Frosting a Cake

Frosting a cake is the first step in decorating cakes.
You don’t need to be frightened by the elaborate cakes you see in cake making books. You don’t need to be a chef. You can make beautiful cakes with just a little know-how and practice. You also need the right tools. Lets start with a few simple ideas.

Every great cake starts with icing. The icing needs o be smooth and crumb free. First, cool the cake completely. To keep crumbs from messing up the icing, frost with a thin base coat. Mix the frosting thinner for this layer. You could set it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Or simply let it dry.

Apply the second coat of icing with an icing spatula. Smooth the sides first. Run the spatula around the cake. If you dip the spatula in cold water, you can make smoother frosting. Now smooth the top. Dip the spatula. Hold it level over the far side of the cake. Just skim the icing, drawing the spatula toward you. Smooth the edges and touch up the sides.

Now you’ve done the hardest part. Even without decorations, it’s elegant. You could use sprinkles or candy to decorate.

For piping, you need a pastry bag and a metal tip and a coupler to hold it on. Now you can make words, flowers, shells and designs on the cake top or sides. Fill the bag with a cup of frosting, not too much. Twist the top. Squeeze the bag with one hand and guide the tip with the other. Practice your ideas on a cookie sheet first.

You also need a couple jars of frosting coloring for the decorations.

Use your own creativity. Cakes never turn out precisely like the picture. But I know it will be beautiful. With a little practice, frosting a cake is easy.

*Use a Google search for decorator frosting recipes.