A finished cake is often improved by casing it with icing, or frosting, and toppings such as sprinkles, which are also known as “jimmies” in certain parts of the United States and “hundreds and thousands” in the United Kingdom. Frosting is generally completed from powdered (icing) sugar, sometimes a fat of some sort, milk or cream, and frequently flavorings such as vanilla extract or cocoa powder. Some decorators use a rolled fondant icing. Commercial bakeries tend to use lard for the fat, and often whip the lard to introduce air bubbles. This makes the icing light and spread able. Home bakers either use lard, butter, margarine or some combination thereof. Sprinkles are small firm pieces of sugar and oils that are colored with food coloring. In the late 20th century, new cake decorating products became available to the public. These include several specialized sprinkles and even methods to print pictures and transfer the image onto a cake.
The special appliances is necessary for more complex cake embellishing, such as piping pockets or needles, and several piping ends. A piping pocket or to use, is a piping end in appendix to the pocket or the needle spouts which a link uses. The pocket or the needle is filled partially with sugar glaze which has sometimes colored. Using several piping ends and several techniques, cake decorator can make a lot of different designs. Basic decorating tips include open star, closed star, basket weave, round, drop flower, leaf, multi, petal, and specialty tips. Royal icing, marzipan (or a less sweet version, which is confessed as almond paste), the fondant icing (that as sugar paste it is also confessed) and the butter cream are used such as treating sugar glaze and to create decorative. Flowers sugar craft industry or telegraphed sugar flowers are an important part of cake decorative. The cakes for special occasions, such as marriage cakes, are traditionally rich fruitcakes or now and then the cakes of Madeira cakes that are covered with marzipan and either iced using royal icing or sugar paste. They are finished with piped borders (made with royal icing) and adorned with a piped message, wired sugar flowers, hand-formed fondant flowers, marzipan fruit, piped flowers, or crystallized fruits or flowers such as grapes or violets. Some famous kits are the Betty Crocker kits.