When I see all of the fantastic images of novelty birthday cakes on the internet
or in recipe books I used to think they all must require such a tremendous effort
in getting all of the various colored icing prepared for the cake.
Now I'm a little bit wiser and have discovered ready to roll icing after buying
a book about cake decorating and reading about how easy it could actually be.
Ready to roll icing is soft, pliable and comes in a range of colors. It's so easy
and fun to use that it makes decorating your novelty birthday cakes more like art
than cooking! Most supermarkets will carry a range of at least smaller packets
of ready to roll icing, but all good cake decorating suppliers will carry a large
range of colors in various sized packages. You can roll it out flat and use it to cover the cake or you can use it to create the decorative details of the cake.
As well as the convenience of not having to make all of your icing from scratch,
the other great thing about it is that it keeps well when stored correctly. Once
opened you can keep leftover icing in a cool place for several months or even
freeze it. Make sure you cover it in cling film first, by wrapping it tightly
and ensuring there are minimal air pockets.
Once you've discovered ready to roll icing you'll never look back and it can
really take your cake decorating to another level. I recommend you buy and
basic range of colors and keep it on hand, especially as it does keep well over