When I think of the most classic baked good, I think of layer cakes. Layers of sponge cake, icing and maybe a filling are stacked tall for the go-to dessert of birthdays, dinner parties, and celebrations all year round. But how do you get those perfect level layer cakes you see at a professional bakery? Let me take you through the steps.
There are three main components to making level layer cakes:
- Baking more level cake sponges
- Trimming the cakes
- Filling and icing straight sides
So let’s dive into each step and work through everything in detail, but before we begin, let me preface this with this one fact: none of this is a requirement for making or sharing cake! These are helpful techniques if you want to practice, but cake is for fun!
The Tools
There are a handful of basic tools that I always keep in my arsenal for making cakes. I’m not an affiliate seller of any of these products, I’m just sharing the tools that I personally use because I like them! As you can see, these are well loved, including the tape on the handles to mark my tools in culinary school.
Baking Even Cake Layers
To get level cakes, it’s easier to start with level sponges (aka, cake layers). But how do we control how cakes bake?
- Start with equal cake layers by dividing the batter evenly between each cake tin. Use an ice cream scoop (or weigh each tin) to divide the batter evenly.
- If you have a thicker or stiffer cake batter, use an offset spatula to evenly smooth the batter into a flat layer.
- Use cake strips when baking: soak the strip in water, wring it out and secure it around the sides of the pan. What does this do? It insulates the sides of the cake so they don’t bake too quickly. When the edges bake faster than the center, the center will continue to rise and create a domed effect.
Pro tip: if you don’t have cake strips, you can DIY your own at home! Cut an old kitchen towel into strips about the height of your cake tin. Secure them by clipping the edges with a metal binder clip (yes, the all metal black binder clips are totally fine to put in the oven!)
Trimming Level Cakes
Even with the efforts above, we will have *pretty* level cakes, but we want completely level cakes today! So, let’s trim our cakes evenly next. Hint: cake cuts easier when it’s cold! Cutting a warm cake will never work well, and icing a warm cake will be a disaster.
- Set up your cake station properly by placing a non-slip pad on top of a cake turntable. I like to use a turntable with a heavy-duty cast iron base so it doesn’t go sliding around as you work. The non-slip pad I use is just a piece of drawer liner cut into a square about 4″ x 4″ – smaller than the size of my cakes. This non-stick pad will change your life and stop you from cussing at me.
- Place your cake layer onto a cardboard cake round so that you can move it around after you ice the cake. Place your cake round on top of the non-slip pad.
- Next, the trimming! Using your serrated knife, trace a line around the edge of the cake at the height you want, keeping the knife in place and turning the turntable. I do this by eye, but if you want to be super precise, you can first mark a height (using your knife to make a little slash) with a ruler in a few spots, then trace the line.
- Now that your guideline is in place, begin slowly sawing your knife through the cake layer, keeping it straight on the guideline as you turn the cake. I like to place my non-dominant hand on top of the cake flat and use it to turn the cake, and use my dominant cake to saw with the knife.
- Eventually, your knife will make it to the center and you will trimmed your first layer! Swap your next layer onto the cake board and repeat!
Pro tip: eat those cake scraps, thats the bakers’ payment.
Filling & Crumb Coating the Cake
Now comes the fun part, the icing and decorating! It doesn’t matter if we cut the cake evenly if we ice the cake lopsided!
- First, add the icing layers. (My favorite icing is this Swiss meringue buttercream recipe.) Using your ice cream scoop again to keep the amount of icing consistent between each layer, pile quite a bit of icing into the center of the cake layer. Using your straight spatula, work the icing to the sides, and let some spill over the edges (we’ll use that later). Use the turntable to your advantage, and let the spatula stay stationary while turning the cake so you get a nice even layer.
- Stack the next sponge on top, press flat with your hand. Now, this is important, get eye-level and make sure it’s on straight! Check the sides, make sure they are inline with the sponge below. If you set the sponges better now, you have to do less work with the icing against it.
- Repeat your the filling from Step 1 for all layers, including the top layer.
- Next, we will make a crumb coat. What is a crumb coat, you ask? A crumb coat is a thin layer of icing that goes on the cake first to lock in, you guessed it, crumbs. This wafer thin layer is chilled so you are not fighting any loose crumbs in your final finished cake.
- To make the crumb coat, we are going to use that icing we left hanging out the sides of the layers! I told you we will use that later! Use the straight spatula, hold it vertically against the sides of the cake and work that icing around the cake. If you have any bare patches, add a little extra icing enough to coat.
- Using the bench scraper, vertically as well, scrape off as much of the icing as possible, and place in a separate bowl from the rest of your fresh icing. Chill the cake for at least 20 minutes before the final coat!
Icing the Cake
Last, we are going to do the final finish of the cake! Not every cake needs a perfectly smooth finish, finish it how you desire! A cake like my Lemon Cake, I used the same steps below, but I left a few swooshes of buttercream so it has a rustic feel. The choice is yours, you are the artist here!
But, let me describe how to get a smooth straight finish, and you can play from there!
- Take your chilled, crumb-coated cake and start adding quite a bit of icing to the sides with your straight spatula. It’s important to ice generously at this point since you will take some off as you smooth it out.
- Next, switch to the bench scraper. I like to use a scraper without a bulky plastic handle so I can set the scraper at a 90° angle against the bottom of the turntable against the cake.
- Keep the bench scraper straight up and down, and slightly tilted toward the cake to limit the edge (think about the angle of a dustpan). With the bench scraper stationary, rotate the turntable until you have a smooth finish. Clean the scraper between each turn as necessary as you remove excess icing.
- If you notice you have any holes or divets, you can add some more icing and resmooth! Think of it like spackling.
- Now that you have nice smooth edges, you probably have a ragged line at the top. Switch back to your straight spatula and hold it horizontally. Starting with the edge farther from you, pull the spatula in towards the center, like an airplane wing, pulling the excess icing towards the center.
- Clean the spatula and repeat this process all around the top edge of the cake. Be sure to keep checking at eye-level to make sure no side is higher than another. If it is, scrape it again.
- Wondering how to get the cake off the turntable? That’s what the cake board is for! Clean your spatula a last time and slide it under the cake, lift it up enough to grab underneath and transfer to your favorite cake stand.
- VOILA!
That’s it! You have a lovely smooth, even and level layer cake! This is very much a practice makes perfect task. And for me, it doesn’t matter how many times I’ve practiced, I’m still a bit slow at this as I watched other bakers whizz past me in speed. But who cares!
Cake is fun, if you are stressed out trying to get it perfect, go with the rustic style, throw sprinkles over the top, top with some fresh flowers – there are plenty of ways around a perfect finish but still having the wow-factor!
OK, let’s go make cake!
