Food Cooking Tips & Techniques Baking How To: Decorate the Sides of a Cake Coating the sides of your cake is a great way to conceal a not-so-perfect frosting job, and it adds dimension and fun to any cake. By Real Simple Editors Real Simple Editors Facebook Instagram Twitter An article attributed to "Real Simple Editors" indicates a collaborative effort from our in-house team. Sometimes, several writers and editors have contributed to an article over the years. These collaborations allow us to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information available.The REAL SIMPLE team strives to make life easier for you. They are experts in their fields who research, test and clearly explain the best recipes, strategies, trends and products. They have worked for some of the most prestigious brands in lifestyle journalism, including Apartment Therapy, Better Homes & Gardens, Food & Wine, the Food Network, Good Housekeeping, InStyle, Martha Stewart Living, O: The Oprah Magazine, Parents, POPSUGAR, Rachel Ray Every Day, and Vogue. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 5, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email What You Need Frosted cakeEdible coatingPastry brush Follow These Steps Use a general handful of coating to avoid smudging. You can use almost anything small and lightweight to coat your cake, but some of the best things to use are colored sprinkles, shaved chocolate, mini marshmallows, crushed cookies, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, chopped dried fruit, and toasted coconut. After frosting your cake, leave the overlapping pieces of parchment paper under the cake and put some of the coating in the palm of your hand. Fill your hand quite full so that you don't end up smudging the frosting with your hand.Gently pat the coating into the frosting. Working your way around the cake, pat the coating into the frosting. Don't press too hard—use just enough pressure to ensure the coating sticks to the frosting.Brush off the excess coating. Use a pastry brush to brush off the excess coating. If the coating is clean and frosting-free, you can use it again for your next cake. Gently pull away the parchment paper to reveal the beautiful finished cake. Tip: You can also use the same coatings to top a cake or to decorate cupcakes. Mix and match the coatings to create different flavor and texture combinations. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit