The Baking Issue

Cake Decorating 101

Wait until the cake is cooled completely before starting.
If you’re making a layer cake, use a bread knife or other long, serrated knife to level each layer before stacking. Position the knife right where the cake’s dome begins, and carefully slice off the top to create a flat surface.
A rotating cake stand — or turntable —makes it easy to ice, frost, and decorate cakes, and get smooth sides on round cakes.
If you are planning to move your cake after you decorate it, a cake board or baseboard will make transferring it much more manageable.
Put a small dollop of frosting on your cake stand, platter, or cake board before you set down the cake to decorate it. This will keep the cake from sliding around.
If you’re stacking a cake, you want the frosting between layers to be 1-inch thick and barely hanging over the side of the cake.
Use an offset spatula to decorate.
After your cake has been filled and stacked, use your offset spatula to add a very thin layer of frosting all around it. A crumb coat helps keeps any loose cake crumbs from making their way into your frosting as you decorate. Stick the cake in the freezer for about 15 minutes after adding the crumb coat to let it set.
After the crumb coat, for a basic naked cake, use your offset spatula to spread a small amount of frosting all around the cake. For a rustic cake, begin by frosting the top of the cake, using the offset spatula to give it some natural-looking swirls and strokes. Use small C-shaped strokes to apply the frosting to the sides.
For a perfectly smooth cake, use a warm metal spatula (or knife) to add frosting a bit at a time until you have a thick, even layer on all sides of the cake. The warm spatula will help smooth the frosting out by melting any butter or shortening in your recipe. Gently press the flat of the spatula against the side of the cake as you rotate the cake stand, cleaning it and dipping it in hot water as you go. Continue until the desired smoothness is achieved. Finish by using the hot spatula to smooth the entire top of the cake.
To decorate a drip cake, start with a cold, perfectly smooth, frosted cake. Work with one teaspoon of warm ganache at a time, spooning it carefully over the edge of the cake. Finish by using an offset spatula to smooth the entire top of the cake with ganache.