How to Frost a Cake Without Tools

Even if you don’t have specialty frosting tools for cakes or cupcakes, you can use the following everyday household items to a similar effect:

1. 1. Butter knife: You can use a simple butter knife as effectively as a professional offset spatula or palette knife for frosting purposes. Use the straight edge of the knife to apply frosting to the top and sides of your cake. A smooth, consistent motion will yield the best results.
2. 2. Cardboard: If you don’t have a cake stand, an easy cake board solution is a round, clean piece of cardboard covered in parchment paper. The flat edge will make the cake easier to frost, cut, and serve.
3. 3. Rubber spatula: Rubber spatulas are the perfect tool for spreading frosting with a gentle, smooth touch. Wipe off the spatula between applications to get an even finish.
4. 4. Serrated knife: Use a serrated knife to level out rounded cake tops and cake layers, creating a flat surface for easy stacking and decorating. Learn how to cut cake layers.
5. 5. Teaspoon: An everyday teaspoon can create a fun flair in your frosting design. You can use a teaspoon in a pinch to frost your entire cake.
6. 6. Ziplock bag: You don’t need a fancy pastry or piping bag to create impressive frosting designs. Fill a ziplock bag with frosting and cut off a corner of the bag for easy cake decorating.

Here’s how to transform your favorite cake and a bag of frosting into a celebration-worthy dessert:

1. 1. Let the cake cool. Give your fully baked cake ample time to cool to room temperature. Applying the frosting while the cake is still hot will cause your decorations to become runny and drip down the sides.
2. 2. Bring the frosting to room temperature. If the frosting is too cold when applied, it can stick and tear off chunks of cake. The cake and the frosting should both be at room temperature for optimal frosting conditions. Buttercream frosting and cream cheese frosting are great options as they are soft and spreadable.
3. 3. Level the top of the cake, if desired. Though cake is just as delicious with a domed top, it can be helpful to have a flat surface for decorating or creating multiple layers. Level your cake using a serrated knife: Cut the dome off gently, from one edge of the cake to the other, keeping the angle straight across and even. You can also leave the cake in the cake pan while cutting off the dome, using the top of the pan as a guide.
4. 4. Prepare the cake for frosting. Move the cooled, leveled cake to a clean, round piece of cardboard. Line the outside of the surface by overlapping four strips of parchment paper along the edges of the cardboard, leaving a small square of space in the center. The paper should hang off the edges; you will remove it from the bottom of the cake after frosting for a clean, finished look.
5. 5. Stack the cake layers. If you’re making a layer cake, place the bottom layer of cake on the cardboard with the strips of parchment paper visible. Apply the desired frosting or filling on top of the first layer, then rest the next cake layer on top. Line up each layer at the edges to create even cake sides.
   
6. 6. Apply the crumb coat. The crumb coat is a thin layer of frosting applied to the whole cake to hold it together. Rather than looking beautiful, the crumb coat locks in crumbs, creating a smooth foundation for the rest of your frosting. Using a butter knife or rubber spatula, apply a thin layer of frosting to the entire cake. (Avoid touching the actual surface to minimize crumbs.) Once you’ve coated the surface completely, place the cake in the refrigerator for thirty minutes to set. Learn more about how to crumb coat a cake.
7. 7. Frost the cake. Spoon a large dollop of frosting onto the top of your cake and use a butter knife or rubber spatula to smooth it out from the center to the edges. Then, move to the sides of the cake, gently rotating the cardboard around like a turntable as you go. Clean the knife or spatula often to get an even finish. For extra-smooth frosting and sharp edges, dip the knife in warm water, then dry it before continuing to frost.
8. 8. Add decorative elements with a ziplock bag. Scoop some frosting into a ziplock bag, squeezing out the extra air. It’s better to use freezer ziplock bags instead of non-freezer bags, which are thinner and can burst under pressure. Twist the bag until the frosting is tight, then snip off one corner to create a DIY piping tip. You can now pipe on decorative swirls, lines, petals, or pearls of frosting. Create different sizes of piping tips by cutting off more or less of the bag corner. Add food coloring to your piped frosting to give your cake some extra pizzazz. Practice your designs on a piece of parchment paper before working on the cake to get a sense of how it will look first.
9. 9. Add decorative elements with a teaspoon. A teaspoon is an unexpectedly helpful tool for executing many cake decorating ideas, especially on the sides of your cake. To create horizontal stripes, press the rounded part of the spoon into the base of the cake and drag it through the frosting around the entire cake to form a ring. Move the spoon up a little and create another horizontal line around the cake; continue to the top of the cake to create a stripe pattern. Using this technique, you can also make vertical stripes, waves, swooshes, or any repeated pattern that appeals to you.
10. 10. Finish with edible cake decorations. Finish with cake toppers like sprinkles, fresh fruit, powdered sugar, chocolate chips, or elements made of moldable fondant. (Learn how to make sprinkles with pastry chef Joanne Chang.) Add candles if it’s a birthday cake. Once you’re happy with the look of your cake, gently remove the parchment paper strips, wipe any excess frosting around the edge with a paper towel, and enjoy.

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