I like to start at the bottom of the cake and work my way to the top. Next, use your angled spatula to apply about ¼ inch layer of buttercream all around the sides of the cake. We’ll be revisiting the top of the cake during Step 3, so the most important goal in this current step is to make sure the frosting is level and reaches over the edge. If you need to add more buttercream to the top as you go, feel free! But don’t worry too much about getting the top perfect at this point. Keep smoothing and rotating until your buttercream reaches over the cake’s edge slightly. Holding the angled spatula as parallel to the cake as you can while you rotate the turntable will help you achieve a level finish. Rotate the turntable as you smooth the buttercream down flat. With your chilled, crumb coated cake on the turntable, use your angled spatula to add a few scoops of buttercream to the top of the cake. Chilling the crumb coated cake makes all that buttercream firm up so that the layers and fillings don’t shift while you’re frosting on top of them. Having a solid foundation for your final layer of frosting is essential, and there’s nothing more solid than a crumb coated cake that’s been chilled for at least 30 minutes.Ĭrumb coating helps shape the cake’s foundation and reduces the chances that crumbs will end up in your final layer of buttercream. I’ve tried a lot of icing smoothers in my day, but I always go back to this one. It’s easy to hold at a 90-degree angle for getting super straight edges, plus it’s made of stainless steel so it’s easy to clean and apply a small amount of heat if necessary. The angle in it gives you more grace as you smooth than a straight spatula would – aka it’s just easier to create those sharp edges around the top (in my opinion).Īn Icing Smoother: I don’t know if this Norpro Bench Scraper that I use is technically an icing smoother, but it’s the best I’ve found for the task. Both have a non-slip center so your cake won’t budge as you’re smoothing buttercream, and both have the smooth rotation you need for achieving a smooth finish.Īn Angled Spatula: This 9” Wilton spatula is ideal for applying frosting to the cake and also achieving a smooth, level finish on top. The one I use is currently unavailable on Amazon, but I’ve tried the newer version and I can attest it works just the same. Here are the ones I’ve come to swear by for every cake I make:Ī Cake Turntable: I have an older model of this Wilton turntable that I’ve been using for over a decade. The techniques I’m about to share work wonderfully as long as you have the right tools. They’ll work with all of my frosting recipes (which are all American) but feel free to use your own personal fave and follow along with this post. So whether you prefer Swiss Meringue, Italian Meringue, German Buttercream, stabilized whipped cream, or anything else that’s meant for frosting a cake, you can follow these tips and techniques for best results. The good news is, no matter what kind of buttercream you’re used to using, these techniques will work just fine for frosting a cake. That said, there are a variety of other buttercreams out there and I know everyone has their preferences. I’ve purposefully tweaked it to be the best consistency for frosting cakes and to make it less sweet than your average American Buttercream. I use this American Buttercream recipe for everything I do – filling, crumb coating, frosting cakes, piping cupcakes, and beyond. You’ll also find tons of cake recipes and decorating videos to inspire you and broaden your skill set – be sure to hit the subscribe button so you never miss a new one! What Kind of Buttercream Works Best? Want to see more Cake Basics videos like this one? Head to my YouTube Channel to see the growing collection. Give it a watch before you read all about these frosting tips and techniques below! This way, you’re more up to speed on my current processes and have something more detailed to reference as you frost your future cakes. I’ve got an older video on my YouTube channel that shows some of these smooth buttercream frosting techniques, but I’ve learned even more since then and wanted to shoot a new video with voiceover and more info. These days, I’ve got the frosting process down to about 15 minutes and I can’t wait to share my best tips with you so you can eliminate some of the anxiety that seems to come along with cake decorating. I remember agonizing over every flaw and just smoothing the cake over and over again until I reached a point where I was okay with the finish. Would you believe me if I told you that once upon a time it took me hours to frost a smooth buttercream cake? It was mainly due to my perfectionism, but also because I didn’t know as much as I do now about frosting techniques.
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