Using Real Buttercream & The Upside-Down Method
Tapering the tiers of a stacked cake creates a more angular aesthetic. Here, 1” (25 mm) is carved off the diameter of the base of each tier in a 6” – 8” – 10” (15 – 20 – 25 cm) birthday cake. The trick to this method is to work upside-down for better leverage when carving and frosting. In the following example, the 8” diameter round tier is tapered down to a 7” diameter base.
Items Needed
- One 8” round cake
- 6 cups all-butter buttercream
- Serrated knife
- 8” diameter round cake cardboard
(20 cm)
- 7” round cake cardboard (can be trimmed down to size from an 8″ using a good eye or a ruler & compass)
- Turntable, preferably wooden
- Pizza pan or 10” (25 cm) diameter cardboard circle
- Offset spatula
- Bench scraper
1. Place the 8” cardboard under the 8” (20 cm) cylinder cake and the 7” (18 cm) cardboard on top of the cake in its center. Place the cake on a turntable.
2. Using a serrated knife, carve and taper the cake out from top to bottom; using the cardboard edges as guides. While carving, press on the 7” (18 cm) cardboard firmly with one hand so that it remains in place.
3. Clean away the scraps and transfer the upside-down cake to a clean and flat work surface such as a pizza pan. Do not remove the cardboard from the now top of the cake.
4. Using an offset spatula, apply a rough crumb coat to the side of the cake only. Set the cake in the refrigerator until the buttercream is hard.
5. Apply a second and final coat of buttercream to the sides of the cake using a bench scraper blade to frost. Level the top surface since the cake will ultimately be flipped over.
6. Return the cake to the refrigerator until the buttercream is cold.
7. Run an offset spatula under the cake to loosen it from the pizza pan then flip the cake right-side-up. Remove the 8” (20 cm) cardboard from the now top of the cake.
8. Quickly frost the top of the cake. The chilled buttercream sides should hold a strong edge, making the corner easier to achieve.
When adding dowels/infrastructure to the tapered tiers of a stacked cake, remember to take into account the narrower width at their base.
This free tutorial is being brought to you by:
You might also like to read:
){kind=link}
Thank u so much for this information. Great tutorial!
my godness!!!!how can you smooth so perfectly a cake!!! i can t believe it!!
it looks like fondant!!
lucky you are for not being my neighboor,i would knock at your door to beg you for helping me achieving such a perfection!!!ha,ha!!
anyway,discovering your blog bring me new challenges ,i m novice in cake decorating,and i have soooo much to learn,so a big thank you for sharing your technique.
happy baking
Thanks! My trick to smooth finishes is using a bench scraper to frost.
Love this tutorial!! If I wanted to cover with fondant, would I use the upside down method to cover and after I flip, add a circle of fondant to top and smooth?
Follow the upside down method to get the frosting on then cover the cake (upright) in fondant. Make sure the cake is well chilled before covering it in fondant. It is a little harder to cover topsy turvy cakes with fondant but is still totally doable.
Thank you for sharing trying this for a cake this weekend!
Thank you for sharing! I have a question the are cakes 8×2 or 8×3 and how many per cake? Also how many people well it feed taper 6-8-10?
Thank you
Hi there,
The cakes are 4″ high.
So a 6-8-10 cake would feed 45-50 people.
Fantastic tutorial. Thank you for sharing your wisdom! Did you fill this cake using the recent tutorial? The sides look so perfectly even. Also, what is your buttercream recipe? I usually add hi-ratio shortening to mine. Still looking forward to your book!
Nancy, you’re welcome! Yes, I do fill this type of cake using my cake filling tutorial. I use sturdy enough fillings that they can be carved through without compromising the structural integrity of the cake. As for my buttercream recipe, I use American style buttercream using all butter, no shortening (I’m not a big fan of shortening). The recipe and instructions are in my book.
how do you get your frosting so perfectly?????
A lot of practice starting in wholesale: http://www.wickedgoodies.net/cakes-and-pastries/
I love your tutorial on tapering cakes. Very valuable information. Thanks for sharing.