Much like artists need a palette, paintbrush and easel; bakery chefs need their pastry supplies. The creativity and inspiration to create edible masterpieces lies in their head, but they need the proper tools to make it a reality. From brushes to tips to knives, the pastry artist has many tools in their stable and a true master knows how to use all of them to their fullest possibilities.  Their mediums are icing, fondant, creams and chocolate and their canvases are as varied as cakes, mousses, cupcakes and cookies. The tools are all here, the inspiration lies in the head of the chef.
 
When looking for ideas on how to decorate a cake, there are incredible examples all over the internet, but there are two very different types of frosting used on cakes that produce very different effects. Buttercream icing is a frosting that is spread on to the cake using a spatula or knife designed for sculpting. It can be spread very evenly and once it is spread, it is best put in the refrigerator to hard. It is a very flavorful icing.
 
Rolled fondant is almost dough and is rolled out into sheets and them draped over the cake to create an exceptionally hard and smooth finish. It is best to use on tiered cakes as it will bind the layers together. Some chefs spread a layer of buttercream icing underneath the fondant as it is not a particularly sweet cake covering.