How To Ice A Cake With Buttercream

Anybody knows the icing on the cake is the all-time part, but it can too be i of the more than challenging steps of the cake-making process. And it's non just the fancy swirls, bobs and swags you lot come across in bakeries. A slick, nibble-complimentary frosting on a block or cupcake is an achievement in itself. This guide will aid y'all get there and across.

Earlier You Beginning

Attempting to spread frosting onto warm cake layers is a recipe for sloppy disaster. Chill your cake layers for at least 2 hours, or better, overnight. If yous've fabricated your frosting alee, make sure it's at room temperature before you first.
A large offset spatula and some parchment newspaper are pocket-size investments that volition pay dividends. You'll also need a long, preferably serrated pocketknife to trim the cake layers and cutting them in half. If you're a cupcake fan, pick up a small offset spatula also.
If you lot love baking (or at least, block-making) consider buying a rotating cake turntable on a pedestal. While not essential, it does aid accomplish a satiny stop quickly and easily. A cake carrier volition aid you transport your cake to the political party.

Prepare Your Cake

You've baked your cake. Yous've let the layers absurd. Merely before yous tin embrace them with a luscious layer of frosting, you need to go your block ready. Brand certain the layers take cooled for a couple of hours afterward they come out of the oven, or even overnight in the refrigerator. When you're ready to frost, follow these steps.

How to Prepare a Cake for Frosting

These steps below are specific to layer cakes, but you tin utilize the basic information to become the nearly out of frosting pound cakes and bundt cakes, besides (although you might consider glazing those, and we'll help y'all with that).

Cut three or four parchment or wax paper strips to place nether the cake. And then, apply a serrated knife to trim off any peaks from the tops of the cakes and then they lie flat and even. (Swallow these trimmings every bit your advantage for having baked the cake in the showtime identify.)

Place the paper strips on the edges of a serving plate and invert ane cake layer onto it and then cut side is facing down; this helps minimize crumbs. Brand sure the strips are tucked partially under the cake to continue them from moving effectually, and partially sticking out to encompass the serving plate. The strips help keep you keep from frosting the plate also equally the cake. Finally, brush away any loose crumbs using a pastry castor. But be gentle – you lot don't want to create more crumbs.

Oasis't decided what cake you desire to bake? We've got lots of ideas for you.

Karsten Moran for The New York Times

Tips

• If your layers are thick and you'd similar to halve them to make a four-layer cake, detect your longest serrated knife to do the job. It's hard to do this well, so take your fourth dimension. Get-go, score a level horizontal line around the perimeter of the layer to guide you as you cutting. Then place i hand on acme of the block, and evenly cut the layer across the scored line. Use less pressure level and rely more than on the dorsum-and-forth sawing motion of your knife to cutting the block.

• If you're planning to carry your cake in a cake carrier, make sure the cake plate fits inside information technology. Or, ice the cake on a cardboard round that'southward at to the lowest degree one to 2 inches larger in diameter than your cake.

• If you want additional flavor or sweet, brush a evidently or flavored simple syrup onto tiptop of each cake layer.

Frostings

When it comes to choosing the right frosting for your cake, your options range from a silky buttercream to a rich, bloodshot ganache. While at that place are no rules about matching frosting to cakes, bear in mind that sturdier cakes, similar butter and pound cakes, can stand upward to all frostings, whether a delicate buttercream or a heavy fudge. But for airy confections like sponge and chiffon cakes, stick to a lighter frosting, like a 7-minute meringue.

Buttercream & Cream Cheese

Buttercream Frosting

The unifying feature of all buttercream frostings, whether sweetened with saccharide syrup or jam, is the liberal use of butter. These frostings go well with any kind of butter cake, sponge cake, or fruit-filled block, only avoid using them on flourless cakes. Make certain all your ingredients are at room temperature earlier you start; if your frosting looks curdled, it's probably because they were either too warm or besides cold. Buttercream frosting can exist fabricated up to 2 weeks alee and stored in the refrigerator. Just make sure you bring it to room temperature earlier frosting your cake.

Hither's a foolproof method: In a metal bowl, combine four large egg whites with a pinch of salt and i cup sugar. Gear up the bowl over a pot with an inch of simmering water and whisk the mixture over low heat until the carbohydrate dissolves. Remove the bowl from the rut and trounce with an electrical mixture until stiff peaks form. Crush in 3 sticks softened unsalted butter, one spoonful at a fourth dimension, until the buttercream is polish. Then, beat in whatever flavoring you'd like to apply, like vanilla excerpt, lemon juice or brandy.

If the frosting (or your kitchen) seems also warm, stick the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes, and then continue chirapsia. If it's too cold, let the frosting warm upward, then keep beating until it comes together. This may have several minutes, and then don't give up.
Karsten Moran for The New York Times

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese frosting has the same shine silky texture of buttercream, but with an added tangy, sweetness-tart flavor. Information technology'southward a breeze to make and is the traditional frosting for carrot cakes, but consider information technology for anything from simple white layer cakes to devil's nutrient and fudge cakes. As with buttercreams, brand sure your ingredients are at room temperature. Cream cheese frosting can unremarkably exist fabricated a week ahead.

Hither's how yous do information technology: Using an electric mixer, beat together 1 pound softened cream cheese with 1 stick softened unsalted butter until smooth. Slowly beat in 6 cups confectioners' sugar until very polish, well-nigh 3 minutes. Shell in 1/2 teaspoon table salt, and two teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 tablespoon lemon juice plus 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest. Thin the frosting with a lilliputian milk if it seems besides thick to spread.

Fudge & Ganache

Fudge Frosting

Rich and dark, fudge frostings are similar the soft and spreadable version of their eponymous candy. This frosting should be used very soon afterwards making, before it firms up and becomes difficult to spread. If you must go far ahead, you'll need to reheat information technology, beating it until spreadable.

Hither's how to make information technology: Finally chop 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate. In a pocket-size bucket over medium-depression heat, heat 1 ane/2 loving cup sugar, 1 loving cup heavy cream or milk, and a pinch of salt until the saccharide dissolves. Cascade the hot sugar mixture into a basin and add together the chopped chocolate, 1 stick of softened unsalted butter and 2 teaspoons vanilla excerpt or other flavoring (bourbon is nice). Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Place the bowl with the warm chocolate mixture into some other larger bowl filled with ice. Using an electric mixer, beat until thick and fudgy.
Ganache Frosting

Ganaches, made from chocolate mixed with butter or cream, are smoother and silkier than fudge frostings, but just as rich. They can be made from bloodshot, milk or white chocolate. Employ semisweet chocolate for a sweeter ganache, and bittersweet or actress-bittersweet chocolate for something less sugary. Ganache tin normally be made a week or two ahead. Store it in the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature while beating it once more before frosting your block.

Here's an piece of cake, standard method for perfect ganache: Finely chop 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate and place information technology in a large, heatproof bowl. In a modest saucepan, heat 1 1/2 cups heavy cream with a pinch of table salt until information technology comes to a simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let the mixture sit down for a minute, so stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in 4 tablespoons unsalted butter and 1 to 2 tablespoons flavoring, like vanilla, rum or espresso.

vii-Minute Meringue

Chirapsia eggs whites with sugar gives a glossy, billowing meringue frosting that's a classic on coconut cakes and Lady Baltimore cakes. Seven-minute meringue frostings, also called Swiss meringues, are made in a double banality over simmering water to dissolve the sugar, using electric beaters to achieve the froth. Cakes with meringue frostings are best served the twenty-four hours they are frosted.

Hither's how yous do it: in a metal basin, combine two egg whites, i one/3 cups sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar and a compression of salt. Beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Identify the bowl on superlative of a pot filled with an inch of simmering water. Over depression heat, shell the egg mixture until it's thick and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Make sure you frost your cake immediately, or the meringue volition firm up and become impossible to use. And never store meringue frosting in the fridge; the humidity will brand it bead and weep.

Glazes

Karsten Moran for The New York Times

Made from confectioners' sugar or chocolate, glazes are a subset of frostings. Instead of being applied with a spatula, glazes are thin plenty to pour over the tiptop. They will run down the cake's sides in attractive drips, and and then harden as they set. Information technology's useful to place your cake or cupcake on a rack instead of a plate to apply the coat, so the glaze doesn't pool effectually the lesser. When the coat has set, transfer the cake to a serving plate, using a large commencement spatula if y'all have ane. Glazes are slap-up for simple bundt cakes and pound cakes – really, whatsoever cake in which yous desire to gild the lily.

Here's a elementary glaze: in a large basin, whisk together 2 cups confectioners' sugar with one/4 cup milk or cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add more milk, a teaspoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. It should exist thick yet pourable. You can substitute common cold coffee, orange juice or lemon juice for all or part of the milk.

Frost Your Block

Y'all've baked your cake layers, chilled them down, de-crumbed them and have them all ready for frosting. Follow these steps for the neatest, almost evenly frosted and best-looking cakes. A simply and beautifully frosted cake needs no further decoration if y'all accept the fourth dimension to do it right – but rainbow sprinkles or chopped basics hide a multitude of frosting sins, so don't fret if it'south not perfect.

How to Frost a Block

Make sure the bottom cake layer is sitting on parchment strips to keep the cake plate make clean and frosting-costless. Using an offset spatula or a knife, spread the frosting your filling evenly on top of the bottom cake layer. So, using a big offset spatula if yous have ane, carefully pick up your second layer and gently place it on the frosted layer, trimmed side down. If the layer isn't centered, utilise your hands to position it before you apply the frosting. Repeat if you've got more than layers and filling.

Give your layers another brush to remove whatever more stray crumbs, and then prepare the nibble coat. This is a thin coating of frosting that seals the crumbs to the cake then they don't show through. Have about 1/2 loving cup of frosting and thin it out with a little milk or water so it's very easy to spread. With an beginning spatula, spread a sparse layer of it on the tops and sides of the cake, then chill until set, about 15 minutes. Repeat if yous can still run into crumbs showing through the icing. Chocolate and dark cakes will often demand 2 crumb coats; white or xanthous cakes are more forgiving.

Now frost the cake with the unthinned frosting using an offset spatula. Start with top of the block, spreading the frosting all the fashion to the edge of the layer. Then, frost the sides. If the cake is on a turntable, spin it around every bit you frost for an even coating. When you lot're done, remove the parchment paper strips and admire your nice, clean plate. Only don't exercise this all the same if you are planning on pipage any decorations on the sides or bottom of the block. Read on for more than details on how to do that.

Decorating

In that location's nothing wrong with a plain and simple frosted cake. But if you want to add some fancy swirls, roses, shell borders and other frippery, hither's how. We'll also show you how to write neatly on a cake with a pastry bag. Your birthday cakes have never looked improve.

Decorating With a Spatula

For a bones wavy await all over the cake, utilise an offset spatula or a knife and a back-and-forth motion to create swirls all over the frosting. This is i of the easiest ways to add texture and a classic diner block look to your block. If you're using a fudge frosting or a meringue, you lot can elevator the spatula to pull up some of the frosting and create spikes all over the surface of the block. (This doesn't piece of work besides with ganache or buttercream, though.) You could besides utilise a fork to create striped patterns on the cake.

Karsten Moran for The New York Times

Decorating With Garnishes

To add texture to your cake, you lot could press chopped nuts, coconut, mini chocolate chips, chocolate shavings or curls, or sprinkles into the sides or superlative of the cake. Sliced strawberries, whole raspberries, pomegranate seeds or other fruit look squeamish too, but don't add them until just before serving or they will water down and possibly stain the frosting.

Karsten Moran for The New York Times

Decorating With a Pastry Bag

To pipe out letters, borders, flowers, dots and swirls, you'll need a pastry bag, or a nil-top plastic bag approximation of one. (We'll tell you how to do that.) Here's how to use information technology:

First, assemble the pastry purse. If using a dispensable plastic handbag, snip off the tip to create an opening. For any kind of pastry bag, plastic or coated cloth, insert a coupler down through the pocketbook into the opening. Using a coupler, a plastic fitting that connects the bag to the tip, makes it easier to change tips; otherwise, you'll accept to remove the frosting from the bag to get to the tip. Then, screw the tip on to the coupler. You can besides just insert the tip direct into pocketbook if you lot don't have a coupler.

To load the frosting into the bag, invert the bag, tip down, into a glass and fold the purse over the sides. Using a spatula or large spoon, press the frosting down into the bag, getting it as far into the bag as possible. Y'all'll want to avert as many air bubbles as possible. One time you've filled the bag – well-nigh halfway is best – twist the top shut and printing a little frosting out through the tip. Concur the bag near the tip with your ascendant hand, and utilise your other hand to push the frosting out of the bag from the top, standing to twist the handbag tiptop every bit you lot go. Now your bag is ready for activeness.

If you don't have a pastry purse, yous tin can also use a zip-top bag with the corner cut off. Choose a heavy-duty purse that is easy to seal, and a gallon-sized bag is easier to handle for adults (if you're working with kids, though, cull a quart size.) Cutting a very minor opening in one corner for writing, and a larger opening for other decorations. You can attach tips and couplers to a plastic purse as well as you tin with a pastry bag.

Karsten Moran for The New York Times

To brand stars and borders, choose a star tip. Employ a polish tip for writing, dots, and stripes. Choose the shell tip for leaves, shells, and borders. And for flowers? A bloom tip, of grade. Before you outset decorating your cake, exercise whatever yous have in listen on a plate. It's hard to neatly correct pipe gone incorrect without refrosting the cake.

To pipe flowers, fit your pastry pocketbook with a flower tip and fill bag with frosting. Place the bag straight up and down, at a 90 degree angle from the cake. Squeeze the handbag gently while simultaneously turning the pocketbook slightly. Pull upwardly slowly.

To pipe borders, fit your pastry pocketbook with a star tip and fill up the purse with frosting. Agree the pastry pocketbook at a 45-degree bending, touch the tip to where y'all want to start the edge, then clasp hard while pulling the handbag straight up. Stop squeezing and bring the handbag downwardly near 1/2-inch away from where you started. Continue in that manner all the way around the top or bottom edge of the block.

Karsten Moran for The New York Times

Writing on a Block

Information technology'due south easier to write on top of the cake in the center before you pipe whatsoever borders or decorates on the peak of the block. It gives you more room to work, and if you make a error, it's still easy to re-frost the top of the cake and start once again. Practice writing the message with frosting on a flat surface before trying it on the cake. Brand sure you make at to the lowest degree two kinds of frosting for your cake, or make a light frosting and tint it for the frosting used as decoration.

To write on a cake, cull a pastry tip with a small pigsty. The smaller the pigsty, the more than elegant the messages will await. Using a toothpick, place a dot where you lot desire each letter of the words to go, spacing them equally. Then use the aforementioned toothpick to trace out the messages in the frosting. This is your guide. Pipe over the toothpick-lined letters, using firm, even pressure on the pastry pocketbook. And remember: cursory is amend.

Frost a Cupcake

Although cupcakes are only small cakes, the technique for frosting them is different from large layer cakes. For one affair, if you've broiled the cupcakes in paper liners, yous won't take to deal with a nibble coat, and you tin spread the frosting on with a pocketknife or piping it on with a pastry bag. Virtually frostings and glazes piece of work for cupcakes, merely meringues can be challenging on such a small surface.

Frosting With a Pastry Purse

Using a pastry bag or zip-acme bag fitted with a star or plain tip, swirl your frosting on the cupcake, starting at the outer border of the cake and moving toward the center. Pinnacle with sprinkles, chopped nuts, chocolate shavings or coconut flakes.

Karsten Moran for The New York Times

Frosting With a Pocketknife

Y'all can also use a minor start spatula or butter knife to spread frosting on top of the cupcakes in an even layer. Wield the spatula or pocketknife with a back-and-forth motion to create swirls all over the frosting, or lift information technology upwards all over the frosting to create spikes. This works best with fudge and meringue frostings. Buttercreams and ganaches are usually too soft.

Transporting and Storage

You've broiled, frosted and decorated your gorgeous block. At present how are you going to get it to the party without ruining it? Read on for some solutions.

Karsten Moran for The New York Times

A cake carrier is a sound and non-likewise-steep investment. Make sure to frost the cake on a cake plate or paper-thin round that fits inside the carrier. The plate or round should be at to the lowest degree an inch larger in diameter than the block.

A large paper-thin box is another choice for carrying the cake. An upside downwardly plastic tub container could likewise work if it's big plenty.

If your block plate or cardboard round is smaller than the cake carrier or box yous're using for send, use stiff double sided tape (or make a tape ring) to tape the plate or board to the bottom of the carrier. Y'all don't want information technology to slip and knock around.

If you're driving to an event with a cake and can't find someone to hold the cake carrier in her lap (the safest place), the floor of the car is safer than the dorsum seats. If you want to put the cake in the torso, line the trunk with a nonslip mat or yoga mat so the block carrier stays put and doesn't slide around.

You can buy cupcake carriers made especially for transporting cupcakes. Or, return the cupcakes to your cleaned out blistering can. Place a toothpick in each corner cupcake and lightly drapery plastic wrap over the elevation.

Always bring some leftover icing and other decorations to repair any frosting damage at the party.