Assembling a Rectangular Layer Cake

Orange Buttercream Layer Cake

Appears in

Baking

By James Peterson

Published 2009

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Use a cardboard template to cut the sheet cake into 3 rectangles.
If the sheet cake has a hard crust, trim it off to make the cake more delicate (optional).
Stack the cake rectangles on the cardboard rectangle and trim the edges so there’s a ¼-inch cardboard border around the cake.
Place the first rectangle on the cardboard and brush with the flavored simple syrup (optional). Syrup should ooze up around your finger when you press on the cake.
Seal the rectangle by spreading it with one-third of the apricot glaze (optional).
Spread about 1 cup buttercream on the rectangle with an offset spatula. A little bit of extra buttercream should ooze out the sides.
Continue layering the cake with syrup, glaze, and buttercream. Add the rest of the buttercream for the top and sides.
While frosting the top, allow a generous amount of buttercream to droop over the sides.
Continue smoothing the top and sides, taking turns between top and sides, until the cake is perfectly smooth.
Slowly pull a serrated knife toward you, with the blade against the top of the cake, while moving the knife gently from side to side, to leave a wavy impression on top of the icing.
Pipe buttercream along the edges of the cake.

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