For two years I’ve wanted to write about how to properly frost a cake. It’s partly selfish — it’s a skill I really want to improve. I love baking, but I haven’t spent enough time learning how to make cakes look professional. When Craftsy invited me to try some of their creative classes, I noticed a free buttercream class and signed up immediately. Modern Buttercream with Joshua John Russell taught me a lot, and I’m proud of what I learned.
To show the difference the class made, here’s my cake decorating before and after:
Big difference, right? I was pleasantly surprised by how much improved the finished cake looked.
Joshua’s class covers buttercream basics, preparing layers for frosting, assembling a cake (including three-tier techniques), frosting, and adding texture and decoration. The lessons are full of practical tips that felt like game changers. One simple trick was lining cake pans with butter wrappers instead of parchment — such an easy hack I hadn’t known about. For this cake I kept the finish simple and clean so I couldn’t hide mistakes with heavy texture. The main lesson I took away is that the right tools and technique make a big difference. His method for leveling cake layers was far better than my old “eyeball and saw the top off” approach, and he emphasized chilling layers between steps. I used to skip that, but it really helps. With the proper method, frosting a cake is much more manageable than it seems.
Above are some of the tools Joshua recommends. A decorating turntable is a game changer for frosting — I don’t know why I waited so long. I also learned to use cake boards for everyday cakes, not just wedding cakes.
For this attempt I used a funfetti cake recipe and Joshua’s buttercream from the class. It was my first time making funfetti from scratch, and I’ll definitely make it again.
Many readers have asked for cake-frosting tips, so I wanted to share this experience. If you want to learn more, the class I took is a well-organized way to work through the basics and practice at your own pace. The lessons make techniques clear and actionable, and the improvement you can make with focused practice is real.
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