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Hey Cake Family, Striped buttercream cakes have been the rage for quite some time now, if you have an Instagram page, they are always showing up on your search feed.
Recently, I’ve been obsessed with using my Wilton Icing Comb set and I finally had the opportunity to try out the striped comb pattern.
This was my first time using the striped comb and I have to say I am very pleased with the results.
It’s amazing what this comb set can do and it’s great that it does all the hard work and effort for you to ensure flawless buttercream stripes each time.
The Wilton Icing comb comes with three panels with two patterns featured on each panel for a total of six patterns.
I highly recommend this Icing comb as it gives you so much varieties to choose from. These combs are ideal for buttercream to give you an amazing textured look.
For this blog, we will be using the comb with the square cutouts to make the stripes.
These squares will drag along your buttercream to make ridges that can be filled in any color you desire.
As you continue to drag the comb along the buttercream, the ridges get deeper to create nice groves for your colors of choice.
Once you fill the ridges with your preferred colored buttercream you will then smooth the icing all together using your bench scraper creating a professional detailed finished striped look.
Step by Step Guide to Create a Striped Buttercream Cake
Step 1: Crumb Coat and Smooth
To start we are going to add a dollop of frosting on to your cake board to allow the first layer of cake to stick to the board. For this order, we made four 6-inch marble cakes and serrated the top of each cake for even flat layers.
You are going to add about ½ cup of buttercream frosting to each layer and smooth out the top of each layer before adding the next layer.
For the last layer, you are going to put the serrated layer facing down and start smoothing out the sides to get rid of any access frosting.
If you notice the cake is a little wobbly you want to stick it in the fridge for about 10 –15 min or in the freezer for about 5-10 min and then finish off your crumb coat.
Crumb coating your cake is ideal to seal in any crumbs to ensure the strips on your cake come out perfectly. Once your crumb coat is completed and smooth, placed the cake into the fridge for 30 minutes.
Step 2: Create Your Ridges and Chill
The next step is to add a second coat on to your crumb coated cake. For the second coat, you are going to put your buttercream on heavy. I find the bench scraper to be the best tool to make the icing smooth.
Once smooth, you are going to use your Wilton Icing Comb with the square ridges.
To use this tool, you are going to hold the edge of the comb straight against the freshly iced cake pulling the comb in one direction along the surface in a smooth even manner.
You want to do this gradually to create the ridges adding a tiny pressure with each smooth stroke.
Be sure to clean your icing comb each time you go around the cake. Remove any excess frosting from the top of the cake for a smooth even look.
Once you created the ridges place your cake back in the fridge to cool for about 30-40 minutes or until firm to touch.
Tips
- Holding your icing comb at a 90- degree angle against your freshly iced cake works best.
- Be sure to keep the icing comb flat against the board to create smooth even ridges with each pass of the comb.
- If you are noticing holes or gaps in your ridges just added more buttercream and go over it again with the cake comb.
- Ridges should be about 1/8 inches deep to allow the colors of your choice to show nicely.
- Be sure to chill your cake to ensure smooth even edges.
Step 3: Fill your ridges With Colored Buttercream
Add colored buttercream into a piping bag and snip off a small opening on the end. Placed your chilled cake on to the turntable and pipe the colored buttercream into the ridges.
You want to make sure that the grooves of your ridges are completely filled and the colored buttercream reaches every space.
Its best to overfill the spaces in order to create thick stripes.
Step 4: Make Smooth Clean Stripes
Once the ridges are completely filled you are going to use your bench scraper to smooth the frosting.
You will need to do this several times to remove the excess buttercream. Be sure to clean your scraper with each pass around the cake.
The first few times around the cake will look unfinished but with more passes will create amazing stripes.
So be consistent and steady with your strokes around the cake.
Step 5: Finishing Touch
Be sure to smooth the top of the cake and decorate the top and sides of the cake as desired.
For this cake, I used the Wilton Tip 1M to create swirls in the same color of stripes around the cake.
To make the colorful swirls, I placed a thick line of the colored buttercream used to create the stripes on to saran wrap.
Wrapped it together and cut off one sides. Place the cut side inside the piping bag containing the 1M tip.
The best part about this technique is, you can use any stripe color combination you desire, follow the above steps for each new color design.
Marble Cake Ingredients
For the marble cake you are going to create my classic vanilla cake and add chocolate to a cup of the batter to make it a marble cake.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cup flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp of cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 sticks)
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup of vanilla yogurt
- 3 eggs
- 1 cups buttermilk, room temperature
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line four 6” round pans. Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda and cornstarch, sugar, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined.
- Melt butter and slowly add into the dry mix, on low speed. Continue to mix until no butter remains, and the mixture becomes crumbly. Pour in eggs, one at a time and mix on low until incorporated.
- Mix in oil and buttermilk in two installments, on low speed. Add in vanilla and mix at low speed until everything is fully incorporated.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium high for an additional 20-30 seconds.
- Reserve 1 cup of batter and pour into a medium bowl. Melt 4 ounces of chocolate in the microwave, stopping and stirring every 20 seconds until completely smooth. Pour chocolate into the 1 cup of batter and set aside and stir until combined.
- Evenly divide that batter into each cake pan. Spoon chocolate batter on top, Pour remaining yellow batter on top of the chocolate. Using a knife, swirl the two batters together. This doesn’t have to be perfect but nice swirls you can see.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around the perimeter of the pan to separate the cake from the pan. Place cake layers on a rack to finish cooling.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size
1 SliceAmount Per Serving Calories 331Total Fat 17.2gSaturated Fat 6.1gCholesterol 47mgSodium 299mgCarbohydrates 41.6gFiber 0.6gSugar 26.4gProtein 3.9g
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Buttercream Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, room temperature
- 8 cups of powdered sugar (2lb bag)
- 1 tsp salt (optional)
- 3 Tbsp. heavy cream
- 3 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- While, your cakes are cooling, you can work on prepare the frosting. You can also prepare your frosting overnight.
- Beat the butter on high for 7-10 minutes, until smooth you will notice the butter has changed color and is more white. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Alternate with 1 tsp of heavy cream until powdered sugar and cream are combined. Once fully mixed, add in the vanilla and salt.
- The additional salt is optional as salted butter was used. I found adding the additional salt cut down on the sweetness of the frosting. Beat on medium until the ingredients are fully incorporated, and the desired consistency is reached.
- If the frosting is too thick, add in cream (1 teaspoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (quarter of a cup at a time).
- Reserve 1 1/2 cups of frosting to be colored with food gel coloring in the desired colors for design. Stir the frosting in a bowl with a rubber spatula, moving it from side to side, to get rid of any air bubbles. Place the color frosting in a piping bag.
- Use directions above to assemble cake.
Notes
- Cakes can be made in advanced
- Make sure you remove air out of your frosting before applying it to the cake to prevent less holes and gaps in the ridges.
We hope you enjoyed this blog and will try making your own striped buttercream cake for your next cake.
Nothing puts a smile faster on my face then seeing your beautiful creations.
Please feel free to email or DM with photos of your creations.
Leave a comment below, as we love hearing from our readers and never hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Until next time, Happy Caking!
I am truly driven by what I create and bring the knowledge of what I have learned throughout the years to help other bakers turn a hobby into a new venture. I hope you find this blog warm and inviting as my goal is to fill it with delicious treats and awesome recipes.
