don’t miss a recipe

and subscribe now

Sugary & Buttery

Making life a little sweeter since 2012

Main navigation

How to frost a layer cake

One of my favorite things about baking is frosting cakes. It’s so fun! And not as hard as some might think, I’m gonna show you. I made this tutorial while making this amazing Sky High Rafaello Cake. I will also post some more tutorials soon!

To frost your cake, you will need the following tools (from top to bottom):

1. A 6-inch bench scraper
2. A small straight spatula (6 or 8 inch)
3. A small offset spatula
4. A large straight spatula for larger cakes (10 inch or longer)

Sugary & Buttery - how to frost a layer cake - Tools

Ideally, you also need a cake turning table or revolving cake stand. I love this professional cake turntable by Ateco since it is very sturdy and handles very well, but sometimes I just assemble the cake right on the cake stand and put the stand on a flat turntable, those are cheaper. You can actually also use this Lazy Susan from IKEA – that’s what I used for a long time, or get the cheaper Ateco plastic turntable for around $10.

So after you stacked your cake, it is recommended to crumb coat your cake. This pretty much just means to put on a thin layer of frosting to seal in your crumbs so they won’t come to the surface while you add the final frosting later. Chill for at least 30 minutes before applying the final coat of frosting.

 

Sugary & Buttery - how to frost a layer cake - Crumb coat
Let’s frost it!

 

Get your crumb coated cake out of the fridge (1) and scoop some frosting on the top of your cake (2). Working from the center, spread the frosting with the offset spatula out to edges while turing the turntable (3), make sure to push the frosting over the edges a little bit (4).

Starting with a small batch, add your frosting to the sides of your cake, at least 0.5 inch thick (5). Make sure the layer of frosting you are adding is even all around your cake (6). Continue adding the frosting all around the cake (7), batch after batch until the entire cake is covered (8).

I know it looks messy (9) but don’t worry, we will smooth it out now and you will be removing quite a bit of frosting. Start with the sides using your bench scraper: Hold the bench scraper at an 45 degree angle to the cake and without applying any pressure on the cake, turn the turntable (10). Put the frosting you are removing from your cake with your scraper back into your frosting bowl, and continue smoothing with a clean scraper (11). Hold your tool vertically exactly parallel to your cake. It is best to have the cake at eye level so you can watch the angle of the bench scraper and make sure the sides of the cake turn out straight. Also make sure to hold your hand as still as possible to get an even look (12).

Sugary & Buttery - how to frost a layer cake
The sides look pretty good already, don’t they (13)? Now let’s move on to the top. With your bench scraper, scrape the frosting from the edges of the cake top to the center (14). Now use a regular spatula to even out the top. Hold the spatula parallel to your cake top in a slight angle to the cake and without applying pressure, spin the cake table until the top is even and smooth (15). Remove any excess frosting on your spatula if necessary. Remove the frosting that gets pushed over the edges of your top (16).You’re almost done, as you can see the edges of your top still have a little excess frosting (17). Use a spatula that is at least as long as your cake is wide and place it just beyond the side furthest from you. Carefully, again without any pressure, scrape the frosting towards you (18). You will have to clean your spatula after each move. To get an even smoother top, dip the spatula in hot water for a few seconds, dry it off and then smooth your top. And you’re done (19)!

Sugary & Buttery - how to frost a layer cake And if you are making my Sky High Rafaello Cake by any chance, go ahead with step 20-24: Gently press some shredded coconut to the bottom part of your cake, pour your ganache at the center of your cake top and even it out with an offset spatula, gently pushing drops of ganache down the sides.

Scroll Up