Cake Decorating Glossary: 23 Terms Explained
The words that show up in cake decorating specs, reviews and how-to guides, explained without jargon. Open any term for the full explanation and what to look for when buying.
- Airbrushing
- Spraying a fine mist of edible color onto a cake for shading, blending and gradient effects.
- Read more about airbrushing
- Baking strips
- Damp fabric bands around pans that slow heat at the edges so cakes bake flatter with less doming.
- Read more about baking stripsRelated: Best Baking Strips for Flat Cake Layers Without Domes
- Bench scraper
- A flat tool held against a spinning cake on a turntable to smooth frosting into sharp, even sides.
- Read more about bench scraperRelated: Best Cake Scrapers for Smooth Sides and Sharp Edges
- Buttercream
- Frosting made from butter and sugar, with American, Swiss meringue and Italian meringue styles varying in sweetness and stability.
- Read more about buttercream
- Cake board
- A sturdy base placed under a cake or tier so it can be lifted, moved and served without damage.
- Read more about cake boardRelated: Best Cake Boards and Drums for Stable, Clean Presentation
- Cake turntable
- A rotating stand that makes smooth frosting and even piped borders much easier to produce.
- Read more about cake turntableRelated: Best Cake Turntables for Smooth Frosting and Decorating
- Cocoa butter color
- Fat-soluble color blended into melted cocoa butter for painting or airbrushing chocolate work.
- Read more about cocoa butter color
- Coupler
- A two-part fitting inside a piping bag that lets a decorator swap tips without emptying or refilling the bag.
- Read more about couplerRelated: Best Piping Bag Couplers and Bag Ties
- Crumb coat
- A thin, first layer of frosting spread over a cake to trap loose crumbs before the final, smooth coat goes on.
- Read more about crumb coatRelated: Best Offset Spatulas for Frosting and Cake Decorating
- Dowels
- Rigid supports inserted into lower cake tiers so upper tiers do not sink or crush the layers beneath them.
- Read more about dowelsRelated: Best Cake Dowels and Tiering Supports for Stacked Cakes
- Drip cake
- A cake finished with ganache or glaze poured over the top edge so it drips down the sides in controlled lines.
- Read more about drip cake
- Fondant
- A smooth, rollable sugar paste used to cover cakes and mold decorations, giving a clean, matte finish.
- Read more about fondantRelated: Best Fondant Brands for Cake Covering and Decorating
- Fondant smoother
- A flat, handheld paddle used to press out air bubbles and smooth fondant against a cake's surface.
- Read more about fondant smoother
- Gel food coloring
- Concentrated color that tints frosting and fondant deeply without adding extra liquid that could thin them out.
- Read more about gel food coloringRelated: Best Gel Food Coloring for Buttercream and Fondant
- Gum paste
- A sugar paste that dries firm and rolls very thin, used mainly for delicate sugar flowers and fine details.
- Read more about gum pasteRelated: Best Gum Paste Tools for Sugar Flowers and Figures
- Leveling
- Trimming the domed top off a baked cake layer so every tier stacks flat and even.
- Read more about levelingRelated: Best Cake Levelers for Flat, Even Layers Every Time
- Luster dust
- A shimmering powder brushed on dry or mixed into paint, checked for whether it is edible or decorative only.
- Read more about luster dustRelated: Best Luster Dust for Cakes: Shimmer That Actually Shows
- Naked cake
- A cake frosted with only a thin, deliberately incomplete layer of buttercream that leaves the layers visible.
- Read more about naked cake
- Piping tip
- A metal or plastic nozzle fitted to a piping bag that shapes frosting into rounds, stars, petals and more.
- Read more about piping tipRelated: Best Piping Tip Sets for Cake Decorating
- Royal icing
- A hard-drying icing made from egg whites or meringue powder and powdered sugar, used for cookies and fine piping.
- Read more about royal icing
- Russian piping tip
- A large, decoratively shaped nozzle that pipes an entire flower in one squeeze, without separate petal work.
- Read more about russian piping tip
- Torting
- Slicing a cake horizontally into multiple thin layers so filling can be added between each one.
- Read more about torting
- Wafer paper
- Thin edible paper made from starch for flowers, sails and printed images on a cake.
- Read more about wafer paperRelated: Best Wafer Paper for Cake Decorating and Edible Prints