Anyone can microwave mac-n-cheese, but it takes real skill to frost a cake. With different patterns and textures, frosting can be a mess and leave your perfectly done cake in a heaping pile of sticky sweetness, but don’t worry. Follow these simple tricks inspired by www.todaysparent.com to frost a cake like a pro in no time.

The Stripe:

There are many ways to frost a cake, but the most common is the stripe design. This works best on the top of a rectangular or square cake or the sides of a round cake, but they can be applied to any frosting surface. Simply spread frosting on the cake’s surface until it is completely covered. Then use the back of a spoon and gently press into the frosting. Pull the spoon from one end of the cake to the other, leaving straight grooves on the surface.

The Basket Weave:

This works best on square or rectangular cakes, but is a pretty universal design. To create a basket weave effect, frost the entire cake. Then use a butter knife to carefully imprint a checkerboard pattern (size of squares does not matter) across the cake. Use a fork and gently press on the frosting, alternating directions for each square.

The Swoop:

The swoop uses a spoon to create a wavy effect and looks classy on all shapes and sizes of cakes. Frost the cake entirely and use the back of a spoon to smooth out the frosting in different directions. It is easiest to follow the general shape of a wave and do this in rows until the cake is completely finished.

The Ripple Effect:

The ripple gives the impression of grass and is great for landscape designs on cakes. It looks especially great when the frosting is colored. Use a fork and use it as a frosting rake, lightly dragging the tongs across the frosting and lifting the fork every inch or so. Continue this action until the cake is complete.

“Whenever I try to spread the frosting on the cake, bits of the cake come up with the frosting and make it look nasty,”  said sophomore Natalie Hill. 

Lucky for Natalie, frosting a cake just got a whole lot simpler.