Cake Decorating - A Secret to Smoothing Icing

[spuffy518722]

thank you sooo much, im making a cake for a friends birthday and i can never get the frosting right, this just saved my life! thank you, thank you, thank you!!

[chrissydelvalle]

no, i dont see the pretty little texture on the cake

[AStaRLuV]

I like how she's rubbing that cake

[HeyLookItsAmy]

Her voice is really calming, does anyone else agree with me? I could just play this video and listen to her voice all day.

[imbetterthanyoubaby]

Goshh!! ,some people can be VERY rude!!.. haven't any of your mother's ever taught you manners? If you have nothing nice to say,don't say nothing.

this woman is only sharing some of her ideas. she didn't ask for anyones rude comments.

if you don't like it,just simply click away!

any who,i think this lady is awesome :)

[24nerdfighter]

I use parchment paper.

[ColzCreations]

OMG!! what a mess!!!! .. that got bubbles on it!

pple u should use ''VIVA PAPER TOWER" have NOT prints on it!

or use wax paper! this isn't cute or a good technique..

[ozjenjen]

@ColzCreations only in the U.S. Viva in Aus has prints on it so it doesn't work so well. We also don't have wax paper. :( :( Would grease proof/baking paper work?

[nanuq905]

@ozjenjen That's the point. The prints give it a nice beveled look to put your writing on top.

[ozjenjen]

@nanuq905 yeah, The paper out here has weird prints though. :( haven't found one I like yet.

[lmno101]

This only works with American buttercream (butter/shortenting+powdered sugar), which is DISGUSTING! Id rather have an unsmooth cake with one of the meringue buttercreams than this greasy-tooth-achingly-sweet paste.

[ozjenjen]

@lmno101 Swiss Meringue buttercream! Love that, haven't tried making an Italian one yet.

[lmno101]

@ozjenjen Italian Meringue Buttercream is my favorite. So light and tasty. Even better if you use brown sugar!

[YoBootyStinks]

my frosting is never that firm

[sashalicious14]

Recipe please ??

[ldpd2009]

I like the pretty print from the paper towels too, but I hear if you don't want the print that Viva paper towel are smooth and will give a smooth finish. Thank you for the posting.

[SkylarStryker]

I love how she left a dent in the frosting when she touched it.

[CatastrophiChristina]

I'm 13 and my cakes look like hers.

My homec teacher gave me c+ on it.

[tomandgeri1959]

what is the icing you are using

[nogbut]

i don't think this is about being a professional or anything. It is more people giving advice so that people who are new know what other people are saying. I am not a professional by any means but to me this is not a very good tutorial. The idea and theory is good but the cake is crooked and her top coat is not well done. You need to have a good, consistent top coat that doesn't have any of the cracks and gaps that hers did if you want a nice, smooth finish for your cake.

[ForeverSwitzerland]

Yeah, seriously, she's taking her time to teach others how to do what she does. If you don't like it, don't watch and if you're already a professional, why do you need to watch anyway?

[31hunnybunch]

ok this is not proff., she should not be teaching anyone this...this is not the right way go to bakery or cake shop and have a real proff. show you ....noy cute at all

[teendream21]

@31hunnybunch oh yeahh? how would you do it?

[justgonnastay]

@31hunnybunch Professional only has one 'f' in it.

[DeeDeeDelight1]

Im a newbie with EVERYTHING! Am going to make a square 4 layer cake. Is the butter cream real sweet? What do i use if I dont have the square thing to smooth out the cake? Also I want to use a chocolate cream filling! Wich means I'll have to refridgerate the cake! Can I do that and use the buttercream! This is for my nephews first birthday in heaven! he died this past august at the age of ten! I have about two weeks to get everything before I make the cake on the 17th! Thank you,I need help

[IcedLipGloss]

@DeeDeeDelight1 i wish i saw this comment earlier...but did your cake come out good? please pm me!!

[GirlArmy21]

thank you for sharing...I am getting ready to do my first 2 "formal" buttercream icing cakes this month......I will use your method ...practicing it first of course!! LOL

[janer1977]

@NJNC1217 - hi! i let it dry for about 15 mins - then go ahead - the heat and friction from your hand helps make the icing more workable - i use it all the time:)

[Llamasrock03]

I can't believe I'm watching a women rubbing some kithen roll on a cake, but still love the vid :P

[1aliveinchrist]

The only truly smooth paper towel is VIVA, and it works wondefully well. Parchment would be okay I guess for the op, but the sides would be rough if it wrinkled. This method is actually called the VIVA papertowel method, and I use it for all my cakes!

[1lilablume]

it gets very sexual from 2:05 ;)

yeah baby, rub your hands up and down very slowly.

[MrStefanVidovic]

@1lilablume eww, gross. She's like, 60.

[cloudberry121]

Great tip! Thank you.

I kept expecting a genie to appear.

[janer1977]

@NJNC1217 i wait 10-20 mins - just until you get a little crust. you should be able to tell - you know you are too early if you get icing stuck on the parchment paper - GOOD LUCK:)

[janer1977]

:) nice to share tips. make sure you leave the icing a while for the icing to harden a little - i wait about 10-20 mins - then go ahead and smooth it out - really works:)

[midie369]

I bet she's American.

[mapeeeeeeeee]

whaat is your receipe for icing?

[aahhh23]

what is our receipe for icing?

[madgeowens]

if you use viva there is no fibers on the frosting

[andreadiab]

wow

[mug06]

Is there anything else you can use instead of the paper towel. I'm kind of scared to use the papertowel to smooth it out because of it's tiny fiber that can come out onto the cake? 

[janer1977]

@mug06 parchment!!!! works GREAT! good luck.

[simonacallegari1]

I think you have a very sweet way of explining things and you show b how to make things without using utensils too diffcult to find don't take notice of those nasty comments your cake is lovely!!!

[Diamond1887]

If you want perfect icing...this lady does the entire process in real time on her DVD...won't let me post a link...type "Perfecting the Art of Buttercream DVD Preview " in the search.

[MISSHERMAN2007]

this is a great video for begginers ..........if you know so much about cake what r u doing here commenting why dont you make your own............ ; p

[Fitchpatrick99]

Viva paper towels have no design....perfectly smooth towel.

[VibrantEmpathy]

she makes a cake better then I can but I still think this is far from a regular, normal, method to smooth a cake.

[ucmasrockz]

u frget alot...

[cjtay51]

If you make italian butter cream or swiss correctly, you shouldn't have to use anything to smooth it.

[galmgirl75]

or you could just use a little hot water 

[TheSilverSharpie]

Mmmmm paper towel!

[Ariegiggles]

A 2:36...because the camera man is an idiot. haha.

I think the cake looks good.

[FrenchPastry101]

what kind of icing is that? royal icing or something?

[c0cooned]

this is a nice technique if you're using a poweder sugar based frosting, but it won't work with swiss meringue buttercream and the like. Good video though

[MsDeeCakes]

Very nice....always nice to learn new ideas :)

[TheEuki]

This is a nice technique. But why paper towel? Just out of curiosity would wax paper not be better?

[Harpiieboy]

@darkcnight Why do you have such a dirty mind ? Show some respect to this great lady or hide somewhere !

[darkcnight]

@Harpiieboy noob......

[sabi68]

Hello,

I am French, I shall want say the recipe(takings) of the cream which recovers the cake thank you

[rynhart18]

I would use wax paper o.O

[tamidavis5855]

@rynhart18 waxpaper DOES NOT work

[rynhart18]

@tamidavis5855 Ok

[nizdeh]

What kind of icing is that?

[lukegarwood]

who decided she wa a "master" cake decorator? my five year old daughter does better!!

[tleyva52399]

@lukegarwood

So,when can we expect to see your daughters video?

[cakestudent95]

@lukegarwood no one says she was a master.....n i would like to see that have her make a video

[lukegarwood]

@cakestudent95 try listening at 0:05-0:06 sounds like master to me!

[cakestudent95]

@lukegarwood wow haha y do u like the little things bother u so much? thats sad...i feel bad for u....oh n still waiting for ur 5yrs daughter to make a wonderful flawless cake vid ;)

[missouriangel63]

@lukegarwood She does indeed call herself a Master Decorator.

[userbc44]

@cakestudent95 Actually at the beginning she does - "Hi I'm Sandy Sheppard a master cake decorator...."

[cakestudent95]

@userbc44 good for her...n good for u

[cjtay51]

@lukegarwood Have you considered that she has taken pastry courses at a school? I don't think she needs to prove herself to anyone. do you see the cakes behind her?

[pinayvacavilleUSA]

very nice tutorial thank you!

[TexasTrina]

Can you post the recipe for the buttercream?

[ra565131]

ew that's discusting.

[Fynn000]

@ra565131

totally agree

[agatawesoly]

what icing is it? what ingredients do you use? thanks for an answer...

[acmulhern]

this technique was really helpful, i never thought about it, thanks. could i use regular printing paper to get the surface really smooth and without the texture?

[rynhart18]

@acmulhern Try wax paper :)

[bananasplitscake]

won't there be like little pieces of lint? well.. not lint but like those fiber things haha.

[creagan88]

Can you do this with parchment paper also? I just want something very clean.

[janer1977]

hi - i personally use parchment paper - i find paper towels leave a print and parchment is much easier to work with.

[73cupcake]

@janer1977 Thanks for the tip - I'm going to try parchment!

[vboz9271979]

janer1977 I really appreciate the idea of using parchment instead of paper towel...her cakes do look good tho...lol...but i hate the print as well..need to make my daughters bday cake extra smooth...:)

[collinsshantel]

@janer1977 Yes I'm sure she didn't bother to think about that...also she probably didn't think that the fibers from the paper towel could possibly get caught in the icing. Parchment paper seems like the smartest solution

[lotsofgametime]

@janer1977 I would think that parchment paper would stick to the icing. Is the frosting really dry when you use parchment paper and do u use that paper immediately after applying the frosting or do u wait a while?

[mediate27]

If you're worried about crumbs, do a crumb coat. A thin layer of icing on the cake to seal in all the crumbs. After you put the crumb coat on, you freeze or refrigerate the cake for about 30 minutes, and then apply your final layer. Works like a charm!

[Sebizzar]

That cake looks so yummy! And she's got a sweet voice aww... i wish she was my grandma lol xD

[nascat24]

A simple butter cream recipe is 1 cup of shortening (I use Crisco) or 1/2 cup unsalted butter and 1/2 cup shortening, 1 pound of powdered sugar, 1 tsp of clear vanilla flavor (1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp butter flavor for all shortening icing), enough water to thin the icing for easier spreading, and 1 tbsp merengue powder. The merengue powder will help the icing set so this technique is easier to use. When making larger batches, the general ratio is 1 c Crisco/butter to 1 lb of icing sugar.

[rivergod151]

whats merengue powder..have to admit that ive never seen that here in the uk but then again iv'e never actually looked for it! what is it and is there anything that could be used as a substitue if its not available here or would it matter if i left it out

[nascat24]

Merengue powder is a dry egg white powder with a few other things thrown in. Any specialty bakery should be able to get it for you, but it isn't completely necessary. I use it to help give my icing a nice hard, finished look. Whipping egg whites and granulated sugar will give you the same effect. Merengue is an essential ingredient in royal icing, which has no shortening.

[rivergod151]

thanks for that, now i know what i'm looking for it should be easier to find...figured its about time i stop being lazy by buying commercial sugarpaste and start doing my own frosting/sugarpaste etc

[nascat24]

You're welcome. Commercial sugar paste and icings are ideal to start because you see the desired results when you start making your own. If you need icing recipes, there are literally thousands online, but my favorite is listed in my original post. It's quick, simple and it works really well for the different consistencies that are needed for piping. Use stiff for roses and stand-up leaves or petals, medium for borders, flat petals and leaves, and thin for writing and vines.

[mediate27]

What's this recipe?

[xdevilxbabex2003]

You can definately buy merengue powder in the uk, im from the north east and you can get it in almost all major cake decorating stores/suppliers, and theres nothing lazy about buying your sugar paste, its quicker, consistent and i personally much prefer the taste and quality of renshaw regalice to my own homemade fondant :)

[rivergod151]

didn't know that thanks ..i'll have to try and find a better cake store as the one locally to me seems very basic. lol yeah i agree it is more convenient to buy in and it'll save hassle but i think i might start doing my own modelling paste tho as the commersial one tends to be dry and cracks easy..out of curiousity what brand of shortening do you buy..trying to look for an equivelant to crisco^^ the only brand ive seen is trex but not tried it yet

[xdevilxbabex2003]

@rivergod151 , if i have to use shortening for something, i use trex, it works fine but i personally dont use for greasing hands/boards etc, i prefer corn flour :)

[rivergod151]

yeah i agree corn flour is better to use on boards as opposed to icing sugar. thanks for the trex tip, usually i only make buttercream for a crumb coat n then sugar paste n top but my next cake i want to do a white buttercream as the final coat..do you know whether using trex will give the buttercream that 'crusting' effect that crisco does ^^

[xdevilxbabex2003]

@rivergod151 @rivergod151 ive personally never made a 'white' buttercream, so i cant comment as ive never made it with trex or any other white kind of fat, i find it leaves a horrible greasy coating in the mouth, i always use stork when making buttercream and beat the crap out of it lol, although it is slightly yellowed, people much prefer it, at least where i live they do :)

[rivergod151]

haha i know what you mean, to be honest i quite like that creamy yellowed look,gives it a certain charm i think, its just ppl go on about having it brilliant white and edna on youtube makes it white using just crisco and it looks quite pretty but if it leaves a greasey residue then i dont think i'll bother lol

[nascat24]

The same technique can be used with parchment paper for a perfectly smooth surface. Be careful how much pressure you apply because the butter cream will pick up the imprint of your hand. Also make sure the icing is thick enough so that you don't pick up the indent between the tiers along the sides.

[Vivalarachie]

I know the woman in the video can't answer, but maybe someone else can. How do you keep a cake from drying out while trimming, decorating, etc. it? Should you brush it with a simple syrup while it's warm?

[missvampirelover1]

you could try that or go 2 SeriousCakes she no's everything 2 do with cakes and another tip for decorating a cake is to put it in the freezer 2 get less crums then do a crumb coat then you'll always have da perfict [soz fr spell tired] cake!!!

[nascat24]

If the cake itself is drying out, you're not using enough butter cream icing to cover the cake. You'll want at least an 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch of icing to help lock in the moisture. The icing itself should dry to the touch but still be soft if indented. The shortening in the icing should help keep your cake moist. Your filling will also help keep the cake moist from the inside, so make sure you are using a good filling. I use flavored jam mixed with icing for my fillings and they work perfectly.

[xdevilxbabex2003]

When you take cake from the oven. leave it for 5 mins . so while its still quite hot. Wrap it in clingfilm (saranwrap) , and stick it in the freezer. Give it an hour or two. all that steam will stay in the cake and make it extreeeemly moist. i do this with all my cakes and they are fabulous melt in the mouth moisty goodness :) Some people dont like to freeze, its preference, but i really swear by it. its worth a shot to see if it works for you, if not, youll still have a yummy cake to eat:)

[Vivalarachie]

Do you remove the cake from the pan before wrapping and freezing? Sorry if this is a silly question, but hot cakes can sometimes stick to the pan.

[xdevilxbabex2003]

Remove the pan.

If you grease your tins correctly, then there is no reason why your cake should stick. If you find flour/oil/shortening does not work, Use greaseproof paper, a fool proof method, a little extra work, but works everytime

[nascat24]

Another method (and my favorite!) is using Wilton's Cake Release. You brush it on with a pastry brush, and it's only one step! No more flour messes and your character-shaped pans come out cleanly every time. No more crumbs in the pan or on the outside of the cake.

[xdevilxbabex2003]

thats something ive never used, although ive heard alot of people do use it and also make there own pan release, cheaper aparantly and just as effective :) what i love about baking, is trial and error find what works for you and stick with it :D

[nancy94618]

i use simple syrup to keep the crumbs from running amok

[Amori09]

Just wondering if this would work with Cream Cheese frosting?

Wonderful tip, thanks!

[nascat24]

Cream cheese icing doesn't set as well as butter cream icing does, so you may not get the same result. If you are making your icing from scratch, you may have to play with the recipe a bit so that it will set like butter cream.

[victorianne27]

does anyone have this icing recipe?

[suganspyyce]

Oh stop whining, you won't get paper towel fibers on your cake nor will it taste like paper towel. I just used this technique a few days ago. Heck, just use a freakin piece of wax or parchment paper if you're that worried. Also, I agree with the person about the icing being thick. It looked more of a consistency for making roses or decorating.

[suganspyyce]

Oh, and those asking questions to the woman in the video, she can't reply because these are uploaded by the website that she made the videos for, kinda like evillage. Try asking users that originally post to youtube. Hope that helps!

[galsgowild]

whats the name of the kitchen towels . i live in england which kitchen towel can one use.

[suganspyyce]

Use Viva, it's the smoothest. If you don't have those there, please read my above comment. HTH! I also wanted to add you don't have to use your hands, you can also use a putty knife or I was even thinking a fondant smoother.

[married2soul]

use a thick one with a design you like the brand dosent matter

[losers0are0on0utube]

are the cakes behind you the ones you make?

[MinushRose]

heey! I NEED THE ICING RECIPE PLZ!!!

[losers0are0on0utube]

same

[dancersmind]

its easier just to sprinkle a little water on the top and smooth it out again.

[resa6066]

I still say your icing is to stiff THATS why you have to go through all that trouble of refixing your icing! One time, put it on pull it off and bamm it done, Stiffer is not always better!! lol!!!!!!!!!!

[WhoaNahYaHeardMe]

So now the cake has paper towel fibers all over it. I'll pass.

[tigresslioness]

maybe wax or parchment paper would prevent that? and have a smoother effect?

[MSBMACK]

if you use viv paper towels they are more cloth like and a fondant smoother instead of your hand. works great

[bigpappa2525]

@WhoaNahYaHeardMe if you use a heavy duty paper towel it doesn't leave anything behind, and i don't think she should use the textured paper towels the cake should be smooth

[tamidavis5855]

@WhoaNahYaHeardMe VIVA brand paper towels actually WORK!!!!

[MuSXDaNCeLiFE]

@WhoaNahYaHeardMe - This actually doesn't happen if you 1. use the right paper towels and 2. make sure that the icing has crusted dry.

[cjtay51]

@WhoaNahYaHeardMe I have used this method, and it doesn't leave fibers. If it does, there is something wrong with the type of towel you are using. Have you tried it?

[arorii]

@WhoaNahYaHeardMe Paper towels aren't like tissues or toilet paper.. It's sturdy and designed not to leave any fibers unless you like, soak it.

[Hcoswimmer22]

@WhoaNahYaHeardMe Wax paper works WAY better, without the fibers, and without the Bounty seasonal texture :)

[velindagloria]

More than likely she used one of those Viva paper towels! They work like a charm!!

[ibabeliever]

Great tip thank you so much! I just wish you would of had more room to work and a bigger turntable for previous video.

[MattDoesNotRock]

aww i wish all cakes were treated that nicely n__n

[Adrianita805]

i was wondering if this technique works with every napkin or is there a certain one u might recomend?

[bigredchicken12357]

Choose one with a nice texture, maybe little bumps or a wavy pattern. Just go for whatever you think suits the style of the cake :)

[lisabyx]

Great technique! I never even knew that you could do that! That sure is a secret! I will try it next time!

[TICABELLA23]

why is the desings in the nkpins for?

[Sinthukuna]

she's not talking abt the picture designs on the cake..she is talking about the texture of the paper towel...so when she presses it into the cake there is a design due to the texture

[kiwigirldonna]

Kia Ora Sandy,

I think your videos are great. You go through every think in detail, thats fantastic not boring..Only way to learn something properly is to be taught right from the basics through to the end result in detail if you want to on top of your game...Good for you, keep up the good work...If others find it boring DONT WATCH IT!!!!!!!!

[msgloriakong]

i like how you use the nkpins to make it looks straight and smooth it out.