What’s old is new again. This is just one of the many trends influencing the cake decorating world, as evidenced by leading cake decorating experts and bakeries.

Melissa Trimmer, corporate executive chef for Dawn Foods, points out that the industry is witnessing a revival – of sorts – for old-fashioned Victorian piping techniques, along with a mix of unexpected colors.

“What I love about Victorian cakes is that they are perfect for buttercream lovers,” Trimmer says. “The key is layering decorating on top of one another – design after design after design. The ornate beautiful piping styles are really beautiful – perfect for posting on Instagram and TikTok. This trend really lends itself so well to social media.”

Personalized cakes

One thing is certain. We are deep in the heart of the age or personalization and customization.

From DecoPac, PhotoCake® is your complete Print on Demand cake decorating solution. Your customers want personalized cakes – and an Edible Image® printed by PhotoCake® is the perfect way for bakeries to meet customer’s needs.

With PhotoCake, bakeries can quickly and easily print licensed and non-licensed PhotoCake Edible Image® designs, as well as customers’ photos onto edible paper with edible ink.

Use PhotoCake to personalize a cake for any occasion. Drive revenue and wow customers with beautifully delicious Edible Image cakes. PhotoCake works great on cakes, cupcakes, cookies or bars.

In addition, you can easily engage your customers with scrumptious social media posts for every celebration on their calendar, according to DecoPac. Have a look around and become familiar with your go-to hub for all things social.

Here are some clever and effective marketing material suggestions for Back to School promotions.

  • Stock up on back to school sweet treats for all those smart cookies!
  • Sweets are in session!
  • We give these treats an A+.
  • Sneak in some sweet into those paper bag lunches this fall! The best treat is one from (ENTER BAKERY NAME).
  • (ENTER BAKERY NAME): Most likely to be caught snacking in class.
  • ABC’s, 123’s and cake and cookies are on the class schedule this fall!

Royal Icing

A wide range of decorating companies offers valuable tips and tools to make your cake decorating life go smoother and enable you to improve profitability.

Many experts point to a revival for royal icing, which is a versatile icing that has a subtle sweet flavor and dries hard. You can use royal icing to decorate cookies, for string work on cakes, or even pre-piped decorations for your desserts, according to Satin Ice.

After opening, the product will be good for 30 days – as long as it is covered airtight. To extend the shelf life you may freeze after opening.

Satin Ice Royal Icing is premixed to piping consistency, making it ready to use on cookies and cakes. The company's premium quality formula is crafted so you can easily customize the consistency, flavor, and color. Royal Icing is available in 14-ounce pails.

Usage Instructions

Simply stir until smooth, transfer into piping bag and decorate! If needed, add a very small amount of water at a time to thin to your desired consistency. 

PREMIUM FORMULA: High quality royal icing with professional performance.

FINISH: Smooth finish with classic white color making it easy to customize color.

ESSENTIAL TOOLS: Spatulas, mixing bowls, piping bags, piping tips, scribe tool

SETTING: Royal icing will begin its setting process as it is exposed to air. It will take 12-24 hours in open air to dry completely. The more water that is added to the royal icing, the longer the drying time will be.

Handling

CAN YOU ADJUST THE CONSISTENCY?  

Yes, to thin out the royal icing, add small amounts of water until you reach your desired consistency. If you add too much water and the consistency becomes too thin, mix in more royal icing or add small amounts of powdered sugar.

CAN YOU ADD FOOD COLORING OR FLAVORING?   

Yes, you can customize Satin Ice royal icing to reach your desired color and flavor. We recommend adding any color or flavorings before adjusting the consistency as the liquid may thin out the royal icing a bit.

HOW TO PREVENT AIR BUBBLES IN ROYAL ICING?   

After you mix in flavor, color or water to thin down your royal icing, you may notice some air bubbles due to the motion of mixing. Cover the icing and let it sit for a while to allow the bubbles to rise to the surface. If you notice any air bubbles after you have flooded a cookie, immediately use a scribe tool or the pointy tip of a toothpick to gently pop the bubbles on the surface before the icing begins to dry.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO DRY?  

Royal Icing will begin its setting process as it is exposed to air. It will take 12-24 hours in open air to dry completely. The more water that is added to the royal icing, the longer the drying time will be.

WHAT IS THE CONSISTENCY OF THE ICING ONCE IT IS DRIED? 

Royal icing dries completely hard so you are able to pick up pre-piped decorations or stack your decorated cookies. The end consistency is a firm crunch similar to a sprinkle.

ESSENTIAL TOOLS

  • Spatulas
  • Mixing Bowls
  • Piping Bags
  • Piping Tips
  • Scribe Tool

Unique offerings

The DecoCookies story, which was shared at the IDDBA convention, begins decades ago in the home kitchen of Chef Eliana Campos Berry, a mother of three with a passion for baking. Because of the joy they brought to her kids and loved ones, Chef Eliana mastered the art of decorated baked sweets. Nothing felt better to her than spreading that joy, so the DecoCookies bakery was born.

Today, DecoCookies ranks among the largest hand-decorated baked sweets bakery in the world, spreading joy to millions each year through Eliana’s original dream of Baking You Happy.

“We offer a wide variety of creative and colorful decorations available for different seasonal marketing opportunities and other events,” says Minna Thrall, public relations and communications manager for DecoCookies. “We create one-of-a-kind items for everyone that inspire joy and make moments happier.”

Products include such unique offerings as Mug Hugger Cookies, Paint-Your-Own Cookie Kits, Paint-Your-Own Ornament Kits, and Hand-Decorated Cookie Cakes.

Corporate gifting

BakeMeAWish.com, a leading national online gourmet gifting company, announces a new all-digital B2B catalog with customizable, corporate branded gifts and a fresh lineup of fresh-baked gourmet treats to connect colleagues and business associates wherever they are. 

BMAW corporate custom-branded gifts allows businesses to share their brand experience in a unique way with an a la carte menu of fresh-baked goods for businesses to choose the experience they wish their customers and colleagues to receive. The bespoke, customizable gifts ship overnight, anywhere in the U.S. and include options such as logo packaging, branded gift boxes and ribbons, along with a personalized card. 

BakeMeAWish.com gourmet gifts can also be redeemed through e-certificates for seamless and confidential food gifting. 

“We are uniquely positioned to help everyone from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses to develop strong, long-lasting relationships. Our new all-digital catalog will help those businesses explore the benefits of building a brand experience with their own holiday gift,” says Joseph Dornoff, president of BakeMeAWish.com. “Our extraordinary lineup of new fresh-baked, gourmet treats coupled with elegant packaging and a personalized message will make their brand stand out to their recipients.”

The lineup of corporate branded gifts from BakeMeAWish.com can be customized to capture a brand’s authenticity providing an incredible experience for customers, clients, and employees alike. 

BMAW’s lineup of corporate branded gifts include:

  • Wood-emblazoned logos on bespoke packaging designed to reflect a company’s ethos
  • Gorgeous gift towers brimming with delicious treats and tied off with a branded ribbon
  • Fruit and snack baskets with beautifully designed custom ribbons 
  • Branded stickers to showcase a brand’s logo and enhance unique packaging
  • Message cakes - put your unique message directly on a cake
  • Image cakes - put your logo directly on the cake

Functional & fun

The functional abilities of Flavor Right toppings and icings to blend well with color, ingredients and ideas is unprecedented. In the hands of cake decorators across the country, Flavor Right blends into stunning recipes and dazzling decorations.

Here are some creative ideas:

BLACK RUSSIAN CAKE

Coffee and chocolate! It’s a grown-up’s dream cake made with our buttercream-style Custom Ice..

Ingredients

1 g Flavor Right™ Custom Ice™

4.4 lbs Powdered Sugar

Coffee Paste (2 tsp. hot water mixed with 12 g. of instant coffee to make a thick paste)

12 oz. Cocoa

Directions

1.Use thawed Custom Ice™ making sure there are no ice particles in carton, shake carton then pour into mixer.

2.Slowly add powder sugar to the Custom Ice™ before turning on the mixer.

3.Use the wire whip and mix for approximately 12-14 minutes on medium speed until medium to stiff peaks are formed.

4.Slowly add the coffee paste, then slowly add the cocoa and mix on slow speed.

LADY BUFFALO CAKE

Coconut and pecans give a delicious crunchy-chewy finish to this smooth cake that’s party-ready.

Ingredients

1 g Flavor Right™ Custom Ice™

4.4 lbs Powdered Sugar

Coconut Mixture: Flake Coconut, Maraschino Cherry Juice (enough to flavor coconut & color it), Chopped Pecans.

Directions

1.Use thawed Custom Ice™ making sure there are no ice particles in carton, shake carton then pour into mixer.

2.Slowly add powder sugar to the Custom Ice™ before turning on the mixer.

3.Use the wire whip and mix for approximately 12-14 minutes on medium speed until medium to stiff peaks are formed.

4.Apply Lady Buffalo coconut mixture on entire cake after iced with Custom Ice™