All,
After messing up the icing on two cakes, could someone please explain how you get the chopped nuts/sprinkles on the sides of a cake evenly? Thanks in advance for all of your help!

You can't be shy and you must be rather bold. You also need much more than you think you will need to do this correctly and smoothly.

Do this over a large cookie sheet to save what falls off the cake. Hold the cake over the cookie sheet by the cake board in your non-dominant hand at as severe of an angle as you can. Using your dominant hand, grab a huge handful of the topping and coming from the underside of the tilted cake press the topping into the cake. Don't be afraid, you must be bold. Keep doing this and rotating the cake until it is covered to your specification. Anything that drops to the cookie sheet can be saved and used for another cake.

You can't be shy and afraid to press it into the cake or won't work. And Like I said, you'll need to prepare a lot more topping than you actually use.

If you like, I can snap a few pictures for you.

Thank you Cali4dawn! I'll do my best to be bold! Could you really snap some pictures?! I would be most grateful!

Sure! I have to bake a simple desert cake for a dinner tomorrow. I hadn't planned anything special, so I'll do this. I'll bake and decorate today. Pictures won't be posted for several hours. But I'll do it for you!!

It'll be a great excuse to make yet another tutorial for my collection!!

This works with cakes that are easily moved about with you hands.

1. crumb coat the sides only
2. lay out a sheet of waxed/grease-proof/baking paper
3. sprinkle the bits thickly over the paper
4. ice the sides with selected icing
5. grasp the cake: one hand on top and one on the bottom
6. roll a round cake on its side to pick up the Nuts/Sprinkles OR
7. set the iced sides, face down, one by one, until all are covered with the Nuts/Sprinkles
8. after the sides are covered, replace on cake-board to crumbcoat/ice the top. Decorate as usual.

Thank you cali4dawn-you're my new BEST FRIEND! I am making a banana torte w/roasted walnuts and want them on the sides...

Auzzi,
Thanks so much for your response-I guess I'll have plenty of time to practice this! THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR HELP!

Here you go!!

Click this link. Look toward the bottom and you will see "Covering the sides of a cake."

There are 5 pictures total


http://community.webshots.com/album/192803278blrljO

Thank you for this tutorial!!! And for the others! Have you thought about writing a book on cake decorating secrets? You really should!

mrsfish

Your very welcome. Yes, I have thought about it but then I'd have to charge everyone for this information and I wouldn't be able to post it any longer and that's just no fun.

Maybe someday... but not today.

Thank you so much for going through so much trouble for me! It's nice to know others will also benefit from your generosity. You made it look easy, I'll bet I'll have a funny story to tell you about what will happen to me! I will just practice, practice, practice! I have also checked out your other tutorials-VERY HELPFUL!

Cali4Dawn,

You are just too sweet! How nice of you to do this for everyone! I just wanted to say "Thank you!"

Denise

Make sure you glue your cake to the board before tilting it.

Have fun! I want to see lots of covered cakes, now!!!!

Thank you once again for a wonderful tutorial cali4dawn! They are always so helpful!!

You said it is best to use a noncrusting icing. Would an icing like the "Fluffly Buttercream Bakery Icing" on this site work well with this? I have been wanting to try some type of oreo cake and that sounds perfect. I have not tried any of the whipped cream-like icings, but I think I will give it a shot this week.

Thanks a bunch!

Amy

You will, you WILL-LOL!

Thank you Cali4dawn!!!

I have never heard of Frosting Pride. I'm going to see if I can find that to try it out.

Thanks again!

Amy

Hey Southerncake... I just realized you are in NC. I lived there 20 years (miss the green and the great ocean and Barefoot Landing- this ocean is too cold year round)

Anyway, you won't find Frosting Pride there. It's only sold on the west coast. Believe me, this conversation has been had before, many times.

You might find Rich's products there in your local BJ's or Sam's or Costco. I think BJ's. (We don't have BJ's here.) If you find Rich's products, it's a whipped cream icing. Or can make your own stabilized whipped cream. I've heard Wilton's recipe is pretty good. But I haven't tried it since I have Frosting Pride available to me.

This method works just fine with buttercream, though. Don't be "a-feared."