Preparing your cake for decoration

Filling and crumbcoating your sponge cake

Filling and crumbcoating a sponge cake

Make sure your buttercream isn't too hard as you need to manouver it smoothly across the cake in a bit. 

1. Spread a small amount of buttercream onto the board and attach the first layer of cake. This will help the cake from sliding off.

2. Once the base layer of cake is in place, spread a thin layer of buttercream onto the base of the cake starting from the centre and working your way out. Do the same with the jam. I used raspberry jam. Repeat for the same layer.

3. Place the top layer of cake in place. DO NOT push the sponge down or this will significantly decrease the height and the overall effect. 

4. Crumbcoat the sides and the top of the cake using horizontal movements rather than vertical. Be firm but fair, the sponge is not as delicate as you might think. Create a thick layer to start off with so you don't tear the cake. Scrape the excess off using the side of your palette knife. Make sure you always keep one side of your palette knife as buttercream has a way of sticking to itself.

5. Pop the cake in the fridge for at least 15 mins. This allows the buttercream to firm up. Don't worry if it's a little crooked you can sort that out later when you're icing the cake.

Next.......covering your sponge cake
Earlier post: How to prepare a sponge cake for decoration

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