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Square cakes aren't as simple as round cakes to make but with these six hacks I hope to make them
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easier. First if you don't have a square cake pan don't run out and buy one. Save the money
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and bake a rectangular or sheet cake instead, assuming you already have one of those pans
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and cut it into squares for a square layer cake. This will make a tall four inch square cake or
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just cut one square out of each sheet if you want bigger layers. Use extra pieces with a bit of
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buttercream in between to glue them together to make an extra layer to use up all of the cake
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you baked and to make a taller cake. Going back a step, to bake a square or rectangular cake that
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doesn't stick to the pan, line the pan by cutting a piece of parchment paper the size of the pan
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plus whatever the height of the pan is. This pan is two inches high so I'm adding two inches on
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each side of the pan. Cut a slit about that same height, two inches for this pan, into each edge of
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the paper. Now when you push the parchment paper into the cake pan the sides will fold up easily
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to line the pan completely. Unless you make square cakes regularly you probably won't have square
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cake boards. Instead of buying them just for this, choose a round cake board instead, one that's at
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least four inches wider than the cake. For this six inch square cake I'm using a 10 inch round
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cake board. The extra inches will give you space to frost and decorate your cake without needing
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to buy any new cake boards. The most important hack for square cakes I think is to chill the
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cake before frosting it so that it doesn't crumble as you spread buttercream onto it
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or whipped cream or whatever else you're using to frost your cake. Cold cake that's been in the
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fridge for at least 30 minutes will stay firm so you'll keep those sides straight. Room temperature
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cake is much more delicate so as you spread your frosting onto it you can pull off chunks of cake
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which makes it much more difficult to get a neat square shape with your frosting. I'm not sure if
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this counts as a hack because if you've made several cakes before you'll definitely know that
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a crumb coat is essential for preventing any crumbs getting into your final layer of frosting
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so definitely don't skip the crumb coat. It will trap any crumbs that come off the cake and when
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this crumb coat sets, which takes about 15 or 30 minutes in the fridge, the crumbs will be stuck
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into it so they won't get into the next layer of frosting you spread on and that final layer will
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be crumb free. My hack for sharp angles on a square cake is a simple cardboard box. Cut out a
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square of cardboard that's half an inch bigger than the cake. Wrap this in parchment paper to
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make it food safe and non-stick. Now spread frosting onto the top of the cake only and push
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the wrapped cardboard square down onto it, adjusting it so it's centred on the cake. Spread
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frosting around the sides of the cake so it's at least as thick as the edges of the cardboard
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square. Scrape around the cake with a cake comb and then spread more frosting to fill in any shallow
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areas and then scrape again and again, sideways and upwards. Your cake comb will scrape along
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the edge of the cardboard, making the frosting mimic the perfectly straight edges and sharp angles
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of the cardboard square. Put the cake in the freezer for 15 minutes or the fridge for 30 minutes
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and then slice underneath the parchment with a knife to lift up the wrapped cardboard square
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Spread more frosting over the top to fill in any gaps, scrape off the excess and voila! I hope this
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video has been helpful and I can't wait to see your square cakes! Please tag British Girl Bakes
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so I can see them and visit my cake school on britishgirlbakes.com. Thanks for watching
