Pic above is a cake I made (just to bring into work, not to sell or anything) where I ended up just adding stripes to the side because I am physically unable to make a smooth-sided cake. I try and try and try and end up going with something like this because it’s never perfectly smooth. I’ve tried a hot offset spatula and a hot long bench scraper. Whenever I had to stop turning the cake plate to readjust, it leaves an indent in the cake. I think my cakes aren’t perfectly straight because when I try to use something straight edged to get clean lines, I’ll have to hold it at an angle to make sure the edge is fully contacting the cake. I’ll also feel like I’m adding too much frosting but then I try to smooth out the cake, trying to do it with light pressure, and even if it gets smooth, you can kinda see the cake underneath.

It is INFURIATING. I always end up just doing stripes or swirls or sprinkle-covered sides 😩