How to Frost a Cake
A Chilled Cake is Easier to Frost
Ask any professional cake designer and they'll tell you that you must freeze your cake before frosting. Why? Think about the texture of a frozen cake versus a room-temperature cake. A frozen cake is difficult to cut through or break apart, right? A frozen cake is also great at holding on to those little crumbs that tend to break off when frosting. Freeze your cake for at least 2 hours before frosting and you'll be set up for a clean, smooth finish.
Crumb Coating
Crumb coating is an additional technique that helps ensure your frosting application is smooth and clean. Once your cakes are frozen, spread a thin layer of frosting in between both layers of cake. The next step is to apply your crumb coat. The crumb coat is essentially a super thin layer of frosting spread over the entire cake. Don't worry if it looks messy and slightly uneven. The main role of this thin coat is to grab and hold onto any loose crumbs during the final frosting application. After you've applied the thin crumb coat over the cake, you can focus on a more clean and polished frosting application. Is the crumb coat required? Not at all. But that little extra step will help you frost a clean and smooth cake.
Tools really Help
For a comprehensive dive into the best tools for a beginning baker, check out our article: 10 Essential Tools for the Home Baker.
As it pertains to frosting, the best tool you can own is a straight spatula. Think of it as a chef's knife, a surgeon's scalpel, or an artist's paintbrush. A cake baker wouldn't be caught dead without it. Not only does a straight spatula help with the frosting application, but it also helps to smooth out and clean up the edges.
Frosting Application
The art of applying frosting might take a few tries to get down. But once you do, frosting will be a piece of cake (ha!). Start by taking a small 1-2 tablespoon amount of frosting on the tip of the spatula, flip the spatula over so it's pointing downward, and press the frosting lightly into the bottom of the cake. Gently spread the frosting either toward you or away from you on the cake. Pick up a little more frosting and continue spreading where you left off until you make your way all around the cake. Some folks prefer to work in thirds- spread the frosting all the way around the whole bottom third of the cake before moving on to the middle third, and so on. Others work in sections- cover one whole section, from top to bottom, before moving to the next section. There is no right or wrong way, just whatever works best for you.
Piping and Designs
Once you've applied your frosting, adding the decorative elements is next. It doesn't matter whether you're adding colorful sprinkles, a deliciously sweet hot fudge or salted caramel sauce drip, or piped rosettes. A fun decoration is another way to personalize and have fun decorating your cake. Our frosting bags provide the perfect amount of frosting to cover one two-tiered cake. However, if you'd like to go crazy with your frosting don't let us stop you! Just order 2 frostings at checkout.
