I am not a professional cake decorator, I do like to make cakes for my friends and family when I can, and through the years, I have learned a thing or two about cake decorating from other bakers. All my share of cake disasters paid off, and I feel like I can safely say that I know how to stack and decorate a layer cake. So even if you are not an experienced cake decorator, you can still decorate an impressive cake. This easy tutorial on How to Stack A Layer Cake is perfect for beginners. Let’s get started!
2 – Frosting Consistency Is Key
Having the right frosting consistency can be crucial to the success of your cake or cupcakes! If it’s too thin, your cake and frosting won’t hold together well. If too thick, it won’t be easy to spread. The frosting has the right consistency when it can be easily spread across a cake and piped into decorations that hold their shape. To test and make sure you’ve got the right consistency, tap a rubber spatula against the frosting; if nothing sticks, it’s too thick. If my rubber spatula is coated in frosting and it’s fairly sticky, it’s too thin. The consistency of your frosting buttercream should be smooth, silky, and easily spreadable. PRO TIP: Before you pipe buttercream onto a cake, give it a final whip JUST before using it. Buttercream loses its beautiful consistency pretty fast. My Go-To Frosting/Buttercream Recipes:
Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Easy Chocolate Frosting
In my cookbook, The Simply Eggless Cookbook, you can find many, many frosting recipes, including Eggless Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
3 – Decide Beforehand How Much Frosting You Are Going To Add Between Layers
One cup of frosting is my go-to amount for an 8-in cake. It’s wise to use less on that 6-in cakes. You can either spread or pipe the frosting onto the cake. I like to use a piping bag, so I know I am getting even amounts of frosting between the layers.
2 – Place Your First Layer On Your Cake Board
Stack cake layer #2 on top and add frosting. Repeat with remaining cake layers. Ensure that the last cake layer is upside down so that the bottom of the cake, which is flatter, is now the top. Once you’ve stacked and filled all your cake layers, your cake should look something like below.
To apply a crumb coat, simply use an offset spatula or knife to spread a thin coat of frosting over the sides and top of the cake. Try to get it as even as possible, covering the whole cake. Then chill the cake for 10 to 15 minutes to let the crumb coat set before applying the top coat of frosting. If you want your cake’s frosting to be smooth, spread about 1 1/2 cups of buttercream evenly over the cake’s top and sides. Then smooth the cake’s top and sides with the edge of an icing smoother or offset spatula. You can fill in the gaps with more frosting if needed, just keep working the sides until you are happy with it.
↓↓You can find these cake recipes and more in my cookbook, The Simply Eggless Cookbook ↓↓
If you have any other tips and/or tricks on decorating a cake, please leave them in the comments! I would love to hear from any other cake lovers out there.
