A few months ago, test kitchen manager Sarah Jampel sent me a link on Instagram, with a message in big letters begging me to check it out.
The link in question it was a bobbin from the baker And Langanwho demonstrated an unconventional way to cut the cake: from the outside in, and not from the top down.
In addition to being surprisingly effective, Dan's method has a distinct advantage: it results in cleaner slices of cake. “Cutting in the direction of the cake and frosting layers means the knife doesn't drag between alternating layers of cake and frosting, leading to a more pristine cut edge,” explains Dan. “I use this method when I want a nice piece for a photo or video, or when I've taken the time to deliberately create a cake with several thin layers.”
After all the work it takes bake, assemble and frost a layer cake, who doesn't want to make sure their slices look as crisp as possible when served? Intrigued, I put this technique to the test.
Dan says he uses it with any kind of cream, including buttercream and cream cheese. Personally, I have found that when placed on a frosted cake layer Swiss butter creamit didn't make much of a difference – this silky cream style is so smooth that it cuts cleanly whether you start from the top or the sides.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
But with other frosts – how American butter OR chocolate fudge — this cutting trick came in handy. Because American butter—made by beating softened butter with confectioners' sugar—is thick and dense, it spreads much more easily into crumbs; Meanwhile, a stronger cream is prone to staining due to its looser consistency. If you cut cakes with those creams using the traditional way (from top to bottom), the result is a slice of cream that smears into the layers of the cake, creating a messier look. Obviously, this is not a big deal! But if you want crisper cake slices, I found that the outside method is a useful way to overcome this pitfall and results in more pristine layers of cake and frosting.
No surprise here, but this tip is especially useful when combining cake and frosting with contrasting colors, e.g. yellow cake with chocolate cream OR red velvet cake with cream cheese cream, or for a cake with very thin layers. I imagine that a cake with a loose or sticky filling, like caramelcan also benefit from this method.
And of course, there's more than one way to cut a cake. We've tested many other methods, from tomato knives to fishing line, to find out the best way to cut the cake. (Psst … a serrated knife it's a useful tool!)
Cover photo by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
