4" Tall Cake... How? Help, Please :)
Decorating By Moniquea Updated 3 Jan 2009 , 10:42pm by morgnscakes
Recently I made a square cake from the confetti cakes book. I didn't the correct size so I carved it from a 12x18". I cut it in 3 and filled it... it wasn't enough 
so I bake another cake but macGyvered an aluminium dam so this cake would be taller. I cut that in two and layered it... still barely 3 inches. 
I ran out of ingrediants and time for more and just made sure the second tier wasn't taller than the base. I used doctored mixes...
any tips? 
Thx!
Other than height happy with results
What a pretty cake you created Your icing looks very, very smooth.
When filling any cake pan with batter....fill 2/3rds full. This works with any size pan, any depth.
Most of us use pans that are 2" deep filling them 2/3rds full of batter. It will bake up to a cake that is 2" deep. You put two of those together (w/some kind of filling, even if it is just buttercream) so you have a 4" tier.
Thanks so much!
So 2/3's? OK 
I probably do only 1/2 so that would explain it...
Also your comments about the cake are very much appreciated - I used off white satin ice with a touch of yellow and gumpaste for letters. It felt like a no fail design 
Best wishes to all of you and have a wonderful New Year!!!
You cake looks great! I'm glad I read this thread as I, too, have been wondering how you get the 4 inch cake.
Lisa
You cake looks great! I'm glad I read this thread as I, too, have been wondering how you get the 4 inch cake.
Lisa
Your cake looks beautiful. I can't wait to get that book. I was pouring through it one day at the bookstore.
On another note, my dear CCer's in relation to this thread:
When stacking a cake 4" high after baking two 2" cakes, is it more stable to lay one out, buttercream and/or fill, and then stack the second layer? Or is it more stable to torte and fill thus giving you a 4 layer with three fillings?
I've reading two different sources that seems to contradict.
Any opinions?!
Paul
When stacking a cake 4" high after baking two 2" cakes, is it more stable to lay one out, buttercream and/or fill, and then stack the second layer? Or is it more stable to torte and fill thus giving you a 4 layer with three fillings?
I've reading two different sources that seems to contradict.
Any opinions?!
Paul
I'm definitely interested in opinions as well! 
It really depends on what you want the final outcome to be. If a client asks me for a 4" cake with filling, I will torte and fill one 2" cake directly on the cake board, make a filling on top of that cake, torte and fill my 2nd cake and then place it on top of the other cake. Essentially, they are getting 4 layers of cake with 3 layers of filling. Remember to make sure that you level the cakes very precisely!
For 2" cakes, you only have to torte and fill once. unless you make 2-1" cakes, and are really good at splitting a cake that thin, then you would be able to have a 2" cake with 4 layer of cake and 3 layers of filling. Really, it's up to you and the client and what you feel comfortable doing! personally, i wouldn't attempt to torte a cake smaller than 2".
I usually don't get specifics from the client as far as how many filling layers they want, with the exception of wedding cakes. Then, I go over everything in extreme detail. Birthday cakes, etc., I usually get a filling flavor and then make as many layers as I see fit.
4" tall is the industry "standard".. but it doesn't have to be exactly 4". Serving charts are based on a 4" tall tier though so if you bake a 3" tall tier it isn't going to serve as many as its 4" tall cousin.
If your layers are exactly 2" tall your finished cake will be taller than 4" with filling and frosting. I level my layers to 1 3/4" and torte them and after filling (about 1/8-3/16" thick) and being iced they are almost exactly 4" tall. I use the SPS to support my cakes so the tiers have to be as close to 4" tall (not including the cake board) as possible so I don't have to cut the legs. It's not hard to do if you plan right.
As to stability, I don't think a torted cake is any less stable than one that isn't. All of my cakes are torted.. unless they are topsy turvy.. and they are solid as a rock as far as stability goes. I prefer to eat torted cakes because you get filling with every bite and it makes for a nicer presentation. When you don't torte the filling layer in the middle isn't enough (IMHO of course) to cover every bite of cake.
You can torte thin layers if you have a good leveler.. I wouldn't go thinner than 1/3 of an inch with the wilton leveler.. it's brutal on cakes. Now an agbay... go as thin as you want baby! 
Remember to make sure that you level the cakes very precisely!
That's one of my biggest problems. What is the best way to get a perfectly straight, level cake? I also have problems with the square corners. My corners sag. 
They just don't look right. Any advice??
I'm going to print this thread to help me achieve the 4" height for SPS. I want to try that soon.
Lisa
Remember to make sure that you level the cakes very precisely!
That's one of my biggest problems. What is the best way to get a perfectly straight, level cake? I also have problems with the square corners. My corners sag.
They just don't look right. Any advice??I'm going to print this thread to help me achieve the 4" height for SPS. I want to try that soon.
Lisa
I trim the cakes while they are in the pan, using the edge of the pan as a guide. This only works, of course, if the cakes rise higher than the pan.
Another trick I read about on CC, and I tried it and it works great!!!! ...... Remove the 8" cake from the pan. Put an 8" cardboard, or two or three ... whatever it takes .... then put the cake back in the pan. The cardboards will elevate the cake higher than the pan, you can trim the cake in the pan, using the pan as a guide ... and you have a perfectly trim and level cake.
Great idea, Indydebi. Thanks.
Lisa
**BTW...I have been using your buttercream. Love it. Here's the deal, though. I am a sugarholic. I even put artificial sweetener in my glass of water to cut the bitterness. Keeping that in mind, listen to this. I made a batch of someone else's buttercream the other night (pretty standard american sweet) and, ewwww... it's too sweet. I'm used to yours now! I never thought I'd see the day..............
There's hope for me yet.
I am also like the other CCers, make two cakes, torte to get 4 cake layers then three layers of filling. I use the WASC (white almond sour cream) cake recipe and love it! It rises nicely. Also if you don't have them get the bake even strips, they made a huge difference for me!
That's one of my biggest problems. What is the best way to get a perfectly straight, level cake? I also have problems with the square corners. My corners sag.
They just don't look right. Any advice??Lisa
I use the wilton wire leveler. The really cheap one, not the big plastic one. Use a knife and cut just a tiny bit into where you are leveling the cake. Then use the leveler back and fourth instead of trying to push straight forward. Pushing straight forward screws everything up. As far as your corners, Use really stiff buttercream as a dam before you add your filling so the layers are supported and won't "sag". That should help, I think.
4" tall is the industry "standard".. but it doesn't have to be exactly 4". Serving charts are based on a 4" tall tier though so if you bake a 3" tall tier it isn't going to serve as many as its 4" tall cousin.
If your layers are exactly 2" tall your finished cake will be taller than 4" with filling and frosting. I level my layers to 1 3/4" and torte them and after filling (about 1/8-3/16" thick) and being iced they are almost exactly 4" tall.
I agree with jkalman on the industry standard. when I first started out, my cakes were never high enough, until I realized that the books are meant to be used as a guide. I wasn't filling my pans with enough batter, now I don't have that problem.
I do both torted and non torted cakes. For weddings, I use 2 2" cakes and tort them leaving me with 4 layers of cake and 3 layers of filling. It's more for presentation and it gives the bride a choice of more than one flavor for filling. For birthday cakes, I usually don't torte the cakes giving 2 (2") layers of cake and 1 layer of filling. Once I have put my cakes together, they are never under 4", usually about 4 1/2".
As far as stability, I don't think it matters one way or the other. as long as your layers are level, you should have no problem whether torted or not.
Good luck.[/quote]
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