Baking hacks: How to get those perfectly sharp edges when icing a cake

(images: Katelyn Allegra)

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Want to know the secret to getting those sharp edges on an iced cake? Frost it upside down!

Sometimes, doing things upside down in baking is the only right way to do it. Look at pineapple upside down cake, crème caramel and tarte tatin – all better when baked the wrong way around. And now, you can add icing a cake to that list too – especially if you’ve been trying to get the sharp edges on a frosted cake that every Instagram baker seems to be showing off. Here’s how to do it:

STEP 1
Trace a circle on a sheet of baking paper using the cake tin you baked your cake in.

STEP 2
Flip the baking paper over (so the pencil side is down) and place it on a cake turntable or flat surface. If you’re using a turn table, place a blob of frosting on it before adding the paper to stop it moving around. Next, fill the traced circle with frosting and smear it evenly – don’t worry about it being perfect or going slightly out the lines.

STEP 3

Add your cake layers (make sure to level these off with a bread knife), sandwiching them together with more frosting (and jam if you like).

STEP 4

Smear frosting thickly around the edges to cover the sides. Don’t worry about completely covering the top because that’s going to become the bottom of your cake (unless you’re feeling extra, then by all means do it!).

STEP 5
Using a metal scraper, palette knife or even just a straight-edged knife, scrape the outside of the cake in one continuous motion to get a smooth finish – you’re going to be scraping off some of that thick frosting you put on earlier.