Common Decorations – Overview Cake Decorating and Baking Tutorial

Tutorial Preview

Now Playing
07:02

1. Common Decorations - Box lid

Now Playing
15:13

2. Common Decorations - Stripes

Now Playing
08:43

3. Common Decorations - Polka Dots

Now Playing
10:19

4. Common Decorations - How to make a polka dot bow

Now Playing
00:58

5. Common Decorations - Adding a Ribbon

Now Playing
01:34

6. Common Decorations - Glaze Spray and Dusts

Now Playing
03:15

7. Common Decorations - Glitter Balls

Now Playing
07:17

8. Common Decorations - How to Make a Rose

Now Playing
03:58

9. Common Decorations - Using a Stencil

Now Playing
18:57

10. Common Decorations - Using Cutters

Now Playing
09:50

11. Common Decorations - Using Molds

Just by mastering the common decorations in this course you will vastly expand on the amount of cakes you can create. Paul uses these decorations again and again on many different styles of cake. Take this free course and learn 11 different decorations!

Click here for printable tools and ingredients list

  • Covered 12” (30.5cm) Round Cake
  • 14” (35.6cm) Round cake drum
  • Sugarpaste
  • Flower paste
  • Icing sugar
  • Till roll paper
  • Food pen
  • Sugar glue
  • Food bag
  • Spaghetti
  • Ribbon
  • Royal icing
  • PME Glaze spray
  • Snowflake dust and lustre
  • Edible pearls

 

  • Palette knife (small)
  • Rolling Pin
  • Sharp knife
  • Smoothers
  • Turntable
  • Scissors
  • Roller Markers
  • PME Tools
  • Paint brush
  • Ruler
  • Air puffer
  • Cutters: Round, rose leaf, sunflower, daisy, butterfly, blossom, love hearts, snowflake, calyx
  • Texturised Sheets: various from Edible Creators and Stephen benson Sugar Artistry
  • Moulds: Brooch – Karen Davies, Snowfllake Lace – Stephen Benson, Cames – FPC Sugarcraft

 

Paul Bradford

Paul Bradford

Paul Bradford´s mission is to ‘Empower people to achieve their cake decorating dreams’ by providing a range of cake decorating courses and online tutorials through their website, which currently teaches 195,000+ students.  

Comments

  1. Tina

    You made that look ever so simple and almost foolproof! The cake looks simply gorgeous! Can’t wait to try it . Especially that exquisite textured look on the bottom layer.

  2. D Gronow

    You are sooooo clever! I am soooo grateful. Thank you for sharing your talent..

  3. MiMiriam

    Dear Paul,

    I have never decorated a cake, let alone a wedding cake in my life and you have made this into very simple and very ease to follow instructions.
    I am going to try your technics. This you for sharing your long life experiences with people like me.

    Thank you

  4. Pauline17

    Looks great can’t wait to try, especially liked the way some times you have to fix a mistake, so we know how to do it when it happens. Thinking about coming to the classes with Paul in the New year.

  5. MARCIA

    Thanks….,I loved this technic,simple and beautiful,. I never see one explication like this.
    Your videos and your explications are perfect I loved all . You are a mago of the cakes. 🙂

    • Paul Doffman (Staff)

      Great! Really glad you found this so useful 🙂

  6. shelley66

    Love all your techniques! Will be trying them all, you make it look achievable !

  7. savitha.rodrigues

    Hi Pual,

    Learned so much from you…….thanks for sharing your experiences with people like me…..

  8. mots01

    Wow off to buy some molds and cutters, can’t wait to start having a go, also think I’d like to play with an assortment of colours.

  9. dharsh

    Gosh! The decorations look amazing and your tutorial makes it seem so simple and easy to do. I can’t wait to try it out. Thanks ever so much for sharing this.

  10. mariedenise123

    once the rose is made, how would i store them, to place on cake later, and how long will they store for?

    • Paul Doffman (Staff)

      Hi,

      I’m not sure exactly how long you could store them but I would think quite a while if you put them in a air tight container. I don’t see why they would not last as long as the sugar paste its self would last since that’s all they are made from. It might be worth asking in the Q&A

      http://www.designer-cakes.com/questions

      Hope that helps

      Cheers

  11. Neena

    Thank you for giving me the confidence to decorate a cake! I love baking cakes but never dared to decorate them ! I believed cake decoration is an art that only a few can do. The videos and comments have simplified this “art” for me!

  12. mariaprotopapa

    I am learning a lot I thank you very much!!!!! I love these videos

  13. sheri52

    Wonderful technique. By far the best tutorial for a rose I’ve seen yet. I will be trying this tonight!!!! Thank you.

  14. Al-Sadah Hind

    Thank you to much.

    Every single day, I put to use somthing I learned at the this school.

  15. olivia

    I think I love you lol. You are a true inspiration for beginners like me. Thank you sooo much x

  16. leanne71

    Hi,

    I notice that you use icing sugar when working with your fondant! Im in Australia and have been taught to use corn flour, do you have preference and why.

    thanks
    Leanne

    p.s what is your expandable cutting tool called, I think I need one of those 🙂

    • Andy (Staff)

      Hi Leanne71, it’s personal preference which you use in this situation – you may find that cornflour is actually a little easier to wipe any excess away.

      The expandable cutter is known as a ‘dough divider’ and searching amazon or similar sites should show some results. Hope this helps!

      Kind Regards,
      Andy
      Customer Support

  17. Druscilla

    Omg you make things look so easy. Giving me plenty of ideas for the family christmas cakes. Only eight this year. Thank you so much for sharing

  18. dru1

    oh wow brilliant now i know how this is done very clever thank you paul 🙂

  19. joannehawkins1060

    You make everything look so easy….I have tried a few of these but they stick, slip and fall off but now I have watched this I am determined to keep going…Thank You

  20. tilda1958

    I am a real newbie to cake decorating.
    I came across this site whilst searching for help and I am so glad I did.
    Wow in just a couple of hours since joining I have learnt so much its unbelievable.
    All the tutorials I have watched so far have been extremely helpful especially the large spotted bow and the rose.
    Thank you so much for sharing your talent.
    Once I have mastered these tutorials and feel confident to move on I will be joining the online course.
    Diane x

  21. Josie1977

    Wow amazing, im new to cake decorating. And Paul makes it look so easy. Iam making my mother in law a cake soon and will be giving the rose a go.

  22. debbiecutajar

    I’m sure it’s not as easy as it looks . I’m confident that I will get the wobbles when I’m cutting .

  23. debbiecutajar

    Omg wow I am so happy that I found you on the other hand I don’t think my husband will be as I have done nothing all day other then watch this tutorials. Big thx u

  24. Cendre

    Thanks for all of them !
    You’re mixing the sugar paste with something else, can you give me a reference of this other paste ? Thanks

    • Danielle (Staff)

      Hi Cendre,

      Thanks for getting in touch! We are glad you are enjoying the online tutorials! I believe we are mixing the sugar paste with the flour paste.

      I hope this helps! 🙂

      Many thanks,
      D xx

  25. [email protected]

    Hi guys. Sugarpaste is a joy now i have found you guys! I am facing a bit of a challenge using the fine silicone lace moulds. Any helpfull tips for using those, or maybe a tutorial for those? I have looked on the net and it seems to be an area of frustration for many of us 🙂 thanks Ann

  26. franke

    This site is amazing!!! I was taught techniques, some similar, some different. First of all it is great to learn a variety of ways to achieve similar results and here everything is so straight forward. And as others have mentioned it is wonderful to see that a super professional does have slips now and then that he does have to fix up. It makes me feel less clumsy when I’m trying to do stuff.

    And you, madeitwithlove, are no less amazing!!! Never ever have I gotten such super quick responses to my many questions … and directly to my mail …and all for free!
    I am super impressed and so glad that I happened to stumble upon this site.

  27. Amishaagarwal

    What’s the other paste u mixed in sugar paste…. And can both these pastes be made at home, or we have to buy from outside…

  28. 1cakermom

    Is the bottom of the “box” just buttercream or is that also fondant?

  29. linda123456789

    you make it look so easy can’t wait to have a go at making a rose

  30. Azi

    Hi! Thanks for all the great info and videos!
    I’m just starting and where i am there is no ready sugar paste can you please give me a fools proof recipie? 🙂
    Also when you say mix some flour paste with the sugar paste to make it stronger what is flour paste? Thank u soooo much!!!!
    Azi

  31. mankirat

    i love decorating cakes…and thnks for giving me such extra knowledge..love ur videos. u r best tutor.

  32. Marg

    Wow thank you for the tutorial, for years I have used cutters. and the ball tool, this is so simple, and easy . Thank you so much.

  33. paulaann1975

    Have tried my very first attempt at a rose today not as perfect as Paul’s but not bad for a first try many thanks x

    • Danielle (Staff)

      Well done for trying your very first rose, it is definitely not as easy as it looks! Feel free to share your pictures of your rose on our facebook page, Paul loves to see them!! x

  34. citradewipradita

    amazingly steady hands.. LOOOOVE the way you move your hands Chef Paul :)))))

  35. jackie72

    That looks so good…..who wants a cake box lol i think i have the bug good job i have a big family i can practice all these fab techniques

  36. jackie72

    OMG I love it!!! i feel inspired to ban the kids from the kitchen and go bake some cakes haha

    • Danielle (Staff)

      Hi Jackie72! Thank you for getting in touch. Hehe banning the kids maybe helpful !! I found this tutorial really useful when I first started out baking, I hope it becomes useful to you too! Best of Luck!:) Danielle xx

  37. Tracey-Mary

    Hi , I have just discovered this site and as a complete beginner would like to thank you for the many tips I have learnt already! Can’t wait to get started. Wish me luck!!!

  38. honeyb

    loved how you did your bows, as well as the roses. Have never seen a rose made the way you did, it looked so easy. You’re a great teacher

  39. junique

    thanks a lot, all the way from zimbabwe. i am really enjoying the lessons. i had no idea that cake decorating is not very complicated like i used to think. thanks for being such a good teacher. the way you do it makes it easier even for the slowest learner to follow. many thanks again

    • Danielle (Staff)

      Hi Junique, I am glad you have found it useful and find Paul to be a good teacher! I hope you enjoy many more of our courses:) Thanks Danielle x

  40. jeannette smith

    i enjoyed this lesson. this helped me to understand how to emboss the designes on wedding cakes and designs. very interesting. thankyou for your time.

    • Danielle (Staff)

      Hi Jeannette, I am glad that you are enjoying the tutorials and that it has helped you with your designs. Hopefully you will find more of our tutorials helpful too! 🙂 D xx

  41. sweeter15

    Hi,
    i have really found this site very educative and interesting,
    can you kindly put me through the basics of baking a cake, i am a starter i really need to educated
    thank You.
    awais your response.

  42. Playmrsc6

    Do you do comfort blankets as a decoration ……my grandaughter has a rabbit comfort blanket and I’d love to do one hanging over her cake 🙂

  43. elainebatty

    I’m really enjoying your tutorials and I have picked up some very useful tips. I love the little errors that have not been edited out and you show how to fix them. It makes it much less intimidating. It has certainly improved my work.

    • Danielle (Staff)

      Hi Elainebatty,

      Thanks for the fantastic feedback. I am glad you found the tutorials helpful, as well as the little mistakes. I think these are often very hand to learn from to allow yo to watch out for them yourself:)

      I hope you enjoy many more of the tutorials.

      Kind Regards,
      Danielle x

  44. CStork88

    I have been baking cakes for a few years. And have always seen gorgeous roses and have wanted to try to make one. I have always been so nervous about it. I can’t wait to try this technique!

7 Day Free Trial