From light and airy to richly dense, cake is a comfort to those with a sweet tooth the world over. If you’ve ever enjoyed a slice of thick, buttercream-laden birthday cake, you might have wondered how exactly they get those beautiful flower and balloon designs so effortlessly piped on top. Though it’s tempting to let those secrets stay a secret and continue buying decorated cakes from the supermarket, you’ll be pleased to know that you can leave that extra fancy (and more expensive) cake on the shelf and flex your own artistic skills by purchasing a plain store-bought cake and dressing it up yourself.
Elaborately decorated cakes are chief among a number of grocery store bakery items you should avoid buying because they simply aren’t worth the extra money. It’s so much easier to grab a basic cake and gussy it up than to pay for the special designs that you can just create yourself. With a basic set of piping bags and tips from a brand like Boomiboo and a little bit of practice, those lovely florals and delightful designs will be flowing in no time. Another way to transform store-bought cake to look like you went the extra mile is by using cookie cutters to cut a plain cake into miniature versions for a more fun visual that’s easier to decorate and customize on an individual basis.
Customizing a store-bought cake
Depending on the flavor and size of your store-bought cake, there are several methods you can take to fix it up into a fully customized creation for any occasion. Think about the occasion and the flavor of the existing cake, and match your designs and other flavors to suit this. With a plain sheet cake, using cookie cutters to cut it into individual mini-cakes is fairly simple. Keeping a few frosting hacks in mind, you can decorate these cakes with complementary flavors and top with sprinkles, crushed up candy or sugar cereal, or canned fruit filling.
Remember to practice piping your icing on a paper plate first to ensure you’ve got the shape and technique down first. For a round cake, you’ll want to keep its shape and work around the outside, which is where these frosting piping techniques can come in especially handy. Using cookies like Nilla Wafers or Oreos is also a great idea to place on top of a hearty dollop of frosting for a bit of extra flair. When it comes to making your own frosting designs, remember the immortal words of Bob Ross, “We don’t make mistakes, we have happy accidents.” The care and creativity you put into dressing up a store-bought cake will make it extra special, whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or enjoying any average day that you feel inspired to have cake.
