How to Assemble and Decorate a Cake

Directions

• 1

  Place 2 overlapping sheets of parchment paper on your cake plate. This will help keep your serving platter clean. Once you've finished decorating, the parchment paper will be removed for a clean plate.

  
• 2

  Place the first cake on the cake plate. This will be your bottom cake layer.

  
• 3

  Spread a ½" coat of frosting on the top of the cake, working from the inside to the outside of the cake.

  
• 4

  Place the second cake on top of the first cake, with the bottom facing up. This ensures a flat (rather than mounded) top to your cake.

  
• 5

  Spread a very thin crumb coat of frosting on the sides and top of the cake. You will be able to see the cake through this layer, it will be that thin. This crumb coat prevents stray crumbs from coming loose and messing up your final frosting layer. It's fine if it looks messy, you will spread a second layer of frosting over it later. Ensure that it is even and there are no lumps, however. If the crumb coat is lumpy, those lumps will show up in your final frosting layer.

  
• 6

  Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until the crumb coat is firm.

  
• 7

  Spread a ½" thick layer of frosting on the top and then the sides of the cake.
  Spread frosting on the top first, working from the inside to the outside.
  Next, spread the frosting on the sides of the cake, working in one direction until the entirety of the cake is frosted.

  
• 8

  Decorated or embellish if desired.

  
• 9

  Once complete, gently remove parchment paper by wiggling it out from under the cake.