Assembling a Layer Cake on a Cake Stand

In the following pages, I show cakes finished by hand without the help of any kind of mold such as a cake ring or springform pan. The trick to making a cake with a perfectly smooth top and sides is to continually switch from the top to the sides and back again as you are frosting; as you smooth the sides, you generate a ridge of extra frosting around the edge of the top, which you should then spread over the top; as you smooth the top, the same thing happens—a ridge of frosting forms around the edge of the top—so that you need to spread the excess frosting on the sides. Continue alternating in this way until the cake is perfectly smooth. It may take a while.