# frosting a cake

Category: Grub Garage

## Post 1 by Reyami (I've broken five thousand! any more awards going?) on Thursday, 06-Sep-2007 15:06:05

If you are unable to see, and you have made a cake at home and are taking the time to frost it, how do you do it without taking the top of the cake off? It's delicate work, from what I understand. thanks for your responses.

## Post 2 by Cousin Cap (Zone BBS Addict) on Thursday, 06-Sep-2007 16:00:04

Wait until the cake cools, and gently apply frosting with a dull spatula.

## Post 3 by SilkySarah (Veteran Zoner) on Thursday, 06-Sep-2007 21:16:49

A small rubber spatula or butter knife works best.
Put some icing in the middle of the cake, and spread towards the edges. I've found that to work best. You may need to feel what you're doing with your fingers as a guide a time or too. Spread the icing gently, andcake surface should be fine. If it does tare a bit, patch with icing.

## Post 4 by mistressamber87 (That sarcastic smart ass opinionated bitch you wish you didn't have to hear from) on Thursday, 06-Sep-2007 21:23:41

If you prefer not to use your fingers, you can always use tin foil, placed as a little fence or whatever you may call it, around all four sides of the cake. Meaning, instead of running off onto the table, as long as you are gentle, you would feel your spatula hit the tin foil before it went off the edge, as long as the foil was higher than the top of the cake, I mean. An inch or so should suffice.
may you always find shade and water,
Amber

## Post 5 by Diane (Missing a Friend!) on Wednesday, 14-Nov-2007 10:01:22

It is easier to do if you have a lot of icing, thicker icing is easier to cover the cake than if you have just a little. Hmm, that's worded weird, but I hope it makes sense. If you use your fingers to make sure you've gotten the whole cake covered, that is fine. However, once you have things feeling even and fully covered, do one final pass with your spatula to remove any fingerprints. If you are having trouble icing the sides of the cake, do a sheet cake instead of a layer cake and leave it in the pan; that way you only have to ice the top. Good luck!

## Post 6 by moonspun (This site is so "educational") on Sunday, 18-Nov-2007 16:06:25

Hi there
I usually dump all of the frosting in the middle, then spread it with a spatula/spoon/whatever comes to hand. I use my fingers to check if the cake's been covered, then gently smooth off fingerprints with the spatula. If you're frosting the sides, put your cake on a plate on top of some kitchen roll. Then, stick it straight in the fridge to harden. When the frosting has set, you can peel the paper form the bottom, takin with it the run off from the frosting.

## Post 7 by Reyami (I've broken five thousand! any more awards going?) on Tuesday, 27-Nov-2007 10:09:53

Thank you for your help. I'm making a carrot cake today, so I'll bear all these things in mind.

## Post 8 by Siriusly Severus (The ESTJ 1w9 3w4 6w7 The Taskmaste) on Saturday, 13-Jun-2009 6:34:12

No one told you to rub the top of your cake off, idiot! Just fucking spread the frosting with a butter knife, and quit the complaining, you incapable one.

## Post 9 by moonspun (This site is so "educational") on Friday, 19-Jun-2009 17:37:57

How about this? If you don't have anything constructive to say, why not say nothing at all? She had a wish for help, and that's what she got. There's nothing wrong with asking after something you're unsure of. Bear that in mind, eh? It doesn't give you the right to belittle someone just because others are uncertain of how to do something which appears simple to you. Remember that you had to be taught too at one point or another. Just take a moment to imagine how you'd have turned out if your teacher had had that attitude.
FM

## Post 10 by Shepherdwolf (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Friday, 19-Jun-2009 17:47:33

Hell, I wasn't even going to start asking for cooking tips on the boards - I'll ask whoever's handy or will muddle through on my own - but this is damned helpful! Thanks, all, even if it wasn't me you were responding to.
Rachel, you ought to be ashamed. The one pointless post in a helpful topic...unless you include mine, which is admittedly none too helpful, though I'd argue there's not much I can add without repeating what's already been touched upon. I'd like to note that I'm good at a fair few things, but spreading/frosting isn't one of them.

## Post 11 by sandrita87 (Zone BBS Addict) on Friday, 19-Jun-2009 20:21:58

Um, poster 8, aren't you supposed to be "friendly and phylisophical?"

## Post 12 by Nicky (And I aprove this message.) on Saturday, 20-Jun-2009 11:03:25

I start bputting the iceing on as soon as the cake comes out of the oven. I only put half the iceing on and then I let it cool and put the rest on. If you want to you can melt the iceing a bit and then apply it to the cake. I know what you mean though about the cake comeing apart when you try to spread the iceing on it. When I put the iceing on while the cake is still hot, the iceing melts in to the cake adn taist wonderful. I use a spoon, the bottom side of it and go in a grid pateren to finish up.

## Post 13 by Nem (I just keep on posting!) on Saturday, 20-Jun-2009 14:24:22

One thing you can try is freezing the cake first. By doing this, the top will be less likely to tear. Once you've iced the cake and put it into the fridge to set, allowing it to sit at room temp before servin will give a wonderful iced cake. People won't be able to taste the difference. Admittedily I have not tried this yet. I have heard bakers in stores say this, and there is a blind cooking list, Cooking in the dark list, where i have also heard this.
Good luck.
N

## Post 14 by Nicky (And I aprove this message.) on Saturday, 20-Jun-2009 15:25:24

I might even try that last one next time!

## Post 15 by turricane (happiness and change are choices ) on Monday, 22-Jun-2009 12:44:10

the frosting a frozen cake works like a charm and enables me to look like achamp. when I have the time,, this is the way to go!!!
One of the things which can cause the top of a cake to flake is air bubbles. Before baking the batter, after the pan has been filled, I whack it firmly on the counter a couple of times. This enables things to settle and eliminates those nasty bumps on my cake.
Finally, if all else fails and the cake looks like a map of the lunar surface, adding things like jelly beans, chopped nuts, sprinkles, chips, or whatever, is a great way to cover up the errors. Additionally they taste great too.

## Post 16 by Reyami (I've broken five thousand! any more awards going?) on Monday, 03-Aug-2009 14:16:41

For fuck's sake, poster eight, all I did was ask for help and suggestions. For you to sit there and say I am incapable shows me just how capable you are at being "friendly". Sounds like someone needs to get their head out of their ass and grow the hell up. Being blunt with people doesn't mean calling them names and belittling them on a public message board like this. ever heard of something called "constructive criticism"? If I looked up friendly in the dictionary, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't find you there. To everyone else, thank you.

## Post 17 by turricane (happiness and change are choices ) on Monday, 03-Aug-2009 15:03:01

I think friendly philosophical rachel needs to change her name. I hadn't seen post eight. No one should be treated with such a lack of respect. No one knows all the answers either. Rachel honey, add a little sugar to the acid in your comments and they'll go down a lot better.

## Post 18 by Reyami (I've broken five thousand! any more awards going?) on Monday, 03-Aug-2009 21:36:13

And another comment I have to add ...
Who the hell said I was complaining? Is asking for help or suggestions considered complaining? and I never said the top of the cake was supposed to come off in the first place. Sounds like someone needs to learn to read. referring to post eight again.