Birthdays are always special occasions, but there is something particularly unique about a girl's sixteenth birthday. Sweet sixteen is often an age when young girls are seen to transform into young women, and since they are a midst their high school years, they are surrounded by teenage friends and the carelessness of adolescence. You can make the occasion special by creating decorative sweet sixteen cakes. These start with a frozen pound cake to save on time. If you need more than one cake, you can easily double or triple these instructions. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Cover the serving plate with a sheet of wax paper. Set the pound cake on top of the wax paper. The paper will be removed after decorating, but it will prevent icing from getting on the serving plate.
2. Combine one of the tubs of white icing with food coloring in a bowl until you have the desired color for the base layer of icing. Three or four drops of food coloring per can will yield a pale, pastel color, but more will darken the shade. A combination of blue and yellow makes green, yellow and red makes orange, and blue and red makes purple. You might want to choose the birthday girl's favorite colors for the icing colors.
3. Use the spatula to spread the colored icing all over the top and sides of the cake. Ensure that the entire cake is completely coated.
4. Combine the other can of icing in a bowl with food coloring to make a complementary color which will be used for the accent icing.
5. Scoop the accent color icing into the pastry bag, fitted with a writing tip on the end of the bag.
6. Carefully pipe icing out onto the cake to write the birthday greeting. You might want "Happy 16th!," "Happy Sweet Sixteen!" or just "Happy Birthday!" Be sure to put the birthday girl's name on the cake.
7. Clean out the icing from the pastry bag and remove the writing tip. Place another decorative tip of your choice on the end.
8. Mix another color of icing, if desired, for another accent color, by following Step 2. Put this icing into the pastry bag and pipe a line of icing on the top and side edges of the cake. This will add a professional touch to the cake.
9. Place the candles on top of the cake.
10. Decorate the cake with the candy decorations, edible flowers or cake toppers, if desired.
11. Gently pull the wax paper from under the cake and serve.
Tags: food coloring, accent color, birthday girl, color icing, icing from, icing into