Difficulty level: Intermediate/Advanced
Cake decorating isn’t that difficult. It just requires practice and the right tools.
I learned how to decorate by watching Youtube videos, so here’s a YouTube video made by me that shows you exactly how I frost my cakes to achieve smooth edges. I used a more difficult frosting (mascarpone whipped cream) to smooth in this video (of course I did), but if you’re a beginner, you should use a butter based frosting like my “Faux Swiss Meringue Buttercream” (insert link) recipe, or my “Swiss Meringue Buttercream” (insert link) recipe.
Remember, frosting texture is everything when trying to achieve smooth sides. If you have a gritty buttercream, or a loose buttercream, it just ain’t gonna work. I’ve included a glossary of terms after the recipe in case you get lost along the way.
Xx
Lisa
CAKE DECORATING 101:
This tutorial is for a 6-inch, 3 to 4 layer round cake, decorated with buttercream frosting.
Once your cake layers are baked and your frosting is prepared, it’s time to decorate:
1. Place a non-slip cake mat on your turntable, and the cake board on top of that.
2. “Level” each layer:
a. Put your cake layer on the turntable.
b. Place your serrated knife at the edge of your cake layer, right where the mound begins.
c. Place one hand on top of the cake to hold it in place, then gently ‘saw’ the knife into the cake level, about a quarter of an inch deep.
d. Keeping the knife at the same depth, gently press down on the top of the cake and rotate the turntable to achieve a cut around the entire circumference of the cake.
e. Once the entire circumference has been scored, gently push the knife in further at the same depth, continuing to rotate your base until the mound of the cake is completely removed and you’re left with a smooth, flat top.
f. Repeat for all cake layers.
3. Smooth out a dollop of frosting on the center of the cake board (this will be your glue for the cake to stick to the board).
4. Smear a bit of frosting in the center of your cake round. This will serve as the “glue” that holds the first layer of your cake in place. Center the first layer on your cake round, leveled side up.
5. Using your offset spatula, take a generous scoop of buttercream frosting – about a cup – and plop it in the center of your first layer. Spread the frosting with your offset spatula, using a back-and-forth motion to move the frosting from the center of the cake toward the edges in an even layer.
6. Once the layer is relatively even, hold the spatula flat with its tip at the center of the layer, and rotate your turntable to smooth out the surface of the frosting. Leave any excess frosting hanging off the sides for now (this is a good thing, and makes crumb coating easier.)
7. Stack your second layer and repeat the frosting technique described above. Continue until you reach your final layer
8. For your final layer, flip the cake over, level-side-down onto the frosted layer.
9. Apply the Crumb Coat:
a. Plop some frosting – about 1 cup – on top of the top layer. Use the same frosting technique you used for the other layers, but now move the excess frosting over the sides of the cake, spreading evenly and rotating your turntable to fully coat the sides.
b. You can also use that spilled over frosting from between your layers to fill in any big holes.
c. Once the cake is entirely coated with frosting, gently press the flat end of your cake scraper to the side of the cake at a 45-degree angle (so the ruler is resting along the side of the cake, not totally perpendicular to it). Steady the bottom of the scraper/ruler on the cake base, and apply gentle pressure to the side of the cake, rotating the turntable to evenly smooth out the frosted sides of the cake.
d. Flatten the top of the cake with your offset spatula as well.
10. Refrigerate the cake for 5-10 minutes to set the crumb coat. Since frosting is mostly butter, it’ll harden quickly. You can alternatively set in the freezer for 5 minutes, if yours is large enough to accommodate the cake.
11. Clean off all of the tools you’ll be using for the final decoration, and tidy your workspace so it’s free of crumbs. This is important for achieving a smooth top coat.
12. Remove cake from fridge/freezer, and plop about one cup of buttercream frosting in the center of the top of the cake. Using the same back and forth motion, distribute frosting from the center outward to form a relatively even surface.
13. Smooth the top layer: hold the offset spatula to the frosted surface with its tip at the center of the layer. Rotate your turntable to create a very smooth, even layer of frosting, scraping excess frosting away as you spin the cake.
14. Carefully apply more frosting to the sides of the cake, making sure to fully cover the surface. Don’t be shy about using a lot of frosting; any excess will be scraped off when you smooth the cake.
15. Level the sides of your cake with the scraper/hemming ruler as detailed above to get a smooth, even layer. (Steady the bottom of the scraper on the cake base and hold the side at a 45-degree angle to your cake while rotating the turntable).
16. If you notice any gaps or bubbles in your frosting, fill them in with more frosting and use the scraper/hemming ruler to smooth the sides
17. Once your sides are level, smooth the area where the sides meet the top: use your offset spatula to move the excess frosting in toward the center of the top of the cake, wiping off your spatula in between each ‘frosting pull’. Repeat around the entire circumference of the cake.
18. Finish the top of your cake: scrape the flat side of your scraper/hemming ruler against the top surface of the cake and lift it off just before you reach the side.
19. Add additional decorations as desired/instructed.
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TOOLS:
Turntable
A must-have for anyone who’s committed to making nice-looking cakes, this is essentially a cake stand that rotates, which is really useful for trimming, frosting, and decorating your cake. Opt for a more expensive, heavy duty one, like this Ateco turntable. It’s the Rolls Royce of cake spinners. I promise it’s worth it – plastic ones are wobbly, and won’t help you get smooth edges.
Non-Slip Cake Mat
This is a thin rubber mat that keeps your cake from shifting as you spin your turntable. These often come in rectangular sheets that you can trim into a circle to fit your turntable. Some turntables come with one.
Cake Round/Circle/Board/Base
There are a few different names for this very simple tool, but its basically a thin round, made of either disposable cardboard or reusable acrylic (my preference) that serves as the structural foundation for your cake – a must for any cake over two layers high.
Offset Spatula
These come in a variety of sizes, but you’ll need a smaller or larger version- which is ideal for decorating 6-8-inch cakes. It’s what we usually use at Fancy Sprinkles. This is your #1 tool for applying frosting, so be sure to pick one you feel comfortable handling. Be sure to get a small and large one for options.
Acrylic or Metal Cake Scraper
This is basically a thin, flat panel you use to smooth frosting on the sides and top of your cake. While a lot of kitchen companies sell plastic or acrylic bench scrapers, we prefer stainless steel hemming rulers for their lightness and flexibility. If you go this route, just be sure the one you buy is made of food-grade stainless steel.
Serrated Bread Knife
A standard, large serrated bread knife works perfectly for trimming your cakes into flat layers. If you’re really into gadgets, you can buy a designated “cake trimmer,” but our kitchen is already crowded enough and I find the knife works just as well.
Piping Bags and Tips
A standard cake-decorating tool, piping bags come with interchangeable tips that distribute frosting in various patterns and sizes. They’re useful for any detailed decoration work. Plain round tips are also helpful for evenly applying frosting all over the surface of your cake, which you can then smooth with your bench scraper for a perfectly smooth, level surface.
TERMS:
Crumb Coat
A crumb coat is a thin base layer of frosting you apply to your cake before decorating. It works like a primer, filling in the cracks of your dry cake to create a smooth, level surface for the ‘official’ topcoat frosting process.
Torte/Level
A torte is a specific kind of cake, but as a technique, it refers to slicing one or more cross-sections into a single cake layer to create more layers for frosting. When this technique is used on top of a cake layer to remove the rounded “hump” that occurs during baking, it’s known as leveling.