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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.
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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!)
This is so helpful. Could you use parchment or baking paper instead of the paper towel please?
Parchment or other paper is likely to crease and create creases in your frosting.
I have made your German Chocolate cake once and it was the best ever! A friend of mine has requested that I make it for her husband’s birthday. I am going to try to be more professional when I frost it this time. Can you tell me which pastry bag (and size) you use with the Ateko 789 tip?
So glad you enjoyed it! I use a Wilton 16 inch piping bag.
This is a good thing to use no a cake.
thank you for sharing it with me
Nice tutor, the teaching was helpful
I find it hard to get my butter icing right, after mixing it it will be soft but after using it to cover the cake few mints later it will become very hard
What could be the problem
Where do I buy that turn stand I’ve been looking everywhere please let me know what size and where to purchase this thank you
You can find them on Amazon and they usually have them at Michael’s, hobby lobby or Walmart.
How do I find your recipe for your crested buttercream frosting?
Here you go – https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/vanilla-buttercream-icing/
Lindsay ,Thank you so much for the best an detailed Video , so useful!!!
What carrier to you use for 3 layer cakes? I made the Almond Joy Cake and it was a huge hit! i for got to put the almonds in between layers and ended putting them on top and around the bottom. Still perfectly wonderful. I appreciate the tips you provide. What a difference it makes in the cake. Goes from just delicious to magnificent!
I have watched so many frosting videos and must say yours is the only one that’s so finely detailed. A big help for a neebie like me
I want to share a picture with you so you could advise on where I went wrong
I think I allowed my frosting to cool in the fridge before using the smoother. Which then led to bubbly cracks in the frosting
Luckily the cake was moon themed so it looked more like rocky surfaces moon cake
I would have sat and cried and totally given up on my decorating skills had I not stumbled upon your website tonight
I’m glad you found my tutorial! Yes, if you let the cake sit for a while before using the smoother, that could definitely cause cracks. Sorry to hear that, but glad it worked ok with the theme of the cake!
Thank you for this tutorial! I love all things cakes and cupcakes and have been struggling to get those crisp corners and smooth sides. I’m tossing around the idea of possibly starting my own business and have a question for you. I’m unsure if it’s the consistency of my buttercream or that I’m not allowing my cakes to cool enough before frosting them or if it’s my cakes texture that’s the problem, but every time I start to frost I’m taking away more than just “crumbs”. How long do you let your cakes cool before the crumb layer and how long do you let the crumb layer harden in the fridge before your final layer? Thanks!
Glad you found it helpful! I let my cakes cool completely. If they aren’t completely cool, you could certainly have trouble with them staying it tact or with the frosting melting a bit. I don’t typically let by crumb coat harden, unless there’s a very thin filling in the middle of the cake or something that I want to be sure stays in place while I frost my cake. Are you using my buttercream recipe? It’s hard to say if something with the buttercream is the problem or maybe how you’re adding the buttercream. But check out my frosting consistency post and maybe there will be something helpful in there. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/get-right-frosting-consistency/
Hi, I am loving all your recipes, I’ve just started baking :). I am in the UK and was wondering if you know of any other kitchen towel as we can’t get the Viva brand here? Or what I need to look out for x
I love the way this one turned out and was surprised at how easy it was. The buttercream is amazing.
Hi! Do you refrigerate the cake with the crumb coat before adding the frosting?
I depends on the cake filling. If it’s thinner and the cake layers aren’t as stable, then yes. If it’s filled with a stable frosting or something, then I don’t usually refrigerate it.
Great tutorial, thank you, my problem is the frosting fell off the cake when try to crumb coat, what is wrong?, is the frosting to thick?
Thank you
So if it fell off, was it not sticking? If so then it sounds like it was too thick.
Thank you so much for this tutorial, so useful and complete!!! I had never heard about using paper for a smooth finish! However I wonder if this will work with swiss meringue buttercream? I see that you use american buttercream ..
Also I feel like using paper will stick to the frosting lol!! Excited to try this technique 🙂
I do think the paper towel will stick to SMB. This method is really more for American buttercream.
I am so amazed! And just bought three of the tools you recommended from amazon! Baking a perfect cake is my new goal for the rest of the year… this was so helpful! Thank you!!