Ok, so I have not been baking cakes for the past four years.(took some time off to have and be with my kids, and the time off snowballed on me.)

I had not been doing it for a very long before that. So I am not extremely experienced and I am self taught. I stopped doing cakes for weddings and just did simple cakes for birthdays and such. Nothing special. So now that I am getting back into it I am realizing everyday how much I do not remember. I am lost. I just read the post on the simple syrup and I had completely forgot that and I have not done that step since I started back in again.

Can someone just take the time out to give a break down of instructions on cake decorating. Like the steps on what to do after you finish baking the cakes. I know it is silly, I am just worried that I am forgetting so much. I hope I am not the only one out there that can benefit from this. So please help me. I know I have a book somewhere around my house, but I am renovating and I have no clue where it would be right now.

Thanks,
Janice

Hi Janice

The basic steps would be......bake cakes.......turn out on wire racks to cool....place cake on undercut cake board....torte cakes and fill.....place cakes on the cake board you will be serving it from..........crumb coat if you wish to.....let sit 10 or 15 mins.......frost cakes.......smooth frosting once it has crusted...........decorate as you wish.

If you wish to cover a cake in fondant you would place the fondant over the smoothed buttercream frosting and BEFORE placing it on the permanent cake board..
If you wish to use simple syrup you would brush it on after the cakes have cooled. Crumb coating is not necessary if you use simple syrup. Some people don't crumb coat at all. I always crumb coat a chocolate cake. Other than that I usually do not crumb coat unless it is a really crumby cake.

If you have more specific questions just ask away and you are sure to get the answers you are seeking.

Welcome to CC!!!

Thank you very much. I guess I was using the syrup and crumb coat before. That is what happens when you teach yourself.

When I think of questions I will ask away. Thanks

Janice

[quote="Teekakes"]Hi Lea

The basic steps would be......bake cakes.......turn out on wire racks to cool....place cake on undercut cake board...


Can I ask you what an undercut cake board is?

Thanks!

Hi Parm
An undercut cake board is a regular cakeboard that is cut to fit underneath the cake.....without the board showing around any of the cake edges, hence, slightly undercut. Then you place the cake on the presentation board. When the cake is cut no damage is done to the "pretty" presentation board because the knife hits the undercut board.
Another way to explain the undercut board is; If your cake is an 8" diameter you would need to put an apx 7 3/4 board underneath it.

If you are making a 2 or more tier or stacked cake you will need to put an undercut board under each stacked cake. I am attaching a link to a picture in my photo album for you to reference. In the picture you see a 3 stack/tier cake. The bottom of each tier is sitting on an undercut board. This undercut board is sitting on top of the larger tier below it.
photo link.... http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1181929


Sometimes I stumble at explaining things so if this does not make sense let me know and I'll try and word it differently.

Hi Parm,

I do this on all my cakes.
Glad you made sense of my explanation!

Have a terrific weekend