The last couple cakes for me have had bulges (one even cracked the fondant) although I've done nothing different over the last year. So frustrating! I've got 2 questions...
1. When I stack my filled cakes and crumb coat, the sides are rarely straight. Are you trimming the cakes to make them even before buttercream coating and fondant covering? Or do you just add extra buttercream to even the cake out in those spots?
2. When letting cakes "settle" for a period of time (overnight if I can), are you letting them settle at the crumb-coated stage or after the fondant is added? (or both?) I do not refrigerate any of my cakes, if this matters.
Thank you so much in advance! I really appreciate your help!
I trim the sides all the way around using a turntable and a long serrated knife, just to make sure the sides are flat before I ice them. I don't let anything "settle", I just fill the layers and press down on the top layer to push out any bubbles that might be in there.
I also don't ice anything cold, all of my cakes are at room temp when they're iced and covered in fondant. A lot of peope chill everything, but I'm just saying that you don't have to.
It sounds like the problem might be the kind of filling that you're using. What do you use between the layers of the cakes? If it's too soft it can compress itself and make the bulge, so pressing down on it like I do might help with that.
Oh, thank you! I usually push down the top as well. I don't know what happened, I guess I've over filled. Fillings are pastry sleeves or whipped ganache (with a buttercream dam) or regular buttercream. Maybe I make my buttercream too soft?
I never use that sleeved filling...That might be the problem, it looks like it's pretty soft. If you put too much filling in and it's on the softer side it will squish down when you put the top layer on, so maybe try to put less on, or make it a little stiffer.
I do the same as CostumeCzar but I chill everything and I freeze my filled cakes before the final coat too.
Trimming the sides before icing is brilliant to me because then you don't have to sculpt the icing to the in & out wonkiness of the cakes--you can just slide it on like mayonaise--then all you have to do is get the same amount of icing on all over and smooth it. Rather than it filling in here and there and the unforgiving spatula trying to conform to the unevenness of the cakes.
Once you do it, you go "Oh for sure!" Plus you can use less icing too.
Are each of your cakes flat.? any little hump will cause bulging. when settling ..learned that the hard way.... and not to thin filling and a good thicker dam at the outer edges... Hope this helps.
I do the same as CostumeCzar but I chill everything and I freeze my filled cakes before the final coat too.
Trimming the sides before icing is brilliant to me because then you don't have to sculpt the icing to the in & out wonkiness of the cakes--you can just slide it on like mayonaise--then all you have to do is get the same amount of icing on all over and smooth it. Rather than it filling in here and there and the unforgiving spatula trying to conform to the unevenness of the cakes.
Once you do it, you go "Oh for sure!" Plus you can use less icing too.
It sounds like a smart idea, just wondering if there is a particular technique for achieving a straight trim job on the sides, or is it just a matter of eyeballing+practice?
I do the same as CostumeCzar but I chill everything and I freeze my filled cakes before the final coat too.
Trimming the sides before icing is brilliant to me because then you don't have to sculpt the icing to the in & out wonkiness of the cakes--you can just slide it on like mayonaise--then all you have to do is get the same amount of icing on all over and smooth it. Rather than it filling in here and there and the unforgiving spatula trying to conform to the unevenness of the cakes.
Once you do it, you go "Oh for sure!" Plus you can use less icing too.
It sounds like a smart idea, just wondering if there is a particular technique for achieving a straight trim job on the sides, or is it just a matter of eyeballing+practice?
You are just more or less 'shaving' the sides off so you pretty much can't miss. I use a from top to bottom slice maybe like an inch wide--just like shave off the brown edge of the cake. It's already round or square--so you're just following the lines that are already there.
Put a plate or cake pan under your (footed) turntable and just slice and turn and the excess goes onto the plate for easy clean up.
You will thank yoursef for doing this. It's easy.
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