How to frost a cake

There are, I am sure, several ways to frost a cake. This is my way, however, and has a few tips and tricks included that really do make it easier.

In my last post I gave you the recipe for Amanda and Mark's super fudgy mocha wedding cake with buttercream frosting. YUM-O. In m next several posts there will be other cakes to try...so you're going to thank me for these helpful little time-savers.

First, once you've baked and cooled your cakes, do yourself a favor and chill them overnight. If your cake is light and fluffy, pop it in the freezer overnight; if your cake is dense or fudgy (like pound cake or the mocha cake I mentioned) then sticking it in the fridge will be better. 

Why? 

Really dense cakes are firmer to begin with. They don't need as much help getting to a solid state. Also, they'll take longer to thaw, so freezing them is like shooting yourself in the foot from the start.

OK, now fast forward to the next morning when you're going to frost the cake.

You're going to need a few things.

First, you'll want the cake board or plate or whatever you plan to serve the cake on. Get it handy.

Next, you'll want:

an offset spatula

a pastry bag...if you don't have one, get a big Ziploc bag

wax paper or parchment paper

To start, you'll want to prep your pastry bag. I think the easiest way (with the least clean up) is to fill a plastic bag with frosting and cut off the tip. No, this doesn't work for flowers and such BUT it does work to get the majority of the icing onto the cake!

I think the easiest way (without a helper) is to prop up your bag in a large container.

I like to fold the sides down so that I get the frosting inside the bag and not all over the outside of the bag...it's easier to frost the cake that way. ;)

My mom always taught me to put a little blob of frosting down on the cake plate/board before you lay the first layer down. It keeps the cake from sliding all over the place while you frost it....and it also gives you the tiniest little gap between the cake and the plate so that you can slide strips of parchment under the cake. 

 Maybe it seems obvious to you but the parchment paper keeps your cake plate clean and saves you from having to wipe gobs of frosting off of the plate before you present it to your guests or hungry family. I don't know about you but I'm not all that careful when I frost - I can use all the help there is to keep that plate clean.

Now, once you've plated the first layer and placed your parchment, you'll want to make a ring of icing around the edge. 

This helps to do two things: first, it helps to fill in the edges between the layers (which will save you a headache later if you didn't evenly trim your layers to be perfectly level); second, if you plan to use some kind of fruit filling of a filling other than the main frosting, this will help keep it in between the layers instead of squishing out the sides and ruining the rest of the frosting. 

I like to pipe the frosting generously all over the top of the cake, since that will help you frost the sides of the cake.

You'll also want to pipe some frosting around the sides of the cake, since the frosting you put on top won't  make it all the way to the bottom.

Using your offset spatula (that's the thing in the picture), spread out the frosting, starting from the top.

Once you're finished, gently and carefully pull the parchment out from under the cake and voilá, your cake is finished and ready for presentation.