Mixing Info
The main methods for mixing cake batter are:
Blending: The easiest. The liquid ingredients are combined and then the dry ingredients are mixed in.
Creaming: One of the most common methods. Room-temperature fat (usually butter) is beaten with sugar until the mixture is aerated. The eggs are added gradually, followed by the dry ingredients and the liquid ingredients, if any.
Foaming: Eggs and sugar are whipped to full volume, then the other ingredients are folded into this base. Whole eggs may be used, but sometimes the eggs are separated and the whites and yolks whipped separately. There are several variatons of the foaming method, according to how you whip up the eggs:
• Cold Foaming Method: Eggs and sugar are whipped together, without being heated.
• Warm Foaming Method: The eggs and sugar are warmed in a bowl over a water bath until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is slightly warm (around 110°F / 43°C) before it is whipped.
• Chiffon: The eggs are separated and the yolks are incorporated into the base of the batter. Then the egg whites are whipped with sugar and gently folded into the batter.
• Separation Foaming: The eggs are separated and the yolks are whipped with a portion of the sugar. The other ingredients are folded into the yolk mixture, and then the whites are whipped with the remaining sugar and folded into the batter.
Hi-Ratio: Common in large-scale production bakeries, this method uses a higher proportion of sugar and eggs to flour. The fat is blended with the dry ingredients, including sugar, first, and then the liquid ingredients, including eggs, are added gradually.
Combination: Part creaming method, part foaming method. The fat is creamed with a portion of the sugar and whole eggs and/or yolks are beaten in, just as in the creaming method. Then the egg whites are whipped with the remaining sugar to stiff peaks and folded into the creamed mixture. Finally the dry ingredients are folded in.
Regardless of the method, keep these tips in mind:
Ingredient preparation: Many recipes call for the dry ingredients to be sifted together. Sifting breaks up any lumps and helps combine these ingredients, and I recommend it. But if you don’t have a sifter or sieve (or you feel like skipping a step), whisking the ingredients produces pretty similar results.
Mixing the batter: It’s important to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you work and to mix until the ingredients are well combined. If the batter isn’t homogeneous, the cake may bake unevenly—doming excessively or falling during or after baking. But while you want to mix thoroughly, it’s also super-important not to overmix the batter. Overmixing leads to excess gluten formation, which can make cakes tough. It can also stunt the batter’s rise, or make it rise unevenly.
Broken Batter
If your batter breaks, meaning it separates or looks grainy, it may be because the ingredients were not at the same temperature when you mixed them. Cold butter, for example, won’t mix well with the room-temperature sugar, and adding cold milk to room-temperature flour will make your batter lumpy. So when you’re making a cake, it’s important to take the time to bring refrigerated items (eggs, sour cream, and the like) to room temperature (see Bringing Ingredients to Room Temperature).
Another reason a batter can break is that the proportions of the ingredients are out of whack. This is especially likely if you’ve begun tweaking a recipe or creating your own. If a batter consistently breaks each time you make it, compare the recipe with others of its kind and make sure it’s in line with them.
My Advice: Luckily, the solution for fixing a broken batter is the same, regardless of the source of the problem: Just add a small amount of the flour called for (up to one third of the total) and mix gently to combine. The flour will absorb some of the moisture and provide structure, bringing the batter back together. Once the mixture looks smooth, proceed with the recipe as directed.
Cutting Cakes Into Layers
A cake turntable is ideal for cutting cakes into layers, but if you don’t have one, you can use a cake stand, turning it around with your hands, or a platter, but the stand gives you height, which is helpful. Or, if you have a lazy Susan, you can rig up your own turntable.
Some recipes produce very flat-topped cakes, but if you’ve got a domed top, you’ll want to level the cake: Use a long serrated knife to slice off a thin layer to make a flat surface. The best way to level any cake is to start by scoring it all the way around. Working with the cake as close to eye level as you can, hold the knife blade parallel to the work surface and lightly touch the knife to the side of the cake to mark it with a shallow cut, then carefully rotate the cake and make another score mark that aligns with the first. (If your cake rose above the rim of the pan during baking, you can use the mark from the rim as a guide for where to make the score marks.) Continue until you’ve scored the cake all the way around. Now you’re ready to cut: Touch the knife to the score mark, hold it firmly, and move it toward the center of the cake while you rotate the turntable (or cake stand/platter/lazy Susan). Try not to use a sawing motion, which can make rough-edged cuts. When you’ve made it all the way through, lift the domed piece off the cake. Then tear off a piece of the domed top and eat it—you’ve earned it!
Follow this same technique to slice the cake into layers. You can use a ruler to measure the cake before you make the first score mark to help ensure that the layers are even. Once you have a careful score, it’s easy!
My Advice: While I often recommend baking cakes in advance so that on the day of serving you can focus on assembly, it’s usually not advisable to cut the layers ahead of time, because most cakes are prone to drying out. Plus, cut layers are more delicate and are more likely to break or tear. So save the cutting for the day of.
Filling a Cake
When I build a layer cake, I start with a flat base from one of the cakes and end with the flat base of the second cake facing up, to better my chances of achieving a polished look. The top layers that I’ve leveled go in between.
Begin by placing the first layer on a turntable (or cake stand/platter/lazy Susan).
• If you’re using a simple syrup to soak the cake layers, apply it once the layers have been sliced in half. Apply the syrup to each layer as you build the cake.
• Pipe or scoop the filling on top of the bottom layer and spread it evenly all the way to the edges.
• If you’re adding inclusions like crushed nuts or candy, sprinkle them evenly on top of the filling.
• If you’re using a looser filling, like curd or jam, it’s best to first build a sort of retaining wall out of the frosting you are using: Use a pastry bag to pipe a ring of frosting around the outer edge of the cake layer, then pipe or scoop the filling into the center of the ring and spread it into an even layer.
• Place another cake layer on top and repeat, aligning the layers as best you can, and press the cake layer down gently. Repeat as necessary, building successive layers of cake and filling until you reach the last layer, placing it flat side up on top.
My Advice: Once the cake is assembled, I refrigerate it for a bit before I begin frosting. This helps the filling firm up, which makes the cake easier to decorate—your carefully built layers can slide if the filling and/or inclusions are slippery. Thirty minutes usually works for me, but you can get away with less chilling time, or none at all; it’s just something that helps things go more smoothly.
Make It Pretty
There are tons of ways to decorate a cake, from basic to elaborate, but the best cakes are creative—sometimes you can even combine two or three techniques in one showstopper.
Bundt Cakes
Bundt pans make simple cakes look like a million bucks—and you don’t even have to decorate them if you prefer not to. I love to collect Bundt pans, and I’m especially fond of Nordic Ware’s Bundts (new and vintage), which always release cleanly. Denser batters, which produce cakes with a tight crumb, are best for Bundts. It’s also important to try to remove air pockets (see When and How to Remove Air Pockets).
A few of my favorite ways to kick Bundts up a notch: Add a swirl of jam to the batter (see recipe) or use two batters for a marble cake. Or finish the cake with a dusting of sugar or a glaze, either drizzled or dripped (see Glazing, Drips, and Drizzles).
Naked Cakes
Naked cakes have little to no frosting on the top and outside edges.
• For a casual look, when filling a cake, press down lightly when you put each layer on and let the filling ooze out a bit at the sides. You can leave the top layer plain or pile on a layer of frosting (see recipe).
• For a more polished look, pipe out the filling (see Piping). If you use a plain round tip, you can then use a small offset spatula to apply pressure on just the areas with frosting to smooth and flatten the edges. Alternatively, use a decorative tip, such as a large star tip, to pipe the frosting right at the edge of the cake so that the detail is visible on the finished cake.
Cupcakes
Cupcakes are pretty cute no matter what you do to them, but I have a few tricks for making them just right. Sometimes I like a domed cupcake with a swirl of frosting on top; other times I like a flat-topped cupcake dunked in ganache or glaze.
• I bake my cupcakes three different ways: in a muffin pan without paper liners; in a pan with liners; or in freestanding thick paper baking cups on a baking sheet (see Resources). I can’t tell you how often people comment on these cups, which have been commonly used by professional bakers but are now available to home cooks as well. Fill your molds or cups three-quarters full—this will result in a rise just above the top edge.
• To frost a cupcake with an offset spatula, place a portion of frosting on top of it, using a scoop that’s about the size of the cupcake (like a regular ice cream scoop). If you don’t have a scoop, it’s totally fine to eyeball it with a spoon.
• To pipe frosting onto cupcakes, fit a pastry bag with a tip. Medium to large tips result in the best cupcake toppers, in my experience. I especially love star tips, which make swirly patterns that are both appealing and a good camouflage for uneven piping or other imperfections. (For more on piping, see Piping.)
1. To give a squareish finish to the frosting, even out the top of the frosting a bit on the top of the cupcake, then hold the spatula flat against the edge and rotate the cupcake to smooth the edges and work some of the frosting upward.
2. To make a swirl of frosting, touch the spatula (or the back of a small spoon) at a 45-degree angle near the edge of the frosting and apply gentle pressure while rotating the cupcake, forming a spiral.
Glazing, Drips, and Drizzles
Whether it fully covers the cake, drips down the sides, or is drizzled everywhere, a glaze is a super-simple way to decorate a cake. Here are a few tips to get those perfect finishes:
Full Glaze: First, you want a cake that’s as smooth as possible on the top and sides so the glaze will cover it evenly. This could be a single, dense cake, a layer cake that’s been given a crumb coat (see Frosting Techniques), or a fully chilled mousse cake (see recipe). You want a glaze that’s thin enough to pour easily over the cake but thick enough that it will stay in place after the excess drips off. Generally, the glaze should be at room temperature or lightly chilled. The cake itself can be at room temperature or chilled. But remember that if the cake is chilled, the glaze will begin to set relatively quickly, so use a slightly warm glaze or work quickly!
Partial Glaze: Partial glazes are easier to do than their more precise cousin, drip cakes. The definition of the “drip lines,” the lines of glaze that will run down the sides, depends on the thickness of the glaze. Thinner glazes will fall in thin lines, usually all the way down to the bottom of the cake; I love their random look. Thicker glazes can be coaxed into falling in lines of various thickness and are generally easier to control. You can go casual and just pour the glaze over the top of the cake and let the drips fall where they may, or you can spoon the glaze onto the surface and encourage it to fall in certain places. My preferred tool for this task is the back of a spoon.
Drips: Drips are best on a very smooth cake, either one that is lightly frosted (see Naked Cakes) or fully frosted with a very smooth result. I chill the frosted cake for at least 30 minutes before adding the drips—this helps you control the drippage. Use a glaze, ganache, or icing that is at room temperature or only very slightly warm to the touch. To get long drips, use a warmer glaze—it will drip farther down the cake when you apply it. For shorter drips, use a glaze closer to room temperature—the glaze will stop before it reaches the base, because the cake is cold.
For maximum control with this technique, I use a pastry bag (for more details, see Frosting Techniques). Pour some of the glaze (about one third of the recipe) into a disposable pastry bag (you can also use a heavy-duty zip-top bag) and snip a ⅛- to ¼-inch opening at the tip. Transfer the remaining glaze to a container with a spout. Then pipe on the glaze in a 1-inch band around the top of the cake and let it fall naturally. To get a random drippy effect, squeeze on more glaze in some parts and less in others. Once you’ve applied drips all the way around, pour a shallow pool of the remaining glaze onto the center of the cake—it will flood outward to combine with the glaze at the edges and become smooth.
Drizzles: Drizzling is easy and is one of my favorite ways to make something plain look great. For more precise drizzles, use a pastry bag; otherwise, just use a spoon. Decide on the angle you want for the drizzle: straight, diagonal, or crisscross. I usually place the cake on a piece of parchment paper and begin the drizzle onto the paper before I make contact with the cake to get the feel of how quickly the glaze is coming out of the bag. The faster you move, the thinner the drizzles will be. I’m especially fond of using multiple drizzles in contrasting colors (like milk, dark, and white chocolate).
Frosting Techniques
• An offset spatula is the ideal tool for frosting a cake; 8 inches is my preferred size for decorating standard 8- and 9-inch cakes.
• Frosting should resemble mayonnaise in texture: glossy, smooth, and easily spreadable. The firmer your frosting, the more difficult it is to spread, smooth out, and make even. You can soften firm frosting by warming it with a few short bursts in the microwave or with a few minutes in the top of a double boiler. (For piping and other decor techniques, you do want firmer frosting; see Piping.)
• It’s a good idea to start by applying a crumb coat—a thin layer of frosting all over the cake that helps trap any loose crumbs or cake dust and “seal” the whole cake together, making smooth sides that are easier to frost later. Then, when you go to apply the final frosting, you don’t have to worry about bits of cake getting mixed in and messing up the look. Is it always necessary? No. But if you’re going to the effort of making a lovely layer cake, it’s worth it for a more finished result. The crumb coat should be very thin; you’ll likely see the cake layers through it. Then chill the cake for up to 30 minutes to set the crumb coat before you apply the final layer of frosting.
• To frost the top of the cake: Use more frosting than seems necessary—that way, you can get an even coating that will be easy to thin down as you’re smoothing it out. Heap a generous amount of frosting in the center of the top of the cake and swoop your offset spatula back and forth to spread the frosting to the edges. If you’re using a turntable, you can finish by holding the spatula flat against the top of the cake (with the tip of the spatula in the very center) and quickly turning the turntable around a few times while applying gentle pressure to the spatula. The excess frosting will pile up on the end of the spatula. After a few rotations, stop turning and lift the spatula (and the excess frosting) away.
• To frost the sides of the cake: Scoop the frosting onto the end of the spatula and, holding the spatula parallel against the sides, swoop it back and forth to ensure even coverage. Then, again holding the spatula parallel to the side of the cake, move it straight up and down while applying gentle pressure, quickly turning the turntable, to remove the excess frosting. This will leave a “rim” of excess frosting on the top edge of the cake, which you can easily swipe away by holding the spatula flat just above the surface of the cake and giving the turntable another spin. It takes a little practice to get the hang of it, but once you do, it’s smooth sailing.
Spatula Finishes
Spatula finishes range from easy and effortless to those requiring a skilled hand. For me, these are some of the most attractive finishes for any kind of cake—they show off the texture of the frosting and make the cake extra appealing. The smaller your spatula, the more detailed the effect will be. For more casual, effortless looks, opt for a larger spatula.
Swirly: This is my favorite way to ice a cake—there’s nothing more alluring than thick swoops of swirly frosting. You can achieve this look with an offset spatula or just the back of a spoon. I usually frost the cake first, then add more frosting to make the swirls. Apply dollops of frosting and then move your spatula or spoon back and forth to make swoopy waves; this one’s all in the wrist. You can do this in an intentional pattern or go random (my fave)!
Lines: You can apply lines/stripes to the sides of a cake for a cool effect. Touch the tip of an offset spatula to the base of the frosted cake and draw it up in a straight line. Apply a little pressure so the frosting you pressed out the sides forms lines on either side of the indentation from the spatula. Repeat all the way around the cake.
Spiral: I love to make a spiral on the top of a cake. The just-frosted cake should be on a turntable. Touch the tip of the offset spatula to the center of the cake, applying gentle pressure, and begin spinning the turntable. As you spin, gradually move the spatula out toward the edge of the cake. When you reach the edge, gently lift the spatula off the cake. I usually go back around the sides of the cake, building a little wall of the excess frosting around my spiral (see photo below).
Spiky: An easy technique that’s also super-fun. This works with any meringue-based frosting, as well as other soft frostings. Once you’ve frosted the cake, pick a place to start—I usually begin at the top, but it doesn’t matter. Touch the tip of the spatula to the frosting, then pull upward quickly, making a little spike. Then repeat all over the cake. You can make the spikes close together for a very textured look, or space them apart.
Piping
Piping the frosting makes a cake or cupcake look like a million bucks. Some people shy away from piping because they think it’s hard to make it look even or perfect. But who says it has to be even? Or perfect? Sometimes I divide the frosting among a few disposable bags fitted with different tips and pipe random shapes all over the cake. It’s fun, beautiful, and easy.
My Advice: When you’re filling a pastry bag, keep in mind that full isn’t better—you want enough unfilled bag at the top that you can twist it closed, making it less likely that the frosting will splooge out of the top of the bag while you work. Fill the bag two-thirds full at the most, then twist the top tightly together. Hold that twisted part of the bag in the crook of your hand, where your thumb meets your palm (using your dominant hand), and wrap your fingers around the top of the bag.
There are a few ways to hold a pastry bag when you’re piping, but I usually use one of two methods. The first is to hold the bag straight up and down, perpendicular to the surface I’ll be piping on; this is great for making individual piped shapes. The second is to hold the bag at a 45-degree angle; this is best for continuous shapes.
To pipe, begin to apply pressure from the top of the bag; you can use your nondominant hand as a support while you work. Apply firm, even pressure and let the frosting flow out of the bag. When you’ve almost achieved the look you’re aiming for, release the pressure on the bag to stop the flow and, in one quick motion, pull the bag away from the cake—I usually do this in a tight circle, which helps finish the piped shape cleanly.
You can achieve lots of different looks by piping.
Dots: Fit a pastry bag with a plain round tip—larger tips will make bigger dots, tiny tips will make itty-bitty ones. Hold the bag straight up and down, perpendicular to the surface you want to pipe on, apply pressure to the bag, and pipe until the circle is the size you want. Be sure not to move the bag—if you want large dots, just let the frosting flow out of the bag and over itself until the circle is big enough.
Rosettes: Fit a pastry bag with a star tip; a closed star tip will make a softer look, an open star tip will make a sharper, more defined shape. Hold the bag straight up and down, perpendicular to the surface you want to pipe on, apply pressure to the bag, and, as the frosting begins to flow, make a circle around the spot where the frosting first landed to make a rosette shape. Ideally you want the rosette to be an even round. You can also pipe a simple rose or star shape by holding the pastry bag straight up and down and applying pressure to the bag without moving the tip.
Stripes: There are several ways to achieve a striped effect with a pastry tip. One is to use a basket-weave tip—you can use the flat side or the fluted side. I find it’s easier to start at the base of the cake and pipe strips up the sides of it—you can continue the strips across the top of the cake if you like, or just decorate the sides. Try to hold the tip as close to the cake as you can without disturbing the frosting underneath it. Apply pressure to the bag and move slowly up the side of the cake, trying to keep the line straight. You can also make a striped effect by piping other shapes—dots, rosettes, or shells—in lines up and down the sides of the cake.
Ruffles: Fit a pastry bag with a rose tip. Place the wider side of the tip against the surface you’re piping on, apply pressure to the bag, and, as the frosting begins to flow, move your hand back and forth to make a ruffled look. The wider you move your hand, the larger the ruffles will be. You can use this effect in a spiral on the top of a cake; I start in the center and work outward. You can also make long ruffles all around the sides of a cake, or pipe short ruffles up and down the sides.
Borders and Edges: Piping a border around the base of a cake is a great way to cover up any messiness at the base (or the cardboard cake circle, if you’re using one). You can also pipe a border around the top edge of a cake. You can use almost any tip to pipe a border—I especially like a star tip for these—and you can make the border in one of two ways. You can pipe individual shapes next to one another all the way around the cake; hold the pastry bag straight up and down, perpendicular to the surface. Or you can make a continuous border by holding the bag at a 45-degree angle just above the piping surface; apply pressure to the bag and let the frosting flow out, drawing the tip downward as it flows. Rather than releasing the pressure, lessen the pressure when you want to end the shape and then, without lifting the bag, begin applying pressure again, so the next shape begins where the last one ended.
Edible Garnishes
Fresh flowers (nonpoisonous, of course) or elaborate sugar paste decorations make a cake look fancier, but I’m happier with something I don’t have to remove when I slice the cake. Edible garnishes can be simple—a sprinkling of toasted coconut, a ring of candied nuts, or a pile of fresh fruit. Or you can go crazy and make little cookies or chocolate ruffles. Here are a few great ways to add edible garnishes:
Pile on Top: A big pile of edible garnishes such as chocolate shavings, fresh fruit, or citrus zest looks pretty on any kind of cake. I usually start the pile about 1 inch from the edge, and I advise always having more garnish than you think you’ll need—a big pile is an impressive pile!
Side Coverage: If you’re not great at frosting cakes, this technique looks sharp, tastes good, and can cover up any errors. Basically, just cover the sides of the cake with a garnish—it can be something with a fine texture, like sprinkles; something chunky, like chopped nuts; or carefully placed rows of chocolate shards or tiny cookies.
Borders: Sprinkling a garnish around the top or bottom edge of the cake (or both) works especially well with additions that are fine in texture, like sprinkles, chocolate shavings, or finely crushed candy or cookies. But you can also make a border of fresh fruit or larger candies or cookies for a pretty and polished look.
Asymmetrical: This is one of those “anything goes” categories. I love to make an off-center pile of cookies (meringues! macarons!) or fresh fruit on top of a cake. Let your imagination run wild.
Everywhere: Cover the whole thing with chopped nuts, coconut, sprinkles, cookie crumbs, or anything that sounds good to you. No one will see any frosting flaws, and the cake will taste amazing.
DIY Sprinkles
You can make your own jimmies by piping thin lines of Royal Icing onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Use a small round tip to pipe the lines, then let them dry at room temperature, uncovered, for 24 hours. Use a knife to cut them into pieces. You can dye the royal icing any color before you pipe, and you can use any sort of extract to add your own flavor.
