The Freezer Tip You Need To Decorate Your Cake Like A Pro
Baking a cake can sometimes feel like you're on an episode of "Nailed It" — no matter how hard you try to make a stunning creation, it always seems to fall short of the beautiful cakes you see in grocery store windows. Fortunately, there are a couple of hacks that can help nail your cake-decorating endeavors.
One of these simple tricks involves giving your cake a crumb coat. Then, before slapping on the outer layer of frosting, put it in the freezer for a while. This hardens the first layer of frosting, preventing your outer layer from getting crumbs caught in it. When you eventually finish frosting your cake, it should look smooth, clean, and crumb-free.
Of course, that's not the only cake-decorating tip you need to help whip up a decadent dessert. Here are some other pro tips to help frost the perfect cake, as well as a deep dive into why you should use this quick freezer hack next time you bake.
Why freezing your crumb coat is key
Before we go over why the freezer is your best friend when it comes to cake decorating, we've also got to understand how crumb coats work. Crumb coats hold your cake's layers together and cover imperfections in your cake. This is what gives your cake a clean shape.
If you put frosting on top of your crumb coat right away, you run the risk of crumbs getting into the outer layer of the frosting or the icing being too heavy and falling off the cake. That's where the freezer comes in. Putting your cake in the freezer for just 10-15 minutes helps the crumb coat set, preventing the cake from breaking apart.
Just remember that when you take the cake out of the freezer, you want to test how hard your crumb coat is. In other words, if you notice it's still soft to the touch, you may want to pop it back in the freezer for a few more minutes. That way, the crumb coat can fully harden. Once it's pretty stiff, take it out, and you can smooth on your outer layers of frosting without worrying about blending the two coats.
Other cake decorating tips to help step up your dessert game
Besides freezing your crumb coat, there are other simple hacks you can use to help make decorating your cake easy. For one thing, you'll want to invest in a cake scraper. Cake scrapers look like flat, plastic rectangles. They're the key to helping you smooth out the frosting on the sides and top of your cake. Your scraper should be about one inch higher than the height of your cake to help you get clean edges.
While using your newly purchased cake scraper, hold it straight but at a 45-degree angle. This angle helps keep the sides of your cake smooth and makes it easier for you to remove excess frosting.
Finally, as a pro cake decorator, you'll need to prep your pipping cream. If you plan on adding piped decorations to your cake, pop the buttercream frosting you'll be using in the freezer for a few minutes. This helps the frosting firm up, making it easier to pipe onto the cake without the letters running together. Plus, if things go awry, it's much easier to remove the firm frosting from your cake.