Sams club sells their awsome frostif in the bakery dept by the bucket they also sell colored buttercream alot of colors in smaller amts...it is so delicious and a huge time saver...sorry if someone already posted this secret...just ask at the sams club bakery they are very helpful ...Good luck to all !!!!
Frosting...sry
Sweet_Toof It depends how much you need, I was never told any amounts. I just guess how much fondant I think that I will need and add a tiny amount of hot water at a time until I get a good piping consistency. I put the fondant in a mixer bowl using the dough hook, and mix it this way, when it gets soft I change to a K beater so it mixes it to the right piping consistency.
The whisk does not work as the fondant clogs it up when you first start mixing. 
I have only gotten through 20 pages or so, so I'm not sure if this has been posted, but dh (not a caker/baker in any way, shape or form) gave me this one. It's something he uses in woodworking:
When torting a cake, start on one side of the cake and continue into the cake for an inch or two. Then, turn the cake 180 degrees so you are at the completely opposite side and begin to torte across in the other direction all the way across. When you get to the other side of the cake, there is no risk of any breakage (especially for cakes with a really delicate crumb or those that are rushed) because it has already been cut so your knife/leveler/floss just slides through.
I hope I explained this clearly!
i wrap my tv remote in plastic wrap so it doesn;t get message ( i have a TV in my kitchen)from my hands or over spray from the airbrush.
If you have children that want to help while your decorating put a tip in a disposable bag and load some cream cheese or peanut butter and or jam in there and tie wrap the end closed, then they can decorate apple slices, crackers, etc and feel like they are participating, leaving you to get on with your cake.
keep a thick rubber band (the kind that brocoli is held together with) in your kit incase you cannot loosen the coupler, wrapping this around the ring will help you gripe it.
It's like you live in my house 
I use those plastic tableclothes to cover my cake boards.......lots of great colors at a cheap price and one tableclothe covers lots of boards!!!! HTH
TAKE A PICTURE & LOOK AT IT BEFORE YOU LET THE CAKE GO. This REALLY helps if you are having trouble or you don't think it's "just right"...........take that step back & look thru a picture.
I couldn't tell you how many times I've wished I had the cake back b/c I seen something in the pictures I didn't like![/b]
I have only gotten through 20 pages or so, so I'm not sure if this has been posted, but dh (not a caker/baker in any way, shape or form) gave me this one. It's something he uses in woodworking:
When torting a cake, start on one side of the cake and continue into the cake for an inch or two. Then, turn the cake 180 degrees so you are at the completely opposite side and begin to torte across in the other direction all the way across. When you get to the other side of the cake, there is no risk of any breakage (especially for cakes with a really delicate crumb or those that are rushed) because it has already been cut so your knife/leveler/floss just slides through.
I hope I explained this clearly!
That is an incredible idea! I sometime have trouble with the cake breaking when I slice through the other side. Thank you so much!
I made a PDF of the whole thread, pages 1 to 28 to keep with me forever, and just in case someone has the bad idea of deleting the thread!
Oh pls do tell how you done that......I can copy/paste the whole thing, but I'd love this info!!! thanks
I have a Mac, so for me it's easy to print, and then instead of choosing a printer click on a button that says SAVE AS PDF.
PM your address and I could send it to you through email.
The other way you could do something like this is to create a text document, in Word or anything else, and copy/paste the paragraphs you want from the thread to one single document. That way you would have them in digital form and they would be searchable. You would be able later to move text around in "clusters" of tips that are related to a single topic.
I thought of another tip that you all may find silly...my DH laughs at me for it all the time. Whenever we are out somewhere, whether it be Walmart...Home Depot...garage sale...I'm always looking in unexpected places for tools that would help me with cake decorating (but food safe of course). I'll pick something up and my husband will ask me what I'm getting that for, and I'll say well I think I could use this for "such and such".
I use a small icecreamscoop to fill the cupcake liners.
I use a small icecreamscoop to fill the cupcake liners.
I got a cake batter dispenser from BB & Beyond. I was so impressed by how quick and clean it was to fill the cupcake liners. I'm super messy, and I didn't drip any batter.
Plus I got mine 50% off because it had a scratch on the outside of it!
homebaker12, do you mean printed vinyl tablecloths , or tablecloths UNDER vinyl?? If printed tablecloths,,where do you find them? AND for cheap? Does AC moore or fabric shops sell them cheap?? Great idea btw..I get tired of messed up PLAIN boards.
LOVE THIS SITE!! LOVE The advice on melting fondant to dripping consistency to fix cracks..that's cool!
JEnifer
I thought of something else - although this probably falls under the common sense category: dh bought me a pasta machine in hopes that I'd be whipping up home-made noodles for ravioli etc, but I use it for fondant. It attaches to my table and rolls my fondant out to whatever thickness I need. I used it for my farm cake for all the appliques. I used the fettuccine setting to cut perfect fences (and they were rolled out to a perfectly even thickness).
My pasta machine is my best friend for appliqué work!!!!
one tip i'm not certain has been mentioned but who can tell after 32 pages, Yes i read them all i deserve a medal!! lol but like one lady did- i kept this page up for several days and just read a bit every day- cept today. i went on a marathon read lol
anywho, the tip i was going to mention- i make mmf.. (i'll post the link in a moment) and i found Somewhere that adding some light corn syrup to the marshmallow mix (before adding it to the mixer) helps with pliability and helps with less tearing etc. i've played with this, with one to two tsps.. i forget exactly the measurement. but it helps Very well for fondant your going to cover cakes with.. Just cakes. i do not recommend this for fondant your going to mix in with gumpaste for figurines etc.. it will keep it too soft. but its wonderful for cake covering.
ladycake17- sounds like we may use the same recipe- i love the idea of using two 10 oz bags for 2lbs of Ps instead of one bag of 16oz marshmallows.. its like a duh moment.. lol "of course!" i plan on trying this..
never made it by hand though the way your post described. i may be interested in that too but i'm a critter of habit.. i'm so used to using my KA.
but thank you for that idea.. lol
cdgleason- i also like to save my containers for similar things. buying sprinkles in bulk works great for this tip.
I thought of another tip that you all may find silly...my DH laughs at me for it all the time. Whenever we are out somewhere, whether it be Walmart...Home Depot...garage sale...I'm always looking in unexpected places for tools that would help me with cake decorating (but food safe of course). I'll pick something up and my husband will ask me what I'm getting that for, and I'll say well I think I could use this for "such and such".
this is ME to a T girlfriend! lol I so do this all the time.. doesn't help i also garden and keep aquariums and i'll come across some terra cotta- then try to decide is it for the garden or the fish tank? lol.. (that and driftwood..i'm a horrible collector of certain types of driftwood rotflol)
I haven't read all the posts so I hope this isn't a repeat.
Instead of buying forms or trying to lift petals with paper towels to dry flatter flowers like daisies, I put powdered sugar in a flat baking dish lay the flowers on top and use the powdered sugar underneath to bend the petals the way I want.
i was watching "how its made" or something like that and saw this is also how they make gummy worms etc.. they take huge "cookie sheets" and make a bed of cornstarch, then press in a mold shape.. then applicators squeeze in the gummy solution- it sets up and then as the assembly line goes on- the cookie sheet gets over turned, the gummy worms go in one area and the corn starch is reused. 
freeze extra cake batter in a large baggie, or right in cupcake liners. thaw and bake. Works great!!
girlfriend are you serious?!?!? i didn't know you could DO this and it still viable after thawing! this is one of my 3 favorite tips i learned in this thread today! i'm in Heaven -not to say i haven't heard more good tips today but you know what i mean lol i think this thread i also learned bout the towel pressing down on the top of the cake to level it- i always do this now- never had to level a cake again
I cover my floor area with a bed sheet(s), then no grease gets on floor and I just fold up the sheet at end and shake outdoors! No worries on grease or crumbs to pick up!! Made a difference and I bought the sheet at thrift shops or used old ones of ours! Works like a charm!
LOVE THIS SITE!!
THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!
and hubby triples that! lol he gets so tired of the powdered sugar on my floor during my big- long projects.. i have such small amount of counter space (more if i put cutting boards over the sink but then again i Need the sinks!lol) that its so easy for powdered sugar to get on the floor! its not grease i have the worry about its the darn PS! lol. Excellent idea! going to do this next time thats fer sure!
the tip bout placing a pan over the burner lol i had to do that before.. i had accidently left a cake pan in the freezer (was trying to rush cool it once) and it froze! lol wouldn't come out! had to place it over the gas burner, and let it thaw (snickers) 
This is the greatest post ever. Thank you so much! I've made a Word document with 47 tips I had never heard of and am itching to try! My faves from this thread:
Grate the butter if you forgot to soften it
Frosting Plugs (OMG time saver DELUXE!!!)
Line a measuring cup with plastic wrap before measuring shortening
Lining the counters to prevent messes
I am so dying to try out the foam roller trick!
Thanks ladies!
Here a few tips I have learned and haven't seen mentioned (I don't think):
-->I now sprinkle my pixie dust outside, so my counters and floors aren't left glittery for days
-->I apply simple syrup using a chocolate melt bottle instead of brushes. It is so easy to just go around the cake in circles, and stores great!
I just found this site and I'm thrilled!! Here are two tips that I haven't seen anywhere else:
When I'm spraying pans with Baker's Joy, I open my dishwasher and place the pans on the rack and spray them aiming into the dishwasher...keeps the overspray in the dishwasher where it washes away.
And when I'm trying to level a cake, I use a 6" sewing gauge with a sliding metal tip. I can place the tip anywhere on the ruler, then hold the ruler steady on the side of the cake while I spin the cake. The metal tip makes a straight line that is easy to see, and I torte the cake along the line with a long serrated knife.
whats one more tip to 32 pages of them??? When working on a large sheet cake on a turntable, place an upside down cookie sheet on the turntable for your cake to rest on so the sides aren't hanging down and risking the cake cracking down the middle.
another tip,
colour your icing making the lightest colour first, then after loading the bag you can use the same bowl to make another colour in the same realm of colours, like yellow, to orange to red. if that makes sense.
i am a newbie to cc but far from a newbie to baking, love this site, it has been both helpful and inspirational. i have yet to meet a single member who wasn't kind and as helpful as possible! i don't exactly have any 'secrets' that haven't already been covered, though i haven't made it thru the whole list...see wonderful sharing people!!! so my favorite things to share would be:
1.ALWAYS make an extra cake when your baking...if you tiering and one splits or crack or heck you just oooops it, you have an extra.
2.i swear by freezing my cakes once they are cool enough to wrap in plastic, then double in foil. it tightens those pesky crumbs and locks in moisture...and lets be honest you can make the cake in advance, who doesn't love a time saver, especially when something personal comes up and there is an order to fill!!
3.NEVER be afraid to try something new...think outside the box...have fun...and ALWAYS taste test your new creations on trusted family and friends first!
4.mistakes happen...even to the best of the best of the pro's (whether they will admit it or not) i promise you it does, so don't get discouraged, learn from the mistake, practice till' ya get it right and move on!
5.this one is always a debatable topic...parchment paper...yes you must grease your cake pans, some bakers swear by flour and grease, some just grease, some wax paper, some parchment paper. truth is its all a matter of preference...i like to use baking spray, then parchment paper, and repeat another coat of baking spray. in the end even if a little cake sticks to any of the above, the frosting will cover it, or simply flip it for a near perfect surface.
i think those are the the most useful ideas i have swimming in my head right now, of course i am sure 10 more will pop up to me once i post this...but there is so much wonderful info here, it wont make much of a difference anyway! thanks to everyone for sharing and caring and for all your beautiful creations!!!
Sorelle, oh my gosh, you are missing out! A cake ball is simply crumbled cake mixed with frosting, shaped into a ball and refrigerated. Once its cool it'll harden a bit. Then you dip it in melted chocolate or candy wafers. They are soo good, and the flavor possibilities are endless! My faves are red velvet, banana nut, lemon, and spice. This website has some good recipes or you can google them and find tons of different flavors. You gotta try them!
When I'm spraying pans with Baker's Joy, I open my dishwasher and place the pans on the rack and spray them aiming into the dishwasher...keeps the overspray in the dishwasher where it washes away.
And when I'm trying to level a cake, I use a 6" sewing gauge with a sliding metal tip. I can place the tip anywhere on the ruler, then hold the ruler steady on the side of the cake while I spin the cake. The metal tip makes a straight line that is easy to see, and I torte the cake along the line with a long serrated knife.
gosh they are 2 awesome tips! thank u!
I use a flower nail in the center of my large cakes but after a few times of doing and having leave an indent in my cakes I hammered the edges of the nail so its flat. then it doesn't leave a mark in the cake I also put it underneath my parchment paper and then doesn't move when pouring in my batter! HTH !
Sorelle,
Video for cakeballs here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0811876373/?tag=cakecentral-20
Website:
bakerella.com
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