Hi Emily, typically pastry cream is used between cake layers rather than as a frosting because of its soft, pudding-like consistency. You might be able to spread pastry cream thickly on the top of a layered cake and use a "naked cake," approach for decorating the sides. (Scrape most of the cream off the sides of the cake leaving the layers slightly exposed.) Another approach you could try is increasing the thickeners in your pastry cream if you're looking for something that's a bit stiffer. Try using 6 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of flour for a full batch of pastry cream. With this version, you might want to try applying the pastry cream to the cake before it fully sets, as it will be difficult to make it completely smooth after it sets up. Good luck, and feel free to let us know how it turns out if you decide to give it a try. Happy baking! Kye@KAF

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