I just tried to tort a cake using pudding for the first time. The problem that I ran into was that once it was filled and stacked, I had a hard time icing the cake, the pudding kept seeping out each time I ran the spatula over the area where the pudding was. Even after I crumb coated, stuck it in the fridge for a bit and began again, it was still a problem.

I was thinking there might be some sort of dam method but haven't seen or read anything about it. Any ideas?

hi hilly. yes, making a dam will definitely help. here's what i do. i take some of my buttercream and mix it in a bowl with some added powdered sugar. i don't measure, but i mix in enough ps to make it like a play doh consistency. then i roll it in my hands to make little snakes, then put it around the edge of the cake. fill the cake, then put the top layer on. with your spatula, smooth the snakes into the top and bottom layers of the cake, then you can firm up in the fridge a little then frost. it helps with pretty much all runny fillings.

good luck!

When you are using fillings like pudding that move a lot, you need a dam. Take your icing and add powdered sugar to it until it is very, very thick. Pipe it in a circle around the cake layer, you can use just a coupler without a tip, and THEN fill the cake inside the little well you just made.

Personally, I don't dam cakes often because I use thicker fillings. Have you ever thought about making your own fillings? You can take just about any fruit and cook it down with water and corn starch.

You need to use a dam with the puddings. You might also try and use a little less liquid when mixing the pudding, makes for a slightly stiffer, firmer filling.

And watch your store bought jams, they tend to be a bit runny. Like sayhellojana said, you might want to make your own and then you can control the consistency better.

If there is a cake supply shop near you, you might try the commercial raspberry or lemon filling. It is a bit firmer and taste really good. We have a cake shop that sells cake and cookie supplys and carry it in a 1# bag or a 5# tub. It hold forever and doesn't need to be refrigerated...

Yup, you use a dam. You should use one when filling with anything~other than the buttercream of course. You use your piping bag with just the coupler on it and go around the outside of the cake with the buttercream, or whatever your gonna use as the crumb and final coating of icing. This holds the filling in and keeps it from doing exactly what you experienced. I have seen it done where there are two layers of the dam, one on top of the other, if you want a thicker layer of filling. Hope this helps. Im sure the cake tasted good anyway! Take Care and God Bless,


~Roxanne

Thanks so much everyone!! I'll definitely dam it next time!

lol @ Mike...

oh, now all i can think of is the national lampoon's vegas vacation movie, when they go on a tour of the hoover dam and ask dam questions after the dam tour and take dam pictures and buy dam souvenirs.