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If your cake always ends up with smeared frosting and crumb-covered slices, these two simple steps make all the difference.
In a Nutshell
- Freezing your dessert until it’s just firm enough to slice prevents the cake from compressing and makes it easier to slice.
- A hot, clean knife glides through frosting and cake easily, preventing crumbs and icing from smearing. Cleaning the blade between each slice keeps the sides neat.
How many times have you spent hours baking a beautiful layer cake, only to butcher it when it’s time to slice and serve? You run your knife through the cake, smearing the buttercream, and crumbs cling to the blade, leaving a frosted mess that obscures the neat layers you worked so hard to create. It’s a frustrating experience, especially during the summer, when the heat makes it even harder to portion your desserts without the frosting or chocolate melting. Fortunately, there are two simple steps to getting picture-perfect slices: Chill your cake, then use a hot, clean knife to portion it. It’s how I learned to portion hundreds of wedding cakes when I cooked professionally, and how I still cut cake at home. Though this method is primarily used to slice cakes, it works wonderfully for dessert bars, icebox cakes, and other layered treats, too.
Freeze Your Cake
Cake and buttercream are soft at room temperature. As a result, cake compresses easily, and frostings are prone to smearing. To avoid this, place your cake in the freezer. The goal isn’t to freeze the cake solid—it’s to chill it just until it’s firm enough to slice cleanly. This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your cake. To check whether the cake is ready to slice, gently press the top and sides with your fingertips. If your finger doesn’t leave a mark or indentation, it’s ready to portion. (Avoid freezing cakes coated in meringue, as it may break and weep.)
Use a Hot Knife—and Clean the Blade Between Slices
For the cleanest cuts, it’s essential to use a hot knife. Heat the knife by dipping it in hot water—either from the kettle or the tap—then wipe it dry with a clean kitchen towel before making your slice. The hot blade melts just enough icing to glide through the cake, preventing crumbs from sticking to the frosting. This ensures that the sides of each slice are neat and clean. Because the cake is thoroughly chilled, the hot blade won’t melt the rest of it. Place the sliced cake on a plate or parchment-lined sheet tray, then wipe the knife clean. Dip it back in the hot water, dry, slice, and repeat.
Though a chef’s knife works just fine, I prefer a good serrated knife. Its serrations slice through delicate desserts with minimal pressure, and its length is ideal for portioning large sheet cakes and firmer treats such as cookie bars and brownies.
Slicing a picture-perfect piece of cake isn’t difficult. It does, however, require a few extra minutes and a little patience. The next time you bring out a birthday cake or tray of Nanaimo bars, consider giving your dessert a quick chill, then let your freezer and hot knife do the hard work. You’ll be rewarded with beautifully neat, professional-looking slices that look as good as they taste.
Read the original article on Serious Eats
