How To Frost A Buttercream Cake

One of the near frequent questions I get as a cake decorator is how I go my buttercream cakes and so smooth and sharp. To answer you, I'm going to be completely candid here and not pretend that my cakes are admittedly flawless every time. The truth is, with almost of the cakes I design, there are plenty of opportunities to hibernate minor flaws in the buttercream stop. A ganache drip over this crease, sprinkles around that bottom edge, and before y'all know it the cake appears flawless with all those problem areas covered upwardly! Ok, peradventure that's just me being lazy artistic. Despite that, I have developed some skills and learned some tips over the years that help me get pretty darn close to a flawless buttercream finish, and I'thousand excited to share them all with yous!

I'g a visual person, having learned everything I know about cakes on YouTube. So if you're like me, here's a handy video tutorial on how I become those edges precipitous and those sides smooth equally tin be. Read on after the video for my all-time tips to getting the expect:

Disclosure: this post does incorporate some affiliate links, meaning I may receive a minor commission if yous click them and buy items I've recommended. Clicking these links won't price yous any extra money, only they practice assist to keep Sugar & Sparrow upwardly and running. Cheers for your back up!

Yous Will Need

• Block layers and filling
• Thin consistency buttercream like this one
• Piping handbag(due south)
• Cake turntable
• Metal bench scraper
• Metal angled spatula
• Hot water and towel

Pace 1: Gather The Correct Tools

The correct tools make all the departure when you're trying to achieve a smooth finish. You'll observe that I've specified metal spatulas and scrapers in the list higher up. These materials permit you to heat upwards the tools when you're smoothing, and just like ironing a shirt, a little estrus will help polish over any wrinkles and blemishes in the cake finish. I take used this 6-inch stainless steel bench scraper and Wilton's 13-inch angled spatula since the start, and they've helped tremendously.

A good block turntable is a must, and I have ii of them that I love. The cheapest of the ii is this one by Wilton, pictured in a higher place. Information technology has a nice rubber circumvolve congenital in to the meridian to forestall your cake from sliding effectually. I also have this Ateco turntable that comes with a condom pad to prevent from slippage. The Ateco turntable is not merely functional, it's really pretty, and I use it to photograph my cakes on all the fourth dimension.

Step ii: Perfection Starts Inside The Cake

As they say, it'due south what'due south on the within that counts. If you want a perfectly level cake, y'all've got to kickoff with perfectly level layers. This means torting cakes that accept a trivial also much rise in the centre. My favorite tool for this is Wilton's Cake Leveler. Y'all can adjust the height of the leveler and slice off any extra cake in seconds, creating perfectly fifty-fifty layers for stacking.

As you're filling your cakes, make certain the elevation of the filling is level as well. It helps to become down to eye level and make sure information technology's not slanted in any manner.

If y'all've got extra time on your hands, you can allow the cakes settle at room temperature after y'all stack them, so gravity will do it'south thing earlier you kickoff frosting. I almost never permit my cakes settle because I keep them so common cold all the fourth dimension, plus I am a scrap impatient, but I know this is a step that a lot of block makers swear past.

Step 3: Mix Up The Right Buttercream Consistency

When you're frosting a cake, y'all want the buttercream to exist sparse consistency, meaning that it's easy to spread and holds its shape without being runny. This vanilla buttercream recipe is foolproof for this, but whatever recipe you lot use, test it before adding it onto the cake. A good mode to test is dip a rubber spatula into the frosting. Information technology should form peaks that aren't too stiff, and easily spread when you movement your finger over it.

If your frosting is too thick, information technology'll be hard to get the sides smooth and will feel similar you're basically ripping through it. The end effect can often look airbubbly and have a cease that looks like stucco. No bueno. To fix it, all you lot have to do is add more than liquid (in most cases heavy whipping cream or whole milk) to sparse it out to the perfect consistency.

Footstep 4: Stir The Buttercream To Reduce Air Bubbling

Air bubbles happen all the fourth dimension. It usually starts with over-mixing the buttercream as the whisk or paddle attachment ends upward whipping too much air into it. Sometimes it's only a fact of life, and I still struggle with airbubbly buttercream at times, fifty-fifty when I'chiliad sure not to over-mix.

In my feel with buttercream, one super helpful fob to greatly reducing air bubbles is this: before you add any buttercream to the block, give information technology several stirs with your safety spatula and printing it against the sides of your mixing basin. This will force out whatever unwanted air that might be trapped inside the buttercream due to your mixer. You'll visibly see it condign smoother and air pocket complimentary as you stir it up.

Step 5: Utilise A Crumb Glaze

I know some bakers don't believe all cakes need a crumb glaze, only I do. This way, all of the crumbs stop up in the first frosting layer (hence the term nibble coat) and never in the concluding layer. Information technology's merely prettier that way.

To add a crumb coat, spread a thin layer over the entire cake with an start spatula, filling in all the cracks and holes (like in between layers), and polish it all with your demote scraper. When you're done, it should look like a semi-naked cake that's pretty close to level on all sides and the peak. Stick it in the fridge for at least 20 minutes (even overnight is a expert idea!) to let information technology business firm up a bit before adding your concluding layer. Starting the final layer with a sturdy foundation is a huge help when it comes to getting a shine buttercream terminate.

Step six: Apply The Final Layer

Subsequently your crumb coat has set, you're fix to make that perfect buttercream cake get a reality. I've learned that piping the buttercream around the cake instead of applying buttercream with a spatula is a huge game changer for me. It helps to keep the buttercream even over the entire block and makes it way easier to smoothen out.

Starting at the bottom of the cake and working your way to the meridian, pipe the buttercream in even lines as you rotate the turntable. When you accomplish the height, pipe a ring around the top edge and and then fill up in the centre of the peak with buttercream.

First, smooth the top of the cake so that information technology's perfectly level and smooth.

Next, use your bench scraper to polish the sides, scraping the excess buttercream off of the scraper each and every time. Make sure that as you scrape, the scraper is vertically level, just too about a 45 degree angle toward the side of the cake (tighter angles assistance reduce those unsightly lines in the cake finish). Feel costless to be slow and intentional with this process.

If y'all notice whatsoever gaps in your cake finish, just fill them in with buttercream and continue scraping.

As you shine the sides of your cake, the buttercream on the sides will brainstorm to reach college than the height of the cake similar a crown. This is what you want. To get a clean, sharp edge, take your angled spatula and level off the pinnacle, smoothing the outsides of the buttercream crown toward the center of your block. Retrieve to keep scraping off the backlog buttercream and cleaning your tools earlier smoothing the cake.

Don't be afraid to go down to centre level and make sure your tiptop is level. Demand to raise upwards one side of the top? Add more than buttercream and smooth it down till all is level.

Pace vii: Apply A Little Heat

Even if you lot withal have some petty flaws in your buttercream finish, here is the magical tip that I've discovered that will literally erase them: a hot spatula. Remember how I talked about needing a metal bench scraper and angled spatula? This is why.

Run your metal scraper or offset spatula under super hot water and wipe it make clean with a towel so that it'south dry but warm to the touch. Slowly shine the sides and/or top with this heated device and you will exist amazed at how smoothen the buttercream becomes. Repeat heating your tools, drying them off, and smoothing the cake until you've got the smoothest buttercream y'all've always seen.

Stride viii: Extra Magic

If you're finding that y'all've been at this process of smoothing for awhile and your cake is still looking a chip flawed, there's another trick I've learned. Stop what yous're doing and put the cake in the refrigerator for at least an hour. The cease volition harden and be much easier to work with after you've waited awhile.

When the buttercream is good and chilled, pick upwardly where y'all left off. Apply a very thin layer of new buttercream to the entire cake and smooth information technology out. You will be amazed at how piece of cake information technology is to smooth the buttercream when you've got a actually firm foundation underneath to work with. This role does accept a bit more time, and I don't always do it unless I'm drastic for a smooth terminate and the final pattern depends on information technology. But when I do, it's smoothen city.

Smooth buttercream cakes don't have to be intimidating. With enough practice and finding the techniques that work for yous, you'll be a pro at this in no time. If you lot found the video tutorial portion of this helpful, exist sure to check out my other YouTube videos! I'thousand calculation new ones all the time, so subscribe to go along upwardly with them.

How To Frost A Buttercream Cake,

Source: https://sugarandsparrow.com/how-to-frost-a-cake/

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