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Media Platforms Design Squad

I don't have much of a sweetness molar, only I loooove layer cakes. The ta-da! factor is and so high, while the effort can be relatively low ... as long every bit y'all know what you're doing. For this twelvemonth's Skilful Housekeeping Easter bill of fare, I developed that three-layer dazzler above that is covered in billowy cream cheese frosting and filled with a sweet-tart strawberry-rhubarb compote.

To aid you reach layer cake perfection, I tapped the nutrient experts at the Proficient Housekeeping Research Institute for their summit tips:

"Even if the recipe ingredients are not called for by weight, a scale is useful for making certain that your pans are all filled with the same amount of batter. That manner, the layers will all cook at the same rate and be of equal thickness." — Catherine Lo, Associate Food Editor

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"For tender, fluffy cakes, use a light hand. Fold in whipped ingredients carefully, and don't overmix once y'all add the dry ingredients." — Sharon Franke, Manager of Kitchen Appliances & Technology Lab

"I e'er put strips of parchment downward on the cake stand underneath the cake earlier icing to grab drips and spills. You can pull the paper out hands when done so everything looks tidy." — Emily Weinberger, Kitchen Appliances Product Analyst

"I dearest directly-sided cake pans (equally opposed to the more sloped-sided ones). They make assembling and frosting the block then much easier. If you don't accept them, just use actress frosting to even out the side of the cake, smoothing it with a long outset spatula." — Susan Westmoreland, Food Manager

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Media Platforms Design Team

The 4 Must-Follow Rules of Layer Cakes

1. Use the right pan. Just similar you should always measure everything very carefully when baking, you should e'er utilise the exact size of cake pan chosen for. That ane inch of difference makes a difference! (Ever have to scrape burnt cake batter from the floor of your oven? I accept, it ain't fun.) Don't take the right size pans? Borrow or buy some. Not sure what size the ones you have are? Catch a measuring tape.

two. Make certain all your ingredients are at room temperature. This is particularly important for butter, eggs, and milk; it helps produce the lightest, fluffiest cakes. Unlike something flaky, like pie dough, y'all actually want your ingredients melding completely and capturing some air pockets. If you already forget to get your eggs out 45 minutes before you lot outset, here'southward a shortcut: Let your eggs sit in a bowl of fairly warm water for 10 to 15 minutes. As for butter, endeavour standing it up on its short side in the microwave and zap it at 50% power in 5-second intervals until it's simply a piddling soft (this usually takes about two or 3 times). Practise not allow it melt!

3. Nibble coating is key. It merely means frosting the outside of your cake — once it's filled and layered — with a sparse coating of icing, refrigerating the cake until the surface is just dry (typically, about 20 to 30 minutes), and and then frosting the block with the remaining icing. Remember of information technology every bit primer for the icing. Aside from making frosting the cake easier, information technology too prevents cake crumbs from tainting your pristine icing.

four. Use the correct tools. The 2 tools every home cook/bakery should take: a mini offset spatula and a large one, sometimes called an icing knife. Without these 2, I wouldn't be able to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan earlier inverting them onto the cooling rack (paring knives and butter knives can scratch), frost the cake properly, or brand decorative patterns in the frosting, not to mention the other million not-cake-related things I use them for.

5 Steps to Perfectly Smooth Frosting
Acquaintance Food Editor Erin Phraner swears past this process:
1. Trim and stack your cake layers (with any filling you lot're using), and crumb coat the whole darn matter.
2. Transfer the stacked cake to a cardboard cake circle the same diameter as (or slightly larger than) the cake.
3. Frost just the superlative of the block.
iv. Press another cake circle (aforementioned size as the bottom one) into the frosting on superlative of the cake then you accept one solid cylinder with cardboard on both ends, creating a slight overhang. Freeze until the frosting is very firm — this will help the circumvolve peel off easily!
five. Generously printing and polish remaining room-temperature frosting around the sides of the cake using a large start spatula and the cardboard edges as your guide.

Not much of a cake decorator?
Try doing swoops and swirls in the frosting with the end of a mini offset spatula. It'southward easy and tin yield a professional look. Or if it's really looking less than stellar, cover up your mistakes with a tumble of pretty berries or a smattering of colorful sprinkles.

TELL U.s.a.: What are some of your secrets for the perfect block?

Sherry Rujikarn is the assistant food editor in the Expert Housekeeping Test Kitchen.