All Cakes Considered - Melissa Gray [62]
First, pretend you’re using your knife to cut horizontally, but instead, gently position each knife about 2 inches left and right from the center of the cake. Simply lift up the already divided top layer with the knives and place it on a plate, with the knives still in position. After you’ve frosted the bottom layer, use the knives again like a fork-lift to reposition the top half of the layer in place.
15. Frost the cake.
NEW TECHNIQUE
FROSTING A LAYER CAKE
Survey your layers. Simple rule: best one goes on top, worst one on bottom, the rest in the middle.
I have found through trial and error that it is a hell of a lot easier to put frosting on the browned part of the cake layers than the raw crumb.
So generally I will put each layer raw-crumb-side down. This is contradictory to what they tell you in the “how to frost a cake” directions of some cookbooks. But it works for me.
So does “priming” the cake. When you paint walls or a canvas, you usually apply primer, a thin, usually white, layer of paint. To prime the top and sides of your cake, simply apply a thin layer of frosting, refrigerate for 10 minutes, then apply a second, thicker layer.
To keep your serving plate clean while you frost the cake, cut four 1-inch strips of wax or parchment paper and arrange them in a square on the plate so that the edges of the first layer will be on the paper.
Transfer your worst layer, raw-crumb-side down, to the plate.
Using a large spatula, spoon frosting onto the center of the cake. Spread out the frosting to make a thin layer rotating the plate as you go, and trying to keep the frosting smooth and even. Make sure to always work from the center of the cake outward, and to take the frosting all the way to the edge of the layer.
Transfer your next layer, raw-crumb-side down, on top of the frosted layer and frost its top as described above.
Continue like this until you’ve crowned the cake with the best-looking top layer. Frost the top.
Now, to do the sides of the cake, it’s helpful to raise the cake so it’s at about your chest level. There are special cake spinners you can buy for this, and you might want to invest in one if you find that frosting cakes is your passion. I just flip my big mixing bowl over (it has a wide base) and balance the cake plate on top.
When I’ve got my Martha Stewart Perfectionista hat on, I take a butter knife and scrape loose crumbs off the sides before applying a thin layer of frosting. I find that it’s easier to frost the sides of the cake with a small spatula, starting at about ½ inch from the bottom with a medium-size dollop of frosting, working my way UP the sides of the cake. I do one complete rotation, then carefully fill in the gap, starting with a small dollop of frosting ½ inch from the bottom. After that’s done, I wipe off the spatula, then use it to add more frosting or to smooth or texture the sides of the cake.
Smoothing is easy—you just try to even out the sides and top of the cake as best you can. But smooth is also boring. If I’ve spent 4 hours slaving over this sweet monstrosity, I want the frosting to bear the mark of the maker. So I purposely make waves in the frosting with the spatula. Sometimes I use long, straight strokes; sometimes I go Van Gogh and use undulating Starry Night strokes; and sometimes I go telegraph and use short strokes and dashes—depends on my mood.
After frosting, I generally let the cake set for 15 to 20 minutes before removing the wax strips underneath. This allows the frosting to harden slightly. To remove the wax strips, hold both sides taut and ease the strip toward you. Take a folded wet paper towel and use the edges to clean any stray frosting on the plate.
16. Serve or cover for later.
Whipped Cream Cake
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YOU’LL NEED
Two 8-inch round cake pans
1 cup whipping cream
2 eggs, beaten until thick and lemon colored
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups sifted cake flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Seven-Minute