This Super-Simple Cake Cutting Hack Will Give You Perfectly Cut Slices Every Single Time

This time of year is busy for me when it comes to family birthdays. I love hosting parties for loved ones — and serving them their favorite treats — but lately, I’ve been opting for cupcakes instead of sheet cake to avoid the whole cutting-and-serving ordeal at birthday parties. The cake always seems to look sloppy when I cut it, so I figured I’d eliminate that part altogether. 

After finding this cake-cutting hack on Instagram though, I might be changing my tune. (Especially after eyeing this Key Lime Layer Cake recipe.) Baker and social media influencer Dan Langan — aka Baked By Dan — recently shared a simple-but-game-changing hack for cutting a cake so it still looks pretty when you’re finished. The tip? Instead of pushing your knife down into the cake, pull the knife inward with it pointed fully down, starting on the side opposite you.

“When you cut down into a cake, you drag crumbs through the layers of frosting,” Langan wrote in the caption of his Instagram post. “But when you cut a cake in from the sides, there is no drag and you’ll have beautifully defined layers of cake and buttercream.”

The best part about Langan’s tip is it doesn’t require any extra time or fancy supplies — just a different way of using your knife. Langan’s followers, like us, were super excited to learn a new way of cake-cutting: “Brilliant! This is like the first time I saw Martha Stewart teach us to fold T-shirts,” shared one commenter.

For best results, use a sharp knife, and pull carefully with it pointed down starting on the opposite side of the cake. A few commenters noted that while you won’t end up with messy slices when you cut from the outside, you may get a few little crumbs on top of the cake — but you can easily clean those off before serving. 

Now that you know how to cut a cake beautifully, here’s one of our favorite tips for frosting!