Practice Makes Perfect

• Whip up a batch of practice icing and practice the cake decorating techniques you will use a week or two in advance. To make practice icing, blend one cup of shortening until creamy. Gradually add 1 pound of confectioner's sugar and 2 to 3 tbsp. of water. Beat in mixer until the icing is creamy and smooth. Fit a pastry bag with a coupler and tip, fill with icing and practice techniques on a piece of wax paper or cardboard. A round cake-size piece of Styrofoam provides a fitting practice surface for side and border decorations applied directly to the cake. You can learn how to apply specific decorating techniques by visiting www.wilton.com/decorating.
  
  

Getting Started

• Crumb coat the cake before icing with this simple recipe. Place 1 cup of apricot preserves in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Strain and apply to the cake with a pastry brush while it's still hot. Allow to dry for 15 minutes before icing the cake.
  
  Iron buttercream icing smooth by applying icing to the cake and smoothing it with a spatula. Don't worry about small imperfections. Allow the icing to set for about 10 minutes to form a soft crust. After crust forms, gently lay a plain paper towel against surface. Use a fondant trowel to lightly iron the surface of the icing. Continue to move the paper towel and the trowel until the entire icing surface is smooth.
  
  

Icing Tips

• Add flair to your icing with pastel or vibrant colors. Use a toothpick to add paste food coloring to white icing. Add a little bit of color at a time and blend before adding more. Always use a clean toothpick with every addition. For large batches, color a small amount of icing and blend into the remaining icing. Duplicating a color is very difficult, so mix a little more of each color than you think you will need. Keep in mind colored icing tends to darken after a few hours.
  
  Make multicolored shell borders by brush striping the pastry bag inside. Use a paintbrush to apply a thick, vertical line of paste food coloring along the length of the bag. For added effect, make two lines on the opposite sides of the bag using two different colors. Fill the bag with white or colored icing. Squeeze icing through the bag to make the multicolored shells. For subtle contrasts, use a spatula instead of a paintbrush and the same food color as the icing to stripe the bag.
  
  

Fixing Mistakes

• Whenever possible, lift icing mistakes gently away from the cake with a small knife. Smooth the icing if you can do so without disturbing adjoining decorated surfaces. Use miniature flowers and leaves to mask mistakes and imperfections.