The bottom of the cake is now the top of the cake—because it’s the smoothest part and it will make frosting the top much easier. Take the time to push the top in. Move things around to make sure the cake is straight. Don’t be afraid to get those hands dirty. Frosting a cake relaxes me. Again, don’t lift the spatula.
Why does my cake fall apart when frosting?
Adding too much moisture to your cake, like milk, buttermilk, or oil, can cause it to fall apart. There won’t be a proper balance between the wet and dry ingredients. This will cause the structure to not be able to stay together because there is too much moisture in the batter.
Which side of cake do you frost?
Frosting is easier when the cake is elevated and closer to eye level. Put the cake layer on top of the frosting right-side up so that the flat bottom sits on the stand. Tip: Cool your cake layers upside down to help flatten them out, which will make your final cake much prettier and easier to assemble.
How much frosting do I need for a sheet cake?
As far as frosting goes, we find 3 cups is about right to frost a 9′ x 13′ cake, plus some extra for piping and decorating. 2 cups will suffice if you’re OK with a thin layer of frosting; 4 cups will give you some excess.
Do you let cake cool before or after frosting?
Make sure you let the cake cool completely before frosting, and go slow. Also, don’t use a delicately-textured cake; look for something that has a little more strength. We would also recommend slicing off any domed top first so the cake layers don’t slither off each other.
Step 1: Bake Chocolate Cake Layers
Prepare your cake batter according to the package directions.If you’re making a cake from scratch, one box of cake mix will be enough to fill all four pans.If you have any leftover batter, you can always create another cake layer or bake a batch of cupcakes to offer as an accompaniment.Make sure you follow the directions on your cake recipe while baking your cake layers.
- Check your cakes after around 15 to 20 minutes, since your layers may bake more quickly than the recipe calls for.
- When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, they’re finished baking.
Step 2: Tint Your Buttercream
- Tint your creamy white buttercream with the following colors: Royal Blue, Violet, Pink, Teal, Rose, and Lemon Yellow icing colors, in the following order: 1 12 cups buttercream should be tinted dark purple using a mixture of Royal Blue and Violet icing colors.
- In order to tint 2 cups buttercream pink, use Pink icing color
- in order to tint 12 cups buttercream teal, use Teal icing color
- in order to tint 2 cups buttercream rose, use Rose icing color
- in order to tint 1 cup buttercream yellow, in order to tint 2 cups buttercream rose, use Lemon Yellow icing color
Do you want to personalize your cake? To make your own frosting colors, use gel icing colors or Color Right food coloring to mix and match. Consider using red and pink tints for Valentine’s Day, or matching the colors of your buttercream to the colors of your wedding palette.
Step 3: Prepare Your Decorating Bags
- Prepare 5 disposable decorating bags with your piping tips, one at a time, and set them aside (we used star tips 2D, 21, 1M, 4B and petal tip 104). Filling them with buttercream should be done in the following ways: 4B with dark purple buttercream
- 2D with pink buttercream
- 21 with teal buttercream
- 1M with rose buttercream
- 104 with yellow buttercream
- 4B with dark purple buttercream
You are now ready to build and decorate your project!
Step 4: Assembling and Decorating Your Cake
- Place one of the cake layers on a serving tray or dish once it has been allowed to cool. Cover the top of the first layer with stars, rosettes, and zig-zags, using the decorating bags that you produced earlier. Place another cake layer on top and repeat the process until all of the layers are in place. Helpful Hint: This is a fantastic opportunity to improve your piping skills! Because the first three levels have been completed, you will have lots of opportunities to practice your piping abilities for the final layer. Once the last cake layer has been put, you may begin decorating the top of the cake. Begin with the largest rosettes first, and then fill in the spaces with stars and zig-zags to complete the design. When you’re finished, decorate the top of your cake with some brightly colored sprinkles and prepare to party! Do you need to brush up on your piping skills? Check out our step-by-step instructions on these simple piping techniques: Instructions on how to pipe a star
- how to pipe a rosettes
- and how to pipe a zig-zagging pattern
That’s all there is to it! This rectangle cake is bright, vibrant, and simple to decorate, making it a wonderful way to commemorate any event!
More Recipes for Your Rectangle Cake Pan
Use the Easy Layers loaf cake pan set to make these other delectable desserts as well.This Hummingbird Cake, which is bursting with the flavors of banana, nuts, and pineapple, is a delightful taste of tropical living.Finish off your cake with a sweet cream cheese frosting and a few dried pineapple slices for the ideal final flourish.If you’re looking for something rich and indulgent, this Dark Chocolate Orange Cake will not disappoint.
- Layers of chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, and buttercream come together to create a dessert that looks (and smells) really delicious.
- This Strawberry Shortcake recipe is the perfect way to celebrate the flavors of summer.
- To make a light and refreshing dessert, angel food cake, whipped cream, and fresh strawberries are piled together.
- This dessert is perfect for serving at your next BBQ or family event.
- This exquisite Summer Fruit Loaf Cake would be perfect for a special occasion or a celebration.
- This loaf cake, which is topped with fresh raspberries, blueberries, lemons, and red currants, is the perfect summer dessert!
The cake is also adorned with layers of buttercream and a sweet powdered sugar frosting, which adds a beautiful and delectable finishing touch.Have you tried baking with one of our Easy Layers pan sets before?We’d love to see what you’ve come up with!Post a picture of your cake on social media and tag us @wiltoncakes.
Easy Rectangle Shape Birthday Cake Recipe
When we use the word ″cake,″ what comes to mind first in your mind?Do you want anything sweet?Something that comes in a variety of tastes and appeals to various people?Something that captures the exact soul of each and every one of our special days?
- Or is it a rounded shape?
- The majority of people began to characterize a cake as something spherical, in addition to all of its other distinguishing characteristics.
- The fact that most cakes are usually cooked in a round form is attributed to the fact that cakes are thought to be the ancestors of ancient bread.
- Others argue that because the cakes were originally created by hand, it was the only straightforward form that could be given to this dessert dish at the time of its creation.
- However, with the passage of time, we can now find a plethora of different variations of rectangular chocolate cake, rectangle vanilla cake, and rectangle cakes in a variety of other popular tastes.
- On someone’s birthday, a rectangular cake may readily be spotted over the cake cutting ceremony, either as a surprise birthday cake ordered online or as a rectangle cake recipe cooked by someone close to the birthday boy or girl.
However, doing something as distinctive and unique as a rectangle is well worth the effort for everyone!You can rely on us on this!If you want to spoil someone on their birthday with a rectangle cake, here’s a simple birthday cake recipe for you to try out: Easy Birthday Cake Recipe Bring out your rectangle baking pan and get the batter ready, and let’s get the party started right now.
INGREDIENTS
- Plain flour, 3 cups self-raising flour, 2 cups caster sugar, 300 g cubed butter at room temperature, 14 cups buttermilk, 6 eggs, 1 12 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 3 cups buttercream are used in this recipe.
- Fresh fruits, dried fruits, and colorful edible sprinkles are included.
Let’s Start Baking!
That’s all there is to it! That’s all there is to it! To make a rectangular birthday cake for your loved ones, follow these steps.
Why Does My Cake Fall Apart?
Have you ever found yourself asking yourself the vexing question, ″Why does my cake keep falling apart?″ If this is the case, you have most likely dealt with the difficulties of a cake gone wrong.The frustration of putting in all of that hard effort into preparing a cake just to have it come apart is understandable.There are a variety of potential reasons why your cake may crumble and break apart.It is inconvenient to have to cope with the ultimate consequence, regardless of the cause behind it.
- To your advantage, there are certain measures you can take to figure out what’s causing your cake to crumble and how to mend it.
Why Does My Cake Fall Apart?
There is no denying that a cake that has fallen apart is a frustrating experience. Once you’ve spent all that time preparing it, you’ll be disappointed when it falls apart when you attempt to serve it. Fortunately, there are several precautions you can take while baking your cake to assist guarantee that it doesn’t crumble throughout the baking process.
Too Much Moisture
It is possible to make your cake break apart if you add too much moisture to it (such as milk, buttermilk, or oil). Because of this, the wet and dry components will not be in the right proportions. Because there is an excessive amount of moisture in the batter, the structure will not be able to hold together.
Too Little Moisture
In addition to having too much moisture, having too little moisture might cause the cake to crumble and crumble and come apart. If there is insufficient moisture, the cake will be dry. When you attempt to cut it, it will disintegrate as a result of this.
It Was Too Hot When You Cut It
Even as a cake cools, the frosting is still setting, making it fragile. When a cake is sliced while it is still warm, the structure is not completely set yet. If you cut into it while it is still hot, it may crumble and break apart as a result.
Didn’t Bake It For the Right Amount of Time
Unless you bake your cake for an adequate amount of time, or if you bake it for an excessive amount of time, the texture will be incorrect. It is possible that your cake will come apart in either situation. Cakes are fragile, and the amount of time spent baking them is critical to creating the desired texture.
Your Frosting is Too Stiff
Using too thick a frosting might cause the cake to disintegrate while you’re putting the finishing touches on it. If the frosting is too hard, it will be difficult to spread neatly. This will cause the delicate outer layer of the cake to be torn apart.
How to Prevent Your Cake From Falling Apart
Fortunately, there are a few easy precautions you can take to keep your cake from crumbling to pieces while serving it. By following these instructions, you may assist to guarantee that your cake has a nice, soft texture when finished.
Make Sure to Carefully Measure Your Ingredients
Make sure to properly measure your components to verify that you are obtaining the proper amount of each and every one of them. In order to get the most exact measurements, weigh your ingredients before measuring them out.
Make Sure to Bake it According to the Recipe
Make sure to bake your cake for the specified period of time specified in the recipe you are using. Check the finished product with a toothpick to see whether it is done. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cake is done; if not, return it to the oven for a few more minutes until it is.
Allow it to Fully Cool
Allow for complete cooling of your cake before cutting or decorating it. Allow it to cool in the pan for a few minutes after it has been taken out of the oven. Afterwards, gently move it to a wire rack and let it aside to cool completely before relocating it. The pan should be carefully inverted onto the wire rack as it is being transferred to prevent the likelihood of it shattering.
Use Room Temperature Frosting When Decorating
When it comes to decorating a cake, the temperature of the frosting is critical. You will want to use frosting that has been left out at room temperature. A cake with frosting that is too cold will be hard and may rip when you try to spread it on top of it.
Use an Offset Spatula to Frost
When frosting your cake, use an offset spatula to provide a smooth finish. This will help the icing to spread evenly across the surface of your cake. Rubber spatulas should be avoided since they are not sensitive enough for this application. LEGERM Cake Decorating Angled Icing Spatula Set of 6 with Wooden Handle, 8 and 10 Inch Overall Length
No More Cake Falls Apart When Cutting
But why did my cake crumble in the first place?Crumbly cakes that crumble to the ground are incredibly inconvenient.These icings are not only a nuisance to clean up, but they may also degrade the texture of your cake.Fortunately, there are several precautions you may take to avoid this from happening, allowing you to continue baking your beautiful cake.
- Do you have any queries about why my cake crumbled to the ground?
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How To Frost a Cake
Learn how to stack and frost a gorgeous, professional-looking cake every time by following our tips and techniques. Learn how to stack and frost a gorgeous, professional-looking cake every time by following our tips and techniques.
What You Need
Follow These Steps
- Place a dollop of frosting on the cake stand and set it aside. Prepare the cake stand by spreading a couple of teaspoons of frosting on it before putting down the first cake layer. This will prevent the cake from rolling around on the plate. If you don’t have a cake stand, you may use a large, wide-bottomed mixing bowl turned upside down and a plate placed on top of it as a substitute. When the cake is raised and closer to the viewer’s eye level, frosting is easier to apply.
- Stack the first cake layer on top of the cake stand.
- Right side up, place the cake layer on the icing so that the flat bottom of the cake layer rests on the stand.
- To make your cake layers more flat, turn them upside down and cool them that way. This will make the finished cake much more attractive and easier to construct.
- Place a couple pieces of parchment paper under your cake to prevent it from sticking.
- Make use of overlapping strips of parchment paper to tuck under the border of the cake
- this will assist to keep your stand clean while you are frosting.
- Begin with 1 to 112 cups of whipped cream frosting.
- A large dollop of frosting (about 1 to 112 cups) should be placed on top of the bottom layer with an offset spatula
- Spread the frosting to the edge of your cake, but not all the way around.
- Start in the centre of the cake and spread the frosting evenly over the top and just over the edge of the top surface, using the spatula to help you. The icing that hangs over the sides of the cake will assist you in frosting the sides.
- Place the second layer on top of the first, top-side-down.
- Place the second cake layer on top of the first and gently press down to ensure that it adheres. Take a step back and make sure it’s level and centered before continuing.
- For the second layer, use between 1 and 112 cups of frosting.
- Place a large dollop of frosting in the center of the cake and spread it out to the edges with the offset spatula. If you end up with crumbs in your frosting, simply scrape the dirty frosting off your spatula and place it in a different bowl. When you first start to frost, be liberal with your application. Even if you end up with too much frosting, you can always scrape some off, but if you start with too little, you run the danger of drawing crumbs from the cake into the frosting.
- Sections of the sidewalls should have frost.
- Consider dividing the cake into quarters and tackling each quarter one at a time, rotating the cake stand as you work. Attempt to coat the cake with icing as soon as possible
- Smooth out the frosting or use it to make any design you choose.
- After the cake has been frosted, you may go back and decorate it. Smooth down the icing, or add swirls or other textures to make it more interesting. Remove any extra icing from the cake. With care, peel away the pieces of parchment paper to reveal your perfectly frosted cake.
How to make sheet cake from a layer cake recipe
At King Arthur Flour, we feel that one of the most enjoyable aspects of baking is the opportunity to share it with others.Whether you’re baking with a buddy or bringing a homemade gift to a neighbor, baking is most enjoyable when done together.But, with so many delicious recipes to select from, how do you decide which one to make?We’ve got you covered – we’ll make you a cake, naturally!
- If you prepare a cake for someone, you are almost certain to brighten their day.
- And don’t simply create any cake; make something special.
- Make a sheet cake in the oven.
- Sheet cake is convenient since it is quick to assemble, simple to decorate, and can serve a large number of people.
- On our website, you’ll find a large number of single-layer cake recipes (54, to be exact), but don’t limit yourself to just those.
- We’ll teach you how to make a layer cake recipe in a 9″ x 13″ pan so that you’ll be prepared to create and distribute sheet cake whenever the occasion calls.
When converting a cake recipe but do not have a 9″ x 13″ pan, go to our blog post, The key alternative baking pan sizes, for additional information on alternative baking pan sizes.
Which recipes can be turned into a sheet cake?
- It’s important to keep a few factors in mind when selecting a recipe to convert to a 9″ x 13″ sheet cake size.
- If possible, use a cake recipe that calls for baking the batter in two or three 8″ round pans, or two 9″ round pans, in order to achieve the greatest results.
- The recipes you’re looking for should yield around 6 cups of batter, which will fit neatly into a 9″ x 13″ baking dish.
- You should keep in mind that not all cake recipes may be easily transformed into a sheet cake.
- Recipes that do not call for the creaming, blending, or the paste technique of combining should be avoided.
Anything that isn’t a normal cake will tend to behave badly when baked in a sheet pan.For example, sponge cakes (such as Angel Food Cake) and cakes with a meringue layer are best served in the manner in which they were intended by the original recipe.It’s hard to think of a better recipe to demonstrate how to create sheet cake than our Recipe of the Year for 2019, Classic Birthday Cake.If you make it in its original layer cake shape, it makes a stunning centerpiece for a special event; however, it also works nicely as a sheet cake.
- If you have your own favorite layer cake recipe or are ready to utilize our Classic Birthday Cake, we’ll teach you all you need to know to change a layer cake into a sheet cake, which is a shape that is excellent for serving to a large group of people.
Prepare your pan
- Once you’ve decided on a recipe, it’s time to go to work baking it.
- The first step is to ensure that your pan is ready to receive the batter.
- Using nonstick spray, lightly butter a 9″ x 13″ baking pan.
- If you’d want to be able to quickly remove the cake from the pan before serving, you can choose to line the pan with parchment paper wrap instead.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (or whatever temperature your recipe specifies) once you’ve prepped the pan and gathered your ingredients.
Mix up the batter
Prepare the batter according to the directions on your recipe. It is not necessary to make any modifications to the recipe, even if you are changing it from a layer cake to a sheet cake format. Pour the batter onto the cake pan that has been prepped after the batter is smooth and ready to bake.
How long do you bake a sheet cake?
- When starting with a layer cake recipe, the following are some general ideas for how long to bake your sheet cake: Add two 8-inch rounds to a 9-inch-by-13-inch pan and increase the baking time by 20 percent to 25 percent.
- In a 9″ x 13″ baking sheet, add three 8″ rounds and increase the baking time by 25 percent to 30 percent.
- Add two 9-inch rounds to a 9-inch-by-13-inch pan and increase the baking time by 30 percent to 40 percent.
- This will give you an indication of when you should begin checking your cake to see whether it has finished baking.
- For example, if your recipe asks for baking two 8-inch rounds for 38 to 42 minutes, multiply the low end of the range by 1.2 and the high end of the range by 1.25 to get the total time required for baking.
- This implies that the sheet cake variant should take somewhere between 45 and 52 minutes to prepare and bake.
- Remember to check on your cake early and often, as these basic baking principles are just intended to assist you in estimating the baking time.
- Depending on the recipe, certain cakes may require more or less time to bake as a sheet cake than other cakes.
Use your senses to ensure that your cake has been baked precisely, and you will be successful.When you press your finger into the center of the cake, it should feel springy.Inserting a paring knife or toothpick into the middle of the cake should result in the knife or toothpick coming out mainly clean.The best part is that after the cake is finished baking, your kitchen should smell wonderful.
- Bake the Classic Birthday Cake in a 9″ x 13″ pan at 325°F for 45 to 48 minutes, or until it tests done, until it is golden brown.
How much filling and frosting do I use?
- This step will likely be unnecessary if your recipe asks for filling (rather than icing) between the top and bottom layers.
- Sheet cakes are difficult to divide and fill because of their shape.
- To be safe, you should only attempt this if you are feeling daring; nevertheless, if the original recipe asks for a single layer of filling, you should create two batches for your sheet cake to ensure that there is enough for the whole surface.
- When it comes to frosting, we’ve found that 3 cups is approximately enough for icing a 9″ x 13″ cake, plus a little more for piping and decoration.
- If you’re fine with a thin coating of frosting, 2 cups will do; 4 cups will have a little more frosting leftover.
In general, frosting recipes designed for 8″ or 9″ layer cakes will provide more frosting than the 3 cups required for the layer cake size.Making the entire quantity and freezing any leftovers is quite OK; most frostings freeze really well.Alternately, you can reduce the amount of frosting used in the recipe.Scaling down the frosting to 3/4 of a batch for your 9″ x 13″ sheet cake may be a good solution.
- For those of you who prefer American-style buttercream, start with around 12 tablespoons of butter (or shortening) and gradually increase the amount until you have the desired amount of frosting.
Assemble your sheet cake
- After the cake has been allowed to cool completely, add the icing with the tool of your choice.
- A little offset spatula would be ideal for this activity (I can’t fathom using anything else).
- If you’re seeking for cake decorating ideas, have a peek at our cake style guide for some ideas.
- Although the cakes featured are all layer cakes, many of the methods — such as swoops, waves, scallops, and sprinkles — may also be used to decorate sheet cakes to give them more individuality.
- Edible flowers, berries, and natural sprinkling are some of my favorite table decorations.
Allow your creativity to serve as a guide.
Bake and share
- Knowing how to bake a flawless sheet cake, you may make one and give it to a friend or family member who would like it.
- We’re thrilled to share with you the identity of the person for whom we’ve been baking recently.
- We’ve teamed up with the Upper Valley Haven in White River Junction, Vermont, a non-profit organization that helps those who are battling with poverty to provide a solution.
- We give food, housing, education, and other forms of assistance to individuals in need in our community through The Haven.
- Because we’re bakers, we want to spread the delight that comes from enjoying something delicious on a special occasion with others.
When it comes to a child’s life, what day is more memorable than their birthday?!Our Classic Birthday Cake recipe was put to good use, so we thought we’d put it to good use by baking birthday cakes for children at the Haven as a fun way to share happiness.
Birthday cakes for the Haven
- During our tenure as employee-owners, we are each granted 40 hours of paid volunteer time each year, with 10 of those hours committed to volunteering for organizations that are dedicated to hunger alleviation.
- Making baked goods for the Haven allows us to put our volunteer time to good use while also bringing joy to children in our community.
- In honor of birthdays at the Haven, the sheet cake version of our Classic Birthday Cake is the perfect canvas to decorate.
- We’ve been creating birthday cakes all year, and here are some glimpses of what we’ve been up to: The creativity of bakers who wished to avoid the use of a piping bag but yet adding writing to their cakes produced some very remarkable alternatives.
- Every now and again, there aren’t any youngsters who have birthdays within a particular month.
In these instances, our bakers create a cake that is designed according to the season, and everyone enjoys a special treat simply because they can!It doesn’t matter if the sweets come in the form of a sheet cake, cupcakes, or a layer cake; they are always enjoyed by everyone at the Haven.The children’s birthday cake is being baked for them for the first time, which is a special occasion in their lives.We feel really privileged to be able to present the children with something that makes them feel special.
- As a result, we encourage you to bake something and give it out to someone in your neighborhood so that you, too, may enjoy the satisfying feeling that comes from baking for others.
- It’s a little sweeter than a birthday cake with chocolate frosting.
- Make sure to go over all of the layer cake recipes we have on our recipe site if you’re looking for ideas.
- Best of luck with your baking!
- Please accept our thanks for the majority of these photographs, to the King Arthur Flour employee-owners who sent photographs of cake baking, and to the Haven for sharing photographs of children enjoying birthday cake!
How to Ice a Square Cake Video
- 1 Bring the apricot jam to a boil in a saucepan, then remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Use this to brush over the top of the cake; it will aid in the adhesion of the marzipan.
- 2 Roll out the marzipan into a rough square after it has been kneaded until flexible.
- Dust the worksurface with a little icing sugar and cut out the shapes using a pastry cutter.
- Maintaining constant rotation as you roll will maintain a uniform thickness and prevent the marzipan from adhering to your work surface.
4 Once you have reached a thickness of around 5mm, make sure it is slightly larger than the cake, then roll it over the rolling pin and drape it over it.Smooth the surface of the cake with the palm of your hand to ensure there are no bubbles below.6 Secure the marzipan to the corners of the cake, then carefully unfold any wrinkles in the marzipan on the edges of the cake and smooth down until it is completely straight.7 To sharpen the edges, press two icing smoothers together and press them together.
- Remove any extra marzipan using a little knife and set aside to harden up before applying the icing.
- To help the icing stick to the marzipan, brush it with a little water (use water that has been boiled and cooled, or alternatively a clear alcohol such as gin or vodka) 10 Knead the icing until it is pliable and no cracks appear in the surface 11 Roll out into a rough square on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, turning the icing as you roll 12 Roll out to a thickness of about 4mm, wrap around the 13 Begin by smoothing the corners with your hands before using the icing smoother to smooth down the sides of the cake and sharpen the edges, unfolding any pleats that may have formed.
- 14 Cut around the base of the cake with a little knife to make it seem nice.
- 15 Run the icing smoother all over the cake one more time to produce a wonderful, smooth finished product.
How to Frost a Cake
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- In the event that you are intending to open a bakery, understanding how to frost cakes will be a vital element of your operation.
- We’ll go through a couple frosting techniques that will help you produce smooth and clean sides on your cakes, resulting in a finished product that looks professional.
- Having a solid understanding of how to frost a layer cake can assist you to build a solid foundation for any event, from weddings to graduation parties to birthday parties to baby showers.
- Shop for all of your cake decorating supplies here.
How to Frost a Cake Video
Take a look at the video below to learn how to expertly frost a cake:
Cake Decorating Tools
- If you want to learn how to ice a cake neatly, you’ll want to start by filling your kitchen with the necessary supplies. Here are some cake frosting equipment that we recommend to get you started on your cake decorating journey: Straight baking spatula or offset baking spatula
- Cake scraper or bowl scraper
- Cake board or cake circle
- Turntable
- Cake leveler or serrated knife
- Cake scraper or bowl scraper
- Cake board or cake circle
Alternatively, if you do not have access to a cake turntable, it is feasible to construct one yourself. A plate or an upside-down cake pan that fits the diameter of your cake can be placed on top of a mixing bowl, which has been turned upside-down.
How to Decorate a Cake Like a Professional
Learn how to frost a cake like a professional by following these simple instructions:
1. Trim the Cake
- Before you begin working with your cake, let each tier to cool completely.
- The first step is to use a cake leveler or a serrated knife to chop off the top of your sponges that is slightly domed.
- Make a pattern out of your cake board and cut away the browned borders around the sponge
Tips: Place a piece of paper beneath each sponge to make it simpler to lift and move them around the kitchen. Cake scraps can be used to make cake pops later on if you have any left over.
2. Stack the Cake
- Place a dab of frosting in the center of your cake board or plate and gently spread it outwards from there. The cake sponge will not slide around while you are working with it as a result of this.
- Place the first sponge in the center of the cake board
- repeat with the remaining sponges.
- To finish off the first cake tier, pipe a swirl of icing along the top of the tier
- Using your offset spatula, spread the icing evenly across the surface. You have the option of adding any additional fillings at this point.
- Set the next layer of sponge so that it is exactly the same height as the layer of sponge below it.
- Repeat the frosting and stacking processes until you have reached the top tier of the cake, at which point you should stop. Do not ice the top of the last sponge until after it has been baked.
Consider tucking a few pieces of parchment paper under the sides of your cake for extra protection. This will make it easy to remove extra frosting and maintain your cake clean and beautiful in the long run.
3. Add the Crumb Coat
- Learn how to crumb coat a cake by following these simple steps: Making use of a straight spatula, spread a thin layer of icing over the sides of the cake. It is not necessary to have a thick icing coating on top. You should be icing the cake on the side of the cake that is opposite from the hand that you are now using.
- Instead of moving yourself around the cake, use your free hand to spin the turntable to reach each edge of the cake.
- Using the offset spatula, spread icing evenly on the top of the cake after the sides have been coated. Make a neat edge on your cake by sweeping any leftover icing towards the center of the cake
- Refrigerate the cake for 30 to 60 minutes, depending on how large it is.
You can skip this step if you want your cake to have a ″bare″ appearance.
What Is a Crumb Coat?
It is a thin coating of icing that is applied on top of the sponge to act as a barrier between it and the final coat of frosting. Crust crumbs are prevented from getting into the outer layer of icing, resulting in a smooth and blemish-free end product.
4. Frost Your Cake
- Making use of a straight spatula, apply a thick layer of buttercream frosting on the sides of your cake, measuring around 1 centimeter in thickness. Do not be concerned about the fact that it is not totally smooth at this point.
- Turn the turntable so that the cake scraper is at a 90-degree angle to the cake and use it to sweep the scraper across the surface of the cake. This will help you to pour the buttercream frosting evenly across the cake. As the icing spreads, you’ll notice some surplus icing accumulating on the scraper’s front surface. Simply scrape the extra frosting back into your icing dish.
- Add a dab of icing to the top of your cake and use your offset spatula to spread it evenly across the top
- Sweep the extra frosting from the corners of the cake towards the center of the cake using a cake scraper to produce a flat surface.
Refrain from scraping or removing your spatula or scraper straight from the cake in order to prevent the crumb coat from flaking off. Make sweeping motions with the spatula over the surface of cake and angle it off rather than pulling it away.
5. Add Final Decorations to the Cake
Once your cake has been thoroughly frosted, it should be ready to be decorated with additional elements. You may now decorate the top of the cake with some piped buttercream flowers or write something on it to make it more personalized for your clients.
Cake Decorating Tips and Tricks
Learning how to use icing to design a cake is a necessary skill for every baker to possess. More cake-making techniques to bear in mind to increase your productivity while also ensuring that your cakes are always of a high-quality appearance.
Reduce Cake Doming
Cake doming is most commonly caused by baking at temperatures that are too high for the batter to withstand. Make use of an oven thermometer to guarantee that the temperature in your oven reaches the required level for your dish. Additionally, you may place a wet cake strip around the outside of your cake pan to prevent the outside of your cake from cooking too rapidly.
Easily Coat Your Cake
Cake sides may be decorated with a variety of baking toppings like as sprinkles, almonds, red velvet crumbs, and other similar ingredients. If you choose to do this, place a bowl under the edge of your cake and dab a few embellishments onto the side of your cake, allowing the excess to fall into the basin beneath it.
Practice Your Piping
- Putting words on a cake may be a difficult endeavor!
- Using several pastry bags and tips, test out different combinations of techniques on a piece of paper before piping your phrase onto the cake.
- Once you’ve gotten the hang of piping your message, trace the outline of your message onto the cake with a toothpick and follow the contour to achieve a tidy and readable end result.
- Once you’ve finished frosting and decorating your cake, it’s time to cut it up and serve it to your guests!
- Using some of these techniques and methods, you’ll be whipping up show-stopping cakes in no time.
Bakeries |By Janine Jones |Posted in: Bakeries
How To Frost A Square Cake With A Cardboard Box
- Square cakes are so time-consuming to frost that I used to avoid making them altogether.
- However, with this easy technique, which can be applied to any cardboard box, you can frost square cakes swiftly and neatly, with razor-sharp edges and corners, without the need of any special equipment!
- The video version of this instruction may be found at the bottom of the page, if that is more convenient for you.
- 1.
- Make your cake from scratch.
Alternatively, if you don’t have square cake pans, a sheet pan may be used and the rectangle cake sliced into squares, as seen here.I baked the cake in an 8′′ x 12′′ pan and split it in half down the short side and in thirds along the long side to make the layers.Due to the fact that they will be filled with icing later, the square cake layers do not have to be exactly the same size – a variance of a few millimeters is acceptable.If there is a slight fluctuation in the size of the cake squares, choose the largest of the four squares.
- Mine are 4 inches by 4 inches in dimensions.
- 2.
- Pick a box from the list.
- Any box will suffice as long as it is constructed of cardboard and does not bend or droop, as the box has to remain flat while being used for this purpose.
- Stickers, writing, or packing tape on the box are OK since we will wrap it such that it is safe to be used near food.
- You may utilize any section of the box, but I like to use the side flaps because they need the least amount of preparation.
You’ll need to cut out three squares from the box, and I’ll teach you how to measure them in the following section.3.Cut your cardboard box squares to size and wrap them in plastic wrap.You’ll need to measure and cut three squares from the cardboard box to use as templates.A ruler should be placed such that the base of the ruler is forced against any straight edge of the box, which is any edge that hasn’t yet been cut.
- This will ensure that the ruler is at right angles to the edge in question.
- Draw a line along the ruler to indicate the beginning of the first edge of your square.
- For the next edge, draw a line in the opposite direction of the previous one.
- It will help you draw a perfect square if you have one of those triangular rulers for measuring right angles, but if you don’t have one, you may use a conventional ruler to get the same result.
- The ridges running down the length of this cardboard serve as a useful reference to ensure that this line is at right angles to the first.
- Measure from one line to the precise width of the cake layer (in this case, 4″ for this cake) and make a little line on the cardboard to indicate the measurement.
Move the ruler a little further up and repeat the process, and this will ensure that the following line is at rightangles, resulting in a square that is perfectly square.Draw a line connecting the two little lines you just made.For the final line, measure the same distance as before, drawing another two lines, and connecting them to complete the rectangle.Precision cutting is required to ensure that the sides are smooth and that the corners are sharp, not rounded, when you cut out the square.Follow the same methods to design two additional squares, each of which must be the same size.The size of the squares may be whatever you like as long as it is between 1/2 inch and an inch larger than the width of the cake.
- I recommend 3/4 of an inch, and I’ll explain why when I ice the cake later in this post.
- We’re going to wrap these cardboard box squares in parchment paper really tightly to ensure that they’re food safe and that the edges are even smoother than they already are.
- To make the straightest sides and sharpest corners on your cake, fold two opposite sides over the square and tape them down, pushing the parchment as closely as you can to get the snuggest fit possible so there are no wrinkles.
- If your parchment ends are very lengthy, like mine are, you should trim them off.
- after which you should wrap it up like you would a present in its box, folding triangles on each side and then turning the end portion over the square, making sure that the corners line up to form a sharp point, and taping it down.
- Now you’ll have a perfectly squared piece of paper that’s been carefully wrapped so that it’s clean and smooth.
- You should be able to get away with wrapping all three cardboard box squares in this manner so that you have a square the same size as the cake on which to place the cake and two slightly larger squares that will serve as guides for how much frosting you will need to put on the cake’s edge and will also guide your frosting smoother so that you get smooth sides on the frosting.
- The cake will be placed in the space between the cardboard box squares seen in this photograph.
- Whenever you place a cake layer up against one of the bigger cardboard box squares, you should be able to see at least 1/2 inch of board all around the perimeter of the cake, and ideally 3/4 inch.
- After you’ve assembled your cake, you’ll be able to fill in the gaps with icing.
- 4.
- Assemble the components of your cake.
- Making a start with just the small square, spread or pipe a small amount of buttercream onto the square and press your first layer of cake onto the buttercream.
- Because it holds the entire cake in place while you frost it, that dot of buttercream on the cake board at the bottom of the cake is extremely important to the final result.
Spread or pipe buttercream (or whatever filling you’re using) on top of the first layer of cake, and then continue layering the cake and filling to complete the assembly of your cake design.Stack your cake layers directly on top of one another so that the cake is straight and not leaning over sideways when it is finished.5.Frost your cake with a crumb coat Chill the cake in the fridge for about an hour so that the cake firms up and is less crumbly, and then spread frosting all over it.This layer of frosting is called a crumb coat and it’s going to cover the cake completely to trap any crumbs that come off the cake now, so that they don’t get into the final coat of frosting.
- I like to frost the cake on a larger cake board and I use a ring of tape or a non-slip mat to attach the cake on it’s smaller cake board to this larger cake board.
- The frosting doesn’t need to be neat but it does need to cover the top of the cake and the sides all the way from the top down to the bottom where the cake is sitting on the cake board.
- There should be no exposed cake because that will allow crumbs to get into the final coat of frosting.
- Smooth the crumb coat of frosting, scraping with your frosting smoother from one side to the middle and then from the other side to the middle, because if you scrape all the way across a side your frosting smoother can pull off the frosting off the second edge with it.
- The crumb coat needs to be quite thin and without any lumps of frosting sticking out, because those might poke through the final coat of frosting later.
- Let the crumb coat set for 30 minutes in the fridge before you apply your final coat of frosting.
When the cake is cold and the frosting has set, take the cake out of the fridge and slide an offset spatula underneath the cake to separate it from the large cake board.Twist the spatula to raise the cake board and lift the cake up, still on the little cardboard box square.You’ll be able to touch the frosting on the cake because it will be firm, so if you need to you can press a finger or thumb against the side of the cake to balance it as you lift it up.Set the cake aside for a moment.6.Attach cardboard box squares to the cake Put one of the large squares down on the turntable, on top of a larger cake board to catch any frosting that you spread over the edges of the cardboard box square.
You can attach the large cake board to the turntable and then cardboard box square to the large cake board with rings of masking tape or small pieces of a non-slip mat.Place a ring of tap on top of the cardboard box square, too.Press the cake on its small square down onto the large cardboard box square at it will stick to the tape you placed there.Center the cake in the middle of the larger cardboard box square.
If you’re intending to use a different colour for the final application of icing, mix that now.Begin by icing the top of the cake with a substantial quantity of frosting, making sure it reaches all the way around the edges of the cake to prevent air bubbles later on in the process.Extra frosting should be applied to the corners, as these are the regions where the icing tends to droop.Don’t be concerned about getting the icing to be smooth.
Placing your other large square on top of the frosting and aligning it with the bottom square as closely as you can will ensure that each corner of the cardboard box square on top of the cake is directly on top of each corner of the cardboard box square underneath the cake.Make sure the cardboard box squares are lined up by laying the base of the frosting smoother on the cake board and gently moving it towards the cake so that it touches the corners of both the top and bottom squares with your frosting smoother.If required, adjust the top square by moving it slightly to the left or right.
When you’re satisfied with the placement of the square on the cake, press down firmly to bind the square to the icing.There will almost certainly be gaps of air around the corners, which is acceptable for the time being.Make use of the edge of your frosting smoother to push against the edges of the cardboard box square to ensure that it is still lined up over the bottom square once you have finished frosting it.After that, scrape around the cake one more to make sure it’s still the same.
Essentially, you’re looking to see if, when your frosting smoother glides around the cake, it doesn’t make contact with the crumb coat of the cake and instead just touches its edges against the cardboard squares, which is what you’re looking for.If necessary, make any necessary adjustments to the top square.7.
- Decorate the top of your cake.
- Cover the sides of the cake with icing at this point.
- Allow for a lot of frosting to be used – you want it to fill in any gaps that may exist between the edges of the cake and the outside border of the cardboard box squares.
- Scrape your frosting smoother from one edge of the cake to one middle of the cake and then swipe your frosting smoother away instead of going all the way to the other edge of the cake to begin smoothing the frosting in the same manner as you did for the crumb coat.
- Scrape back into the middle in the opposite direction of the other edge, in the opposite direction of the other edge.
- There is no need for it to be flawless because we will be doing a second round of frosting, but you do not want any lumps of icing sticking out.
- We’re going to cool this initial round of frosting, and those lumps will harden.
- If they extend beyond the squares of the cardboard box, your frosting smoother will rub up against them, resulting in bulges in your final coat of frosting.
I haven’t spread nearly enough blue frosting on this cake, so you can see the white crumb coat through the blue icing in this photo.It’s alright for the time being because we’ll be adding extra icing once the cake has been chilled for around 30 minutes.When you chill the cake, the frosting that is already on it hardens, so that when you apply additional frosting on top of it, it will build on top of it rather than bearing down on the existing frosting and pushing it down.In the case of big cakes, when the amount of frosting on the sides of the cake is rather substantial, this is especially crucial.Assuming you’ve previously applied a smoothish base of frosting to the cake, this last round will be much simpler to apply thickly and evenly, as well as to get perfectly smooth.Completely cover the sides of the cake with frosting and then smooth with your frosting smoother, working your way from one edge to the middle and then the other edge to the middle of the cake.
My acrylic smoother is being used for this last application since it provides a smoother finish to buttercream than my thin, plastic smoother, which I previously used.You should always work your way from one edge to the middle and then back the other way; never go all the way around because if you go past the second edge, your frosting smoother may extract frosting from that corner.The squares of the cardboard box that I’m using for this cake are 4 1/2 inches wide, and the cake layers are 4 inches in height, therefore the cardboard box is 1/2 inch taller than the cake it is intended to hold.When cutting your squares, I recommend cutting them 3/4 inch larger than the cake because if your cake layers aren’t precisely the same size and properly matched up, the crumb coat may show through the frosting in certain parts if you cut them any smaller.The cake will have a LOT of frosting on it if you cut the squares significantly larger than the cake, such as a full inch larger than the cake itself.In the process of smoothing, if you see any air pockets or bubbles in the frosting, or if you notice any crumb coat showing through, simply pour on some more frosting and smooth it over that side once more.
Make as many touch-ups as you need, putting extra icing over any mistakes and scraping it off again and again until you’re satisfied with the results on the side.Pay close attention to the corners, because I believe that it is the sharp corners that make square cakes appear so aesthetically pleasing.8.Remove the cardboard box squares from the picture.Wait until you’re satisfied with the sides before removing the top square!
Before you begin, the frosting must be extremely cold and firm; otherwise, the square will draw up any soft frosting with it, ruining the smoothness of the finished product.Place the cake in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes or more, and then carefully cut through the top cardboard box square with a sharp knife.Make a small indentation with your knife immediately under the square and work your way around the entire cake to slice it free.When you lift it up, the frosting will not be perfect yet, but it will be quite smooth, with the exception of a few air pockets and some excess buttercream protruding from the top edge of the cake.You may use your knife to cut any uneven buttercream that has risen to the top of the cake, and then level the top edges with your frosting smoother or offset spatula.
- I’ve got some air pockets on the top of the cake, and I’ll show you how to get rid of them in a second.
- The cardboard box square at the bottom of the cake is visible because its purpose is to serve as a guide for your frosting smoother, allowing you to scrape the frosting off right up to it, thereby making it visible.
- If you’re planning to decorate the bottom part of the cake with decorations such as a buttercream border or pressing sprinkles into the frosting, you can skip cutting the cake into squares at the bottom.
However, if you are not planning on covering it, you may remove it in the same manner that you removed the square from the top of the cake.A knife should be inserted under the visible square and used to cut around the entire cake.Your knife will be in the space between the big square and the little square, on which the cake is resting, and the cake will still be attached to the small square due to the dot of buttercream you spread there at the beginning of the process.Using your knife, lift the cake up and to the side so that you can reach underneath it and remove the piece of tape that was holding the small square to the large square.Once you’ve done that, use your knife (or an offset spatula if it’s easier) to lift the cake up onto the little square.
- Lift the cake off the cake board with your other hand by slipping it underneath the cake.
- Installing a ring of tape around the final cake board that will be used to serve the cake will allow you to lower the cake onto it more easily.
- Because the frosting will still be icy and hard from being in the fridge, it’s alright if you accidentally touch the corners of the cake while doing this.
- Finish by smoothing over the bottom edge with your offset spatula or frosting smoother, making sure any rough buttercream is removed from the areas where you cut around the cake.
- You can save the cardboard box squares to use for another cake by unwrapping them and rewrapping them with fresh parchment paper before using them.
9.Make any flaws or imperfections disappear.To fill any air pockets in the frosting on top of your cake, most likely near the corners, spread on a little more frosting to fill the holes and smooth it over the top with your offset spatula or frosting smoother until it is completely covered in frosting.
- If the frosting you have applied now runs over the edges of the cake and sticks out over the sides, you may need to go around the edges of the cake once more to cover them.
- In this section, I’ll point out a few flaws in this cake and explain how you may prevent or correct them.
- First and first, this tiny dot of dark blue frosting is really gel food coloring that I didn’t fully incorporate into the icing.
There’s a depression in the frosting on the top right of this picture, which is an air pocket, which indicates that the icing on the cake wasn’t as thick as it was over the rest of it.There are also a few little air bubbles on the bottom left of the image.Alternatively, you may put extra frosting over these sections and smooth it over just that piece once more.This white section is where the crumb coat is visible, therefore I could have used slightly larger squares than I did in this particular area to hide the crumb coat.
- Those small ridges in the frosting on this side, as well as the faint lines, are caused by ridges in the cardboard cake board, which is corrugated underneath the top lining.
- To avoid this, you should frost a cake on a smoother surface, such as an acrylic disc, rather than on cardboard.
- While it’s possible to prevent or correct all of these flaws, I believe that even with them, this square cake is gorgeous.
- I particularly like the smooth sides and the sharpness of angles at the edges and corners.
- You will not notice these little features after the decorations are added, and no one will suspect that you used something as simple as a cardboard box to frost your cake!
I hope you find this lesson to be of assistance!I’d love to hear your thoughts on this in the comments section below.If you want to try frosting a square cake without cardboard box squares, click here to watch how to do that!The video version of this instruction is available here:
How to Frost a Cake
- Cake baking is something that many of my friends are intimidated of, and I don’t want any of them—or any of you—to be intimidated by the prospect of producing a layer cake.
- If you’re not afraid to get your hands a bit dirty, you’ll have no trouble with this project.
- I attended cake designing workshops a long time ago, and one of my instructors advised me to line the bottoms of cake pans with wax paper to prevent sticking.
- I use a pen to draw an outline around the outside of the cake pan and then cut them out of the cake pan using scissors.
- Using nonstick baking spray, coat the cake pan and then line it with wax paper before adding the cake mixture to the pan.
Place the cake batter in your pan and tap the cake pan lightly on the counter to smooth out the batter and eliminate any air bubbles.Repeat with the remaining batter.Before we get started, it’s vital to understand that the top of the cake is actually the bottom of the cake, which is to say, the bottom of the cake that was in direct contact with the bottom of the cake pan when it was baking.The top is the bottom of the pyramid.
- Please bear with me here.
- Due to the fact that I desire a straight cake, my cake had a little domed top, which I am flattening out.
- This is a fully optional step to do.
- Not to worry, the piece of cake that was cut off will not be wasted.
- Use it to make cake balls or cake pops, or simply eat it straight up as a snack (like I do).
- The following step is also fully optional, but I wanted to demonstrate it for you.
It is known as torting the cake since I am making two layers out of the same layer of cake.I’m going to use the two tiers of cake that I cooked to build a four-layer cake.Once again, this is entirely optional.You can stay with a 2-layer cake if you want to.For those who enjoy frosting, torting your cake and dividing it into four layers will result in more icing per square inch of cake!
- Did you notice that?
- Now you can get two layers out of a single cake layer!
- Prepare the cake plate by spreading some frosting on it with an angled spatula.
- This is the adhesive that holds the cake firmly attached to the serving dish.
- Place one layer of the cake on the cake plate, pushing down to ensure that the cake is ″glued″ to the plate.
- Repeat with the other layers of cake.
The first thing I do is place some pieces of parchment paper beneath the cake, so that after I’m through icing the cake, all I have to do is remove the parchment paper from below the cake.There is no need to remove extra icing!Add some frosting on the cake and spread it around with a spatula.The idea is to avoid lifting the spatula, which may seem strange at first.If you lift your spatula, you will pick up the cake, which will then fall into your icing.Although it won’t matter as much when frosting in between layers, when icing the edges and top of the cake, it will make a significant difference.
- As a result, practice will make a significant impact in the long term here.
- Smooth out the frosting with the spatula at an angle.
- Smooth all the way to the edge of the cake, and after the spatula has been pulled from the cake, it may be lifted off the cake.
- It is possible that the cake will fall apart when you are adding the next layers.
- I want to demonstrate to you that everything is OK.
- Everything will be OK.
- Simply add the cake layer on top, in portions, as shown.
- That’s all there is to it.
- After that, put the second component in place…
- And then go back to icing as if nothing happened.
- Once all of the layers have been assembled, the last layer will serve as the cake’s top.
- And what do you think?
- It’s the bottom of the cake, as they say.
- Because it is the smoothest portion of the cake and will make icing the top much simpler, the bottom of the cake has been elevated to the position of the top of the cake.
Take your time to press the top all the way in.Adjust the arrangement of items to ensure that the cake is straight.You shouldn’t be frightened of getting your hands filthy.I find it relaxing to frost a cake.Once again, do not lift the spatula from the pan.
- Just keep smoothing with the spatula, whether it’s flat on the counter or at an angle.
- Do you notice how it’s angled?
- At this point, the icing has gone over the rim of the pan.
- Following that, frost the sides.
- Take a small amount of frosting and spread it down the sides of the cake with the spatula.
- Don’t even think of lifting that spatula.
To avoid having to move around while I’m working, I prefer to rotate the cake plate while I’m doing it.Once the sides have been frosted, go back and smooth the sides with the spatula held at an angle to the cake.You can see the layers of the cake, right?This is referred to as the crumb coat.In all honesty, if you wanted to, you could stop right here and smooth off the top.At the moment, there’s a huge ″naked cake″ craze sweeping the nation.
This one is just half-naked!Instead of a bare (or semi-naked) cake, apply extra icing to the edges and proceed as you did previously…Holding the spatula at an angle, spread the frosting on top of the cake.(Be careful not to raise that spatula!) When you’re finished with the sides, use the side of the spatula to smooth the edges.
Now, using the spatula, smooth off the top of the cake.This is how it looks…Alternatively, make swirls in the icing.This is actually rather appealing to me!
Sprinkles can be used to decorate.And take pleasure in it!The process of creating layered cakes fo