Step by Step: How to Stack and Frost a Layered Cake

Written by Published on in Cakes, Desserts

When I was in Pastry School, we had a 6 week course dedicated to cakes, and I frosting and stacked cakes daily for years during my time in bakeries and cake shops. With this said, I’ve honed in on some skills and suggestions for how to do this yourself. It does take practice, but I believe everyone can learn this skill! And people are very impressed when you can make and frost your own, round, layered cake!

You’ll Need:

Step by Step Guide:

  1. Prepare the cake layers
    I like to freeze (overnight at least) or refrigerate (for a few hours) my cake layers wrapped in plastic wrap before using them. If freezing them, I move them to the refrigerator a few hours before using them or let them sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes. By chilling it first, it allows you to stack the cake with less crumbles and makes frosting the cake easier.
    Once they are at a refrigerated temperature, I take them out and remove the plastic wrap. I place one cake on the cake stand, and using a long serrated knife, I flatted out the top a bit (if it’s very puffy), and then I carefully cut the cake into two layers. For example, if they cake is 3″ tall to begin with, you will end up with two, round, 1.5″ tall cakes. Set aside carefully (be careful so the cake doesn’t break), and repeat with the second cake. You will end up with 4 layers total. I found this YouTube tutorial from Martha Stewart – I personally think it’s some added steps, but it can be very helpful to try it in this way if you’ve never done it before!
    If this is too much to do, you can simply level out the top of the cake lightly with the knife, and use two thick layers to assemble the cake (and skip cutting the cakes into two).
  2. Cardboard Cake Rounds
    I use a cardboard cake round, the same size as the cake (for example 8″ cardboard for an 8″ cake). This is the base of the cake and helps transporting and moving the cake MUCH easier as it creates a sturdy base. Dab a couple tablespoons of frosting on the cardboard before putting down the first cake layer. This will prevent the cake from sliding.
  3. Place the first cake layer on the cardboard
    Place the prepared cardboard round on the cake stand. Put the first cake layer on top of the frosting right-side up so that the flat, uncut bottom sits on the cardboard.
  4. Frosting Between Layers
    Using an offset spatula, put a big dollop of frosting on top of the bottom layer. Flatten out by moving the spatula gently from side to side on the frosting. You will want about 1/4″ even layer of frosting per layer. For 2 layers of cake, you will have 3 layers total, and only one will be frosting, so you will want a thicker layer of frosting – 1/2 – 1″ thick.
  5. Repeating Layers
    Repeat steps 3 and 4 – placing a layer of cake on the frosting, and cake on the frosting, until you’ve used all of the layers of cake. The cake will be 7 layers total if you’re using 4 layers of cake (cake-frosting-cake-frosting-cake-frosting-cake). For 2 layers of cake, you will have 3 layers total.
  6. Frosting the Cake
    Put a big dollop of frosting on the center of the top of the cake and, using the offset spatula, spread it to the edges. If you get crumbs in the frosting, simply scrape the dirty frosting off your spatula into a separate bowl.
    Be generous when you start to frost. You can always scrape some off if you end up with too much, but if you start with too little, you risk pulling crumbs from the cake into the frosting.
    To frost the sides, put a dollop of frosting at a time, and lightly smooth it out as you go. Aim to get the cake covered with frosting before you try to smooth it out too much.
  7. Smooth out the frosting or create any look you like
    Once the cake is frosted, you can go back and make it beautiful. One of the easiest ways to make it beautiful without having to make it perfectly smooth is to cover the sides in something – mini chocolate chips, nuts, etc. Another way is to use the large offset spatula, and swipe up on the sides, creating straight lines around the cake. This allows you to create a pattern without worrying about making it perfect. If you want a perfectly smooth cake, I found this great tutorial from Life, Love, and Sugar. I don’t use the same tools as she does – I prefer to just use the offset spatula, and I prefer to put the frosting on the side with that as well, but this is a great starting point if you’ve never tried it before!

If you do try to decorate your own cake, or have any questions, please reach out to me at hello@breadandbreakfast.org and tag me on Instagram @bread_andbreakfast if you post a photo of your creation! I can’t wait to see!

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