Chef Mommy: From the Mail Bag: Cake Frosting Questions

Hi Maria!

Thank you for sharing great ideas and recipes with all of us...I am not very talented in the baking department, but you have inspired me to take on the baking of my niece's birthday cake. I ABSOLUTELY ADORE how smooth and beautiful you cakes look without being over the top. So i wanted to ask you,
1. Where can i find a 'foolproof' vanilla cake? I want to make it from scratch
2. Which of your frosting would you say its the tastiest? Which one is the smoothest for decorating cakes?
3. HOW DO YOU MAKE THEM LOOK SO CLEAN? Please, please share with us your frosting techniques. I read your post about how to fill a piping bag and noticed you had a ginormous tip on the bag you were using...which tip is that? is that all you use or do you also use a spatula?

I guess if in the future you are looking for a topic to do a blog, please keep CAKE FROSTING on your mind.

Also, for us rookie beginners in baking, which would you say is a good source of information to have?

Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR TIPS AND IDEAS..I enjoy watching your blog and Happy Blogverssary!

Best,

From Sunny Miami, FL

Naia :)

Naia,

Thank you so much for the nice comments and for your patience. This message is more than a week old and I'm just getting around to posting it now. I'm not sure if you've already made your cake or not but I hope the tips below are still helpful.

-Maria

1. Where can i find a 'foolproof' vanilla cake? I want to make it from scratch
My favorite foolproof vanilla cake recipe is Perfect Party cake by Dorie Greenspan. My neighbor, Polly, also likes this All Butter cake by Martha Stewart. I don't think you could go wrong with either one of these recipes.

2. Which of your frosting would you say its the tastiest? Which one is the smoothest for decorating cakes?
I typically make either an American-style buttercream or a Swiss Meringue buttercream. I like both but they do have a different taste and texture. The American style buttercream is very sweet and some complain about it tasting too sugary, however it is very easy to make. The Swiss meringue by contrast is not overly sweet, has a very silky texture and wonderful buttery taste. It can be a little tricky to make though b/c it requires working with egg whites.

They both smooth well on cakes. Here are two cakes with different butterceams.

This cake is made with Swiss meringue buttercream

This cake is made with American style buttercream.

3. HOW DO YOU MAKE THEM LOOK SO CLEAN? Please, please share with us your frosting techniques. I read your post about how to fill a piping bag and noticed you had a ginormous tip on the bag you were using...which tip is that? is that all you use or do you also use a spatula?

My biggest tip for making a cake look clean is...to NOT bake your cake and decorate it on the same day!! Why? Because making a cake from scratch takes several hours (prepping the batter, baking the cake, letting it cool fully, torting, making the buttercream,etc.) and since frosting the cake is the last step, you will often be rushing and not give yourself enough time to do it properly. I almost always bake my cakes the night before, wrap them in plastic wrap and then frost and decorate the next day.

The first step to getting smooth frosting is to give the cake a "crumb coat". A crumb coat is basically a thin layer of frosting applied to the cake that will seal in crumbs. I do try and smooth out the crumb coat as much as possible, then pop the cake in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to let the frosting firm up.

Other helpful tools:

Cake Icer Tip
Icing Smoother
Angled Spatula
Rotating Cake Stand
Viva Paper Towels
Fondant Smoother

Once the crumb coat is set I add a generous amount to the top and sides of the cake. The large icer tip and rotating cake stand make the job easier.

Once the cake is completely covered, I use an angled spatula and/or the icing smoother to smooth and remove excess frosting. Always remembering to wipe off the spatula or smoother in between swipes.

Now, when I am working with American style buttercream, I will do one final step. I will use a Viva brand paper towel (this brand has no quilting!!) and a fondant smoother to smooth it even further.

To do this I must first make sure the cake has "crusted". To test this I will touch it lightly with my fingers. If no icing comes off, it is ready to go.