This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Today’s tutorial is all about how to frost a smooth cake. Getting that nice, smooth finish when icing a cake can take some practice, but I have been asked so many times about how I get my icing so smooth, I’ve finally put together some instructions that I hope will be helpful. Just remember you have to be patient. My first cake did not look like my current cakes. It took practice – and the right tools.
Want to frost cupcakes? See my post on how to beautifully frost your cupcakes!
Watch How To Do It
So to start, let’s talk about the tools you’ll need:
Icing tips (Wilton #789 for icing the sides and Ateco 844 for piping the border)
Icing bags
Turntable (I use Wilton Trim-N-Turn Ultra Cake Decorating Turntable)
Icing smoother (I 100% recommend Ateco Decorating Comb over any other)
9 inch offset spatula (I use Wilton Angled Spatula)
Fondant smoother (I use Wilton Easy Glide Fondant Smoother)
Viva paper towels (Viva brand specifically)
Let’s talk about that icing smoother for a second. I linked to it above, but it’s an Ateco smoother that costs less than $5. It is the best money I have ever spent on a tool. I used to use another one, but it was big and clunky and I had no idea how much it hindered my ability to get a nice, smooth cake until I tried this one. It’s lightweight, small and easy to use.
In addition to those tools, you’ll obviously need a cake and some icing. I used regular American Buttercream (American Buttercream recipe here). For my cakes that are about this size, I go through about 2 1/2 recipes worth.
For this tutorial, I started with a cake that was already crumb coated and had a layer of icing on the top of the cake. It’s important to already have the top layer on the cake and get it as smooth as you can with your offset spatula. It’ll get further smoothed later, but it’s best to have it smooth now too.
The crumb coat isn’t entirely necessary for every cake. Typically chocolate cakes are more likely to need them, since they tend to have more crumbs. But because of the way I add my icing, it’s not always necessary. I use an icing tip and bag, which reduces crumbs mixing into the icing.
How to Frost a Cake
So to get started from here, you’ll want your icing bag fitted with the Wilton #789 icing tip and filled with icing. Starting from the bottom of the cake, pipe icing around the edge, trying to keep even pressure on the bag so that the layer of icing is even.
You’ll have multiple layers of piped icing, depending on the height of your cake. The top layer needs to stick above the top edge of the cake. This will be important later for smoothing the top edges/corners of the cake.
When you are done applying the icing to the sides of the cake, it’s time to smooth it. This is where the icing smoother comes in. Place it against the side of the cake. You want to hold it straight up and down, as straight as possible. Hold your icing smoother in the same place and use your other hand to turn the turntable. Continue to turn the turntable, scraping the icing off of the smoother occasionally so that there isn’t too much buildup. I clean off my smoother regularly and when I scrape the excess icing off of it, I usually also wipe it with a paper towel, so that there isn’t anything left on there that will mess up the icing once I place it back on the side of the cake.
Here is an image showing the angle at which I hold the smoother. I really believe the angle makes a big difference in the way the icing smooths. Do not hold it at 90 degrees. The tighter the angle (like shown), the better the excess icing pulls around the cake and fills in gaps.
After doing a few turns of the turntable, you’ll notice some gaps that are deeper and should probably be filled in. I usually notice it at the “seems” where the three layers of icing were piped on. At this point, use your offset spatula to add some icing to the gaps. You’ll want to have a little excess icing, rather than too little.
Begin smoothing the sides again, pulling the excess icing around the cake to fill in gaps, then wiping off the icing smoother as needed.
Continue working around the outside of the cake, pulling the icing, then scraping it off of the icing smoother. You can fill in more gaps if needed, just keep working the sides until you are happy with it.
You should end up with a cake that looks like this. The sides are mostly smooth and the excess icing from the top is still sticking up above the cake. In some places you may have tiny little holes from the air in the icing. The angle that you hold the icing smoother can make a difference in how many of those you end up with. Again, tighter angle is better. Also, some of those will fill in as we smooth the sides again later with a paper towel.
Next is always the scariest part! The top edges/corners. It was even harder to do these while taking photos. 🙂 The whole icing process took longer than normal, so my icing started to crust a bit and so it’s a little drier in the photos than yours should be at this point. You want to work as quickly as you can. If the icing starts to crust, it’s harder to work with.
To do the edges, you can use the icing smoother or the offset spatula. I use either, depending on my mood, though often I do feel like the offset spatula gives me more control. Pull the icing in towards the middle of the cake, making the corner level with the top of the cake. The spatula should be at about a 45 degree angle. The excess icing should help fill in any uneven-ness on those top corners as you pull it in.
Go all the way around the cake, until it looks like the one below. Again, my icing is a bit drier than yours should be. Hopefully, your cake top is a bit smoother.
Use your offset spatula to continue to work the icing on the top of the cake and smooth the top edges. Do not mess with the sides or side part of the corners yet. Just try to get the top as smooth as you can, the sides should already be smooth.
Next, we use the paper towel to finish smoothing any imperfections that are left from the offset spatula. Like I said above, I ONLY use Viva paper towels for this. They are the only paper towel I know of that doesn’t have raised patterns on it. You’ll notice that one side is smoother than the other – that’s the side you want against the cake.
I usually start with the top of the cake, since it tends to be rougher and need more work. Along with your paper towel, you’ll need the fondant smoother. Place the paper towel on the cake, smoothest side down, and rub in small circular motions with the fondant smoother to smooth out the icing. Press firmly and evenly, but not hard.
Do the same with the sides of the cake, evening out any bumps or air holes.
To help make sharper corners, place the paper towel on the top of cake, letting it hang over the edge and down the side. Placing your fingers against the side of the cake to keep the icing in place, use the fondant smoother to gently push the icing out towards to edge to help make that corner sharp. Do that anywhere you think the edges could use it.
Keep working that paper towel and fondant smoother until you are happy with your cake.
Next, I like to take my offset spatula and remove excess icing at the bottom of the cake and give it a clean edge. The spatula is placed at an angle so that nothing is actually touching the side of the cake, but just the bottom of the spatula side is grabbing the excess icing. Then pull the excess towards you and away from the cake.
Use your other icing tip to pipe on your border. I used Ateco tip 844, but you could also use Wilton 1M, which is similar, or any other tip you prefer.
Sprinkle with some spraaaankles (I used Wilton Spring Confetti Sprinkles!
And you’re done! Put your cake on your favorite cake stand, add a few more sprinkles and dig in!! It’s time to eat all that hard work. 😉
*Update* For some help with getting the right frosting consistency, check out my new post, How to Get the Right Frosting Consistency, on how I like to do it.
This page includes affiliate links.
Learn how to decorate Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing
Practice your smoothing technique on some of these delicious cakes:
Moist and Fluffy Vanilla Cake
(the recipe for the cake in the tutorial above!)
I have been struggling for a while one which frosting to use and a technique. Your instructions are phenomenal!! I feel i could make anything after reading your blog!! Thank you for being so thorough and all of the wonderful pictures. Just looking at your frosted cupcakes made my mouth water!! Thank you 🙂
Thanks so much Laura! Glad you found it helpful!
Oh my goodness!!!! Thank you so much for this tutorial! I HATE fondant, the flavor and texture. Definitely trying this out tonight.
What an awesome tutorial ???????????????????? So detailed n well written Thank you so much for sharing it, I can’t wait to try it.
Great tutorial!! Just wondering, does it have to be a paper towel? We don’t have Viva here in Montreal, Canada. Do you think parchment paper or waxed paper would work?
I’m not sure of something other than Viva paper towels that works well. Parchment and wax paper will likely crinkle and put lines into the sides of the cake.
I used store bought Betty Crocker vanilla cream frosting between the layers, thin layer on top, and also as my crumb guard around the sides. Then I used the homemade icing on top of that . Do you think that it was too thin? I know everyone likes a true buttercream and my homemade version tasted more like cookie dough according to my 14-year-old daughter. So I use both kinds. She said it certainly didn’t taste bad, it just tasted different than traditional buttercream. Do you think this was my problem?
I have never been able to get buttercream icing smooth
:(. I stumbled across your post and followed all your directions. At first my three layer strawberry cake looked really nice… (smooth and tall) But then it started to collapse and looked more like a donut (w/o the hole) with rounded sides I tried pushing it back together, I tried adding more frosting I made from recipe (1/2 butter/ 1/2 shortening version) and also tried removing some with the icing smoother. I don’t have a lot of experience but feel that something I did went wrong. Do you think it’s the weight of the icing when the cake is very light and spongy? I’m just trying to figure out where I went wrong!!
Did you have a filling between the layers, or just frosting? It sounds like whatever was between the cake layers was too thin and started seeping out. If it was a filling, you need to have a good sturdy dam of frosting around the outside edge to keep the filling in place. If it was just a frosting, it sounds like it was too thin.
I’m in Canada and not sure if we have Viva paper towels here. If I can’t get them is there anything else that works? Parchment paper??
It’s hard for me to know what other options might exist in other places, you know? I don’t know of an alternative here in the U.S. unfortunately. Parchment paper is too stiff and will get wrinkles in it, but you could try. I’m sorry!
By far the best frosting tutorial on the net. A million thanks for sharing your technique.
Wonderful! Thank you Liz!
I’m so excited to try this technique! What size of cake pan did you use here? I’m not sure if should do an 8″ or 9″ layer cake. I want to make a 4 layer unicorn cake for my daughter’s birthday. Do you think it would sag using a dense cake? Should i do a thicker 3 layer or a thinner 4 layer?
I am having trouble after my cake has been completely decorated and finished with it cracking. Especially on the a 9×13. After I pick it up and move it it wants to crack. Any tips on how to avoid this?
That can happen with a crusting buttercream because of the “crust”. You just have to be careful with it.
THank u so mich
Hi lindsay thank u for sharing ur decorating method.
By the way, doesnt the paper towel stick to the frosting at all? Or tear as u lift it up from the frosting?
I am in Australia and i dont know if theres viva paper towel here so im just thinking to get the strongest paper towel with a smooth side.
You want to make sure to have the right consistency frosting so that the paper towel doesn’t stick. Since I’ve received several questions about that, I’m currently working on an addition to this tutorial to talk about that.
Hi Lindsay,
I have followed your tutorials and have tried this method on two cakes with your buttercream recipe as well. It worked very well on the first, but on the second, I struggled with still being able to kind of “see” the cake layers through the icing. I wasn’t seeing the actual layers, but more of the shape of each layer and the filling between them, which really distracted from the smoothness of the cake. I’m thinking that I might be piping too little icing on the sides, and that us what is causing it. Do you have any suggestions?
Also, I have been leveling my cake layers to the point that they look great with a crumb coat, but when I add the rest of the icing, they end up leaning a bit, or tilted. Any recommendations to keep my cakes straighter?
Thank you for all your yummy recipes! Your blog is one of my favorites!
Hi Sidney! Do you know if it’s the frosting kind of squeezing out from between the cake layers that you’re seeing? It’s possible that it’s not the thickness of the layer of frosting on the outside of the cake, but the consistency (thickness) of the frosting itself. I’ve had a couple questions lately related to the consistency of the frosting, so I’m thinking that might be my next tutorial. 🙂 In your case though, it sounds like the frosting might be a bit thin for the cake layers. I tend to use a thicker frosting than some people so that it doesn’t smoosh out when the cake is stacked. Does that sound like what’s happening? The leaning cake issue could also be from the same issue of the frosting moving around after you stack the cake because it’s thin.
I’m not sure. I followed your advice on checking consistency by how much sticks to your finger. I made your raspberry almond layer cake, and the raspberry buttercream was thinner than the normal buttercream and the almond that covered the cake. So that might have been part of the problem. But I do think I might still be piping it on too thin around the outside.
A tutorial on consistency would be great! Thanks!
Sorry to respond twice! I did notice that the cake felt very sturdy and straight, the layers weren’t sliding at all, until I put the icing on top of the cake and started doing the sides, then it started oozing a bit. I wonder if I put too much on top of the cake?
HI Lindsay, I love your tutorial about using the paper towel and I even have started using your buttercream recipe! I like the texture of it with half of it being shortening. However, I tried the paper towel method with it, and it keeps sticking. The icing is not crusting. I put the cake in the fridge for a few minutes hoping this would help and it crusted, but still stuck to the paper towel after a couple minutes of working with it. Do you have any advice? Thank you!
It sounds like the frosting is a little thin, so it’s sticking. To test the consistency of frosting for the paper towel method, I tap it with my finger when it’s in the mixing bowl. I want it to stick to my finger a little bit, but not too much. If it sticks really easily, it’ll likely stick to a cupcake. If it doesn’t stick to my finger at all, it’ll be too thick for spreading. I hope that helps!
I can’t thank you enough for such a detailed tutorial! Any chance you could do one in getting a smooth buttercream top on a sugar cookie? I can’t seem to ever get mine smooth without using royal icing.
Hmm, I’ve never tried or seen cookies with smooth buttercream I don’t think. I’ll have to do a little looking around. 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the tutorial!
I want to make this cake, but if i crumb coat it the night before, wouldn’t the remaining frosting dry out? How could you tackle this problem?
I love your cakes by the way, they look so proffesional!
The frosting on the cake will definitely crust. It might be ok if it’s refrigerated. Also, if you’re using the same method of adding the frosting with the piping tips, it might be ok. Just re mix the frosting a bit to soften things up again.