omnomnom | Icing cakes

I have just about mastered the art of covering a cake in royal icing when someone is trying to shove a spirit level up your nose ("is it level? I don't think that's level.") but I am now trying to come to terms with soft icing.

I usually go for the oh-so-technical art of cutting it in half and spreading a bit in the middle, and then bunging it on the top until it's covered but I always get complaints that there's too much icing (honestly, some people...)

So does anyone have any tips? I am planning on making a cake tonight (either German chocolate or strawberry, haven't yet decided!) so I can try it out!

Crossposted, sorry if you get it twice!

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a tip i heard on food network was to do a 'crumb coat' - where you smooth frosting around the cake to almost cover it, put the cake in the fridge for a bit, then cover the cake with the 'real' layer of frosting for a smooth coat.

i haven't tried it, so i'm not sure how exactly it's done, but i'm sure there are links around the net for it. XD

Icing cakes

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