I just did a 3D guitar cake that wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be...and it came out pretty cool. And then last night I did a square cake frosted in buttercream and it totally sucks!

Am I crazy in thinking square cakes are insanely hard to perfect? I imagine they're even harder with fondant!?

When you frost a square cake, is there a special trick to getting the top flat? (Other than a serrated knife, which I used...and failed miserably at. )

And when you put fondant on a square cake, is it any easier? Do you use one big piece, or do you have to do it in "sides"?

I'm still so new that any advice is welcome.

I am horrible at getting sharp, smooth edges with buttercream on a square or rectangle cake. Fondant on the other hand.. I love! I was really really surprised. I just did a wedding cake, square, covered in fondant and it turned out so smooth and perfect. Edges were a bit rounded, so if you're looking for sharp edges forget all this But my square covered fondant cakes turn out much smoother than my round covered fondant cakes.

As wierd as this sounds, my square cakes come out waaaaaaay better than my round cakes. I dont even try buttercream cuz i am horrible at it.

Here is a link to the article on CC

http://www.cakecentral.com/article51-How-To-Frost-a-Square-Cake.html

I always thought that it's harder to cover a square cake w/ fondant but I" just did a round cake which came out all creased, while the square came out gorgeous, always thought it's impossible

Thanks for the link and the tips!

How can I make the top perfectly level? Are those cake levelers a good tool?

I actually prefer square cakes over round! Getting the top of a square cake flat is pretty much the same as getting a round cake flat. I do all buttercream so I can't offer any help on fondant .... I'll leave that to the fondant experts on here for you!

I counted up one time and out of 19 consecutive weddings, 15 of them were square. They just seem easier for me to stack, to ice, to work with.

Here's a step-by-step photo on how I ice corners.... http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopicp-5396443-.html#5396443

well I bought the wiltons smaller one then bought the bigger one....i would say if you suck like me and cant cut a straight line, then yes, but my friend tells me why dont you just use a serrated knive, put it on the cake turntable and keep the knive straight and spin the turntable....then i say........uuuuuuuuuuh i cant even cut a straight line with a pair of sissors.....


So.....if you alre like me it will do the trick, but its not a quick easy thing you gotta work it. I like using a knife better but not a good straight line cutter...hope that helps

ALL of it helps...thanks for such great info!! I'm just going to keep giving away cakes while I practice, practice, practice!!

I just did a square fondant-covered cake for the first time last weekend. It was way easier than I expected and turned out nicer than a round cake I have done.

indydebi - what consistency would you say is the best for holding corners like that? Can you still use the creamier BC for it, or do you stiffen it up a bit?

Or does it have to do with temperature? I'm in AZ, and it's already into the 100's, so that always seems to be a factor.

I am the queen of unlevel cakes, but have recently discovered if I overfill my batter in my pan, the cake will rise above the pan and then I can use a serrated knife to cut it level, because I use the rim of my pan as a guide. I don't do many square cakes but this works like a dream with rounds, so it could work HTH!

That's a great idea...I'll try that, too. I'll try them all!! LOL

sugarshack has excellent DVDs on putting BC and fondant on square cakes and also one on stacking. Here DVDs are worth every penny you pay for them. Here'a link to her website if you're interested http://www.sugaredproductions.com/

oh and someone I had PM'd before about the perfect edges of their cakes told me that Miss Sharon's (SugarShack) video on perfecting the art of buttercream shows you how she does things like edges and corners. I have a horrible time with rims and edges and usually wind up putting a border over them to hide the flaws. I have the video but haven't watched all of it, so I am not 100% sure but I am sure others on here have watched it and can let us know Oh and Indydebi, those photos are great... dumb question, is a bench scraper just a spatula or is it something else?

I JUST did the overfill and trim with the edge method. It worked like a charm. I was so nervous is was going to bake over into the oven and burn and possibly ruin the cake, but it was perfect!

Oh, and listen to everything Indydebi says! She's a CC Star!!!

I overfill and cut at pan level as well. If my batter doesn't rise above my pan I use the cake leveler by wilton...gives you a perfect level cake. As for square cakes, love them...if they are fondant...not as easy in buttercream. Here is a wonderful video on how to cover a square cake in fondant I found here....