Even though filling and frosting a cake looks simple, there are steps that I have outlined to ensure success. (For How to Glaze a Cake, click here). This procedure has been broken down into 5 steps. Icing should be of a medium consistency for spreading. 

1. Learn to bake a cake: See Cakes 101. The cake should have a perfect light golden brown color.

2. Cool, freeze and thaw the cake before proceeding: If being made from scratch, the cake has to cool after baking for at least an hour before frosting or glazing. This will help to prevent crumbs or falling apart and will frost easily. In addition, the frosting won't melt and drip off the cake or separate if the cake is too warm. If time permits, chill the cake (do not freeze it) after cooling and between each filling and before frosting. The cake will be much easier to work with. 

If time permits, the best way to prepare a homemade cake for frosting is to freeze it for a couple of hours or overnight. (You can freeze undecorated cake layers for up to a month before using.) Freezing tightens the cake's crumb (texture), making it an easier surface to frost on and prevents a lot of crumbs from forming. Crumbs often get into the icing and can ruin the overall look of the cake. 

To freeze, do so after the cake layers are cool to the touch from baking, optionally fill and then wrap in plastic wrap, place in an airtight bag and freeze. Be sure to wrap them as airtight as possible, or they will dry out. Place the cake in a safe spot in the freezer where it won't be bumped or otherwise contaminated with odors. Click for more about Storing Unfrosted and Frosted Cakes.

Thaw your unfrosted cake layers in their wrappers. This is done because condensation will form on the wrappers instead of on the cake. Cake layers should be at room temperature before unwrapping them. For a simple 8 to 10-inch cake, 12 hours to overnight will be sufficient thawing time. But if you were to freeze a large wedding cake it may take longer. I found that a 16-inch 2-layer wedding cake needed almost 2 days when using the 2-plate system for a wedding cake. If too frozen for your liking, cover again, leave at room temperature and wait until it is easier to work with.

3. Level (trim and tort) the layers: Before frosting, a single cake or a multiple layer cake is usually leveled and optionally cut into multiple horizontal layers called "torting". If the cake layers are frozen, first trim them as is and let them slightly thaw in their wrappers before icing. This way, they won't fall apart as easily. 

4. Fill & frost a cake: If there are too many crumbs, or the cake color will show through, apply two coats of frosting: one, a crumb coat, followed by a regular coat. The top coat is then smoothed or has decorations applied. Don't ice cakes while they are still frozen, as the cake needs to "breathe" while it thaws. If you do, condensation will form on the iced cake or cause any colors from decorations from bleeding. 

Apply filling or frosting to the cake layer by gliding the offset spatula over the cake's surface. Never allow it to touch the cake surface or to pull already spread icing from the cake surface, otherwise crumbs or pieces from the cake will stick to it. 

When I teach, I have my students practice applying and smoothing the frosting before graduating to the real thing! They use an already-made icing and ice the bottom and sides of an already baked cake, both available from the supermarket. You can also bake a cake from a mix which is easy to do and makes a great practice cake. Buttercakes or pound cakes are the best to use.

FILLING AND FROSTING INSTRUCTIONS: 

A. Secure the cake: When frosting, the cake's bottom layer or the cake should be secured to a rigid surface, such as corrugated cardboard cake round or board. If it isn't rigid, it will bend, perhaps with the cake falling on the floor or breaking apart.

To anchor the cake, cover the cardboard cake round in plastic wrap; the cake will adhere to it better. This also prevents the grease from the icing soaking into the cardboard. If grease were to soak in, the cardboard will warp and twist. This will result in a lop-sided cake and large cakes could fall.

Place a tablespoon or so of frosting in the middle of the surface of the cardboard round. Center the layer of a split cake or the heaviest layer of a layer cake, bottom side down and press lightly into place. Do the same if the cake contains only one layer.

B. Fill the cake layers: (If a single layer cake, skip to C). Before placing the layers together you can add a filling to the layer. Some people or books also call “spreading icing between the layers” - “filling the cake.” The best way is to apply it about 1/4-inch thick. 

Usually you can fill a layer as is by directly spreading icing on it. But, if your filling from oozes out the sides or sometimes bulges underneath the icing, there are other ways to fill the layers to help prevent this. Bulging icing often appears a couple of hours or a day later after frosting the cake when gravity takes over and the layers settle.

To fill a layer: Apply a glob of icing on the top of the layer with an icing spatula or a flat table knife.  

Then, frost the top of the first layer without lifting the icing spatula, as it will cause some of the cake to come off with it. To do, press the icing firmly in a back and forth motion; it's just like spreading peanut butter on bread. 

Level frosting or filling top with the edge of the spatula held at a 45 degree angle placed halfway on the cake while turning it. Another way is to hold it at the farthest edge and bring it towards you.

Smooth the icing with the side of your icing spatula and make it an even layer, about a 1/4-inch thick. Leave icing hanging out over the edge only if it the same icing used to frost the cake with. It will be smoothed later. Don't worry if crumbs show through; they will be hidden in between the layers. 

Other ways to fill the layer(s).

Positioning the layers: After filling, make sure that the layers are flush with each other along the sides of the cake. 

Before I fill and frost my cake, I try and position the layers on top of one another to see how they fit, ONLY if it is not delicate. (Remember that the filling will fill in between any gaps. If the gaps are too big, then level and trim the cake layers more. 

Always select the thickest and most even layer for the bottom. For the top, always select the side of the cake layer that is the flattest, which is usually the bottom. To place, invert the top layer with the bottom side up. It is a better surface to frost and usually flatter for a more finished cake.  

1. For a one-layer cake, turn the cake upside-down on the cake board, so the flat side is up, unless the top is flat. 

2. For a two-layer cake, position the first layer, bottom side down. Then, trim the second layer and invert it, so the top of the cake is down, next to the filling and the bottom is up. If its top is flat, it can be placed right side up.

3. If you are working with three or more layers, place each layer, aligning the sides. However, the top of the final layer should be placed top down if it isn't flat. 

4. If the cake is uneven, try to rearrange the layers so a thin side is placed over a thick one. Or, level it beforehand.

C. Apply crumb and icing coats: 

A crumb coat "holds" the crumbs that often appear all over a cake before you apply the final icing coat. You'll notice that you don't have to be neat when applying it. The final coat will be cleaned up and smoothed after it has been applied and crusted. It's best to apply both so they come to about a 1/4-inch thick in total, but that's not always the case.  

Crumb coating serves many purposes. (You do not have to apply a crumb coat. If you skip it, then apply two icing coats instead, one at a time.) It provides a smooth, crumb-free surface for icing on; it seals the cake so crumbs don't appear on the final, iced cake. It can be used to fill in any cracks or divots in the cake. Another is to seal the cake and hold in the cake's moisture. 

A crumb layer is also a good idea when cake is an opposite color, chocolate cake/white icing, so you don't see the cake through the frosting. It provides a cake surface on which to pipe intricate decorations on, such as done with the basketweave pattern. (NOTE: A second icing coat is necessary before piping when it does not entirely cover the cake's surface.) If covering the cake with Rolled Fondant, the crumb coat serves as the glue that binds it to the cake.

HOW TO CRUMB COAT YOUR CAKE: Crumb coating is done with regular icing, applying a THIN coat. Ideally, you should crumb coat your cake, let it set and then frost immediately. (Allow the base layer to dry for a minimum of 40 minutes or refrigerate it for 10 minutes before moving on to applying the final layer of frosting.)  

If you leave the cake sit too long between crumb coating and final icing, I sometimes find crusted icing pieces showing in the final coating. Generally, you can assemble the cake and apply a thin "crumb coat" of frosting and then freeze it. Then, finish decorating after the cake is thawed. (However, I once froze a cake overnight after crumb coating and the whole thing slid off when I went to frost it!) NOTE: with a frozen cake, you can crumb coat it while frozen and let thaw. 

When applying a glaze, do not apply a crumb or icing coat beforehand. See How to Glaze Cakes. 

1. To start, separate a small amount of frosting in a small bowl; this will be used for the crumb layer. The larger amount will be used for the final coat. 

2. Brush off any loose crumbs with a pastry brush before starting to crumb coat the cake.

3. With an offset spatula, on the cake, spread a thin, even layer of the icing from the small bowl. Start with the top and then move to the sides; work from the top down forcing any loose crumbs to the base of the cake. 

Rock the spatula back and forth to cover the cake with a thin, even coat of icing and press firmly (not so hard as to squish the cake). Air bubbles form when you don't press hard enough while crumb coating the cake. This leaves air between the icing and the cake for bubbles to pop out of the top icing. 

Turn the spatula perpendicular to the iced surface of the cake before pulling it away. 

4. Should you get any crumbs in the icing, be sure to wipe the icing off the spatula with a towel. Do not scrape the spatula back into the icing bowl. 

5. Allow the base layer to dry for a minimum of 40 minutes or refrigerate it for 10 minutes before moving on to applying the final layer of frosting. You can freeze the cake at this point for no more than about 30 minutes.  If covering the cake with Rolled Fondant, do not allow it to dry; it should feel tacky so the Fondant will adhere to the cake. 

6. Discard any remaining frosting left in the small bowl (never mix the base frosting with the rest of the frosting because it may contain tiny crumbs).

APPLY THE ICING COAT: When the crumb or base coat is dry, the goal is to apply the final layer of frosting over it with an offset or icing spatula. You get a thicker and nicer looking frosting if you do. It should be applied on a defrosted cake, if frozen. Add this coat immediately after crumb coating. Use the amount needed to coat evenly with without the cake showing through.

Make sure you always have enough icing. While applying, don't worry about getting it too smooth, as you can do that later. Just concentrate on getting as much frosting as you can, as quickly as you can on the cake; you need to keep it from crusting or drying out, or getting crumbs to peak through from the crumb layer (which they shouldn't if the crumb coat is applied all over). 

As the icing layer thins, keep applying more. The important thing is to keep the icing ahead of the spatula. Let the icing go down the sides.

Should you get any crumbs in the icing, be sure to wipe the icing off the spatula with a towel. Do not scrape the spatula back into the icing bowl. Spread the icing to the edges leaving extra icing built up.

Do a final smoothing of the icing. Icing the cake to a smooth finish is one of the most important parts of cake decorating and is done immediately after icing (don't let the icing crust). For many it can be the hardest part of cake decorating to achieve. The decorations, no matter how careful one is, will not look their best against an unevenly iced cake. 

First smooth the sides of your iced cake and then the top; it seems to work much better than the other way around. I like to use a large, flat metal spatula to smooth my cakes with: 

If the icing needs to be smoothed more finely, I like to use the following choices. Sometimes the smoothed icing needs a final touch. 

Fine smoothing of the icing is done when it has crusted. This is where the iced cake sits for 15 to 20 minutes and when touched lightly with a finger, it doesn't stick. Letting the icing crust means frosting the cake and waiting just long enough so the frosting doesn't stick to whatever you are using to smooth it.  

Use a warm icing spatula: Dip a spatula or knife frequently in HOT running water, dry it and then GENTLY smooth the frosting with a light hand. The heat and moisture will melt it into a smooth surface. 

You want your spatula warm to the touch, not hot. If sizzling occurs when you touch the icing the spatula is too hot and will cause a brown spot on the icing. Don't leave the hold spatula for long in one place and you will get the same thing. 

When the spatula cools down, be sure to wipe excess icing back onto the bowl's edge, clean it with a damp cloth and then run under the water again to reheat. Dry it before using. It takes some practice to get right.

Paper towels: I have found that Viva brand paper towels are perfect to use because they're smooth and won't leave a pattern. If you want a mark of the paper towel, try another brand; many decorators will use the pattern that forms as a finish on the cake. You can also use a spatula dipped in hot water to smooth the cake, then use a Viva paper towel and fondant smoother to complete the job. 

To start, press a fresh dry paper towel over the surface to press wrinkles etc out. Then, gently glide it with the palm of you hand in a gentle circular motion; the heat from your hand will help to smooth it. Keep moving the paper and rubbing until you have done this to the entire surface of the cake. 

Some use waxed or parchment paper (the norm is paper towels) to smooth their cakes. But, waxed or parchment paper tends to stick a little more than the paper towels. If it sticks a little, just slide the waxed paper slowly across the cake the opposite direction that the icing has been applied.  

Other frosting smoothing ideas: Find the one that works best for you.

Storing a frosted cake. In general, for best results, don't freeze the cake after decorating with frosting. The cake expands faster than the frosting, causing it to crack while thawing. Also, freezing tends to dry out the icing. Sometimes the icing may fall from the cake once thawed, even a crumb-coating. The cake will be crusty and dry if this happens. 

If you have filled and frosted the cake layers, those WITHOUT perishable ingredients, fresh fruit and some decorations, freezing can be done successfully. But if you need to, allow the frosting to firm up in the refrigerator or freezer, then wrap tightly in plastic before placing in the freezer. When you take the cake from the freezer to thaw, remove the plastic wrap and foil immediately, while the frosting is still hard, so you won't mar its surface. I like to thaw my frosted cakes under a cake dome or in the refrigerator. If condensation forms, immediately put the cake in a very well air-conditioned room for about 1 hour. This will dry up any condensation on the surface.

What happens if the filling bulges under the cake's frosting or it cracks? Click here for the solution to this and other problems.

Cake circumference size chart fromelegantlacemolds.com