Tips for Icing a Cake Perfectly

Many will agree when we say that cake is one of the best creations of mankind in the field of cooking. It makes the perfect choice for a dessert, in fact, it may be called the King of Desserts. A beautifully crafted icing makes the cake even more tempting and is the main cause for people, especially children, devouring it to their heart's content.

There are many types of icings, such as butter cream icing, whipped cream icing, ganache, glazed frosting, etc. Out of these, butter cream and whipped cream are the most preferred and widely used recipes for dressing birthday, Christmas, and anniversary cakes, i.e., for decorating special occasion cakes.

• If you want your frosting to be soft and smooth, use butter cream or whipped cream. Since both form a soft icing, it is easy to spread them evenly on the cake surface and also to fill the intermediate layers (in case you are making a multi-tier cake).

• For the actual frosting procedure, let the cake cool well before applying the icing over it. Place it on a wire rack so that it gets cooled on all sides.
• Brush away the crumbs with a pastry brush.
• Place the cake on a cake stand and start icing the surface, one layer at a time.

• Use an offset spatula for spreading so that your hands remain clean and the icing spreads evenly.
• Place one cup of icing in the center of the cake and spread it with the spatula towards the edges, keeping a margin of half inches along the circumference so that when you place the upper layer, the cream spreads due to the pressure.

• Now, place an unfrosted layer bottom side up on the frosted layer and apply frosting in the same way so that the top surface of the cake looks flat, smooth, and even.
• Apply the frosting along the sides with the spatula by rotating the cake stand. Seal the cake from all sides so that no crumbs fall loose.

• After the side is sealed up well, apply another coat of icing on the topmost layer in the same way as above and spread it evenly to make a thick, flat coat.

You can make use of piping bags and icing nozzles to create gorgeous patterns on your cake. These nozzles are also called icing tips, and they come in various sizes and shapes, which enables you to create a star, flower, or even intricate designs on the cake, making it even more appealing to the eyes and stomach.

• Drop Flower Piping Tip:
  It creates a multi-petal flower-shaped icing at a single go. Numerous shapes and sizes are available. You can create small flowers at the border of the cake to turn a simple cake into something refined.

• Closed Star Piping Tip:
  This tip helps in making designs that look like the points of a star that are closed in together. There are many different types in this one too. You can use this tip for adding finishing touches to the cupcake by dropping enough creamy swirls on it.

• Basketweave Piping Tip:
  It creates wavy patterns of icing that are usually used for border decorations. However, you can use it even on the outer body of the cake, especially if you are making a theme cake.

• Round Piping Tip:
  Round-shaped icing designs can be created with this tip. This is the simplest version of a piping nozzle and a must-have item in every dessert chef's kitchen.

• Leaf Piping Tip:
  As the name suggests, it is used to craft leaves around flowers. Different shapes and sizes of tips are available in the market. This amazingly enhances any floral design with perfectly shaped leaves.

• Multi-opening Piping Tip:
  This tip has multiple openings for drawing repetitive designs. For example, for drawing concentric circles, you can use a tip that allows parallel lines to be drawn simultaneously.

• Open Star Piping Tip:
  This tip helps to draw star-shaped or flower-shaped designs. The bigger the tip of the nozzle, the bigger the star that you get. You can also create a zigzag pattern with this.

• Petal Piping Tip:
  This is used for drawing a single flower petal one at a time. This tip comes in a tear shape and you can make a rose, daisy, and many more flowers with it.

• Ruffle Piping Tip:
  This tip is used for crafting multi-layered designs simultaneously. You can make bows, swags, scallops, and many more designs with this type of nozzle.