Smooth Icing

by Natalie
(Texas)

When I iced the cake immediately after pulling it out of the freezer, the icing was very sticky and hard to get really smooth. Do you have any suggestions?

Amanda's Answer

Hi Natalie,

Yes, there are a couple of things you can do to help get your icing smooth.

First, make sure that your icing is at room temperature before you use it to ice the cake. A lot of times if the icing is still cold it will be very sticky and hard to use, especially with a frozen cake.

Put a thick layer of icing on your cake. You want the cake to be covered all over with a good layer of icing. Be sure to use a metal spatula to do this too, it will make it a lot easier.

To smooth the icing:
Fill a plastic cup with water and microwave it for about 4-5 minutes. Dip your metal spatula in the hot water and begin running it along the top of the cake in one direction. Continue doing this, being sure to dip your spatula each time before you smooth the cake. Do this along the sides of the cake as well. This will easily smooth the cake and even out any lumpy or uneven icing areas.

• The cold from the frozen cake will effect the temperature of your icing once it's on the cake. Another thing you can do is go ahead and ice the cake with a good layer of icing. Make sure the cake is covered and there are no holes. You can then let the cake sit for a few hours and thaw. The cake is iced so the moisture will remain trapped. Once the cake has thawed and is no longer cold, you can smooth ice the cake. If you have the time this is a great way to go and will allow you to smooth the cake a lot easier.