How to Decorate Fruitcake
Tips & Tricks from the Fruitcake Experts
Knowing how to decorate a cake means being able to take an already delicious dessert from everyday indulgence to a show-stopping centerpiece. After all, we eat with our eyes first. When most think"‘beautifully decorated cake," they think wedding or birthday cake. But, what about a beautifully decorated fruitcake?
Perhaps Collin Street’s Texas Pecan Cakes and classic DeLuxe® Fruitcake jump to mind. Pre-decorated with crunchy pecans, ripe cherries, and tender pineapples, our cakes are Texas classics in need of no additional decor. However, if you’re perhaps interested in baking and decorating your own fruitcake, we say “hats off to you!” Fruitcakes are the perfect canvas to try your hand at cake decorating.
Are you feeling up to the challenge?—yes?! Awesome!
Once you’ve made the decision to try your hand at decorating a fruitcake, you may also be asking yourself where to get started. Don’t fret, because the fruitcake decorating experts are here to provide tips and tricks on how to decorate a fruitcake.
Fruitcake Decorating for Beginners
Though it's not the first cake you’d think of decorating, fruitcakes actually provide an excellent surface for cake decorating beginners. This is for two main reasons. Firstly, fruitcakes are inherently denser than most. This density reduces the number of crumbs that tend to peel away from a cake’s surface during the frosting process. This crumb-reductionage (the highly technical term) allows even the most novice of cake decorators to produce a cake with a professional appearance. Secondly, decorating fruitcakes can mean a variety of things. Unlike many other cakes, fruitcakes don’t need a frosting top to appear complete. The careful concoction of a simple glaze, beautifully glacéed fruit, and well-selected nuts create a finished product perfect to share with their friends, family, and coworkers.
Decorating Fruitcake without Frosting
The more common of the two fruitcake decorating techniques, decorating without frosting, is an incredibly simple method with nearly endless possibilities. To start, you must make a glaze. A traditional glaze consists of combining one cup of confectioner’s sugar with two tablespoons of milk --stir until the sugar has completely dissolved into the milk. Once this is completed, the glaze should have a thin consistency that could be easily poured or brushed over the top of a fruitcake. If confectioner’s sugar is not a household staple, worry not! Powdered sugar is a wonderful substitute.
Once the cake is glazed, allow your cake to set for a couple of minutes. Once set, you can begin decorating with the toppings of your choice. This is your opportunity to really have fun and show your personality. At Collin Street, we love the classics, a double ring of pecan halves and chunks of glacéed. However, we encourage you to get as creative as possible when decorating fruitcakes. Freshly sectioned wedges of citrus fruit, toasted nuts, and edible flowers are all stellar options.
Decorating Fruitcake with Frosting
The second technique to discuss is how to decorate fruitcakes using frosting. Ultimately, the type of frosting you choose and the level of decoration complexity are entirely up to you. But traditionally, the recommended frosting is royal icing --an icing consisting of egg whites, powdered sugar, flavoring, and coloring that hardens to create a seamless finish.
Our recipe consists of four cups of confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar can be substituted), one teaspoon vanilla extract, and, depending on the size of your eggs, either two large or three medium egg whites. To make the frosting, simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl using a whisk or mixer until well combined and smooth.
Once the icing is made, it’s best used immediately. We recommend one of two methods. The first involves ladling spoonfuls of icing onto the center of the cake until there is enough to spread to the edges. Using the back of a spoon, gently push the icing over the top edge of the cake. This will create a dripping effect down the cake’s sides. The second involves filling a piping bag with icing and carefully creating ornamental designs around the sides and surface of the cake. The level of decoration is completely up to you, but don’t forget! Once you’ve frosted your homemade fruitcake, it'll need to be eaten within a few days. Royal frosting will not stay as fresh for long.
Christmas Fruitcake Decoration Ideas
We’ve said it once, but we’ll say it again. Decorating fruitcakes is simple, easy, and lots of fun. And with the holidays around the corner, now might be the time to begin planning on how to decorate your fruitcake for Christmas. Whether you're going the glazing or frosting route, we recommend adding droplets of red and green food coloring for an extra punch of holiday cheer.
And don’t forget, when it comes to decorating fruitcakes for Christmas, you can’t go wrong with traditional glaceéd fruits like red cherries and pineapples. If you really feel like mixing things up, try adding festive candy canes or peppermints. These are certain to please a crowd!
Order Delicious Fruitcake at Collin Street Bakery
Now that you’ve learned all about decorating fruitcakes, you probably want to get decorating and eating, right? Trust us, we do. At Collin Street Bakery, we provide customers the chance to taste our world-famous DeLuxe® Fruitcake. Packed full of delicious ingredients, our renowned fruitcake recipe has been adorned for over 125 years! Order online today to try a slice of tradition!
