Every baker knows that a beautifully decorated cake is the result of skill and tools. One of the trickiest parts of decorating a cake is giving your icing or frosting a textured look. Depending on your cake’s design, sometimes you’ll want a frosted cake that has clean edges, other times you’ll want the edges of your cake to have patterns and lines. Luckily, there are just as many cake scrapers and icing combs on the market as there are ways to decorate a cake. With the help of our buying guide, you’ll be able to easily comb through a variety of cake scrapers and icing combs so you can find the one that is right for you.
How To Use A Cake Scraper & Icing Comb
If you want to achieve your desired design on a cake, you’ll first have to know how to properly handle a cake scraper or icing comb. Just follow the instructions below to help get you started.
- After you’ve baked and prepped your cake for frosting, place it on a cake board or on a rotating cake stand.
- Apply a thick amount of frosting. It’s okay if you put a little too much as it can be easily scraped off.
- Decide on how you want your frosting to be textured. If you want smooth edges, use a cake scraper. If you want lines and patterns, use an icing comb.
- Take the scraper or comb and start scraping the edges. With your other hand, you can slowly rotate the cake by moving the cake board or rotating cake stand to continuously scrape every edge of your cake.
- After you’ve scraped some frosting off, see if you have any missing gaps. If you do, add more frosting to the gap and scrape the cake again. You can do this several times until all of the gaps are filled.
Types Of Cake Scrapers & Icing Combs
Multi-Pattern Icing Combs
Icing combs are typically made from aluminum but there are a few that are made out of plastic. Both are long-lasting, but icing combs made from aluminum are mostly used by professionals because they can give you a sharper edge and cleaner finish. On the other hand, because aluminum combs are sharper, you have to be careful when handling, because it can cut or scrape your skin.
The best part about icing combs with multiple patterns is that each edge has a different type of linear pattern you can apply to cakes. You can give your icing a zig-zag, scalloped, stripe design, and more! The more sides the comb has, the more patterns you’ll have. Look for icing combs that have patterns you and your customers will enjoy.
Cake Scrapers
A cake scraper is the perfect multi-functional tool that is essential in every kitchen! Just like icing combs, these are typically made out of aluminum, plastic, and stainless steel. If you are planning on just using scrapers on cakes, aluminum and plastic will help you get the job done. However, if you are planning on using these for something such as food prep, stainless steel would be a better option because of its sturdiness and durability.
Cake scrapers have a firm blade so you can give your frosting a soft, and seamlessly smooth edge. These will also usually have a handle on top to make it easier to grip while scraping your cake. But don’t let their simple design fool you, these are also great for:
- Chopping fruits and vegetables
- Cutting dough
- Lifting pie dough
- Mashing ingredients
- Scraping surfaces
Offset Spatulas
While these are typically used to add the icing or frosting on your cakes, offset spatulas can also be used to smooth out the frosting. The blade is made out of high-quality stainless steel and the handle is ergonomic, giving you more control and allowing you to make more precise movements. Their narrow design is also great for frosting smaller baked goods such as cookies and cupcakes. As great as they are for cake decorating, they are very handy for other jobs such as:
- Flipping food
- Transporting food to different containers
- Cutting curds
What Is The Best Cake Scraper & Icing Comb?
The truth is, there is no cake scraper or icing comb that is better than the rest. Each of these cake decorating tools has different types of handling and can be used to create a variety of designs. In order to pick the scraper or comb that is right for you, you must first see what your pastry design calls for. Most professional bakers actually have a collection of different types of scrapers and combs in order to decorate their frosted cakes and pastries in a variety of unique patterns and designs. So instead of picking just one, create a collection and make your cake decorating options endless.
