Simplicity is a preferable option for many, but more often than not, the modest nature of something is simply unfulfilling.
Confectionaries are a hallmark of luxury, they are served in small proportions after meals or with tea but are still expected to satisfy the desires of anyone who tastes them.
And in that, they have to be presented at their fullest, decorated, so that they satisfy the eyes as well as the stomach and palate.
A plain cake, even if wonderfully baked, remains plain, but adding decorative sugars like sprinkles or chocolate really develops its texture and uplifts it from a simpler level to a higher one.
One of my younger cousins is very often heard saying, “The more the sprinkles, the better the cake,” and only people who lack a sweet tooth have discovered his statement to be wrong.
Do You Put Sprinkles On A Cake Before Or After Baking?
People who bake cookies already know that for cookies, the sprinkles are integrated within the dough when it’s raw because then it is soft and becomes stiff after baking, sprinkles do not stick to cookies when they have become stiff, but it is not the same for cakes.
There are many exceptions, but most cake bakers prefer to add sprinkles after baking the cake because the sprinkles or any sugar will stick to the cream or frosting of the cake.
You can go overboard with the art of sprinkling and add them to your cake in any way or pattern you like.
How To Put Sprinkles On The Side Of a Cake?
Sprinkles are only added after the cake sides have been smoothed. To add a layer of sprinkles, get a bunch of them in your hand and angle it in such a way the sprinkles start falling and landing on the sides of the cake.
You’ll want to keep moving the turntable to get an even layer of sprinkles. Also, place something below to catch all the falling sprinkles and then put them on the sides using an icing spatula.
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#1: Freshly Frosted Sprinkles.
You can add sprinkles easily to your cake if you mix them with the icing or frosting of the cake. Add them to the cream of your icing before adding butter, and then layer the cake with the mixture you’ve made.
Layer your cake so that it is smooth and has a sharp edge, and let it freeze. One more thing, no one is stopping you from adding more sprinkles. If you think that the ones in the frosting aren’t enough, then keep adding more until you’re satisfied.
#2: Rolled Sprinkles.
Rolled sprinkles or rod-like sprinkles are an elongated, slender variety of sprinkles. Their most prominent use is seen above the glazing of donuts.
Rolled Sprinkles, wherever sprinkled, are less in number compared to other varieties, and they are not a popular fit for cookies. However, they have been used for cakes.
#3: Frozen Sprinkles.
Yes, frozen sprinkles are a thing, but they are unpopular, and there’s a very valid reason for that. I mentioned above that sprinkles are always poured after smoothing the sides of a cake, and I would like to add that sprinkles are never poured after freezing the cake.
The cake is always sprinkled before and then frozen. Sprinkles may have problems sticking if they are added to a cake after it has been frozen.
#4: How To Put Sprinkles On The Side Of a Fondant Cake?
A fondant cake is a type of cake with a fondant icing. Fondant is a type of icing that has sugars like glucose and fructose, but most importantly, it has gelatin, and because of its characteristic gelatin, this icing can be molded into many shapes.
The best way to apply sprinkles to a fondant cake is to use edible glue and stick all the sprinkles with it to any part of the cake you like. If that doesn’t work for you, you can also use piping gel.
How To Stop Sprinkles From Bleeding into the Cake?
The effect sprinkles have on presentation is far more significant than the one they have on the overall taste of the cake. They are mainly for presentation, so it’s important that they are properly presented.
They shouldn’t be bleeding or sinking into the cake, and if they are, chances are you have done something like pressing them too heavily with an icing spatula, or the same sinking sprinkles could also be due to the inappropriate layering of the frosting.
So you might want to be clear of such things if you don’t want your sprinklings bleeding into the cake.
Do Sprinkles Expire?
Sprinkles don’t rot or decay, but they are chiefly made up of pure sugar or something else which contains a lot of sugar, like chocolate. They are sugar, and sugar is carbohydrates, and carbohydrates are fermented by bacteria.
If you’ve ever had the misfortune of keeping somewhere and then forgetting a pack of sprinkles, followed by the surprise of finding it a couple of months later, you may have noticed that the sprinkles get clumped together and are far stickier than usual.
So yes, they do expire, but only when forgotten to be used.
Final Verdict.
Sprinkles are a great accessory to boost the presentation and texture of a cake, but only if one knows how to employ them appropriately.
Putting sprinkles on a cake may look like an easy process, but it takes dexterity, skill, and focus for this task.
So if your layer of sprinkles isn’t perfect on your first try, then it’s nothing out of the ordinary, a few more attempts and you will be layering cakes with sprinkles with your eyes closed.
