Once you have baked and cooled your cakes, they are ready to be iced. Place one layer of cake, mounded top down, onto a spinning cake pedestal. If one is not available, a tall stock pot can be used.

Place a generous amount of room temperature icing onto the bottom cake layer.

Smooth the icing in an even layer. Alternately, the icing can be placed into a piping bag fitted with a wide-mouthed tip. The icing can then be piped into a coil formation to evenly distribute the icing.

Place the second layer of cake on top. If the cake has been cooked properly, it should be relatively flat. If the cake is mounded in the center, it can be trimmed with a bread knife.

Press gently onto the cake. This will help the two layers come together.

Begin spreading a very thin layer of icing around the outside edge of the layered cake.

Allow this layer to dry for a few minutes. This layer is called the crumb coat. It basically seals the cake to that the crumbs from the cake will not end up in the outer layer of icing.

Place a generous amount of icing on top of the cake.

With an offset spatula, spread the icing from the center to the outside edge of the cake.

Smooth the icing around the outside edge of the cake, turning the cake stand as you go. If the edge is not as smooth as intended, coconut or chopped nuts can be pressed into the sides.