Advice Needed

Decorating By canesfan23 Updated 25 Jul 2017 , 3:56pm by canesfan23

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canesfan23 Posted 23 Jul 2017 , 2:19pm
post #1 of 13

Advice NeededAdvice NeededAdvice NeededAdvice Needed


Above are the last couple of cakes I've done. I really enjoy doing them, but my biggest issue is the frosting. I'm a perfectionist and no matter what I do I can't seem to get the frosting completely smooth and end up making a huge mess of the kitchen.

I've tried smoothing it out with a spatula and attempted to use a pastry bag but haven't had much success at all.

Do any of you recommend any specific products that make cake decorating much easier for a beginner? I really enjoy it but I'm frustrated it never comes out exactly perfect. 

All the above cakes are made with buttercream. 

Do you all recommend any pourable frosting recipes? I tried pouring the icing over the last cake I did and it was so much faster. 

Thank you for all your advice.


12 replies
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SandraSmiley Posted 23 Jul 2017 , 3:11pm
post #2 of 13

There are about 1,000 videos on YouTube on how to frost a cake.  This one, by Edna de la Cruz is one of my favorites.




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canesfan23 Posted 23 Jul 2017 , 3:31pm
post #3 of 13

Thank you so very much for sharing that video with me I will definitely put it to use. 

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SandraSmiley Posted 23 Jul 2017 , 3:37pm
post #4 of 13

@canesfan23 ‍ , there are dozens and dozens and several different methods, though all are similar.  Just enter "How to frost a smooth cake" in your search engine and pick where you want to start.  I watch every new one I come across because perfect cakes are definitely a skill which must be developed.  Practice is the key.

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inthekitchen2 Posted 23 Jul 2017 , 4:02pm
post #5 of 13

The chocolate thickness looks okay, but the others all look too runny. Try adding less milk, and use an offset spatula.

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canesfan23 Posted 24 Jul 2017 , 1:58am
post #6 of 13

Thanks SandraSmiley I will definitely keep practicing more often and try out different techniques to find the one that works for me.

Thanks inthekitchen2 I will make sure I don't overdo it on the milk and get a new spatula. I found a new buttercream recipe on cakecentral and I'm going to use it next time. 

Here is the link http://www.cakecentral.com/recipe/22469/2-icing

I'm always open for suggestions and I really appreciate you all taking the time to respond to me on a Sunday.

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johnson6ofus Posted 24 Jul 2017 , 4:41am
post #7 of 13

Yes, the texture is wrong. As a beginner, if you make decorating frosting to resemble the stuff in the can" mom used", it is too soft. It has to form peaks and hold it. Too dry, and it is crumbly and won't smooth. Too wet/soft and it drips and runs. Practice is the key. AND TAKE NOTES! My recipe cards have all kinds of notes on them so I know what I changed and did. My kids laugh, because I make "Granola #5". The first four were tweaked to get it perfect. That's what the card says....Granola #5.

Fruit. Fruit really kills the shelf time/ room temperature storage of cakes. Be careful, refrigerate, and eat fast...lol. I will lay fruit on paper towels to dry the cut edges to be really dry to avoid a mess and give a nicer presentation.

Bundt pan cake. Why did you ice the bottom? You cut it in that pan? Flip it out and do some fun drizzles on top with softer icing and it is easy and looks great.

Chocolate cake. Level the tops or use bake even strips to get flat tops. When you put icing down on the first layer and add the second, there should be no "gap". Cut off tops are usually my snack (which is why I need to lose 50+ pounds).

Best of luck---nothing better than playing with sugar!

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johnson6ofus Posted 24 Jul 2017 , 4:42am
post #8 of 13

PS. I LOVE Edna too. She is fabulous!

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canesfan23 Posted 24 Jul 2017 , 3:59pm
post #9 of 13

I didn't take the bundt cake out of the pan because I didn't grease it enough so it wouldn't come out. 

I will definitely take more notes and practice practice and practice some more. 

Thanks so much.

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SandraSmiley Posted 24 Jul 2017 , 6:11pm
post #10 of 13

@canesfan23 ‍ , for bundt pans, I use a pastry brush to spread shortening (Crisco) into every little crevice, the dust flour around covering every surface and turn out the excess (flour).  That always works for me.

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Coffeelover77 Posted 24 Jul 2017 , 7:16pm
post #11 of 13

getting an ateco icing smoother ($3) and a swivel cake stand ($15) was really what made a difference for me. I'm still not excellent at it by any means but those two tools have helped enormously with my buttercream not looking nearly as bad.

i look at youtube videos for everything cake related and feel like I'd be lost without it!

good luck :)

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nmbakes Posted 25 Jul 2017 , 1:17am
post #12 of 13

@canesfan23 ‍King Arthur Flour has a good article on their blog regarding how to prevent bundt cakes from sticking to the pan. The first time I did a bundt cake, one section stuck to the pan. The second time, I followed tip #3, using melted shortening, and it worked! It's interesting that, for bundt pans, they don't recommend greasing it before you start the recipe (like you would for your regular cake pans) but right before you pour the batter (this is tip #4).

http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2017/01/22/prevent-bundt-cakes-sticking/

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canesfan23 Posted 25 Jul 2017 , 3:56pm
post #13 of 13

Thank you all so much I will definitely put the tips into practice. 

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