Priya Nandakumar 
How to stack a two tier cake at home comes down to one idea: build each tier separately, then support the top tier with dowels cut to exactly the same height. Stack the layers cold, level, fill with something firm, set the bottom tier on a rigid board, and the finished cake will sit flat … Read more
To pick cake flavor and filling combinations that actually taste good, choose the cake for the occasion, rank both flavors by intensity, and give the filling one job: cut sweetness, add acid, or add texture. Never let the cake, the filling, and the frosting all land on sweet at the same time. That sounds simple, … Read more
To make icing colors match a party theme, pull the theme’s dominant, secondary and accent colors, cut them down to three icing shades, then tint white frosting one drop at a time in separate reserved bowls, working from the lightest shade to the darkest. Nearly all of that work happens before any color goes into … Read more
To make lemon curd for cake filling, whisk together lemon juice, zest, sugar and egg yolks, cook the mixture over medium-low heat while whisking constantly until it coats the back of a spoon at about 170°F, then stir in cold butter off the heat for a silky finish. It takes about 25 minutes and makes … Read more
Gel food coloring is a thick, glycerin- or corn-syrup-based dye so concentrated that two or three drops will color an entire batch of frosting. Liquid food coloring is a thin, water-based dye that needs a spoonful to reach the same shade, and every drop of it adds real water to your recipe. That single difference … Read more