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Five Common Cake Decorating Mistakes Beginners Make
• Lynsey Macdonald
When you first enter the world of baking, it is a learning curve. There are many common cake decorating mistakes beginners make! But, just like with any new skill, practice makes perfect. We’re here to talk through five of the most common beginner mistakes to help you bake and decorate with confidence!
In most cases, mistakes made in cake making are fixable. You might have to get a little creative, but usually, time is the biggest helper! Rushing because you’ve not left yourself enough time is one of the most common causes of mistakes. So, whenever possible, make your cake-making session a leisurely afternoon or evening, with plenty of time to spare.
We checked in with a couple of our talented cake artist friends along the way to get their expert advice.
Working with quality products is always a good starting point - shop our collection of tools!
Jump to:
Mistake #1 - Incorrect measurement of ingredients
Mistake #2 - Decorating a warm cake
Mistake #3 - Buttercream is the wrong consistency
Mistake #4 - Cracked fondant or sugarpaste icing
Mistake #5 - Cake is sinking in the middle
Cake Decorating Mistakes (and how to fix them!)
Mistake #1 - Incorrect measurement of ingredients
We’re starting off with a big one - the other four cakey mistakes in this list are usually fixable after they happen! But we’re getting the one you may need to start from scratch with out of the way first…
- The Problem: While cake decorating is an art, baking is a science! The smallest change in the amount of a crucial ingredient can be a problem.
- The Result: If you don’t work with the correct ratio of ingredients, a number of things can happen! Your cake might not rise if you mess with the flour or bicarbonate of soda measurement. The flavour could be either non-existent or overpowering if you don’t work with the right amount of flavouring. Every ingredient serves a purpose, so changing any of them will have an effect!
- The Fix: Follow the recipe to the letter! Don’t eyeball measurements and make sure you are weighing out everything and using the right spoon sizes.
Pro Tip: Our cake artist friend Alex Danielson from @savemesomesweets says: “Convert recipes into grams for the most accuracy! This way, recipes can be easily scaled up or down without the confusion and inconsistency of cup measurements.”
Mistake #2 - Decorating a warm cake
Our amazing ambassador Molly Robbins says: “A really simple tip I learned when I was starting out was to make sure your cakes are fully cooled before decorating. I see a lot of mishaps with people starting their baking journey, and I can always tell the cake was still slightly warm!”
- The Problem: Whether it’s because you’ve left yourself short on time, or you’ve just been eager to get creative, working with a cake that is just out of the oven is one of the common cake decorating mistakes beginners make!
- The Result: If your cake is warm, you’ll find that your buttercream might slide off your cake, starting to melt. If you’re working with sugarpaste, it may not stick properly and will slip on the edges of the cake. Any decorations you’re adding may not stick either, and colours from decorations like sprinkles may start to transfer.
- The Fix: This is an easy one - work with a cooled cake! Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time - 2 to 3 hours at room temperature ideally, or an hour of chilling in the fridge! If you’ve started decorating, remove any icing or decorations, pop the cake in the fridge and you’ll be good to go once it has cooled.
Mistake #3 - Buttercream is the wrong consistency
- The Problem: Whether you’re covering an entire cake in buttercream or piping a batch of cupcakes, the wrong consistency of buttercream can be a disaster! And it goes both ways - buttercream can be too runny or too firm, and both cause issues.
- The Result: Runny buttercream will run off the side of your cake if you try to spread it with a palette knife. It also won’t pipe properly as it can’t hold its shape! Alternatively, when buttercream is too stiff, it is hard to smooth out and can tear apart, looking lumpy and uneven. When piping, you may struggle to even get it to come out of a piping bag.
- The Fix: If your buttercream is too runny, try popping it in the fridge to chill for twenty minutes. If it still hasn’t firmed up, you may need to add a little extra icing sugar. Or, if it’s too firm, try adding half a teaspoon of milk at a time to soften it. When it looks like this batch by @by.sarahteresa, you're good to go.
Check out “How to Make Buttercream: Our Complete Guide” for more tips.
Mistake #4 - Cracked fondant or sugarpaste icing
- The Problem: Your cake is cooled and ready to decorate, but your fondant icing just won’t stay in one piece. Sugarpaste that cracks and tears is a common problem for beginner cake decorators.
- The Result: Trying to cover your cake in broken fondant is an uphill battle. Chances are you won’t manage to cover the cake, but even if you do, it’s not going to look like the pretty, professional bake you were aiming for!
- The Fix: If you’re working with a good quality sugarpaste, all you have to do to avoid cracking and tearing is warm it up first. In milder weather, this just looks like kneading it thoroughly with your hands before rolling it out. On a colder day, it may require ten seconds in the microwave before kneading. And make sure you don’t roll it out too thin - Couture sugarpaste copes well, but not all fondant brands have enough stretch for this.
Pro Tip: The wonderful Kerry Hemms from @angels_kitchen suggests: “Using a sharp knife, slice off a small section of paste. Either knead each small section separately or pile them up and microwave for 10-15 seconds.”
Check out our guide - How to Soften Hard Sugarpaste for Cake Decorating Success for more tips.
Mistake #5 - Cake is sinking in the middle
Your cakes should look like these beauties by @by.sarahteresa. But beginner bakers will often find their cakes sink in the middle. This is a mistake with a couple of potential causes! Let’s work through three of them…
- The Problem: Ever experience that matching sinking feeling you get when you see your freshly baked cake sinking in the middle? This is a very common beginner mistake! This can be caused by opening the oven door too early, overmixing your cake batter or using too much baking powder or baking soda.
- The Result:
- Opening the oven door too early causes a sudden temperature shift - this shift can be a shock for your cake and cause the centre to sink.
- Overbeating can cause too much air to be mixed into your cake batter. This means it will then rise too quickly when placed in the oven, sinking soon after.
- Using too much rising agent (baking powder or baking soda) causes a similar issue to overbeating - your cake will rise too fast and then sink.
- The Fix: If your cake comes out of the oven and sinks in the middle, as long as it is not wet in the middle, all is not lost! If it is fully baked and has only sunk a little bit, go in with a knife and trim the edges down. Once you’ve covered it in icing, no one will ever know!
If the cake has sunk a lot, you can always fill the dip with buttercream for an extra sweet slice!
And in future, here’s how to avoid the issues above!
- Trust the timing of your recipe! It can be tempting to “check on” your cake, but resist! Set a timer for the minimum recommended bake time and only open your oven then.
- Go easy on the final mix. Most of the time, too much air is added in the final steps when the dry ingredients are being added to the liquid. Choose a low speed on a mixer, or work gently if you’re mixing it yourself.
- Make sure that if you’re making a different sized cake than the original recipe, you are careful when converting the measurements of the rising agents.
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We hope you’re feeling more confident about your cake project after this post, and wish you all the luck on your baking journey! These common cake decorating mistakes are easily fixed, and once you’ve got the basics down, the sky’s the limit.
Our blog is full of beginner guides and tutorials to help you conquer any issues and get inspired. Keep reading to learn more, and be sure to tag us in your creations on Instagram - you’ll find us at @the_cake_decorating_co!
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