.Tips for Frosting and Glazing Cakes
Source of Recipe
Chocolatier magazine
Recipe Introduction
The frosting on the cake is, as the old saying implies, the finishing touch, without which most cakes seem starkly ordinary. There are exceptions, of course -- such as rich, buttery pound cakes and decidedly moist chocolate cakes where a sprinkle of confectioners' sugar is sufficient for sweet satisfaction. But in most instances, it's the frosting that makes a cake special. Frosting appeals to the child in all of us (who doesn't secretly hope he or she will get the piece with the extra rosette?) but it also makes a cake look pretty. Frosting can be smooth or swirly, applied generously, or poured over a cake as a thin, shiny glaze. It can be spooned into pastry bags and piped onto the cake as intricate flowers, elegant rope-like swags, delicate borders or festive rosettes. When selecting a method to frost a cake, use your imagination as well as your common sense, remembering that for chic elegance, often "less is more."
* * *
1. Always begin with a cool cake.
2. If the cake layers are not flat, use a serrated knife to even them so that they will sit evenly, one on top of the other. You may want the top layer to have a slight dome, or not. Do not hesitate to trim the cake so that it is easier to frost.
3. Set the cake layer on a cardboard round or a flat plate, securing it with a dab of frosting.
4. If you have a turntable, use it when frosting the cake. If not, you may find it useful to elevate the cake with one hand while frosting it. This may be easiest if the cake is on a cardboard round.
5. Most frostings should be at room temperature for easy application. Exceptions are whipped cream frostings, which should be chilled, and glazes, which should be warm or tepid.
6. Spread the filling over the bottom layer. If using a whipped cream frosting, refrigerate the cake layer for about 15 minutes for the filling to firm up. Otherwise, place the second layer over the filling.
7. To make frosting the cake easier, some bakers prefer to cover it first with a crumb coat. This is a thin layer of frosting applied to the entire cake to seal in stray crumbs and to act as a smooth base on which to apply the final frosting. (However, if you use a crumb coat, you will have less frosting for piping.) To apply a crumb coat, frost the cake with a thin layer of frosting, covering the sides and top. Do not worry if the frosting is not perfect at this point. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes to give the frosting time to harden slightly. Spread room-temperature frosting over the chilled crumb coat. It will glide on easily with no crumbs mixed into it. For smoothness, hold the metal spatula pointing down with the flat side of the blade at a 30-degree angle to the cake. Cover only a little of the cake at a time. With each application, overlap the preceding section a little.
8. Some people prefer to frost the sides of the cake first; others like to begin with the top. Either way, make sure the edges of the cake look finished by smoothing them with a flat metal spatula.
9. For a satiny finish, dip the metal spatula in hot tap water, wipe it dry, and then use the heated blade to smooth the frosting. Repeat as often as necessary. Don't forget to wipe it dry after each dipping.
10. To glaze a cake layer, brush excess crumbs from the top of the cake with your fingers or a pastry brush, and set the cake on a wire rack positioned on a baking sheet or jelly roll pan. Pour a generous amount of warm (tepid) glaze over the cake, letting it run over the top and down the sides of the cake. Use a metal spatula to smooth it over the cake, if necessary.
|
|
member logon
