How to Decorate a Baseball Cake

Hold a baseball theme party.

Baseball--commonly referred to as America's favorite pastime--became popular in the United States during the 19th century. Children and adults still enjoy playing the game today. Hold a baseball theme party and invite enough guests to play a game. After everyone has worked up an appetite, serve such stadium staples as hot dogs and hamburgers. For the pièce de résistance, learn how to decorate a baseball cake. The process is simple--it just requires a little patience.

Things You'll Need

• Cake
• White buttercream frosting
• Cake spatula
• Red food coloring
• Small mixing bowl
• Spoon
• Pastry bag
• Pastry tip
• Coconut, sprinkles or birthday candles

Instructions

1. Lightly brush the crumbs from the cake. Use the spatula to cover the cake with a thin layer of white buttercream, or a crumb coat. It's OK if you can see the cake through the layer of frosting--this thin layer makes it easier to frost the cake. It also prevents crumbs from marring your presentation. Place the cake in the refrigerator for an hour or two.

2. Remove the cake from the refrigerator after the crumb coat sets. Frost the cake with white buttercream frosting. Use the spatula to smooth the buttercream to create a flawless baseball cake.

3. Fill a small bowl with white frosting. Add red food coloring and use the spoon to mix the two ingredients. Follow the package's instructions to make bright red icing for the baseball's seams.

4. Attach a decorative tip to the end of your pastry bag. Choose a circular or flat tip for the best results. Fill the bag with red frosting.

5. Use the red frosting to create the seams that hold a baseball together. Squeeze the pastry bag to make a semicircle at the top of the cake. Repeat this step on the bottom of the cake.

6. Pipe small lines perpendicular to the semicircles to create the baseball cake's red stitching.

7. Cover the cake with coconut or sprinkles. Insert birthday candles.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a baseball photograph as a guide to help you add the cake's red stitching.

• Liquid food coloring provides the weakest color and thins out frosting. However, liquid gel, gel-paste and powdered food coloring will not dilute frosting. Since they are more concentrated, these types also provide more vivid color.

References

• RPI: History of Baseball
• Cake Decorating Tips: Crumb Coat Secrets
• Martha Stewart: Food Coloring 101

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Coolest-Birthday-Cakes.com: Coolest Homemade Baseball Cake Ideas
• Martha Stewart: Baseball Birthday Party
• Nick Jr.: Baseball Cake