Perfectly Frost a Cake: Make Buttercream Smooth like Fondant

Fondant is used to “frost” cakes. It is rolled out and smoothed over a cake to make the cake flawlessly smooth and ready for decorating. Fondant is used quite a bit for wedding cakes. The problem with fondant is that most people don’t like the flavor. Bakeries will often first frost the cake with buttercream and then put fondant over the top. This way when the cake is served the fondant can be peeled off and the cake can be enjoyed with the buttercream. This option does not produce very pretty slices of cake.

Buttercream is most people’s favorite frosting. You can add flavorings to it, even chocolate. It can be colored as well. It is harder to make buttercream smooth on the cake though. There are many methods and tools to make it easier. I am going to explain the method that works best for me.

You will need:
*a round cake to be frosted
*cardboard cake round to fit your cake
*serrated knife
*waxed paper
*pen
*offset spatula (a butter knife will do)
*a large cutting board
*freezer space
*4 inch tape knife (find one at the hardware store)
*cake turntable or Lazy Susan

Let your cake cool. Most cakes will form a dome on the top. Level the top off with a serrated knife. The next thing you need to do is lay out a piece of waxed paper. Put the cake on top of the waxed paper. Draw a circle around the cake. Draw the circle slightly bigger than the cake. Now lift your cake off and lay the paper down on a cutting board or other flat surface that you can lift. Make sure your paper is smooth and flat and then frost it. Using your butter knife or spatula spread your buttercream frosting in a layer. Make it as even as possible and make sure there are no air bubbles, especially right next to the paper. You will want to spread the frosting just over a quarter inch thick and large enough to cover the line you traced. Don’t worry about how smooth it is, this will be the part next to the cake. The part touching the waxed paper will be the top. Decide which side of your cake will be the top. I usually turn it upside down since the bottom is usually more even. Carefully place the cake on top of the frosting with the top side facing down. Your cake should be centered on the frosting. Gently pat your cake down with your hands to stick it to the frosting. Now dab a bit of frosting onto your cardboard round and press it centered onto the bottom of your cake. Lift the entire cutting board and place it in your freezer. Let it sit for at least an hour. You are waiting for the frosting to get hard. Get out your frosting, tape knife, waxed paper, turntable or Lazy Susan and a cleaned spatula or butter knife before you remove your cake from the freezer. Set the cutting board onto the counter and using a butter knife remove the hardened extra frosting from around the edge. Do not remove any frosting very close to or under the cake. Lay a piece of waxed paper onto your turntable. Now turn your cake right side up onto the turntable. Lift off the cutting board and carefully peel back the wax paper. The frosting on the top of your cake will be perfect and smooth. Now using your spatula or knife add frosting to the sides of your cake. Add much more than you think you will need. It is easier to remove frosting than it is to add it. You will use your tape knife from the hardware store. Since the knife is 4 inches you will be able to sweep it around your cake in one motion. They have a big flat blade so they are easy to handle. Spin your turntable slowly and smoothly while holding the tape knife parallel to the side of your cake. Start by getting the frosting even and then on the next few turns work on getting it the right thickness. It is okay for your frosting to be a little thick. It will be better than getting it too thin so you see crumbs. The corner where the sides meet the top will be crisp and clean. Using your spatula or butter knife remove any frosting on the wax paper that is excess and pick up your cake and slide the wax paper out from under it. Your cake is now smoothly frosted and ready for decorating.