Pretty, right? Before I act like an expert and show you how to create this sprinkle fault line cake, allow me to admit that this was my second attempt. The first go at this technique did not end well at all. The sprinkles got in the way of my smooth buttercream, my fault line was too tiny, and I basically ended up with a ripply, sprinkled mess. Thankfully, I learned some valuable lessons in my first attempt and I can tell you how to avoid cake tragedies like that!

Now, I can confidently say I’ve got all the details of how to make a failproof sprinkle fault line cake below. Here’s a quick video of the process before you read all about it:

You Will Need

• A 6-inch cake that’s been crumb coated and chilled
• 1.5 batches of vanilla buttercream
• Food color gel of your choice (optional)
• 4 oz bottle of Vintage Rose Gold sprinkles (or any fave SprinklePop mix)
• Icing smoother
• Angled spatula
• Gold Edible Art Paint (gold luster dust mixed with a little vodka works too)
• Small food-grade paintbrush

Step 1: Separate The Sprinkles

To prepare for your beautiful sprinkle fault line cake, first divide the sprinkles into two separate bowls: one for the jimmies and smaller sprinkles, and one for the large spheres and dragees.

If you’re planning on coloring your buttercream, now is a good time for that too! For this rustic rose color, I used a combination of Americolor Dusty Rose, Peach, and Maroon.

Step 2: Frost Only The Middle Of The Cake

Place your crumb coated cake on a turntable and frost a thin layer of buttercream around only the middle of the cake. Then, smooth it with your icing smoother.

This will become the middle of the fault line, where the sprinkles go.

Step 3: Apply The Small Sprinkles

Place a baking sheet underneath your cake turntable to catch any sprinkles that fall (this part can get messy!). Then, add only the jimmies and smaller sprinkles to the newly frosted portion of your cake.

By leaving the larger sprinkles out of this part, you will prevent them from getting in the way once you frost the buttercream fault line. That was the biggest takeaway from my first time trying this technique. Smaller sprinkles make it easier to achieve a smooth, flawless fault line. Don’t worry though, we’ll add the larger sprinkles in toward the end!

Step 4: Frost The Fault Line

Frost and smooth the top of the cake, then add buttercream to the top third and bottom third of the cake, making sure you stop wherever the sprinkles begin. Feel free to overlap the sprinkles in some areas, but try to keep most of the sprinkles exposed. Also, make sure that the layer of buttercream you add is thicker than the layer of sprinkles. This way when you go to smooth it, your icing smoother will glide over the buttercream without dragging the sprinkles along with it.

Next, smooth the buttercream with your icing scraper to create even sides without touching the sprinkles.

When your sides are looking smooth, use your angled spatula to create sharp edges around the top of the cake by swiping any buttercream from the outer edge toward the top center of the cake.

Once your fault line is looking perfect, chill the cake in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to let the buttercream firm up before moving on to the next step.

Step 5: Add In The Large Sprinkles

Now that the buttercream is nice and set, it’s time to add in the rest of this beautiful sprinkle mix! Add all of the large sprinkles you separated out in Step 1 to the sprinkled portion of the cake.

Continue adding sprinkles until the fault line looks dazzling.

Step 6: Paint The Edges (Optional)

To complete the look, use a small food-grade paintbrush to paint some Gold Edible Art Paint onto the edges of the fault line. As an alternative to Edible Art Paint, you could use gold foil, gold luster dust mixed with a little vodka, or whatever your jam is when it comes to an edible gold look!

And voila! This sprinkle fault line cake is so eye-catching. I love this technique now that I know a few tips and tricks to getting it just right!

I hope you feel a little more confident with your sprinkle fault line cakes now that you know a thing or two. Be sure to try it with your fave SprinklePop mix! And if you found this tutorial helpful for your cake decorating session let me know by tagging me on Instagram. I love to see what you’re caking

Disclaimer: I was compensated by SprinklePop for my work of creating this project, styling, filming, photographing, and writing about their products. As always, all opinions are honest and my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Sugar & Sparrow.

The post Sprinkle Fault Line Cake Tutorial appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

I’m a visual person, having learned everything I know about cakes on YouTube. So if you’re like me, here’s a handy video tutorial on how I get those edges sharp and those sides smooth as can be. Read on after the video for my best tips to getting the look:  

Disclosure: this post does contain some affiliate links, meaning I may receive a small commission if you click them and purchase items I’ve recommended. Clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, but they do help to keep Sugar & Sparrow up and running. Thank you for your support!  

You Will Need

• Cake layers and filling
• Thin consistency buttercream like this one
• Piping bag(s)
• Cake turntable
• Metal bench scraper
• Metal angled spatula
• Hot water and towel

Step 1: Gather The Right Tools

The right tools make all the difference when you’re trying to achieve a smooth finish. You’ll notice that I’ve specified metal spatulas and scrapers in the list above. These materials allow you to heat up the tools when you’re smoothing, and just like ironing a shirt, a little heat will help smooth over any wrinkles and blemishes in the cake finish. I have used this 6-inch stainless steel bench scraper and Wilton’s 13-inch angled spatula since the beginning, and they’ve helped tremendously.

A good cake turntable is a must, and I have two of them that I love. The cheapest of the two is this one by Wilton, pictured above. It has a nice rubber circle built in to the top to prevent your cake from sliding around. I also have this Ateco turntable that comes with a rubber pad to prevent from slippage. The Ateco turntable is not only functional, it’s really pretty, and I use it to photograph my cakes on all the time.   

Step 2: Perfection Starts Inside The Cake

As they say, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. If you want a perfectly level cake, you’ve got to start with perfectly level layers. This means torting cakes that have a little too much rise in the center. My favorite tool for this is Wilton’s Cake Leveler. You can adjust the height of the leveler and slice off any extra cake in seconds, creating perfectly even layers for stacking.

As you’re filling your cakes, make sure the height of the filling is level as well. It helps to get down to eye level and make sure it’s not slanted in any way.

If you’ve got extra time on your hands, you can let the cakes settle at room temperature after you stack them, so gravity will do it’s thing before you start frosting. I almost never let my cakes settle because I keep them so cold all the time, plus I am a bit impatient, but I know this is a step that a lot of cake makers swear by.

Step 3: Mix Up The Right Buttercream Consistency

When you’re frosting a cake, you want the buttercream to be thin consistency, meaning that it’s easy to spread and holds its shape without being runny. This vanilla buttercream recipe is foolproof for this, but whatever recipe you use, test it before adding it onto the cake. A good way to test is dip a rubber spatula into the frosting. It should form peaks that aren’t too stiff, and easily spread when you move your finger over it.

If your frosting is too thick, it’ll be hard to get the sides smooth and will feel like you’re basically ripping through it. The end result can often look airbubbly and have a finish that looks like stucco. No bueno. To fix it, all you have to do is add more liquid (in most cases heavy whipping cream or whole milk) to thin it out to the perfect consistency.

Step 4: Stir The Buttercream To Reduce Air Bubbles

Air bubbles happen all the time. It usually starts with over-mixing the buttercream as the whisk or paddle attachment ends up whipping too much air into it. Sometimes it’s just a fact of life, and I still struggle with airbubbly buttercream at times, even when I’m sure not to over-mix.

In my experience with buttercream, one super helpful trick to greatly reducing air bubbles is this: before you add any buttercream to the cake, give it several stirs with your rubber spatula and press it against the sides of your mixing bowl. This will force out any unwanted air that might be trapped inside the buttercream due to your mixer. You’ll visibly see it becoming smoother and air pocket free as you stir it up.

Step 5: Apply A Crumb Coat

I know some bakers don’t believe all cakes need a crumb coat, but I do. This way, all of the crumbs end up in the first frosting layer (hence the term crumb coat) and never in the final layer. It’s just prettier that way.

To add a crumb coat, spread a thin layer over the entire cake with an offset spatula, filling in all the cracks and holes (like in between layers), and smooth it all with your bench scraper. When you’re done, it should look like a semi-naked cake that’s pretty close to level on all sides and the top. Stick it in the fridge for at least 20 minutes (even overnight is a good idea!) to let it firm up a bit before adding your final layer. Starting the final layer with a sturdy foundation is a huge help when it comes to getting a smooth buttercream finish.

Step 6: Apply The Final Layer

After your crumb coat has set, you’re ready to make that perfect buttercream cake become a reality. I’ve learned that piping the buttercream around the cake instead of applying buttercream with a spatula is a huge game changer for me. It helps to keep the buttercream even over the entire cake and makes it way easier to smooth out.

Starting at the bottom of the cake and working your way to the top, pipe the buttercream in even lines as you rotate the turntable. When you reach the top, pipe a ring around the top edge and then fill in the center of the top with buttercream.

First, smooth the top of the cake so that it’s perfectly level and smooth. 

Next, use your bench scraper to smooth the sides, scraping the excess buttercream off of the scraper each and every time. Make sure that as you scrape, the scraper is vertically level, but also about a 45 degree angle toward the side of the cake (tighter angles help reduce those unsightly lines in the cake finish). Feel free to be slow and intentional with this process.

If you notice any gaps in your cake finish, simply fill them in with buttercream and keep scraping.

As you smooth the sides of your cake, the buttercream on the sides will begin to reach higher than the top of the cake like a crown. This is what you want. To get a clean, sharp edge, take your angled spatula and level off the top, smoothing the outsides of the buttercream crown toward the center of your cake. Remember to continue scraping off the excess buttercream and cleaning your tools before smoothing the cake.

Don’t be afraid to get down to eye level and make sure your top is level. Need to raise up one side of the top? Add more buttercream and smooth it down till all is level.

Step 7: Apply A Little Heat

Even if you still have some little flaws in your buttercream finish, here is the magical tip that I’ve discovered that will literally erase them: a hot spatula. Remember how I talked about needing a metal bench scraper and angled spatula? This is why.

Run your metal scraper or offset spatula under super hot water and wipe it clean with a towel so that it’s dry but warm to the touch. Slowly smooth the sides and/or top with this heated device and you will be amazed at how smooth the buttercream becomes. Repeat heating your tools, drying them off, and smoothing the cake until you’ve got the smoothest buttercream you’ve ever seen.

Step 8: Extra Magic

If you’re finding that you’ve been at this process of smoothing for awhile and your cake is still looking a bit flawed, there’s another trick I’ve learned. Stop what you’re doing and put the cake in the refrigerator for at least an hour. The finish will harden and be much easier to work with after you’ve waited awhile.

When the buttercream is good and chilled, pick up where you left off. Apply a very thin layer of new buttercream to the entire cake and smooth it out. You will be amazed at how easy it is to smooth the buttercream when you’ve got a really firm foundation underneath to work with. This part does take a bit more time, and I don’t always do it unless I’m desperate for a smooth finish and the final design depends on it. But when I do, it’s smooth city.

Smooth buttercream cakes don’t have to be intimidating. With enough practice and finding the techniques that work for you, you’ll be a pro at this in no time. If you found the video tutorial portion of this helpful, be sure to check out my other YouTube videos! I’m adding new ones all the time, so subscribe to keep up with them.  

The post How To Frost A Cake With Smooth Buttercream appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

When creating a watercolor finish, the first thing I do is think about a color palette. Sometimes I flip through Pantone swatches for inspiration and sometimes I just fly by the seat of my pants (usually the latter approach), but it’s always a good idea to have a plan before you start mixing up colors.

After having taken a few painting classes in my adolescent years, I know my way around the color wheel and which food color gels to blend to get the look I’m going for. If you haven’t a clue on how to mix colors, Wilton makes a pretty awesome set of food color gels called Color Right that includes all the gels you need to achieve any color of the rainbow (and then some). It’s even got a handy chart to help you mix up whatever hue you’re into.

Here’s a quick video of the watercolor technique before you read about how to get the look:

You Will Need

• Color Gels (here’s the Wilton Color Right set)
• A fresh batch of vanilla buttercream or other white-colored frosting
• A cake that’s been filled, frosted, and ready for it’s final coat
• Mixing bowls and spoons
• Toothpicks
• Cake turntable
• An offset spatula
• Bench scraper

Step 1: Fill And Frost Your Cake

Before you start creating a watercolor masterpiece, you’ll need a good blank canvas to paint on. Fill and frost your cake with a white or solid-colored buttercream so you’ve got a smooth finish that’s just waiting for a final coat.

It’s best to chill the frosted cake in the refrigerator for a good half hour or more so it’s easier to work with.

Step 2: Mix Up Your Colors

While the cake is chilling in the refrigerator, mix up the colors you want to use into your buttercream. I like to color a little at a time, which is where the toothpicks come in handy. Instead of squirting the gels into the buttercream, I like to apply a little of the color to a toothpick and then dip that into the buttercream before mixing and seeing if I need more. This way, you can control the hues a little bit better. Keep in mind that your colors may darken slightly as they settle in, so be sure to allow for the darkening process if you’re trying to get a really specific shade.

For this tutorial, I’ve created a brick red (Crimson + Rose Pink + Blue + a little Black), a purplish pink (Rose Pink + Blue), a bubblegum-toned pink (lesser amounts of Rose Pink + Blue), and a light blush tone (I mixed a tiny amount of my brick red with lots of vanilla buttercream). It’s always a good idea to keep some plain white buttercream around in case you need to tone down the color.

Step 3: Start Painting And Smoothing

After your blank canvas is chilled to the point where you can touch it and not leave a fingerprint, start applying your colors to the cake by touching them to the surface with your spatula. Try to start small by only adding a little color, smoothing the finish with your bench scraper, and then seeing where you want to add more color.

If you come on too strong with your colors, there’s an easy fix! Simply apply the white buttercream over the top of the colors and use the same smoothing technique to tone things down.

Step 4: Keep Decorating

Once your watercolor design is looking top notch, you can keep up the creativity by using some other design techniques. In this cake design, I’ve created a drip with chocolate ganache, added fresh flowers and chocolate disks to the top, and splatter painted with some Rose Gold Edible Art Paint.

Want to see some of the other looks and cake decorating techniques I’ve been loving? Head on over to my Pinterest!

The post Watercolor Ombrè Buttercream Tutorial appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

If you’re more of a video-inclined learner, here’s a quick one I shot of the semi-naked technique. I’ll break everything down in the tutorial in the next section:

You Will Need:

• Thin Consistency Buttercream (this Vanilla Buttercream recipe is perfect)
• Baked Cake Layers
• Offset Spatula
• Bench Scraper
• Turntable

Step 1: Prep Your Cake Layers

If you haven’t already, start by torting your cake layers to an even, level height. In my opinion, this step should never be missed, no matter what kind of cake you’re creating. Torting helps to get rid of any domed cake tops, thus setting your entire cake up for being super level and sharp.

Once your layers are perfectly even and level, fill them and start stacking them. Tip: when you’re stacking your cake layers, it helps to very slightly offset the middle layer so that the edge sticks out a little further in some areas. The top and bottom layers should be completely parallel for evenly straight sides, but slightly offsetting the center layer (and I’m talking a centimeter or two) will help create more varying depth with your semi-naked finish.

Step 2: Frost And Smooth The Top Of The Cake

Start frosting the top of the cake by placing a bit of buttercream on the top and smoothing it with an offset spatula, turning the cake on your turntable as you smooth.

You should have enough frosting on the top of the cake that it extends about ¼ inch beyond the top edges.   

Step 3: Frost And Smooth The Sides Of The Cake

Using that same offset spatula, apply buttercream to the sides of the cake, starting at the bottom and working your way up to the top. Since the semi-naked look involves buttercream that looks barely there, try to apply a pretty thin layer.

When you’ve got the sides covered, take your bench scraper and smooth the sides of the cake until they’re straight and you have some nice areas of cake peeking through. If you have areas that need more buttercream, simply apply more buttercream and keep smoothing until you like what you see.

Try not to press too hard when you’re smoothing the more “naked” areas, since you could puncture the cake layers and cause them to crumble. If this happens, just smooth it over with more buttercream.

Step 4: Smooth The Top Edges

Now that your sides are looking so rustic and beautiful, you’ll probably notice a little buttercream crown has formed around the top edge of your cake. This is a really good sign, because it means you’re going to have a nice, sharp top edge when you’re done smoothing it.

Using your offset spatula, smooth the buttercream crown inward, moving the buttercream toward the middle of the cake. The goal here is to create level, sharp edges by swiping through the buttercream crown and moving the excess buttercream across the top of the cake. Smooth the top of the cake until it’s level and you don’t have a dome in the middle from moving the buttercream crown inward.

Step 5: Decorate

Now that you’ve created your very own semi-naked cake, it’s time to dress it up a little! Some awesome next steps would be incorporating some fresh flowers (made food safe) to decorate, doing a ganache drip, or keeping the design rustic with some greenery like fresh herbs or eucalyptus! Here’s what I’ve done in the past: 

Whether it’s your first semi-naked cake attempt or not, let me know if this tutorial was helpful and show me what you’ve created by tagging me on Instagram! I’d love to see your creations.

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