Okay Everybody, Answer This Question!
Decorating By patton78 Updated 20 May 2018 , 9:24pm by CalaMom
alicegop, could you please explain cake dressing a little more? I have never heard of it. I make such a mess with the flour and I always end up using to much. Do you mix all together?How long can you store? thank you.
oh yea, aine2's tutorial on how to make faces best tip along with everything else mentioned above.
love this site
There are sooooo many, but I'll just name one.
The Flower nail trick!
For those who don't know what that is.. It gives you level cakes when baking.
Just grease and flower a metal flower nail, place it faced down in your baking pan, pour batter around it and bake your cake as usual. Works great. No need for those baking strips or a baking core.
When the cake is done and cooled, just turn it out and the flower nail is on the bottom. No big hole, only a slight indentation the size of the flower nail head
The flower nail trick was a big dissappointment to me. It certainly doesn't help the cake when you have to slice off any excess while the cake is still in the pan. My cutter caught the point of the nail and tore it right through the cake. I was seriously dissappointed in that!!!!
I have to say for me personally the FBCT was my favorite technique learned here on CC thus far!
Amy
Sorry to post twice, but I forgot a good one...
The plastic wrap 'tube' of icing that you put in your bag. It helps keep the bag clean and makes it easier to change out colors! Can't believe I forgot about
this one!
what is this one ?
How do you do it?
the flower nail is great!
ideas I haven't tried yet but want to...
MMF
FBCT and choc transfer
Oh yeah and don't forget all the recipes that are shared...
the Fudge Layer Cake is wonderful
and the No Fail Sugar Cookies is great!
Thanks to everybody 
Sorry to post twice, but I forgot a good one...
The plastic wrap 'tube' of icing that you put in your bag. It helps keep the bag clean and makes it easier to change out colors! Can't believe I forgot about this one!
I mentioned this a while ago in another topic! I wonder if that's where you remember it from? I love doing that!!!!!!!!
I'm only on page 4 right now in all the replies and am still not hearing anything about the caramel coffee creamer and how it works. I did read about 1/3 cup powder and adding it to cake mix (I am assuming) but what about frosting??? 
Amy
lcdmarie~What you do is take your excess icing when you store it or when you want to use it after you make it and wrap it up like a piece of candy in plastic wrap and just cut off one twisted end and put that end down inside your decorating bag and use as normal. When you're done, just pull out the plastic wrap and toss and put in another color, change or clean your tip of course 
!
I learned this years ago from the lady I took lessons from! It's really nice especially if you're limited on bags or only using a few colors with the same tip.....
Amy
Although I learned it from my instructor - I like the "plastic tube" method for frosting -for those who may not have seen it, here's my original post.
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-38404-tip.html
Personally I think it should be listed as an article
I never saw your post and pictures about this but I had described the technique a long while ago on a topic similiar to this one! Your pictures help it out by showing exactly what has to be done! Thanks!
Amy
There are so MANY things! I haven't even tried everything yet, but I have used: Viva, flower nail, pushing the cake down to level, caramel/vanilla coffee mate, ganache, FBCT, and more. The main thing is the helpfulness of all the members. 
BEST TIP: wrapping the cake after taking it out of the pan(s) to keep it moist! Especially great if you don't use mixes.
Cheers, from
SwampWitch
Great topic!! I love everything about CC but most of all the friendships I have made!!!
I think I have had a question (or two) for every cake I have done & always get help here at CC!!
Thanks everyone!!
9 pages-WOW great topic! Well, I love love love this site! Everyone is so helpful and insightlful. Especially after this weekend. I had to "duplicate" a cake inspired by bjfranco that was a stacked race car cake and I posted a topic for help with MMF. Monica typed a 2 page note from beginning to end steps and diagrams how to carve the cake, make the mmf, how to shape the cones etc etc etc... Now that was helpful! I couldn't believe how much of her time she took to help me with that. I printed it and layed it next to all make cake stuff to refer back to while I was on that specific project. So first I love the help of everyone. The best trick I think I learned is the VIVA method because I cannot smooth icing with a spatula to save my life. Then it would the nail method. Then the buttercream dream frosting recipe on here, I was stuck on the Wilton one! There are endless possibilites on here!
Now its my Trun!
1) Here everybody is very helful...they share their tips and help others!
2) cake balls (very delicious)
3) Recipes on the site.
4) Encoragement you get from other cake decorators!
5) tips and ideas from other cakes on the site
6) Viva paper towel method
Many more!
WOW! i just read through everything and i saw a lot of things that i cant wait to try... specially the viloet tip...
as for me the best tips that i have gotten from CC are..
1) cake mix extender recipe
2) flower nail
3) beating my batter to reduce bubbles
( you would think that i would have thought about this but i never did and after having a cake come out looking like swiss cheese i got on here and with in like 2 mins i had a number of people willing to help me get through and solve my prolem, that is truly the best thing about this site that even some one as new to cakes as i am can get help from people who know as much as you all do. I just hope you all know how much that means. Thanks Yall!!!
((((((huggs))))))
This site is totally awesome and I'm so thrilled to be apart of the collective consciousness here...wish I knew everyone better,but I'm sure with time that will be one of my greatest assets
So far tips I've learned and used from CC is....
1) The Viva towel method
2) Cupcake Cakes
3) Adding Pudding to the cake mix recipe
4) Cake Balls
5) The tutorial on making sugar paste faces
6) Tips on gum paste roses
I'm sure with more thought I could come up with much more..but so far these are the best of the best I learned since coming to this site....As I bow and give Thanks to you all for your generous sharing and kind natures...Namaste, Mary 
I'm still reading through this list, but my list would have to be:
1. Just getting to talk to other great people who love the same thing I do and going through the same struggles.
2. Cake balls
3. Viva method
4. MMF
5. Flower nail
6. Pan release
7. FBCT
8. Using a spackle tool for BC
I'm sure I will think of some as soon as I hit submit!
OK I would say my favorites (although there are many more than this but two that have really helped me out) are adding Hershey's dark chcolate cocoa to your melted marshmellows B4 your powdered sugar to make black MMF and icing your cake upside down to get your icing smooth.
1. Dont undercharge for your cakes~ you're worth it!
2. FBCT~ a blessing for my chickenscratch
3. NFSC
4. cake extender
I have two favorites that have changed my methods forever.
1. Wrapping the icing in plastic wrap before putting into the decorating bags.
2. Microwaving the tips (and couplers) in soapy water.
So, are we going to start a section strictly about little tips that we learn from each other? I see lots of great stuff in the articles, but either i'm not searching the site right, or I don't pay enough attention.
My favorite tips are all of them that I know of. I will try the extender recipe this week. That is really helpful. I love the FBCT, it has opened more creative doors for me. I can't wait to try the flower nail trick, but my son will be disappointed!
I especially like the upside down frosting method, for when you need a "perfectly smooth" top and edges.
Thanks everyone on CC!
Wow!!!what a lot of great information. I am so glad to find this site and this thread. As a newbie to the forum I have learned so much just from reading all of the posts. What I really like the most about cc is:
1: you can get an answer to your question immediately, there is always someone here willing to help
2: Someone always takes the time to post encouraging comments about your pictures
3: It is so nice to have people that love and understand the sometimes frustrating world of decorating and also know the love and work that goes into each creation and it is not "just a cake" to us.
Last week I had such a hard time with humidity and mmf and tonight I read to put it in the oven with the light on. Great tip! I will remember that one if it ever happens again.
Thanks everyone for all your great wisdom and for making me feel as though I have found some friends and guidance from all over the world!
Sorry I don't have a great tip to share, but if I ever get one I will certainly share!
ALL the tips on this site have been AMAZING!!
I have learnt so many more tips than I already knew since reading this post!!
The one I cannot live without is my fishing line on a reel tied to a peg or dowel to torte my cakes. I toothpick at measured intervals round the cake and just put the line around these and gently pull. The cake slices evenly all the way through!
AND as its my birthday and I'm having some time off work this afternoon I'm going to have a play with my new mixer and try out some tips from this forum!!
cheers
Jan
1. Wrapping the icing in plastic wrap before putting into the decorating bags.
I'm confused...how do you do this?
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