tutorial - cake decorating

We, at the Athena Collective, love cake. 
White cake. yellow cake. chocolate cake. strawberry cake. all cake.
What we didn't love was decorating said cakes. There were crumbs in all the wrong places. Icing disasters. It was a mess.
But that's the great thing about A|C. We like to embrace the mess, but also perfect the mess when possible. On this occasion, we learned how to perfect it. 

1. Ensure that the tops and bottoms are level. This might require cutting off the tops of the cakes to achieve a flat surface.

2. Freeze the cakes. This will eliminate some of the crumbs from escaping during the crumb coat.

3. Crumb coat. Apply a very thin layer of icing to al sides of the cake. Crumbs will fall off the cake and be seen in the icing, but that is okay. 

4. Freeze/refrigerate the cakes again in preparation for icing.

5. Apply a generous layer of icing to the top of the cake.

6. Spread the icing slowly. When you remove the spatula from the cake, always keep it moving. this prevents cake breakage and crumb emergence. 

7. Smooth with a plastic piece. You can cut these plastic pieces from used berry containers. 

Hint: Icing spreads well when utensil is dipped in water. 

8. Have fun with icing tips. Practice before applying. Be creative!

9. Enjoy!

Thanks to antonia for sharing her expertise and patience. 

If you use these techniques and tips to decorate your own cake at home, we could love to see. Post on instagram @athena_collective or twitter @athenacollectiv