If you’re looking to open a bakery, learning how to ice cakes is essential. For a professional-looking final product, we’ll share some frosting tips. Learn how to frost layers cakes for any occasion, including weddings, graduations, birthdays, and baby showers.
Tools for decorating cakes
You will need the right tools to learn how to ice cakes smoothly. These are the best cake frosting tools that we recommend.
- Cake circle
- Cake turning
- Serrated knife or cake leveller
- Straight baking spatula
- Offset baking spatula
- Cookie-cutter Or bowl scraper
You can make your cake turntable if you don’t have one. You can do this by flipping a bowl upside down and then placing a plate or upside-down cake pan on top.
How to decorate a cake like a professional?
Follow our simple instructions to frost cakes like a pro:
Reduce the cake
- Before you begin working on your cake, cool every tier completely.
- Use a cake leveller or serrated knives to remove the slightly rounded top from your sponges.
- You can use your cake board to make a template. Trim the edges of your sponge with a knife.
Tip: To make it easier to lift and move the sponges, place a piece of parchment underneath them. To make cake pops, you can use any leftovers from the cake.
Stack the Cake
- Place a small amount of icing on the middle of your cake board/plate and spread it out. This will prevent the cake sponge’s sliding while you work with them.
- Place the first sponge in the middle of the cake board.
- Pipe a swirl of icing onto the top of your first cake layer using a pipette.
- To evenly smoothen the icing, use your offset spatula. Add any other fillings at that time.
- Place the sponge on top of the sponge layer below.
- Continue stacking and icing until you reach the top of the cake. The top of the last sponge should not be iced yet.
Tip: Place a few sheets of parchment paper underneath the edges of your cake. This will make it easier to remove any excess icing from your cake and keep it clean and neat.
Add the Crumb Coat
These steps will show you how to crumb coat a cupcake:
- Use a spatula to spread frosting on the sides of your cake. You don’t need to make the frosting layer thick. The icing should be on the opposite side of the hand you are using.
- Instead of manoeuvring around the cake, spin the turntable using your free hand.
- Spread frosting on top of the cake using the offset spatula after the sides have been covered. To create a clean edge, sweep the frosting towards the middle of the cake.
- The cake should be kept in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
Tip – If you are looking for a naked cake look, you can stop here
What is a Crumb coat?
Crumb coating is a thin layer of icing which forms a barrier between the sponge’s surface and the final coat. This helps to ensure that no crumbs are left behind in the frosting’s outer layer, making the final product smooth and free from blemishes.
Frost Your Cake
- Use a spatula to spread a thick layer of buttercream frosting on the sides of your cake. It should be approximately one centimetre thick. It doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth at this point.
- The cake scraper should be positioned at 90 degrees from the cake. Turn the turntable and move the scraper along the surface. This will allow you to spread the buttercream frosting evenly. As the buttercream spreads, you’ll notice some excess icing build up on the scraper. You can return any excess to the icing bowl.
- Spread a little icing on top of the cake. Use an offset spatula to spread it evenly.
- Use the cake scraper to sweep excess frosting from the edges towards the centre of the cake.
Tip: To avoid tearing the crumb coating off your cake, do not lift your spatula off the cake. Instead of lifting the spatula off the cake, place it on the top of the cake.
Finish the cake with final decorations
After your cake is frosted, you can add decorations to it. To personalize your cake, you can add piped buttercream roses and write to the top.