sprinkle appliqué

Candy applied to frosting in a surface pattern can look like a beaded appliqué. And while the results may appear daunting, all you need is a wax-paper mask and a small spoon. Appliqué patterns can be as simple as stars and stripes or as complex as the Mona Lisa in sprinkles. Any small coating can be used, such as jimmies, decors, crushed candy, chopped nuts, sugar, and coconut.

1 Use a ruler to find the center of the cake and mark with a toothpick. Place the wax-paper masks on the cake and press them into the frosting to seal the edges and work out any air bubbles. (For the Pinwheel Cake, you need 16 wedges plus 16 rectangles of wax paper.)