Smoothers & Scrapers

Achieve a flawless finish on any type of icing you choose, with The Cake Decorating Company’s collection of professional cake smoothers, scrapers and polishers.

What is a cake smoother (or icing smoother)?

Our icing smoothers and polishers are designed to help to achieve a perfect smooth finish to your sugarpaste and fondant-covered cakes. They are available with straight and curved edges. We recommend you use two icing smoothers together. You can then use one to ‘hold’ the cake in place while using the other to polish to a perfect finish.  These smoothers can be used on sugarpaste, fondant and also for smoothing marzipan.

Smoothers are a must-have to achieve a professional, even finish to the tops and sides of your cakes. Use a cake smoother tool on sugarpaste (fondant icing) and marzipan in a circular motion, and if crisp, sharp top edges are required. Use your smoother to create sharp side and top edges to give a modern, contemporary look to your cakes.

Smoothing out your icing to a flawless finish is such a simple way to level up your cake and get that really polished finish to your design. Especially if there isn't a lot of other decorating going on, a perfected icing base makes all the difference!

How does a cake scraper work?

Wondering how to get smooth buttercream edges? We’ve got you. A cake scraper is a handy tool, designed to help you smooth out your buttercream to a flawless finish. It works by scraping over the layer of buttercream, removing excess and smoothing it down.

Scrapers work on all shapes of cake, levelling out icing on round cakes, and creating sharp edges on square or rectangular cakes.

Icing scraper tools are available in acrylic or metal, and each have their benefits. A metal scraper can give a particularly sharp finish, and won’t bend when working quickly or with thick layers of buttercream. However, if you don’t take proper care of a metal icing scraper, it can rust. A lightweight plastic scraper is a little less robust, but is very easy to clean and will last you a long time.

What size of cake scraper do I need?

Let the size of your cake guide the size of your cake scraper. For a tall cake, check out the Extra Tall Scraper from PME, which will allow you to smooth over up to 10” at once. For smaller cakes, shorter scrapers will work - our ganache scrapers can be bought individually, or as a set of 5, which includes a range of sizes.

Is a palette knife different from a cake scraper?

A palette knife is a specific tool under the cake scraper umbrella. Cranked, angled, off-set and straight palette knives are on offer in this category to help you decorate with ease. All of the palette knives have a stainless steel blade that glides effortlessly over your icing. Our icing palette knives are available in a variety of blade sizes with plastic, comfort-grip handles.

How to use a heated cake scraper for ganache

Using a heated cake scraper is a great method for ganaching a cake! Simply submerge your cake scraper in hot water for a few seconds, take it out and thoroughly dry it, and then scrape it over your cake. The heat will help it glide beautifully over the ganache and allow you to achieve a truly flawless finish.

Don't forget a turntable to help get to all sides of your cake with ease, and why not browse our full range of equipment and cake decorating tools for more inspiration.