Tips on Frosting a Cake

Inspired by my Moms In Heels friend who had a disastrous experience for her son's first birthday, I wanted to give some DIY tips on frosting a cake.  Whether you are making icing from scratch or using the pre-made kind out of the container, consistency is key.  You want the icing to have a medium consistency for frosting a cake, somewhere in between stiff and thin (or runny).  When in doubt, it is better to have it a little more thin than stiff.  Now, you don't want it to drip off of your spatula, but when you stick the spatula in the bowl of icing, it should start to lean slowly one way or the other, rather than standing straight up like a stick in mud.  If it falls immediately to the side, it is too thin and you can add confectioner's sugar to stiffen it up (I recommend Domino pure can 10x- it does not clump like other confectioner's sugar can).  To thin frosting out, add one teaspoon at a time milk or water, stirring after each addition.  It is easiest to use an angled frosting spatula like this one:

This spatula is from Wilton, and they are between $5 and $7, but will make life MUCH easier for frosting!  If you don't have one like this, a normal spatula will do.  Another key factor before frosting is to make sure that your cake has cooled completely.  If it is still warm, it is very likely that you will pull pieces off the cake and get a lot of crumbs in the frosting.  To start, you want to scoop out a lot of frosting and plop it in multiple places all over the top of your cake, or put a heaping amount in the center.  You can either start at one side and work your way to the other, or start in the middle and work out towards the edges.  Watch this tutorial on how to easily frost a cake:

Notice how she uses a back and forth motion with the spatula, and always has an excess amount of frosting to work with.  Frosting is literally "a piece of cake" with this video and anyone can do it!  If you don't have an angled spatula as shown in the video, use a small regular spatula and be sure to use a lot of frosting (you can scrape excess off when finished) and use the back and forth motion while spreading the icing out to avoid picking up crumbs.  Another tip for getting a perfectly smooth cake: once you follow all the steps in the video, let the cake sit out for 30-60 minutes, until the frosting is somewhat dry to touch.  You should be able to put your fingertip to the frosting and not have any frosting transfer to your finger- this will tell you it is ready.  Take a piece of wax or parchment paper and place it gently over the top of your cake.  DO NOT PRESS INTO CAKE.  Using the angled spatula or the non- perforated side of a long knife, run it gently over the paper all over the top of your cake.  This will smooth out any imperfections left behind from icing the cake.  Pull the paper off and do the same along the sides of the cake.  And voila!  A perfectly frosted cake.  Now you are ready to decorate it however you'd like!