Cook's Illustrated Unframed Print: Cake Decorations

Over the past 20 years, renowned illustrator John Burgoyne has produced more than 150 intricate, hand-drawn illustrations for Cook’s Illustrated magazine. Now, for the first time ever, America’s Test Kitchen is proud to partner with Mr. Burgoyne and offer a select number of fine art prints featuring this iconic artwork.

Cake decoration, a centuries-old art called on to mark festive occasions, demonstrates the confectionary possibilities of butter, chocolate, and especially sugar. Any style of BUTTERCREAM—there are at least six, ranging in consistency from fluffy to satiny—can be used to frost a cake or cupcake or be piped into patterns such as swirls or rosettes. FONDANT icing is clay-like; skilled bakers roll it into a smooth coating for cakes. It stiffens but remains soft, while similarly pliable GUM PASTE hardens completely, so it’s ideal for molding fine, precise shapes such as flowers and figurines. Extravagant, glass-like bows and ribbons can be fashioned from PULLED SUGAR. To make CHOCOLATE CURLS, pour melted chocolate onto a flat surface and sculpt the curls with a spatula or bench scraper. Applying TRANSFER SHEETS made from colored cocoa butter onto the surface of a cake is like screen printing: Spread melted chocolate onto an inverted sheet, gently place the sheet on the cake, and remove the sheet’s sheer protective layer. Final embellishments can set a cake’s tone: ARTISAN SPRINKLES or CONFETTI impart color and whimsy; GOLD LEAF adds metallic glitz; sugar PEARLS and DRAGÉES create a bejeweled effect; and CANDIED VIOLETS—actual flowers encased in sugar—sparkle.