Have Your Cake and Eat it too....and Don't Forget the Frosting!

So Marie Antoinette may have never insensitively said "let them eat cake", but even the misguided mistress of Versailles understood the decadent importance of a good cake. And what good is cake without its crowning glory, a sometimes thick, sometimes glossy, sometimes rich layer of frosting?

Every year I make about a dozen desserts for a non-profit organization that is near and dear to my heart. In early January this organization has a formal dinner and dance, complete with a live swing orchestra and a dessert auction (clever really, dinner is included in your ticket but you have to pay for your dessert!). I provide a range of desserts, trying to appeal to any taste, and always try to bring back the best-sellers of the dessert auction. Many of these best of the best are cakes, and in mastering a sell-able dessert (and doing it several times over again) I have learned many dos and don't-dos.

Do: trim the top of your cake. If you're working on a layer cake, a cake trimmer is magic. Seriously, I don't know how I lived without this tool for so many years of auctions. A serrated knife is fine if the blade of the knife is longer than the diameter of your cake and you have a really good eye for cutting levelly, but I am not that talented. The $4 Wilton cake trimmer was worth its weight in gold after the first use.

Do: flip over your top cake layer. Even after leveling my top layer, I find that is much easier to frost the bottom of the cake than the top. By flipping over the top layer (so that the trimmed side is down), you are going to prevent a lot of crumbs and cake bits from messing up your frosting.
 Don't: forget to do a crumb layer. The secret to the smoothest surface is doing a crumb layer first. Sometimes I'll make my frosting a little thinner than usual, do the crumb layer, and then thicken the frosting with some more confectioner's sugar for the top layer. Spread a really thin layer of frosting over the entire layer cake (it doesn't matter if it's smooth or perfect...it's meant to catch crumbs) and put in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Once the frosting has set, proceed with your top layer of frosting.

Frosting a cake with my offset spatula (don't forget to scrape it off once in a while!)

Do: buy an offset spatula. A long offset spatula (you can buy them almost any store that sells kitchen supplies) is the key to great frosting. It allows you to smooth the sides easily and gives you control when spreading frosting across the top.
Don't: forget to clean off your spatula while you work. If you happen to pick up any crumbs while spreading the frosting, scrape the spatula onto the bowl or a small plate right away. Otherwise you'll end up pushing crumbs around in your frosting...not attractive.

The finished product, ready for transport

 Don't: worry about making the surface absolutely perfect. I've found it's really hard to mimic the perfectly smooth surface of a professionally-baked cake, so I don't even try. Plus, there's something really pretty about a cake that looks homemade...thick frosting molded into pretty swirls.

A few other tried-and-true tips:

• Work on an elevated surface. It's a lot easier to work on a cake when it's not at the counter level. I use baking racks to get closer to my cake, but a pedestal or even an overturned mixing bowl will work too.
• Start with the center and work your way out. Work your frosting from the top and center, spreading outward and to the sides. The same goes for cupcakes: put a dollop in the center, spread out to the edges, then smooth the frosting from the outside inward.
• When serving the cake, use a sharp knife and hot water. Dipping the knife in a glass of hot water will help keep the blade clean and your slices picture-perfect.