FROSTING A CAKE

Once your cake is baked, place the cakes inside the pans on a cooling rack for 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans to help the cakes come out smoother. If you want to frost the same day chill on cooling rack in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until firm and easy to handle. If frosting the next day allow them to cool at room temperature for another 30 minutes, than wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator overnight.

Level your cakes after at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. Use a serrated knife to lightly press around the cake layers to make an indent in the cake as a reference. Level out the top by firmly pressing down on the cake with one hand using the other hand to make a sawing motion with the knife and cut through the cake. Rotate the cake as you cut through, You could use a cake leveler, but we find a serrated knife is easier and works better. Level each of your cakes if you have more than one layer. You can also split a very thick cake in the middle to get 2 layers.

Place a cake board or 4-5 pieces of parchment paper on top of your cake turntable to keep it clean. Arrange the parchment paper pieces so they are overlapping in the middle. Scoop about 1 tbsp of frosting onto the center and place your first cake layer on top. This frosting will act as a glue to keep your cake in place as you decorate. You can brush your cake with simple syrup now to keep it soft on the inside and enhance the flavors of the cake. 

Make sure your frosting is at room temperature. Mix well to remove air bubbles. Add enough frosting on top of the cake to create a thick, even layer. We use about ¾ cup of frosting. for an 8 inch cake. Make sure you use the same amount of frosting to fill each layer to get an even cake. Use a large offset spatula to evenly spread the frosting over the cake. Leave a little frosting hanging out over the edges of the cake. This frosting will make it easier to fill in gaps between the layers of the cake once you stack them. 

Line up the edge of the second cake layer with the edge of the first layer. Gently lower and press the cake into the frosting on one side. Realign if need, then press the rest of the cake into the frosting. Don't press to hard. You don't want the cake to break or the frosting spill out. Repeat filling and stacking if you have more layers. The last layer should have its bottom facing up. 

Gently brush the outside of the cake with your finger or a pastry brush to remove stray crumbs. Use and offset spatula to spread some frosting over the sides of the cake and then the top. Hold a cake scraper parallel to your cake and scrape of any excess frosting as you apply moderate pressure. Try to make it as smooth and thin as possible. It's ok if you can see some cake beneath the frosting. The second coat of frosting will cover it. Chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour or until the frosting is set. 

Once the crumb coat has chilled, spread a thick layer of frosting on top of the cake with a large offset spatula and then around the sides. Use a cake scraper to even out the sides once the cake is fully covered. Apply less pressure than the crumb coat and try not to scrape off any frosting other than the excess. Fill any holes or gaps with extra frosting and smooth out again. Use either the offset spatula or a cake scraper to smooth out the top.

You can pipe on designs and borders by filling a piping bag with frosting and selecting a piping tip. You can also use a spatula or the back of a spoon to make swirls and waves in the frosting. You can top the cake with sprinkles, chopped nuts, meringues, candy, cookie crumbles, and coconut flakes. You can make drips with chocolate ganache or caramel. You can also top with fresh fruit or figurines. Remove the parchment paper from under the cake when you are done.