Here are some more novel ways to decorate any cake using some of the newer tools and products that are on the market.

Yes, there is life beyond buttercream or Royal Icing! Decorating gel is that pretty see through stuff you often see used on cakes to create writing or decorations. It is almost pure glycerine. Sometimes it is handier just to buy this in a tube than try to tint glycerin yourself.

Decorating gel can also be used to add accents (such a dew drops) to flowers on a cake. You can also use it to create a stained glass effect. It is best used on cakes with slightly rougher surfaces such as those iced with butter cream, stiff whip cream or royal icing.

Try sprinkling a cake with edible confetti. These are small bags of star shaped or rosette shaped candies that you buy by the package. They can be used singly to create a border or lettering on a cake or you can sprinkle them liberally on the cake for a festive look.

Edible glitter is large sparkles that can be consumed. They come in a rainbow of metallic colors. Edible Glitter is great for highlighting sugar paste or buttercream decoration or for using with stencils. You can also add sparkling stems with glitter on them called glitter stamen.

Edible gold leaf can applied to any shape or surface. You simply apply it with tweezers and clings to any confection. You can also buy gold flakes which can be sprinkled on any kind of frosting surface to give a cake a festive flair.

Luster dust is absolutely fantastic for decorating fondants and adding a bit of sparkle to anywhere on your cake. It is a very very fine edible glitter that creates a lustrous sheen on frosting, sugar shapes, gum paste and just about any decoration you can think of. It mixes especially well with Royal Paste.

Luster Dust is mixed with a spirit such as vodka, gin, clear vanilla extract or lemon extract. Never mix it with water and use it on sugar paste decorations or the decorations may soften and become sticky.

You can use several colors of luster dust on your cake at once to create a cake that gleams. It can also be mixed with a spirit and applied with an airbrush or small paintbrush. You can also dust it on a cake using a large fluffy blush.

A simple way to use it to add sparkle to a fondant is to brush the fondant lightly with water and put the shimmer dust into a small tea strainer. You then shake the tea strainer over your cake to “frost” it.