster dust to give it some colour and sparkle
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To attach the shape, flip it over and use the spoonful of chocolate you saved
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to make a line down the middle of the shape. You'll probably need to remelt this chocolate
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Press a paper straw into the melted chocolate, and the melted chocolate will act as glue to attach it
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Push another straw into your cake to forge the pathway for the straw that's attached to the cake topper
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Then when the chocolate has set, to attach the straw to the chocolate shape, push that straw into the hole and the shape will slide in easily and secure the cake topper in place With just a cookie cutter you created a perfectly shaped cake topper With a petal tip you can create all sorts of flowers using buttercream or any other frosting
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You'll need parchment paper, just a small square, and a flower nail, and a plate or a tray
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Choose a petal tip that's the right size for your cake. I'm using a number 126 to pipe a rose on top of my little 4-inch cake
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but for a larger cake you might choose a larger tip, like a number 127
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Drop the petal tip into a piping bag and you'll notice it's a tear drop shape with a narrow end and a wide end and that's going to be very important in a minute
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Fill your piping bag no more than half full with frosting and push the frosting down to the bottom, twisting the bag to make piping easier
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Squeeze a little smear onto the flower nail which will act as glue to attach the parchment square
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Now squeeze a blob onto the middle of the parchment and then hold the piping bag with the narrow end of the tip pointing up and squeeze the buttercream out and spin the flower nail between your third
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thumb and fingers to make a ring and keep piping to overlap it, creating a rosebud
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Roses are really easy to pipe because you use the same motion to create all of the petals
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just changing the length and the angle. Start by angling the tip inwards to keep the petals
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as tight as you can, as close to the rosebud as possible, and overlap each petal by a bit
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so they sort of wrap around each other After one ring pipe another ring and with each ring the petals should get a bit longer and also they should start angling a bit further out so they less tight around the rose bud
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because rose petals start to fan out as you get towards the outside of the rose
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Remember to always overlap the previous petal as you're piping. When you've covered the parchment
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pinch a piece of it and carefully slide it onto a plate or a tray and put it in the freezer for five minutes
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pipe a generous blub of frosting onto the top of a cake
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and then take your rose out of the freezer and it will be cold and firm so you can lift it up and place it onto the cake
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angling it so it's facing outwards rather than straight up. Spin the cake so you can see the back of the rows
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and pipe more petals around the back to cover up that blob. Keep the narrow end of the piping tip pointing up always
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and overlap the petals and if you want you can tidy up the petals with a toothpick
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because the frosting is still soft and sticky so you can manipulate it
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Roses are so elegant, and this one has the added benefit of being delicious, too
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Another delicious way to add height and color to a cake is with any kind of hard candy
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Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat, and place the tray in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius for about two minutes
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until the candy melts into a puddle but don wait until it completely flat and bubbling furiously because the candy will be too thin like this Let the candy cool for about five minutes and then lift it off the parchment and push it into a cake Those big bubbles will settle
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as the candy cools, leaving a shiny, colorful shard that pokes through the frosting easily. Don't be shy as
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you push the candy in, because the frosting will hold the topper in place so it doesn't topple over
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No one will guess how easy it is to make these colorful cake toppers. To make a basket or sail
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melt chocolate and pour it onto parchment paper and spread it around to create a smooth even layer
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so it's the same thickness all over. Aim for smooth edges since those will be noticeable at the end
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Immediately lift the parchment up and drape it over a bottle or an upside down bowl or any other object
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and you can use clothespegs or pins or clips to hold the parchment in a certain position
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to create the shape you want for your chocolate. Put the chocolate in the fridge and this is essential
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It's almost impossible not to break the chocolate when you take it off the parchment if it's at room temperature
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When the chocolate is cold, you can peel the parchment paper away and leave behind a pretty chocolate basket
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If the frosting on your cake has set, spread a bit of fresh buttercream onto it and press the chocolate into that
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and the chocolate will stick to it. So pretty. I hope you've seen some fun ideas you'd like to try
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Visit my online cake school for lots of courses teaching hundreds of cake designs and techniques
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Thanks for watching and happy caking
