I wanted to do a vintage cake ): how do u guys get that smooth base or what kind of frosting do u useeee what am I missing
by Interesting_Tap_5859
28 Comments
evelinisantini
Sometimes it’s the tools. I see a silicone/rubber spatula back there and while that’s good for putting frosting on the cake, they’re not as efficient for spreading. An offset spatula is pretty inexpensive and will improve the way you frost considerably
Yyydnas
I do a lot of home baking so not an expert! But I usually go for a buttercream and I would recommend using a steel icing spatula or an icing smoother! Also make sure the cake isn’t too warm so the frosting won’t melt!
Leah3833
Now all you need is green dye and write Happy birthdae Harry! And it’s perfect 😁
five-potatoes-high
One thing that helps me a ton is the crumb coat.
You spread a thin amount of frosting all over the cake and then let that set in the fridge for about 10-20 min. This locks all the crumbs in the icing and gives you a more even, solid surface to spread the decorative frosting on.
Also definitely make sure the cake is completely cooled before you start working. If you live in a hot area, give your kitchen time to cool down too, after having the oven on to bake the cake.
I second the other commenters suggestions to get an offset spatula.
It looks like you used store bough frosting. I find that kind of frosting harder to work with because it’s more dense, moist and a little sticky. These factors make it hard to get smooth frosting. [Here’s a really great recipe for american buttercream.](https://www.seriouseats.com/american-buttercream-recipe) It tastes delicious and will be so much easier to work with.
chocolatejacuzzi
NOT THE OOPS LOOL ♡
nikkieisbpmntht
Worst case you can always turn it into pretty cake pops, I’m sure it tastes great still! I personally hate cake pops now from how many cakes I’ve effed up lol, we all need practice
BlueFilter913
Agree with all the comments on the type of spatula and crumb coat, but adding that a cake decorating turntable is also super helpful for getting it smooth! You can get a plastic one for less than 10 dollars.
And love the “oops.” We’ve all been there!
mariposa337
Hey, an attempt was definitely made! For a first time, this isn’t half bad, OP.
What I find helpful is to crumb coat *first*. I scoop plenty of buttercream on top of the – cool(!) – cake, then spread it around without lifting my tool. This is vital if you want a good crumb coat. After I’ve got the crumb coat sorted, I’ll move on to the second layer, which is often much easier.
Other posters have said the same, but silicone isn’t the most useful for cake decoration. You might be better off with a metal spatula. In the meantime, don’t be harsh on yourself. You did your best and I’m willing to bet the cake tasted amazing. ❤️
Keep at it and you’ll see results soon enough!!
LowGroundbreaking802
Working with icing is definitely a skill. You’ll get better at it.
A lot of people offered great tips… I’ll Upvote them. ☺️
Own_Share_6266
Don’t give up! Having the right consistency in the icing is key, plus a cake scraper! I’ve tried a lot of the British Girl Bakes icing, and find it tastes delicious and has a great consistency! You can do this!
SarMai
On top on all the great advice other commenters have said, I’ll say it might have but a bit ambitious as a first cake! You were trying to make a very detailed designs with a ton of tiny lines. I think you could try something easier at first, and in the future, with the right tools and experience, you’ll be able to do what you wanted to achieve here.
Vintagepoolside
Okay, but your little design really isn’t bad! I think when things are complete they look better and more uniform, so if you had been able to do the design all around, it would’ve looked quite a bit better! I think you’re in the right direction!
Also, I am fairly new with cake decorating, and the spatula thing is true! I’ve done two cakes now with a long metal scraper thing after running it under hot water, and it is *significantly* better. Definitely gave me a confidence boost.
dogPoopEatingMachine
Nailed it!
Ok-Safe7953
Practice makes perfect. Looks like you are heading in the right direction. ✅️
Traditional-Job-411
I learned to decorate a cake and said never again. You will be what you be cake friend, which is just yummy. That stuffs hard and I’m not artistically inclined at all. I’d rather just bake haha.
aaakia142
For a second i thought that was a brush in the bg
Rebelo86
I use a cake spatula I got from Michael’s 15 years ago for $20. It is only used for peanutbutter and frosting so it’s still has unblemished edges.
Seeica
I am starving it’s cake , give it to me . It’s gona get messy whenever it’s going .
BuckEyw
I feel your pain. Mine usually look like I used a shovel..
No_Drink274
We can tell
Slow_Opportunity_522
She’s beautiful
Partly sarcastic but, honestly, it’s better than what I could do. It’s a great start, don’t give up!!!
deadringer70
I bet it tastes great. I’d eat it up. Pass the milk. Love the oops.
Kachapo
Practice makes perfect! A lot of great advice was already given already but I would also add to watch some YouTube videos that show how to decorate. Erin McDowell has some great videos on decorating and I also enjoy Preppy Kitchen videos! Keep at it and hope you enjoy your cake! 💜
Mfkfisherstevens
There are multiple types of buttercream! Professionals often use Swiss, Italian, or French buttercream. All are more technically complex than American buttercream, but are straightforward with practice. They are generally less sweet (though still plenty sweet), lighter, smoother, and more stable/easily spreadable than American buttercream.
Did the cake try to fight you? Use more butter and less milk next time.
Sad-Cow-5580
i’m no cake decorator but as a child i used to BINGE cake decorating videos (specifically yolanda😂) and if you watch literally any video you’ll get some helpful tips that might be a little better because you can see them being preformed.
karmacatsmeow-
I got a shitty cake kit on Amazon. I think it was like $36 for a ton of stuff- a stand, a cutter, piping bags, tips, spatulas, and some of those mcbobbers for smoothing the sides- and while none of the tools are premium quality, it’s made a huge difference. Start simple. Bake cakes. Trim them carefully so they’re as even as possible. Cool them thoroughly! Then do your crumb coat, and nice top coat of frosting. Don’t even bother with all the fancy decorating and piping until you get these steps down, IMO- all I do is pipe a little frosting around the edges to look pretty. My cakes aren’t anything amazing but I keep practicing and they keep looking better!
sliceoflifeizzy
This is honestly really good for a first attempt! That piping is really intricate :). I would suggest watching a few tutorials first to get a good idea of what tools you might need to get the effect you want (offset spatula, piping nozzles/ equipment etc) as well as techniques you can use to get a better effect, such as the ‘crumb coat and chill’ method for coating a cake in buttercream and different methods of piping 🙂
28 Comments
Sometimes it’s the tools. I see a silicone/rubber spatula back there and while that’s good for putting frosting on the cake, they’re not as efficient for spreading. An offset spatula is pretty inexpensive and will improve the way you frost considerably
I do a lot of home baking so not an expert! But I usually go for a buttercream and I would recommend using a steel icing spatula or an icing smoother! Also make sure the cake isn’t too warm so the frosting won’t melt!
Now all you need is green dye and write Happy birthdae Harry! And it’s perfect 😁
One thing that helps me a ton is the crumb coat.
You spread a thin amount of frosting all over the cake and then let that set in the fridge for about 10-20 min. This locks all the crumbs in the icing and gives you a more even, solid surface to spread the decorative frosting on.
Also definitely make sure the cake is completely cooled before you start working. If you live in a hot area, give your kitchen time to cool down too, after having the oven on to bake the cake.
I second the other commenters suggestions to get an offset spatula.
It looks like you used store bough frosting. I find that kind of frosting harder to work with because it’s more dense, moist and a little sticky. These factors make it hard to get smooth frosting. [Here’s a really great recipe for american buttercream.](https://www.seriouseats.com/american-buttercream-recipe) It tastes delicious and will be so much easier to work with.
NOT THE OOPS LOOL ♡
Worst case you can always turn it into pretty cake pops, I’m sure it tastes great still! I personally hate cake pops now from how many cakes I’ve effed up lol, we all need practice
Agree with all the comments on the type of spatula and crumb coat, but adding that a cake decorating turntable is also super helpful for getting it smooth! You can get a plastic one for less than 10 dollars.
And love the “oops.” We’ve all been there!
Hey, an attempt was definitely made! For a first time, this isn’t half bad, OP.
What I find helpful is to crumb coat *first*. I scoop plenty of buttercream on top of the – cool(!) – cake, then spread it around without lifting my tool. This is vital if you want a good crumb coat. After I’ve got the crumb coat sorted, I’ll move on to the second layer, which is often much easier.
Other posters have said the same, but silicone isn’t the most useful for cake decoration. You might be better off with a metal spatula. In the meantime, don’t be harsh on yourself. You did your best and I’m willing to bet the cake tasted amazing. ❤️
Keep at it and you’ll see results soon enough!!
Working with icing is definitely a skill. You’ll get better at it.
A lot of people offered great tips… I’ll Upvote them. ☺️
Don’t give up! Having the right consistency in the icing is key, plus a cake scraper! I’ve tried a lot of the British Girl Bakes icing, and find it tastes delicious and has a great consistency! You can do this!
On top on all the great advice other commenters have said, I’ll say it might have but a bit ambitious as a first cake! You were trying to make a very detailed designs with a ton of tiny lines. I think you could try something easier at first, and in the future, with the right tools and experience, you’ll be able to do what you wanted to achieve here.
Okay, but your little design really isn’t bad! I think when things are complete they look better and more uniform, so if you had been able to do the design all around, it would’ve looked quite a bit better! I think you’re in the right direction!
Also, I am fairly new with cake decorating, and the spatula thing is true! I’ve done two cakes now with a long metal scraper thing after running it under hot water, and it is *significantly* better. Definitely gave me a confidence boost.
Nailed it!
Practice makes perfect. Looks like you are heading in the right direction. ✅️
I learned to decorate a cake and said never again. You will be what you be cake friend, which is just yummy. That stuffs hard and I’m not artistically inclined at all. I’d rather just bake haha.
For a second i thought that was a brush in the bg
I use a cake spatula I got from Michael’s 15 years ago for $20. It is only used for peanutbutter and frosting so it’s still has unblemished edges.
I am starving it’s cake , give it to me . It’s gona get messy whenever it’s going .
I feel your pain. Mine usually look like I used a shovel..
We can tell
She’s beautiful
Partly sarcastic but, honestly, it’s better than what I could do. It’s a great start, don’t give up!!!
I bet it tastes great. I’d eat it up. Pass the milk. Love the oops.
Practice makes perfect! A lot of great advice was already given already but I would also add to watch some YouTube videos that show how to decorate. Erin McDowell has some great videos on decorating and I also enjoy Preppy Kitchen videos! Keep at it and hope you enjoy your cake! 💜
There are multiple types of buttercream! Professionals often use Swiss, Italian, or French buttercream. All are more technically complex than American buttercream, but are straightforward with practice. They are generally less sweet (though still plenty sweet), lighter, smoother, and more stable/easily spreadable than American buttercream.
Here’s a piece that briefly describes the different types: https://food52.com/blog/16142-all-about-buttercream-how-to-make-6-different-types
Did the cake try to fight you? Use more butter and less milk next time.
i’m no cake decorator but as a child i used to BINGE cake decorating videos (specifically yolanda😂) and if you watch literally any video you’ll get some helpful tips that might be a little better because you can see them being preformed.
I got a shitty cake kit on Amazon. I think it was like $36 for a ton of stuff- a stand, a cutter, piping bags, tips, spatulas, and some of those mcbobbers for smoothing the sides- and while none of the tools are premium quality, it’s made a huge difference.
Start simple. Bake cakes. Trim them carefully so they’re as even as possible. Cool them thoroughly! Then do your crumb coat, and nice top coat of frosting. Don’t even bother with all the fancy decorating and piping until you get these steps down, IMO- all I do is pipe a little frosting around the edges to look pretty. My cakes aren’t anything amazing but I keep practicing and they keep looking better!
This is honestly really good for a first attempt! That piping is really intricate :). I would suggest watching a few tutorials first to get a good idea of what tools you might need to get the effect you want (offset spatula, piping nozzles/ equipment etc) as well as techniques you can use to get a better effect, such as the ‘crumb coat and chill’ method for coating a cake in buttercream and different methods of piping 🙂