How Your Frosted Cake Ends Up With Bubbles
More than any other dessert, cakes make us happy. No offense to pot de crème, chocolate mousse, or crème brulée, which we also love, but cakes are celebratory. They are associated with birthdays, milestones, or otherwise. Hence, the mere sight of a cake makes you smile, even when it's ablaze with more candles than you're willing to accept.
As Gurgaon Bakers point out, cakes can trigger sweet memories. Perhaps you ask for the exact cake each year for your birthday to bring you back to a happier time (yellow cake with chocolate frosting), or the taste of pound cake reminds you of time spent with a cherished grandparent; cakes really can make you happier well beyond their delicious taste.
The benefits extend beyond the lucky recipients. According to Smithsonian Magazine, multiple studies have shown that people who frequently do creative projects like baking are happier and less anxious and those positive feelings last into the next day. It's not surprising then that cake sales are up in the U.S., with projected 2022 retail sales expected to reach $20.1 billion per Statista.
Whether you bake it from scratch or dress up your favorite boxed cake mix, baking a cake can be both a rewarding and frustrating project. Since baking is as much a science as an art, there are plenty of common mistakes bakers can make. To make your cake look its best, eliminate annoying bubbles and get the smoothest frosting by following these tips.
How to avoid having air bubbles in your frosted cake
Those intimidated by frosting a cake welcomed the 2016 boho naked-cake trend that made the process simpler and faster. The barely iced, tiered cakes focus more on the cake layers, filling, and decorations, often fresh berries or flowers, than the cloyingly sweet frosting (via Bake Magazine).
For the rest of us, decorating a cake is a creative outlet that can take hours or days. While a poorly decorated cake still tastes delicious, bakers take pride in their cakes, wanting them to look as good as they taste. Overwhipping the buttercream is a common mistake and the nemesis of smooth-looking cakes.
While buttercream should be light and airy, too much mixing can lead to bubbles, which are impossible to smooth with a spatula. To avoid bubbles, Wilton suggests using a paddle attachment on your stand mixer, not a whisk, when mixing. Check the consistency of the frosting often to avoid overmixing for too long at high speeds.
If the air bubbles already exist, allow the icing to rest at room temperature for a few minutes giving it time to deflate. Then, use a spatula to work the frosting up the side of the bowl, pressing out air bubbles. If the results aren't smooth enough, Karolyns Kakes recommends mixing a small amount of hot water into the frosting to smooth it out. A small amount of hot water and a hot spatula will also help smooth out minor imperfections on the cake.