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January 5, 2023 BASICS

How To Frost A Cake | Beginners tips for any frosting (+VIDEO)

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a close up of a 8" chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream

In this post, I'm sharing how to frost a cake step-by-step with detailed images and a video. Apply the tips & techniques for any cake and frosting to create your special cake!

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

Everyone has slightly different ways to frost oftentimes; For example, some people use a dough scraper more often while others use a spatula, some use a bigger spatula while others use a smaller one.

And today, I am sharing the way that works best for me after trying multiple ways for a decade. I recommend trying the tips and techniques besides those from other chefs and finding which ones feel most comfortable for you!

No one can master frosting a cake from day 1. You'll need some practice but I hope this tutorial helps to accelerate your growth as a cake decorator whether you frost it for work or your kid's birthday cake, etc!

a beautifully frosted chocolate buttercream cake

In this post, you'll learn essential frosting tips & techniques such as:

  • How to crumb coat a cake properly to make a solid base
  • How to move a spatula and a turning table to frost smoothly
  • Essential tips to create a beautiful final coat
  • Tips to pipe buttercream professionally
  • Tips to decorate fruits like the ones in a pastry shop ... and so on!
Jump to:
  • 📌 Frequently Asked Questions
  • 📌 How To Frost A Cake
  • 📌 Tips For Frosting A Cake
  • 📌 Notes
  • 📌 VIDEO: How To Frost A Cake
  • 📌 The Cake & Frosting Recipes
  • 📌 Printable Recipe
  • How To Frost A Cake

📌 Frequently Asked Questions

How should I store a frosted cake?

Store in an air-tight container in a fridge so that the surface of the frosting does not get dry too much.
Once you slice them, cover the cut sides directly with plastic wraps or cake films, etc so that the sponge/cake does not get dry. And store in an air-tight container in a fridge after that.
You can also store them in a freezer as well.

What is the shelf-life of a frosted cake?

It depends on what frosting and sponge/cake you use but typically, it is good for up to about 5 days in a fridge or a few months in a freezer.

Do you have tips to transfer a cake successfully?

I shared the tutorial in this video on my Youtube channel a while ago. I am hoping to write a post about it in the future as well but for now, please check out the video, I am confident it'll be beneficial for you!

📌 How To Frost A Cake

Follow the 20 steps:

Prep (Optional): Chill cakes beforehand before frosting.

Crumb coat

  1. Place a cake on a center of a turning table.
  2. Cut off an uneven part of the surface to make it flatter. (Optional)
  3. Drop a big scoop of frosting and spread it evenly.
  4. Repeat it for all the layers. Make sure that the cake is standing straight 360 degrees. For the last layer, spread the frosting on top thinly.
  5. Fill all the gaps on the side with the frosting. Again, frost thinly.
  6. Clean off the frosting on a turning table.
  7. Clean off the top corner edge with a spatula.
  8. Chill it in the fridge.

Final coat

  1. Drop a big scoop of frosting on top and spread evenly. Spread it over the edge.
  2. Coat all over the side with the same thickness.
  3. Add additional frosting all around the top corner edge.
  4. Smooth out the surface with a dough scraper. Freeze your arm and dough scraper (hold it straight) at 4 o'clock (or 8 o'clock if left-handed.) and move only a turning table. fade out when you are done.
  5. Fill gaps and holes with additional frosting if there is any and repeat step 10 until you are happy with the look.
  6. Clean off the top corner edge with a spatula.
  7. Clean off the frosting on a turning table.
  8. Chill it in the fridge.

Decorations

  1. Add additional frosting on the center and spread thinly to smooth out the surface. (when you don't hide the surface with decorations completely)
  2. Attach any ingredient of your choice on the bottom edge. (Optional)
  3. Pipe buttercream on top as you like: Try to pipe with the same size, volume, and intervals to create a clean look. (Optional)
  4. Decorate with fruits or whatever you like. Done!

📍 The printable instruction is at the very end of this post.

Jump to Recipe

📌 Tips For Frosting A Cake

Now, let me share detailed tips on each step that are crucial for frosting a cake successfully.

Prep (Optional): Chill the cakes beforehand.

This is optional but oftentimes, I like to chill my cakes in a fridge before frosting them. By doing so, the butter in the buttercream slowly gets harder as you frost. Because of that, the cake is not going to move as much as you frost which helps to frost easier. Also, you can chill in a fridge for less time before the final coat.

If you are using whipped cream frosting, this is also beneficial to hold the excellent condition of the cream by keeping it cool.

Step 1: Place a cake on a center of a turning table.

👩🏻‍🍳 If the core is not in the center, the spinning of the cake gets shaky as you turn a turning table. It'll be harder to frost evenly.

Step 2: Cut off an uneven part of the surface to make it flatter.

Step 3: Drop a big scoop of frosting and spread it evenly.

I set a spatula at around 8 o'clock position (4 o'clock if left-handed) as I turn a turning table.

💬 Angle your spatula just a little bit like the image below to frost smoothly.

When you are done, slide out to minimize the gap.

Step 4: Repeat it (steps 1-3) for all the layers.

Make sure that the cake is standing straight 360 degrees. For the last layer, spread the frosting on top thinly.

Place on a center. Check 360 degrees.
Cut off uneven part
Spread frosting evenly
The last layer

💡 For the last layer, flip it and place it on the frosting after cutting off the uneven surface. You can get sharper corners by doing it.

spreading chocolate buttercream on top of a chocolate cake
Frost thinly.

💬 Since this is a crumb coat, you do not need to frost thick. - Frost thinly just like a primer for your makeup just to hide all the imperfections and seal the crumb that might potentially come out later.

Step 5: Fill all the gaps on the side with the frosting.

Again, frost thinly.

crumb coating the side of the whole cake

💬 Just like when you frost the top, set a spatula at around 8 o'clock position (4 o'clock if left-handed) as turning a turning table. By doing you can view your spatula and how you are frosting well.

Step 6: Clean off the frosting on a turning table.

💬 Set your spatula at around 4 o'clock position (8 o'clock if left-handed) and move only a turning table to clean it.

cleaning up the buttercream on a turning table

Step 7: Clean off the top corner edge with a spatula.

👩🏻‍🍳 Angle your spatula just a bit like in the image below to clean off the excess buttercream and fade in. I always imagine an airplane landing on the ground as I do it since it's a very similar motion!🛩️ Since this is just a crumb coat, practice here many times so that you can do better for a final coat!

cleaning off the edge to create a sharp edge

Step 8: Chill it in the fridge.

a crumb coated cake

💡 By chilling the cake, it is not going to be shaky as you finish the final coat and it'll be much easier for you to frost beautifully. Today, I did not chill it in the fridge here and finished the final coat right after as I was in a rush. But if you are a beginner or want to frost with more ease, I highly and chilling it here. Still to this day, I do so about 90% of the time!

Step 9: Drop a big scoop of frosting on top and spread it evenly.

dropping a big scoop of chocolate buttercream on top of a crumb coated cake

Spread it just like how we did with a crumb coat.

spreading chocolate buttercream on top of a cake as a final coat

Step 10: Coat all over the side with the same thickness.

coating chocolate buttercream on a side as a final coat

👩🏻‍🍳 At this point, focus on making the thickness even all around the side. No need to make it smooth yet! We'll do that later.

coating buttercream on a side as for final coat

Step 11: Add additional frosting around the top corner edge.

adding more buttercream on corner edges of the whole cake to frost a cake

💬 By doing this process, you can create, sharp even corners 360 degrees later which makes your cake so good-looking😎

how to hold a dough scraper to frost a cake

Step 12: Smooth out the surface with a dough scraper.

Freeze your arm and dough scraper (hold it straight) at 4 o'clock (or 8 o'clock if left-handed.) and move only a turning table. Fade out when you are done.

how to move a turning table and arm to frost a cake

💬 The surface is not looking smooth if you move your arm and spatula as you turn a turning table. Try to "freeze" them as much as you can! Also, using a good turning table is very important to smooth the surface. Mine does not move super smoothly as you might be able to see in the video. (We gotta use what we have right?) It's on my shopping list for this year😊

Step 13: Fill gaps and holes with additional frosting.

And repeat step 10 until you are happy with the look.

filling holes and gaps to finish a final coat
smoothly frosted sides of a cake as a final coat

Step 14: Clean off the top corner edge with a spatula.

cleaning the buttercream on corner edge of a cake to create sharp clean edge.

Just like for the crumb coat, angle your spatula a little bit like in the image, and slide in to create sharp corners.

creating sharp clean edge of a cake with a spatula to frost a cake

Step 15: Clean off the frosting on a turning table.

Clean it off just like how we did for the crumb coat.

cleaning off buttercream on a turning table

Step 16: Chill it in the fridge.

frosted chocolate cake with no piping on top

👩🏻‍🍳 If you have time, I recommend chilling the cake before piping frosting on top. That is because the frosting on the edge might get squished slightly as you pipe more on top depending on the type of frosting and room temperature, etc.

Step 17: Add additional frosting on the center and spread thinly to smooth out the surface.

(Do this when you don't hide the surface with decorations completely)

smoothing the surface of a frosted cake

If you are hiding the surface completely with fruits or chocolate glaze, for example, you can skip this part!

Step 18: Attach any ingredient on the bottom edge. (Optional)

attaching cacao nibs on the side of a whole chocolate cake

Step 19: Pipe buttercream on top as you like.

Try to pipe with the same size, volume, and intervals to create a clean look. (Optional)

piping swirls with buttercream on top of a whole cake
piping swirls with buttercream on top of a chocolate cake
piping basic swirls with buttercream on top of a whole chocolate cake

Today, I piped very simple swirls. You can pipe any shapes you like.

30 ways to pipe with a star tip

Check out the video or this post to see so many ways to pipe with a star tip:

Step 20: Decorate with fruits or whatever you like.

💬 Start decorating from bigger fruits first and finish with smaller fruits. Fill in the unwanted gaps between fruits with smaller fruits. It'll look more balanced and natural that way.

placing strawberries on top of a cake
placing blueberries on top of a chocolate cake

I often like to create a volume with fruits to make it look festive and eye-catchy.

8" whole chocolate cake with buttercream frosting

📌 Notes

Everyone has their preferred ways to frost. Learn from many chefs through social media, blogs, at school, work, etc, try the techniques, and see which suits you the best! I hope this post was informative for you. And even if you are a professional, I am glad if you learned something new.

It took years for me to feel very comfortable with frosting a cake and I am still practicing to get better. Please don't feel discouraged even if you could not frost well after a few practices. Keep practicing and you'll slowly get better each time. Guaranteed!

I highly recommend watching my video tutorial as well to check all the detailed moves and have a deeper understanding of them

cutting a slice of fluffy chocolate cake with a fork

📌 VIDEO: How To Frost A Cake

To learn how to frost a cake visually and have a deeper understanding of all, watch this video.

And don't forget to subscribe there as well if you liked it😉

📌 The Cake & Frosting Recipes

As I mentioned earlier, you can apply the tips and techniques for any cake and frosting. Today, I used my chocolate cake and chocolate buttercream recipes to frost the cake.

Check out this post to learn how to make a moist chocolate cake with some very simple steps.

a slice of fluffy and moist chocolate cake on a plate

The video tutorial:

And check out the video to learn how to make chocolate buttercream:

Inside the video tutorial, I am sharing 2 ways to make chocolate buttercream; with cocoa powder or melted chocolate. Use any plain buttercream as a base (I'm explaining it in detail in the video). Today, I used my Swiss buttercream recipe with the melted chocolate method as a base.

silky chocolate buttercream in a bowl

💬 If you loved this tutorial, please share your feedback on this post! I always love to hear how you enjoyed it at home with your friends and family.

📌 Printable Recipe

a 8" chocolate cake frosted with chocolate buttercream

How To Frost A Cake

ayacaliva
Let's practice frosting a simple cake using this step-by-step guide with detailed images and a video!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Total Time 30 mins
Course a whole cake
Cuisine Baking

Equipment

  • Spatula I like to use a smaller spatula for 6"-10" cakes. Pick whichever works for you!
  • Dough scraper steady, long dough scraper
  • Turning table
  • Pastry tip optional

Ingredients
  

  • Cake of your choice
  • Frosting of your choice I used buttercream today.

Instructions
 

Prep: Chill cakes beforehand before frosting. (Optional)

    Crumb coat

    • Place a cake on a center of a turning table.
      placing a chocolate cake on a center of a turning table
    • Cut off an uneven part of the surface to make it flatter. (Optional)
      cutting off the uneven surface of a chocolate cake
    • Drop a big scoop of frosting and spread it evenly. 
      spreading a chocolate buttercream evenly with a spatula on top of a chocolate cake
    • Repeat it for all the layers. 
      Make sure that the cake is standing straight. For the last layer, spread the frosting thinly on top.
      spreading chocolate buttercream on top of a chocolate cake
    • Fill all the gaps on the side with the frosting. Again, frost thinly.
      crumb coating the side of the whole cake
    • Clean off the frosting on a turning table.
      cleaning up the buttercream on a turning table
    • Clean off the corner edge with a spatula.
      cleaning off the edge to create a sharp edge
    • Chill it in the fridge until the frosting gets hardened.
      a crumb coated cake

    Final coat

    • Drop a big scoop of frosting on top and spread evenly. Spread it over the edge.
      spreading chocolate buttercream on top of a cake as a final coat
    • Coat all over the side with the same thickness.
      coating chocolate buttercream on a side as a final coat
    • Add additional frosting on the top corner edge.
      adding more buttercream on corner edges of the whole cake to frost a cake
    • Smooth out the side with a dough scraper:
      Freeze your arm and dough scraper (hold it straight) at 4 o'clock (or 8 o'clock if left-handed.) and move only a turning table. fade out when you are done.
      how to move a turning table and arm to frost a cake
    • Fill gaps and holes with additional frosting if there is any and repeat the process 10 until you are happy with the look.
      filling holes and gaps to finish a final coat
    • Clean off the corner edge with a spatula.
      cleaning the buttercream on corner edge of a cake to create sharp clean edge.
    • Clean off the frosting on a turning table.
      cleaning off buttercream on a turning table
    • Chill it in the fridge until the frosting gets hardened.
      frosted chocolate cake with no piping on top

    Decorations

    • Add additional frosting on the center and spread thinly to smooth out the surface. (Optional. Do this when you don't hide the surface with decorations completely.)
      smoothing the surface of a frosted cake
    • Attach any ingredient of your choice on the bottom edge. (Optional)
      attaching cacao nibs on the side of a whole chocolate cake
    • Pipe buttercream on top:
      Try to pipe with the same size, volume, and intervals to create a clean look.
      piping swirls with buttercream on top of a whole cake
    • Decorate with fruits or whatever you like. Done!
      placing blueberries on top of a chocolate cake

    Video

    Keyword cake decorating, how to frost a cake
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Go back to the top

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