Decorate the Cake

This is undoubtedly one of my favorite steps. Presentation matters a lot to me and I believe in decorating the cake as best as I can. A glaze, nuts or fruits does the trick. Of course a birthday cake dazzles with the candles as well.

Take out the cake from the freezer. Place the Glaze and Toasted Coconuts on the kitchen counter. 

As you can see the cake is looking pretty decent after the second layer of frosting and remember I am not a professional baker so yours may turn out even better.

Is your glaze ready? Good, let it cool for a few minutes before putting it on the cake.

• Pour half of the Chocolate Glaze over the top of the cake (in the center).
• Use a spoon or spatula to evenly spread it over the top.
• Drizzle the remaining glaze along the edge of the cake all the way around, allowing it to drip down the sides. 
• Sprinkle shredded coconut over the top.

Tips:

• The warm glaze will set quicker when it comes into contact with the cold cake. You will actually see the warm glaze dripping down the sides of the cake and freezing mid way.
• Make sure to add the shredded Coconut on to the Glaze without any delay so that it can stick to the Glaze and not fall off.

Transfer the Cake to your Cake Stand or Serving Platter:

• Obviously we are not going to serve this beautiful cake on the turntable itself, so make sure you have your stand or platter handy.
• Now remember, we put a little frosting on the turntable before placing the cardboard on it. We have frozen the cake a few times plus there is the weight of the cake layers, the frosting at this time will be pretty hard to move. Be very careful. I was unable to do this step myself so I asked the birthday boy to do the honors. Debarshi used the long serrated knife to smoothly cut the frosting and then we transferred the cake on the stand.

Enjoy this decadent Cake with friends and family and make sure to have a big slice yourself for all the hard work you put in.

This cake is sure to woo everyone and I hope all the photos, tips and tricks help you. In case you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them.

Bon Appetit!

Recommended Reading:

• Chocolate Coconut Cake (with Coconut Pastry Cream filling and Buttercream Frosting, topped with Chocolate Glaze and Toasted Shredded Coconut)
• Bake the Cake
• Prepare the Coconut Pastry Cream filling
• Prepare the Buttercream Frosting
• Apply the Crumb Coat
• Apply the Final Coat
• Prepare the Chocolate Glaze

Prepare the Chocolate Glaze

Just like the Pastry Cream, this was the first time I prepared a Glaze for a cake. Now don’t be intimidated by the list of ingredients because a Glaze is really easy and quick to prepare. It not only adds another flavor in the cake but also helps to keep the quantity of frosting in check. You can use the Glaze as a decoration on top of the cake and once you get a hang of it don’t be afraid to use it over other cakes as well.

Ingredients:

• Semisweet Chocolate - 8 tablespoons coarsely chopped
• Unsalted Butter - 4 tablespoons, cut into pieces
• Light Corn Syrup - 2 tablespoons 
• Shredded Sweetened Coconut – ½ to 1 cup (I toasted it)

Let’s do a little prep by chopping the Chocolate:

• Use a sharp big knife to chop the chocolate. Try not to use your hands but an offset spatula to scrape and pick up the chocolate and work in a cool kitchen because the chocolate will start melting. Keep it in a cool dry place until ready to use. 

Directions:

• Place the Chocolate, Butter and Corn Syrup in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

Next toast the Coconut, now you can of course skip this step, I did this as per Debarshi’s wish and I have to say toasting the coconut not only created a nice crisp texture but also brought out a delicious nutty flavor. I toasted the Coconut on stove top using these simple directions:

• Place the desired amount (½ to 1 cup) of Coconut flakes in a large skillet.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the flakes are mostly golden brown.
• As our Coconut is sweetened it tends to brown faster so, it will take less time.
• Remove from heat as soon as they are toasted and transfer to a bowl.

Tips:

• Prepare the glaze according to the directions. Allow the glaze to cool before applying it to the cake. The glaze should be of the consistency of corn syrup. Test the consistency by taking a spoonful from the bowl and drizzle back into the glaze; the drizzled glaze should leave a trail.
• Make sure the cake is cooled completely before applying a glaze with a thin consistency. If it is a glaze that needs to be spread, a slightly warm cake will allow the glaze to spread more easily, but if the cake is too warm the glaze may run off the cake.
• Use a tablespoon or whisk to drizzle the glaze over the cake; allow it to run over and down the sides. Or, slowly pour the glaze over the top of the cake from a measuring cup with a pour spout.
• The glaze will set fairly quickly so if you need to spread it out, use the back of a tablespoon to work it around as desired before it begins to set. If you try to spread it once it starts to set up, you will damage the smooth appearance of the glaze.
• Allow the glaze to set up on the cake for 2 hours. Refrigerate if the glaze or filling contains perishable items.
• If you are going to add nuts or another garnish to the glaze, be sure to add it before it begins to set up so that it will stick to the glaze.

Now we are all set, the cake is baked and frosted, glaze is ready so let’s proceed to Decorating the Cake:

Recommended Reading:

• Chocolate Coconut Cake (with Coconut Pastry Cream filling and Buttercream Frosting, topped with Chocolate Glaze and Toasted Shredded Coconut)
• Bake the Cake
• Prepare the Coconut Pastry Cream filling
• Prepare the Buttercream Frosting
• Apply the Crumb Coat
• Apply the Final Coat
• Mary Berry’s Chocolate Apricot Cake (Homemade Sacher Torte)

Apply the Final Coat

Now that our cake is baked, frosted and crumb coated, it is time to give it that professional look. 

We left our cake in the freezer after doing the crumb coat. Now let’s take it out and apply the second layer of frosting on it.

(Cake covered with Frosting – Crumb Coat)

• Cover the entire cake with the Buttercream, using the same frosting method described earlier (Refer to the Apply the Crumb Coat article)
• Cover it evenly using the offset spatula and then use the bench scraper to smooth the edges.
• Place it in the freezer to chill for about 30 minutes so that the Buttercream hardens. Then wrap it in at least three layers of plastic wrap and place it back in the fridge to chill completely for at least an hour or two, before adding the glaze.

See how the cake looks after the second layer of frosting and remember I am not a professional baker so yours may turn out even better.

Once the Buttercream is hard enough, it is time to decorate the cake. We will be using Chocolate Glaze and Toasted Shredded Coconuts to decorate the Cake which will not only add to its beauty but also elevate the flavors. So, let’s prepare the Glaze.

Recommended Reading:

• Chocolate Coconut Cake (with Coconut Pastry Cream filling and Buttercream Frosting, topped with Chocolate Glaze and Toasted Shredded Coconut)
• Bake the Cake
• Prepare the Coconut Pastry Cream filling
• Prepare the Buttercream Frosting
• Apply the Crumb Coat
• Salted Caramel Buttercream

Apply the Crumb Coat

Last year while baking the Chocolate Raspberry cake for Debarshi’s birthday, I realized that as soon as I started applying the ganache on the cake, it started crumbing. I knew there was no way I could work on the cake anymore so I put the cake in the freezer and later applied the second layer of ganache which brought that beautiful even coat. Obviously at that time I didn’t know that the first coat of a frosting or ganache is always the crumb coat. I didn’t have the turntable, scraper or the offset spatula to do everything perfectly. However, this year Debarshi got me everything and I will say, it elevated the cake to another level of perfection.

So, what is a Crumb Coat?

A crumb coat is a thin layer of frosting that's spread over the cake first. If you've also been in my shoe, then you know that it is impossible to have a beautiful layer of frosting or ganache on the cake with all those little crumbs. A crumb coat (also called dirty icing) acts like a base coat and seals these crumbs. So when we apply the second coat, it looks smooth and even.

Now you can very well do a crumb coat on the serving platter with a rubber spatula like I used to do. However, if you love baking and don’t mind investing for it, I would suggest a few things:

Offset spatula – This is a very useful tool for applying smooth and even coats of frosting or ganache. The long narrow blade is easy to move and reaches all the edges of the baking pan or cake thus evenly spreading the batter or frosting.

Bench scraper – I use it not only for scraping the extra frosting off the cake but also to divide the bread dough into equal quantities. 

Turntable – If you have also frosted a cake without a turntable (like me), then you have no idea what you are missing. The fact is, you can still bake a pretty nice homemade cake without all these things but having these extra tools at hand make everything so easy. A turntable will allow you to rotate the cake while you are cutting or assembling it. Decorating becomes so easy because half of the work is being done by the turntable. Use it to rotate the cake while you scrape the extra frosting or trim the layers evenly.

Cake cardboard – I got my cake cardboards from Walmart and a three pack cost me less than a dollar. It is extremely useful to easily transfer the fully assembled cake from the turntable to the serving platter or cake stand. Hold the cardboard round in place on the stand with a little dollop of frosting.

Let’s do a little prep:

• You will need the cake layers, pastry cream filling and buttercream frosting for the crumb coat.
• Make sure your cake layers are cold otherwise the filling and frosting will start melting away.
• Check the consistency of your frosting. You should be able to scoop it up with your spatula and turn it upside down over the bowl without it falling or sliding back into the bowl. The frosting should hold its shape perfectly.

Directions to assemble:

• Take a little bit of the frosting and put it on the turntable so that the cardboard bottom does not move around. 

• Place the cardboard on the turntable.

• Start by spreading a thin layer of icing on your cake board. This way your cake will stick to your board.
• Place your first layer on the board (remember we are assembling the cake now so we will be removing the parchment from all the layers before assembling them together).

• Divide the Coconut Pastry Cream into two parts. Spread half of the pastry cream over the top of this layer. Fill the sides with the Buttercream Frosting. 

Tip: The buttercream frosting is all sugar so if you want you can fill the layers only with the pastry cream filling and coat the assembled cake all over with the frosting.

• Smooth the pastry cream with the offset spatula. Try to slowly rotate the turntable with your other hand so that the offset spatula can easily smooth all over.
• Once your filling is nice and flat, you can continue stacking your cake layers. So, remove the parchment from the second cake layer and place it on top of this layer. 
• Repeat with the remaining Pastry Cream.
• Remove the parchment from the third cake layer and place it on top of this layer. 

Tip: Make sure you are smoothing the Pastry cream to a uniform level. Once you top it with another layer of cake, there is no going back.

• Now we have used all the Pastry Cream filling. It’s time to start working with the frosting. 
• Take about a cup of frosting and spread it over the top and sides of the cake with the offset spatula.
• Start by smoothing a thin layer over the top of the cake. 

Tip: Always add more icing than you think you need. It's much easier and cleaner to remove icing than add it.

• If any buttercream from the layers overflowed, you can spread that over the sides of the cake.
• Start adding additional frosting to the sides of the cake. Always start with more than you need. Lift some of the frosting from your bowl and spread it over the side of the cake. Hold your spatula at 90 degrees against the cake, and use your other hand to turn the turntable to apply the frosting evenly.
• Using a large cake scraper, remove frosting from the sides of the cake until the cake layers begin to show through. Once you have a nice thick coat of frosting, hold your bench scraper flat against the side of your cake. Then turn the turntable and the scraper to make a nice, smooth coat of icing. 

Tip:

• Hold the scraper very lightly against the cake. It should just touch the cake and scrape the extra frosting.  
• A good trick of getting a really nice crumb coat is to have an extra, empty bowl nearby. Every time you get crumbs on the spatula, just wipe the frosting into the extra bowl. This makes sure that your real bowl full of buttercream is totally free of crumbs.
• If you find your cakes are sliding around and won’t stay stacked properly, stack them as best you can and then place them in the freezer to harden the buttercream. After about 20 minutes, they should stay put and you can continue crumb coating your cake.

• After finishing the edges of the cake, you will have peaks on the top edges of the cake. To get rid of these peaks, move your offset spatula in a swiping motion, pulling the buttercream from the outer edge toward the center of the cake. 
• After the crumb coat put the cake in the freezer for 30 minutes. Then wrap a plastic warp all around the hard frosting and put it back in the freezer until you are ready to do the final coat.

Our cake is already coming together and looking beautiful right? Now we will do the Final Coat which will cover all the imperfections.

Recommended Reading:

• Chocolate Coconut Cake (with Coconut Pastry Cream filling and Buttercream Frosting, topped with Chocolate Glaze and Toasted Shredded Coconut)
• Bake the Cake
• Prepare the Coconut Pastry Cream filling
• Prepare the Buttercream Frosting
• Salted Caramel Buttercream
• Assemble the Black Forest Gateau

Prepare the Coconut Pastry Cream filling

Once the layers have been baked it is time to prepare the filling. This was the first time I prepared a Pastry Cream Filling and it sure made me feel like a professional baker. The procedure may look complicated but have patience, it will pay off. The filling will have a light and creamy texture with the decadent flavor of Coconut. The butter will make it silky thus melting on your tongue almost instantly.

Ingredients for the Coconut Pastry Cream:

• Canned Coconut Milk - 1 cup 
• Egg Yolks - 4 large 
• Granulated Sugar – 1/3 cup 
• Cornstarch - 2 tablespoons and 1 and ½ teaspoons 
• Coconut flavor- 1 teaspoon 
• Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons, cut into pieces
• Shredded Sweetened Coconut – ½ cup 

Directions:

• Bring the Coconut Milk up to a simmer in a medium saucepan. 

Tip: It is important to shake the can of coconut milk vigorously before opening it. The fats and liquids separate in the can after sitting. You want a combination of both for the filling, so mix it very well.

• Use the stand mixer for the next step (if doing manually be ready for some serious whisking):
• In a separate bowl, whisk the Egg Yolks, Sugar, Cornstarch and Coconut Flavor until blended and pale in color. 

• Slowly pour in the hot milk while whisking continuously. If doing manually stand in front of a fan and pour the milk very slowly so that the egg doesn’t curdle. 

• Return the mixture back to the pot and whisk over medium-high heat until thickened, about 3 minutes. Pour the thickened pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve.

• Stir in the butter until fully melted. 

• Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pastry cream, making sure it is touching the surface, and refrigerate until cooled completely. 

• Stir in the shredded coconut before adding the filling on the cake layers.

Tip:

Refer to my article on Basic Kitchen Measurements to know how to separate the egg yolk from egg white.

Now let’s proceed to the next step - Buttercream Frosting:

Recommended Reading:

• Chocolate Coconut Cake (with Coconut Pastry Cream filling and Buttercream Frosting, topped with Chocolate Glaze and Toasted Shredded Coconut)
• Bake the Cake

Bake the Cake

Let’s start with the most important step, the foundation of the whole cake – the cake itself. 

Now whenever you are going to present the cake, start working on it at least a day before. I started 3 days before, Day 1 - I baked the layers, Day 2 - I assembled the cake together and applied the crumb coat, Day 3 - I applied the final coat of frosting and poured the glaze on top of the cake and decorated with the shredded coconut. This worked great for me and this is what I will suggest to you.

Ingredients for the Cake:

• All-Purpose Flour - 2 and ½ cups 
• Baking Soda - 1 teaspoon 
• Salt – ½ teaspoon 
• Semisweet Chocolate - 8 tablespoons
• Unsalted Butter - 2 sticks
• White Granulated Sugar - 2 cups 
• Eggs - 4 Large
• Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon 
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – 2/3 cup plus more for dusting the pan
• Canned Coconut Milk - 1 and ½ cups 

Others:

Round pans – 3 of 8 inches each

Let’s do a little prep:

• Half an hour prior baking the cake, take out the Butter and Eggs from the fridge and keep them on your kitchen counter. We are doing this to bring them to the room temperature. This will help them to mix evenly with the other ingredients. 
• Let’s cut the Parchment Paper. Place the Pan on the Parchment paper and draw a circle on the outer edge of the pan.
• Chop the chocolate - Use a sharp big knife to chop the chocolate. Try not to use your hands but an offset spatula to scrape and pick up the chocolate. Work in a cool kitchen because the chocolate will start melting. Keep it in a cool dry place until ready to use. 

Tip: Measure the Chocolate after chopping it.

• Spray three 8-inch round pans with nonstick spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper cut into a circle to fit the pan. 

• Spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray and dust the pan lightly with Cocoa powder. (use a sifter) Tap out any excess and set aside. 

Directions for baking the cake:

• In a medium bowl, combine the All-Purpose Flour, Baking Soda and Salt. Sift and set aside.
• Add the Chocolate to a small heatproof bowl and set it over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir continuously until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool.

• Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the Butter and Sugar together on medium-low speed until light and fluffy. 

• Beat in the Eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the Vanilla.

• Heat the oven to 325°F.
• Add the Cocoa Powder and melted Chocolate and mix until well incorporated. With the mixer set to low speed, gradually add half of the flour mixture, followed by the Coconut milk, and then the remaining flour mixture. Beat just until combined. The batter will be thick.

Tip: It is important to shake the can of coconut milk vigorously before opening it. The fats and liquids separate in the can after sitting. You want a combination of both for the cake, so mix it very well.

• Divide the batter evenly between the 3 prepared pans. 

• Use an offset spatula to spread the batter all the way to the edges of the pan and smooth out the surface. 

• Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few dry crumbs. Cool the cake in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert the cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

To transfer the cake onto the cooling rack:

• Run a sharp thin-bladed knife around the cake's edges. 
• If you're worried the top of the cake will be damaged, you can flip it a second time so it's not upside down on the rack. This is done easily by lining a plate with a piece of parchment paper and placing the plate on top of the cake. 
• Invert the cake onto the lined plate.
• Remove the baking pan. Do not peel the parchment paper. 
• Place the cooling rack on the bottom of the cake and hold it firmly so that the cake is sandwiched between the cooling rack and the plate. Gently flip it so it is right side up on the cooling rack. 
• Remove the plate. Let it cool for another 15 minutes. 

Note: We will remove the parchment paper right before assembling the cakes. The frozen cake with the parchment will allow us easy movement.

To transfer to freezer:

• Place a large piece of plastic wrap on your kitchen counter. 
• Lift a cake layer slightly using the offset spatula. Carefully lift and transfer the cake on the wrap. 
• Cover from all sides.
• Take another piece of wrap and wrap the top of the cake, covering from all the sides so that the cake is now completely wrapped. 
• Place on a cake stand or plate and transfer to the freezer. Keep it frozen till you are ready to work on it. I kept it frozen overnight.

Why we are freezing the cake?

A frozen cake won’t crumble easily and it will hold its shape. Remember we still need to work on it and a cold cake will be easier to deal with when adding the filling and frosting. 

Let’s trim the layers:

• We want all the layers to be leveled otherwise the domes will make the cake uneven. So let’s start by taking the cake layers out of the freezer and let them thaw a little while still wrapped. 
• Thin cake layers like these will usually thaw in 2-3 hours; if you are baking a large cake, it may take quite a bit longer (if you used a different size of baking pan). Do not keep them in a hot kitchen, a normal room temperature is ideal. Don't level when the cake is completely frozen or it might cause it to crack or pieces may break off.

• Take your turntable and place it on a kitchen towel. 

• Use the offset spatula to help pick up a cake layer. Place the cake layer on the turn table and remove the top cover of plastic wrap. 

• Using the serrated knife, go along the edge just as it starts to crown and trim off the dome portion. Rotate the turntable as you cut. this will help you to get nice flat even layers. 

• Don’t discard the domed part, you can still use it for something else (We enjoyed it with a cup of hot coffee). 
• Once trimmed, cover the cake with the wrap and place in the fridge till you are ready to work on it again.

Tips:

• Bake the layers in advance and freeze them overnight
• A cold cake helps to slice the layers evenly.
• Use a cardboard round to easily transfer the baked cake.

Serrated Knife:

• Another essential tool for trimming and halving cake layers is a long serrated knife. (It’s almost impossible to cut layers evenly with a short knife.) Begin by trimming off the raised dome of each cake layer. 

Now let’s start working on the yummy Coconut Pastry Cream Filling:

Recommended Reading:

• Chocolate Coconut Cake (with Coconut Pastry Cream filling and Buttercream Frosting, topped with Chocolate Glaze and Toasted Shredded Coconut)
• Chocolate Sponge Cake