Happy New Year!! I really hope you’re having a great 2020 so far (Ok I know we are only 3 days in). The end of last year was pretty crazy around here; I moved house on the 17th December to a whole new area and then had a few days to get it ready for Christmas as my family was coming for Christmas dinner. The house needs a bit of decorating to make it feel like mine (especially the kitchen) but I am so excited to get back to work and start creating new cake decorating content for you.
Now I don’t know about you but the first thing I like to do in the new year is make some plans on what I would like to achieve for this year. So if you’re new to cake decorating or just want to see some new techniques I thought I would put together a little list of tutorials which would be perfect for beginners, to try, and the best thing is they are all completely FREE!
How to cover a cake in Fondant
Now this first video is perfect if you are new to using fondant. Fondant can be a little tricky to work with but gives such a great smooth finish to your cakes. In this tutorial I go through how I prepare my cakes ready for the fondant (or you may know it as icing or sugar paste depending on where in the world you are), how I use the fondant as a covering and what I do to get a nice sharp edge on the top.
How to make Chocolate Ganache
For years I used buttercream in all my cakes (I really am a fan of sugary buttercream) but knowing how to make chocolate ganache was a game changer, especially if you are from somewhere warm. It is so amazing as a base underneath your fondant, and is alot more stable than buttercream as it can withstand heat little better. It also tastes amazing too! In this tutorial I go through how I make milk chocolate and white chocolate ganache.
How to make Buttercream Recipe
Whilst I’m sharing my ganache recipe, buttercream is a great cake filling to make if your new to cake making, and perfect to add to the top of cupcakes. This was one of the first tutorials I ever made and I still make it in exactly the same way. The recipe is a basic American buttercream and consists of butter, icing sugar (or powdered sugar / confectioners’ sugar depending on where you live) and I like to add a splash of milk. The thing to remember when creating this buttercream is the more you mix it the creamier if will become.
How to make a Vanilla Sponge Cake Recipe
If you’re new to baking one of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to start with a good cake recipe. So whether you’re creating a round cake or looking to carve a cake into a specific shape, I have put below the recipe I use for my vanilla sponge cake, plus my vanilla cupcakes. Both are based on the same recipe, I have just altered it slightly for the amount you will need.
Also the best thing about these recipes is that if you fancy a different flavour you only need to change the flavour of the liquid flavouring. My favourite is changing the vanilla for orange and teaming this with a chocolate ganache.
How to Pipe a Cupcake
I think that one of the most satisfying things to master is piping the perfect buttercream swirl on the top of your cupcake, but it can be a little daunting to know exactly what piping tip to use, whether you want to create a ruffle swirl, a rosette or an icecream looking swirl to name a few. I have a series of tutorials where I show you which piping tips create which swirls and how to fill and hold the piping bag to create each one. Here is the first one in the series…
For Piping techniques #2 Click Here (Examples of more fun cupcake swirls)
For Piping techniques #3 Click Here (This one uses the Russian Piping Tips)
For Piping techniques #4 Click Here (This one includes rainbow buttercream effects)
For Piping techniques #5 Click Here (These piping tips are perfect for mini cupcakes)
How to create a Drip Cake
Drip cakes were so popular in 2019 and I can see this continuing into 2020. This style of cake is so much fun, especially when you team a drip with some fun sprinkles. There are different things you can use to create different styles of drip, including candy melts, chocolate and Royal icing. In this tutorial I show you how to use white chocolate and colour it to match the theme of your cake using powdered colours. I also show you how to pipe a pretty buttercream rope boarder along the top edge.
How to create a Gumpaste Bow
So you’ve mastered baking the cake and covering it in fondant or buttercream and over on the Cakes by Lynz YouTube channel I have lots of different tutorials showing you how you can decorate your cakes, but one of my favourites and a great place to start if your new to creating decorations is with a bow. They always look so pretty on the front or top of a cake. In this tutorial I show you what shapes you will need to cut and how to form them into your bow.
How to create a Gumpaste / Fondant Rose
Now a gumpaste rose can be a little bit tricky if you are starting out. I know it took me alot of practice before I was happy with how my roses looked, but if you are looking to master a gumpaste flower I always think a rose is a great place to start. They are perfect for any occasion and once you get the basics of making the petals and adding them to the flower bud it becomes easier to make a whole range of edible flowers.
I really hope you will find this list of tutorials helpful. Also don’t forget to head over to the Cakes by Lynz YouTube channel to watch the rest of my FREE tutorials. I currently have close to 100 tutorials for all levels of cake decorating. You can also subscribe to the YouTube channel so you don’t miss any new video tutorials!
Also I have put together a list of my favourite cake decorating tools, so to see this just click here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/cakesbylynz
~ Please note that some of links above may be affiliate links. If you click the link and purchase any item through that link, I will receive a small commission from the website but this does NOT add any additional costs to you. Thank you so much for supporting this blog x ~
18 Responses
I would love to learn new things I could do with new ideas are good for some one me who just loves baking and learning as well
Wow!!!! Thank you….
You are very welcome Michelle. I hope the list is useful.
Love to learn more
Hi Zipporah, I hope you will enjoy these tutorials and they might be useful to you.
I love all your works, thank you very much for all
Thank you so much Fadia. I am so glad you love the cakes x
I really love your tutorials
I love to learn and yours is so beautiful
Thanks
Thank you so much…your works are so beautiful
Thank you so much Amy, I am so glad you like the cakes.
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes and ideas.
I love all your tutorials. I am making a honey pot for a cake it will be on top of two riers of cake. Would you recommend making it out of rice krispie treats? Do you have a tutorial on making something like that?
Thank you Lisa, I am so glad you like them. Yes I think rice krispie treats would be perfect. I don’t have a tutorial for a honey pot but I did make a teacup for my Vintage cake in a similar way if this would be of any help to you.
https://staging.cakesbylynz.co.uk/index.php/2019/07/vintage-teacup-and-biscuits-cake-tutorial/
Thank you so much for all the tutorials. They are so beautiful and you make it so easy to follow your instructions.
Hi Lynz just watched your cake decorations and love it. Gonna try it on my cake at home.
Continue to do your good work.
Cheers
Beverley
Hi Beverley, I am so glad you love it. I hope you enjoy making the cakes too.