I always mess this up some kind of way
When i bake a cake, I let it cool a while and crumb coat it that night. When I try to move it it is almost too moist.
The other problem I have is that I can't figure out how to move layers without messing them up, it almost alwys breaks.
Can anyone please give me any pointers?
I would really appreciate the help
Thanks
Lainie

I always flip my cakes out to cool on a sheet of wax paper. That way if I need to move them I can just slide the paper around. Then, when I go to decorate the cake or move it to a cake board, I just put my hand under the wax paper and flip it. Then I peel the wax paper off. HTH

yes!!!!! a while back i went to my aunt's for a pampered chef party. it was there that i discovered the secret to lifting cake layers... they sell a wonderful product called "lift & serve"... they're two half-circle paddles with hand grips on the ends.... slide each half circle under each side of the cake and lift. i use mine all the time. my cakes never break, crack or crumble when "in transit!"
here's the website
http://www.pamperedchef.com/our_products/catalog/product.jsp?productId=7926&categoryCode=KW.
hth

emf7701- that's a good idea. I have a ton of pampered chef stuff- never seen this- I think I'm going to purchase one- looks easy enough!

Gosh thanks to everyone for the info!
what I meant by too moist, was I was wondering if maybe I'm not waiting long enough to crumb coat it. Someone once told me to do that when it's cool to the touch. But if I put it on a board to cool and crumb coat, it gets stuck and is hard to move off, that's the issue I was having.
thanks again everyone
have a great day!

Yes, your cake does need to cool off completely before you crumb coat. Don't worry about waiting until it is very cool. Whatever mild crusting that may happen to the cake will be softened by the icing when frosted. I've waited several hours before icing my cakes and they were still fine.

I'm confused. Are you icing it prior to moving it to the final board it is going to sit on? you should put the cake on a rack to cool. Once cool, move it to the cake board. Then crumb coat.

Concerning the Lift And Serve, I have a question...Can you lift a whole tier of a wedding cake with them?

lillielu~

i suppose you could do a practice cake and attempt to move a tier with them... i've never made a wedding cake before so i'm not much help in that area (i would love to though!) ... i would imagine that they would lift smaller tiers. i use them to move 10" round layers, although i've never lifted the whole cake with them!

Wouldn't your cake tiers be sitting on their own board already? You should be able to get your fingers under there and move them more securely.

I am not sure I understand completely. I usuaually let my cakes cool for five minutes in the pan before flipping them onto a cookie sheet. After cooling I then flip them again. By this time the layers are usually firm enough for me pick them up and flip them. I trim off the tops and I then put a little frosting on a round and then put the trimmed layer onto a cake round. I guess the thing that is instrumental is the cookie sheet. If I were to put the layer on a plate then I would encounter the moisture problem I think you are referring to. The semi circles are good for moving a cake that has already been crumb coated but I don't find that I need them for moving unfrosted layers.

I always take a piece of parchement paper and put it on a circle or square before I flip my cake from the pan. That way I can put my icing on my board and center the board on the cake then flip it over and the parchment comes right off. I always let mine cool 10 min.

i freeze every cake i make...

even if i'm gonna need it in just a few hours...

a pastry chef on another board said freezing " tightens the crumb"

i didn't know exactly what that meant...(ha ha)....but it sure makes them easier to handle...and seems to make them moister....