Portillo's Chocolate Cake & 2 Lou's Pizzas

Tip: Try to carefully remove the cake from the plastic to avoid peeling the top layer of cake away.

Cut open the frosting pouch with scissors and dab a small amount of frosting, about the size of a nickel, on the center of a serving plate or cake stand.

• Tip: This should prevent the cake from sliding.
• Tip: If the frosting is stiff, place the unopened pouch in a bowl of warm tap water (between 70°F - 85°F) to help soften it. Dry pouch well before opening.

Using the spatula, go slow, start in the middle of the cake and spread the frosting evenly over the top and just past the edge of the top surface. The overhang of frosting will help you frost the sides of the cake.

• Tip: You want to push the frosting gently, keeping an even hand motion. Try to avoid pushing into the cake. This can cause cake crumbs to stick to the frosting and be spread around, giving it a textured look. If you get crumbs in the frosting, simply scrape the dirty frosting off your spatula into a separate bowl.
• Tip: Again, be generous when you start to frost. You can always scrape some off if you end up with too much, but if you start with too little, you risk pulling crumbs from the cake into the frosting, giving it a textured look.

Think of the cake in quarters and tackle one quarter at a time, turning the plate or cake stand as you go. Aim to get the cake covered with frosting first.

Once the cake is frosted, you can go back and beautify. Smooth out the frosting or create swirls or other textures. Remove any excess frosting.