A dense cake is the best starting point for a carved cake, in my experience. I have a sour cream pound cake recipe that stays moist but holds it's shape when carved. I do like to completely cool the cake before wrapping and freezing. Carving while it's thawing then wrapping and icing it the next day is a great idea that I am going to try!
Pam

I am by no means, a guru, but I do a lot of carved cakes and most of all the tips I pick up from here on CC.

I always carve when the cakes are frozen. If the cake thaws too much while I'm carving, I'll refreeze and wait again, because if the cake starts thawing too much, it can start moving and my knife will have a tendency to push the cake instead of cutting it, which can deform the shape and make it really hard to get the shape you're looking for.

The best way is to work kinda like wood sculptors work--go for the big shapes first, then work on smaller ideas. If you're doing, for example, some sort of animal, rough out the big blobs for the head and body, then work on carving away some of the body to form the limbs and some of the head away to form the right nose, etc.

It's almost always better to take away cake than add it on, so it's a good idea to kinda "whittle" down the cake if you're not sure of where to cut--just start cutting layers away a bit at a time until you can start seeing the shape you're going for. Once you have done a few cakes, you'll get better at visualizing where to take cake away, so you won't have to whittle as much, but there's no harm in going slow if you're not sure. You'll also start to get a better idea of what kind of shape you need to start with--i.e. start stacking squares to get a rough outline of a truck instead of a big rectangle--so that you waste less cake when you carve (although the scraps can always go to make cake balls!)

If you really do have to add on (sometimes, for small protruding objects like ears or the smoke stack on a train, it's far better to carve a small piece of cake to the right shape and then add it on), then use something to glue the pieces together--I usually use buttercream. Push the pieces together really well, then freeze again--the pressure from you pushing on the piece will have thawed the cake, not to mention that freezing will help set the buttercream faster so you can carve on the new piece without knocking it off the bigger cake.

If it's a really complex 3D design (or if you're really scared of not getting it right), it can help to either print out pictures or sketch pictures of what you're carving, especially pictures that are exact front, left or top views (multiple ones are even better, because you can compare the cake to your pictures as you go).

I wrap my cakes right from the pan into saran wrap and freeze. I put a crumb coat on the cake before it thaws, and stick it in the fridge to thaw and "sweat" (which it really doesn't) then I apply the final coat of buttercream. Wrapping my cakes in saran wrap keeps them moist, but frosting them before the cakes thaw is the key to keeping the moistness in.

What a great thread!

Not sure if this was mentioned or not... I've noticed a HUGE difference in what kind of knife I use when I carve any kind of cake.

I invested in a more expensive brand serrated knife, (I think I spend $15-20 for it),but it does end up better carving quality.

I usually let my cakes cool for about 1/2 hr, then carve. I usually use pudding in my mixes, but I don't if I'm carving. The extra pudding makes the cakes crumble so much you can't do anything with it.

I really will have to save this line in the forum. I love the knowlegde that lives here. Way to go CCr's.

Wow thanks for this thread, I am learning so much

steffla,

If I use pudding, I add about 1/3 cup more oil and approx 1/3-1/2 cup of milk. Some people add extra eggs & water, I don't.

After adding the milk, check the batter for thickness.. I've noticed after I've added the pudding, the batter gets very thick, and I add the milk to "water" it down. You may need to add more than specified if the batter is still too thick. The cake, in my experience, doesn't cook right if the batter is too thick.

People love the moistness of the cake with the pudding. Yum!
Let me know if you have any other questions. I got the idea of adding the pudding from this site!!
HTH!!

I am just starting to really get into the carving. I am not an expert, but I think they have turned out pretty good so far. I also carve them frozen and use a dense cake. I put bc between the layers and start to carve right away. The think that has helped me is to figure out before hand where I am going to cut, sketch it out and do some measurements. That way youre not just hacking away at the cake aimlessly. Afterwards I put on a crumbcoat. I dont worry that it isnt thawed yet. but I do wait (usually until the next day to finish and cover with fondant.)

What an awesome thread!

Thank you for this fantastic thread!

Hey has anyone seen that "Sonic Blade" thing on TV? I wondered if it would be good for carving cake..... I don't own it and am not advertising for it, just wondered if it would be good.....

http://www.sonicblade.com/

steffla, I know you're trying to be helpful.

However, (let this be a gentle reminder) you can't cut and paste content from another website and post it here, even if you credit the source as it's a violation of copyright.

You can provide a link to the subject matter with a descriptive header citing the source.

Sarah Phillips is particularly protective of her site as it has PAYING sponsors which CC does not and we don't want to create any sticky "situations" for Jackie and Heath.

Sorry for this interruption.

I have never frozen any cakes before ( simply 'cos I mostly do fruit cakes ), so I may be asking an obvious question !
Do you tip the cake out of the pan as soon as it's out of the oven to wrap & freeze or let it sit for 5-10 min first ?? Doesn't it break easily when it's hot ??

Fruit cakes are very dense so they will take some time to cool before being wrapped and frozen.

For other cakes, depending on size - 10-15 minutes in pan to cool (hot cake is fragile) then turn out onto cooling rack for complete cooling. Then wrap and freeze.

Wrapping a too hot cake causes steam and can change the texture of your cake - and not in a good way.

Also NO cake mix manufacturer or ANY cookbook (including professional food service publications) I've ever read recommended this practice (and I've been baking for over 45 years) - so I think the food safety issue is valid.

HTH

JanH - thanks for the info and I really did not know. I did actually let Sarah Phillips know I posted it (as it requests that on her site) and she wrote me an email thanking me for recognizing her as the source on my post. She did kinda bad mouth this site though ! I definitely wont do that again, thanks for the heads up. Someone else did pm me with the same info!

Thanks for the info JanH

this is all very helpful.

wow, ok defintly after reading all these post i think i have a good idea at where to start out doing my first attempt at a carved cake!! great idea to get this post started for others like me to read

alright, this may be a really stupid question, but how do you know which cakes are dence or not? anyone have any recipes?

..now going back to read...hehe

I just did a small 5x5x7 box and the sides where so fregile and crumbly I mixed up some chocolate thinned with milk(soy) and sealed in the sides before I applied spackle. And OMG the spackle is to die for!

My cake wasn't finished and it was too late at night .. anyhow all my husband got was a spoon full of spackle because I wan'ted him to try it and I so wish we had running nanny cams in the house because his reaction was a priceless Jim Carry-like antic and dance. Once the spoon hit his mouth his eye balls dropped out of his head in true Tex Avery fashion and then he got this evel greedy nobody's gonna touch my spoon look while licking so feverishly it made me blush. He said, "Holy Sh!t this is Fwarking Good stuff. OMG...Teeth clanking on the spoon. This stuff is so great I might have a freaking orgams for you!" What in the hell is this stuff...?, he said as he was heading for the fridge in an aweful hurry to search it out and devoure some more. ROFL!!! I almost peed my pants! My sides ached from belly laughing and we almost woke up the baby over icing!
Ok going back to read now.

What if you don't can't freeze a cake???? I have a Lightning McQueen cake due next month (it's free for my nephew - no copyright issues), but my freezer is too small to put a cake in. If I just chill the sheet cakes for a couple of days, should I be ok?

The cakes I have carved were cooled in the fridge and stacked and then I carved. Cooling in the fridge overnight was very beneficial, the cake was very easy to carve. After carving I filled the cakes with mu fillings because I didn't want to carve off my outer layer of stiff bc that hold all my fillings in neatly. So after filling , crumb coat and then cool again for quit a few hours to set everything up. then smooth and cover with fondant. The hardest part is the actually carving and getting that shape you really want so don't carve to much at first, you can always take more off but can't put t on nicely. HTH

I always use a pound cake when I carve cakes, it can be frozen or just chilled over night before carving. If working from a box mix, try the cake mix dr's White Chocolate Pound Cake. But It must be a pound cake of something thick and dense (mud cake, butter cakes works great too)

Also I have a few very sharp serrated knifes of all sizes that I invested money in, don't go cheap on this.

I aways use SMBC because it setup nicely when chilled and make it easier to cover with fondant. But my new thing is ganache these days.

Always use a butter cream or filling that can be left out for a couple of days and does not have to be refrigerated, and that can stand the weight of fondant like ganache, SMBC or IMBC. No jams or fruit fillings.

I always have a template or a picture to work from, or a model, and like mention before carve more exaggerated as you can lose definition after crumb coating and covering with fondant. I like to draw my template out of parchment paper cut out and attach to the cake with toothpicks and use that as a guide to carve.

After I cover with fondant I go back with my finders to work out more definition and details in the cake before the fondant sets.

Never cover a frozen cake, you will have serious problems with the fondant when the cake thaws. bring the cake to room temperture first, then chill the BC then cover for a cleaner finish.

And sometime it can be difficult to have every element of your cake to actually be cake, when in doubt use rice crispy treats to replace those hard to carve places. You can easly mold it to the shape you need and icing and cover like you would with a cake

And attach pieces with uncooked spaghetti rather than toothpicks and I glue with melted chocolate.

Ok I think that is most of my secrets... hope that helps

what great info!!!

thanks everyone this is great info


shelly

Formore carver's out there this is a great post!

I've never carved a cake and I've been asked to carve a pillow cake. Got the tutorial off CC, think I can do it, this thread has been so very helpful.

Short recap - fill cake and freeze; carve frozen cake; crumb coat and let come to room temperature then put another coat of buttercream on and smooth, let sit/settle overnight (is that in the refrigarator or on your counter top?); next day apply fondant and decorate.

Is my recap somewhat correct?? Thanks so much for all the great tips.