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Sharp edges from the sides over onto the top of a cake make the cake look really professional
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and in this tutorial, I'll share all of my tips and tricks for achieving this. Start with a cold
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cake. Wrap the cake and leave it in the fridge overnight or place it unwrapped in the freezer
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for about 15 minutes. Then assemble your cake. Attach the first layer to the cakeboard with some
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buttercream to act as glue so that it doesn't move around and then spread on a layer of filling. I'm
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using my 4 Minute Buttercream with Nutella mixed in. Then place your next layer on top and make
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sure it's centered so that the cake is straight, not leaning. Repeat with more filling and cake and
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you'll notice that this is much easier to do when your cake is cold rather than at room temperature
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when it's very crumbly. Next, it's time for a crumb coat. Ideally, put your cake into the fridge
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for about 20 minutes or the freezer for 10 minutes to set that buttercream glue down on the cakeboard
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to hold the cake securely in place while you frost it. Cold cake is also much firmer and less
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delicate and crumbly than room temperature cake, so it's easier to frost now that it's cold. I like
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to start with the top and then move down to the sides and this doesn't need to be perfectly neat,
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but make sure there are no bulges of buttercream sticking out sideways or up above the top edge
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because those will get hard in the next step and stick through your final layer of frosting. Put
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the crumb coated cake back into the fridge for 20 minutes or the freezer for 10 and now it's
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time for the final coat, which is where your sharp edges really happen. Wipe the cakeboard
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clean with a towel or paper towel because if there are any cold, hard smudges of frosting,
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your cake scraper will bump into them as you scrape around the cake and knock into your cake,
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creating dents in the frosting. Okay. As you spread buttercream onto the top of the cake,
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push outwards to nudge the buttercream over the edges of the cake and this will prevent gaps
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around the top edge. The other really important part is to spread the buttercream around the
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sides of the cake so that it sticks up above the top edge and this prevents a domed top of
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the cake. You should end up with a wall or lip of buttercream sticking up all around the cake like
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this. Work your way all the way down to the bottom of the cake down to the cake board to completely
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cover the cake and now it's time to smooth this. Pressing the base of your cake comb down on the
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cake board will line it up straight to make the sides of your cake straight. Scrape a few times,
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reaching all the way around your turntable to get a nice long spin. And then spread more
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buttercream over any parts that are shallower or thinner, these gaps or indents in the frosting
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and then scrape again and again until the sides of the cake are smooth. Now for the top edge,
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swipe sideways with your offset spatula or angled pallet knife, or you can use your cake scraper
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instead. So you're pushing this wall of frosting towards the middle of the cake and then swiping up
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and away to lift the excess buttercream off the cake. Wipe your blade after each use so that it's
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clean for the next one. Otherwise, you'll drag this buttercream back onto the top edge and leave
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texture there. Notice that I'm pushing sideways, not down, because pushing down will create a bulge
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of frosting underneath. Don't push more than halfway across the cake before swiping up or
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you can drag this buttercream over the edge on the other side. If in doubt, swipe a little bit higher
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than you think you need to because you can always swipe again a bit lower. But if you start too low,
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you'll either expose the crumb coat or the cake underneath. Or if you start low and try to correct
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it by moving upwards in a diagonal swipe, you'll create that dreaded domed top of the cake instead
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of nice sharp 90° angles from the side of the cake over onto the top. Work your way around the whole
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cake and then get down to eye level and spin the cake to check that the top edge is level and if
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it goes up anywhere, swipe over that part again until the whole top edge is flat and level. Then
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the final step, which is very important, is to put the cake into the fridge to chill and set this
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buttercream frosting so that it's firm and holds its shape because if you decorate the sides now,
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you'll damage that smoothness. And if you pipe onto the top, the weight of the buttercream piping
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will push down on the top of the cake and cause the edges to droop or bulge out. So, make sure
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the frosting is cold and firm first. I hope this tutorial has been helpful! Subscribe to my channel
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for more cake decorating tips and tricks. Join my channel for exclusive videos and other perks and
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visit my cake school on www.britishgirlbakes.com to learn hundreds of cake decorating techniques
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and designs with my online courses and memberships. See you there! Thanks for watching!
