I bake cakes the day before I frost them so I can “firm them up” in the refrigerator. Wrap them tightly, and when ready to frost, get your layers, turntable, offset spatula, wax paper, and frosting all assembled so you are ready to go.
An offset spatula is an essential tool for many cooking tasks, and especially when frosting cakes.
Start by tearing off four pieces of wax paper and creating a guard for the cardboard cake round (or your own special cake dish). Then, unwrap the layer of cake, and place it in the center of the turntable.
If you are using frosting as your “filling”, then place a generous amount of frosting and spread it evenly to the edge of the layer using the offset spatula.
It should look something like this.
Unwrap and place the second layer over the first as carefully as possible to make sure it is nicely centered. If you miss a bit, do not try to lift it up and try again – that tends to lead to disastrous tearing of the cake layer – and you spiral into chaos from there. Just be careful to lay it down slowly, and accurately – and save yourself the tears of regret.
Repeat the process and spread the frosting out evenly.
A “crumb layer” of frosting will help avoid specks of cake horrifyingly visible throughout the frosted cake (the cake will taste fine – and look like a child made it – which is humiliating – in my book). A thin layer of frosting over the entire cake’s surface will trap all the crumbs. Make sure you reserve enough frosting to apply the final “finishing” layer after the crumb coat is completed.
I add the final layer of frosting – in dollops – evenly around the cake – so that I can distribute the frosting on the sides, and then across the top – equally.
The finished cake! Remove the wax paper frosting guards, and then transfer the cake to a serving platter or cake pedestal. I would refrigerate the cake if making it ahead and remove it from the refrigerator about 5 hours before you plan to serve it. This is an important reminder – COLD cake is not as flavorful – and it would be a shame to serve this fantastic cake – and not get the rave reviews you deserve.
