Video: The Easiest Way to Frost a Cake Saveur

Frosting a layer cake is usually a bit fussy. We typically slice off the domed top of the cake to make it flat and spread on a crumb coat to keep the final layer of frosting looking perfect. But the team at Saveur has put together a video showing their extremely quick and easy method for icing a cake — no crumb coat required!

These are the tips we got out of the video:

• Turn the top layer upside-down. By positioning the flat bottom of the upper cake layer facing out, you get a nice flat surface on the top of your cake without having to deal with slicing off the dome and the excess crumbs that result.

• Use a lot of frosting. A good amount of frosting covers the cake and seems to trap the crumbs without the need for an additional crumb coat.

• Protect the plate. Protecting the cake plate with strips of parchment or wax paper allows you to spread a generous layer of frosting around the top of the cake and down the sides while still maintaining a neat bottom edge.

More cake-frosting tips:
• Tip: How to Frost Cakes Without Making a Mess
• How To Frost a Layer Cake
• Cake Frosting Tip: Leave the Sides Naked!

Do have any tips or favorite methods for frosting a layer cake?

(Image: Faith Durand)

Comments (11)

This how I figured out to do it a long time ago---I wish this video had been around 40 years ago! It is so easy to let the frosting "fall" down the sides, and then smooth it out. Two Thumbs Up!

Also, if you don't want a domed top, like mentioned in the article, place your cake pan on a cookie sheet and wrap the pan with a damp cloth. The sides won't cook to fast so the cake will rise evenly.

Do most people really cut the dome off their cakes? I never have-- it just doesn't bother me at all aesthetically.

@foodefafa: No, I don't cut off the dome, and for a "regular" cake, I leave it up. But if the cake is decorated for a special occasion, then I put the dome down so I have that flat top to work on.

Thanks! My "crumb layer" has always been a failure. I liked how he used the knife edge when removing the wax paper. (I tend to get careless at that point.)

I know you're supposed to chill the cake w/the crumb layer on, but I'm usually frosting the cake right before a big party and the fridge is usually full to bursting with food and beverages! This looks like it could go to the table right away.

Have these people never heard of frosting bags and large cake icing tips? (http://bit.ly/eJyI6H) Seriously. That's one f*cked up frosting job that didn't need to be.

That frosting looks *so* runny... why is it so thin?

I do put my top down to get a flat top but I also freeze my layers before frosting them; eliminates the need for a 'crumb' coat at all.

I use a bowl scraper on the sides to get them nice and neat and then use just one frosting tip, a large one, to pipe around the bottom edge and the top; no need to mess with the pieces of paper at all and it looks prettier too!

Most all of my cakes look like this:

http://www.vinolucistyle.com/coffee-chocolate-layer-cake-with-white-chocolate-mascarpone-frosting/

jenawithonen - that's exactly what I was thinking! I've never made an icing that thin. It seems like it would all slide down the side of the cake after a while but it looks like it needs to be that thin to use their "technique".

The most amazing and "aha!" tip I ever received for preventing a domed top on cakes is this: spin the cake pan once on the counter before popping it in the oven. The slight centrifugal force makes it work! This tip alone was worth the price of my advanced pastry course in culinary school!