How much icing do I need to cover a cake ?
Cake icing has been around for centuries, but its popularity seems to increase every year. It’s now the third most popular food decoration after sprinkles and chocolate chips.
So how much icing should you use? Well, the amount of icing needed to cover a cake depends on the size of the cake, the temperature of the room, and the type of icing being used.
The average cake is around 2 inches high, and most people use between 10-15 tablespoons. But if you want to get fancy, there are other ways to decorate cakes such as using edible flowers or even fruit.
So when you’re deciding how much icing to use, remember that larger cakes require more icing, and remember to use less than the suggested amount.
If you want to know how to cover a cake with icing then, read on!
What is the best way to decorate cakes with icing?
There are many methods for covering a cake with icing: piping it directly onto the top, putting fondant over it, layering it on top, frosting it first before adding decorations, etc.
So which method is best? That’s up to preference. Here some tips though:
There are two basic methods for covering cakes with icing: iced buttercream and Swiss meringue buttercream.
The first method uses softened butter mixed with sugar, which allows it to hold together well enough so your decorations don’t fall off.
This makes the frosting very smooth, making it ideal for intricate designs like piping.
1. How many tablespoons of icing should you use on the top layer of your cake?
- Well, first we have to decide what type of icing we will use – buttercream or fondant.
- Then we must determine whether it’s two layer or three layer cake recipe.
- Finally, we can calculate the quantity required by weight.
2. The best way to cover a cake with frosting is by using an offset spatula or butter knife. This will ensure that your cake boards don’t have any air bubbles underneath it.
3. If you’re covering a large cake, make sure you start in the middle so that all sides can easily fit into place.
4. With covering your cake smoothers in frosting, the best way to make sure that all surfaces are covered evenly is by applying an initial layer of buttercream before adding any additional decorations.
This will ensure everything stays moist and smooth once decorated. Remember not to spread too thin or else you won’t have enough time to add extra details later.
5. Decide what colour your icing will be. The easiest way to decide which kind of icing you’ll use to create different effects is by examining colours in nature.
For example, red fruits like strawberries have lots of pigment so they look bright; whereas brown foods contain lots of iron oxide, making them appear darker.
Think about this next time you go out shopping – you can often tell from looking at produce whether it needs extra sugar or salt.
Few tips when decorating cakes with icing
- Make sure your buttercream frosting isn’t too soft, so it can support the weight of the cake turntable.
- If yours feels like liquidly goo, put in the fridge for about half an hour until firm enough to work with. You may also add extra powdered sugar to make it stiffer.
- Don’t overwork the mixture – this will cause lumps which won’t smooth out well later.
- Roll out a sheet of fondant icing approximately 1/4″ thick and larger than the diameter of the sponge cake.
- Drape the fondant icing over the regular cake.
- Smooth over the fondant icing to remove any air pockets.
- Use a fondant icing smoothing tool to remove any excess fondant icing.