This Nifty Knife Cut Makes The Cleanest Slices Of Cake Every Time

It's not as if cake is ever really difficult to cut, but getting a picturesque slice like you see on baking shows can be challenging. Whether you ordered the cake from Sam's Club or Costco, or it was baked at home using your favorite boxed cake mix, crumbs tend to get stuck in the middle layers of frosting, marring the visual appeal. Of course, the internet has an answer for everything these days, and some clever folks have discovered a knife trick that can help you get clean, attractive slices. Instead of cutting into the confection from the top, you hold the knife vertically (with the business end pointing down), and slice through the outside toward the center.

The idea is simple enough, but when we spoke with the chief blade officer at Seido Knives, Constantino Delnero, he said this approach works best with specific types of cake. "Pushing a blade in from the side compresses the cake and drags the frosting, which can make the layers look messy," he said. "This technique would work on firm cakes such as chilled cheesecake or a mousse, but would not provide as clean a cut from classic frosted layer cakes."

I suppose this is another example of don't believe everything you see on the internet. However, Delnero did have some suggestions that might increase the chances that this knife hack could work with something along the lines of a super moist chocolate cake. "If you do try this technique out, be sure to use a long, thin, and sharp knife for maximum precision and ease in slicing through the cake," Delnero said. "Additionally, you may consider warming the blade (by dipping it in hot water and drying it between cuts) to further enhance its ability to slice through the cake smoothly."

While our knife expert Constantino Delnero isn't convinced the vertical blade hack will work with all types of cake, he did have some tips that can help you get clean slices using the more familiar top-down method. Firstly, the kind of knife you use matters. "Your standard layer cake has a similar consistency to a loaf of bread, so a serrated bread knife is your best choice," Delnero said. "The long, thin blade creates less drag and serrations 'bite' through the frosting without tearing it."

Of course, you want to give that serrated knife as much assistance as possible. Warming it up a touch before carving, as Delnero previously mentioned, is one way to do this. Another involves using the correct motion as you slice. "When cutting, make long, gentle strokes and avoid pressing straight down," he said.

Still, even with all these tricks up your sleeve, crumbs are bound to happen just based on the texture of most cakes. However, tempering the fluffy consistency of the confection will help your knife slide through it like butter. "Most people experience the biggest difficulties when cutting cakes that are too soft; to remedy this, chill the cake for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting to firm it up," Delnero said.