# Stupid cake frosting! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 30, 2004, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942 "2004-09-30T22:37:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942/21 "2004-10-01T13:59:10Z")
> [@Elenia28](#): > > A trick: If it really comes out looking like crap, put some cheese in it, fold it in half, put more cheese, fold it in half again, and slap it between two slices of bread. Condiment to your desire. Now you have an omelette sandwich. šŸ˜ƒ Now that sounds like a solution thatā€™ll work for me! Maybe it is the flipping, I get impatient. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942/22 "2004-10-01T13:59:35Z")
> [@Ponder Stibbons](#): > > **This Yearā€™s Model** , you have trouble making omelettes that look good? šŸ˜• But itā€™s so easy! You just ā€¦ well, itā€™s easier to show than to describe. I use an oil spray on the pan (even though the pan is teflon) before starting. Beat the eggs in a bowl and maybe add a tiny amount of milk while the pan warms up. When the pan is warm enough that a drop of water kinda sizzles, pour in the eggs, put a top on the pan. Cook until it sets and easily slides around in the pan. Flip. Top with goodies, cook a little more, serve. Easy! Ok, okā€¦Iā€™ll tell you my system. A little butter or margarine on the pan, but donā€™t put it on until a) the panā€™s hot and b) youā€™re ready to drop your eggs on. Put eggs in a bowl, with seasoning and whatever else you want to put in. Make sure your ham or whatever is chopped really fine. Mix it up really good. Then put the butter on, when itā€™s melted spreadit around and put your eggs on. I donā€™t use a top; just let it sit. Watch it until most of the liquid is cooked on the top, then carefully flip it over. if there is liquid left, it will cook on the bottom as long as itā€™s not a lot. Now the side on top should be beautiful golden and fluffy. Cook for a few more minutes so the bottom is cooked, and then flip again. Add cheese. Fold if desired (I usually fold at least in half). And thatā€™s all there is to it! The trick for both systems is ONLY flipping it at just the right time! ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942/23 "2004-10-01T14:06:36Z")
Well did she like the cake or not? ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942/24 "2004-10-01T18:35:19Z")
Yeah? How did it go? And, uh, didja ā€œget anyā€ afterward, if ya know what I mean ;)? ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942/25 "2004-10-01T19:09:22Z")
This thread right here demonstrates what I love about this place. Here we have a guy ranting about frosting on a birthday cake. And we all glom on to it and ABSOLUTELY NEED TO KNOW how things worked out. Incidentally, I liked the idea of cutting the cake up and putting it in a parfait glass. Clever! ā€“scout, who will eat a cake no matter what it looks like. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942/26 "2004-10-01T19:14:13Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > And, uh, didja ā€œget anyā€ afterward, if ya know what I mean ;)? Given his silence, one can only assume that **zoo** is _still_ getting laid. ---
**Author:** ![zoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71c47a/32.png) [@zoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoo)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942/27 "2004-10-01T20:40:44Z")
Thank you all for your thoughtful replies. I apologize for the delay but I had things to do before the debate and then it was bedtime. The cake presentation was a very jovial affair. The kids were quite amused and my wife was a pillar of restraint. I would post pictures but I do not know how to display them in this format. To join the hijack, I can make a stellar omelette! ---
**Author:** ![Yamirskoonir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/c0e974/32.png) [@Yamirskoonir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yamirskoonir)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942/28 "2004-10-01T21:25:04Z")
Doesnā€™t some company now make microwavable frosting that you heat, _pour_ on, and it evens itself out as it cools? Iā€™ve always waited till the cake cooled completely, but I would frost with the exposed part on top and inevitably a fine layer of baked goodness (kinda like a ā€œcrustā€) would peel off and mix with the frosting, leaving visible golden crumbly bits throughout. Iā€™d like to try the microwave stuff, but I shudder at the thought of the types of preservatives contained therein. Has anyone tried it yet? Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942/29 "2004-10-01T21:27:52Z")
Glad to hear it! I had the pleasure of watching the chef frost a cake that was a model mine and my wifeā€™s wedding cake. Itā€™s clear to me that frosting anything pleasingly is nothing short of art, and Iā€™ve never made a serious attempt at it (cookies and brownies donā€™t count, Iā€™m guessing). You have my utmost respect for even trying. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942/30 "2004-10-01T21:55:57Z")
**Yamirskoonir** the secret to non-crumb infested frosting is to do it TWICE. First with a plain, thin sugar/butter/milk frosting that you slap on and let set. This glues down any potential crumbs. THEN you frost again with whatever frosting you want to make an impression on. BTW, this will also work when you have to do some cutting to even out the cake. Put that first layer of frosting over the cutsā€¦think of it as primer. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942/31 "2004-10-01T22:23:09Z")
> [@Elenia28](#): > > Ok, okā€¦Iā€™ll tell you my system. > > A little butter or margarine on the pan, but donā€™t put it on until a) the panā€™s hot and b) youā€™re ready to drop your eggs on. Put eggs in a bowl, with seasoning and whatever else you want to put in. Make sure your ham or whatever is chopped really fine. Mix it up really good. Then put the butter on, when itā€™s melted spreadit around and put your eggs on. > > I donā€™t use a top; just let it sit. Watch it until most of the liquid is cooked on the top, then carefully flip it over. if there is liquid left, it will cook on the bottom as long as itā€™s not a lot. > > Now the side on top should be beautiful golden and fluffy. Cook for a few more minutes so the bottom is cooked, and then flip again. Add cheese. Fold if desired (I usually fold at least in half). > > And thatā€™s all there is to it! The trick for both systems is ONLY flipping it at just the right time! Yā€™know, this omelette stuff may deserve its own thread. Shall I? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942/32 "2004-10-01T22:33:43Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Iā€™ve decided never to make an omlette again. Instead, I make ā€œskilletsā€ or ā€œscrambles.ā€ Really, people, 90% of good food is the marketing! šŸ˜ƒ > (I also hang picture frames at carefully crafted varying heights. If you canā€™t get it straight, but it crooked on purpose, and now itā€™s ā€œartā€!) I also do ā€œscramblesā€, and my favorite one combines ham, bell pepper, onion, tomato, and cilantro. When itā€™s done, I sometimes put some cheese on it. I love it. As for frosting cakesā€¦my Home Ec teacher always told us to slice off the hump in the middle of the top of the cake, then to flip the layer upside down, so weā€™d frost the smooth bottom crust of the cake. This helps, somewhat, as does putting a layer of ā€œprimerā€ frosting on the cake first. However, it does take some skill and one needs to keep in practice. Since Iā€™m the only one in this family with a real sweet tooth, and Iā€™m diabetic, I really donā€™t practice it that much. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942/33 "2004-10-02T01:15:19Z")
Too late now, but for future reference, donā€™t let anyone see the cake until it is covered with burning candles, which will distract everyone from looking at the frosting. After the candles are blown out, immediately start removing the candles, then blame the messed up frosting on the candle-removing process. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942/34 "2004-10-02T02:16:53Z")
> [@Lynn Bodoni](#): > > I also do ā€œscramblesā€, and my favorite one combines ham, bell pepper, onion, tomato, and cilantro. When itā€™s done, I sometimes put some cheese on it. I love itā€¦ I didnā€™t realize just how much I wanted one of these for dinner. ā˜¹ Iā€™m going to have to run out to the store now and get one bell pepper, one box of mushrooms, some green onions, some cheeseā€¦ bastards making me hungry šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942/35 "2004-10-02T03:37:08Z")
So did the cake taste good? Thatā€™s all Iā€™d care about! ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942/36 "2004-10-03T03:30:40Z")
Itā€™s not clear if you used store bought frosting. If you did, Iā€™ve found itā€™s easier to work with if you nuke it for 15-30 seconds before frosting the cake. Or add a little milk to thin it out. Of course, packaged frosting should only be used in cases of emergency. Otherwise, you simply must do a homemade frosting. Butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and a bit of milk is all you need to make frosting that is more spreadable and way more delicious than store-bought. It also doesnā€™t grab the cake as much. I also have a delicious mousse frosting recipe that you make with heavy whipping cream. Mmm mmm. And now, like DeVena, I also want cake. Damn. ---
**Author:** ![teleute12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@teleute12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teleute12)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942/37 "2004-10-03T05:15:08Z")
ā€¦Wait, youā€™re supposed to _flip_ omlettes? Iā€™ve always made them the way my dad showed me, which involves pulling up the sides of the mixture with a fork and tilting the pan so the liquid egg runs into the space and gets cooked. How do you fold it if both sides are cooked, though? It seems it would be too stiff. ---
**Author:** ![zoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71c47a/32.png) [@zoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942/38 "2004-10-03T22:01:24Z")
The frosting was store bought, Betty Crock or somthing. It was not a bad cake, just mis-understood. It will be a while before I bake another. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942/39 "2004-10-03T22:46:53Z")
> [@teleute12](#): > > ā€¦Wait, youā€™re supposed to _flip_ omlettes? > > Iā€™ve always made them the way my dad showed me, which involves pulling up the sides of the mixture with a fork and tilting the pan so the liquid egg runs into the space and gets cooked. . Thatā€™s how Iā€™ve always made them, too. So did Julia Child, btw. Beat up eggs, pour into pan that has a bit of melted butter. Lift/swirl until pretty much all the eggs are set. Sprinkle desired toppings onto eggs stuff. If toppings include cheese, then set a lid over the pan and turn heat down and let cook for a minute or so to melt the cheese. Decant onto plate by sliding the omelet out, and after the first half is on the plate reverse the direction you are moving the pan so the second half folds over and falls on top of the first half. Eat. Iā€™ve never heard of anyone ā€œturningā€ an omelet until thread. You do turn the kind of thing (a scramble?) where the ā€˜fillingā€™ is really little bits of whatever that was mixed into the eggs and cooked along with itā€¦but those ainā€™t omelets. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-cake-frosting/266942.md?page=1)