I think the best idea was to make sure your dam was a half inch in from the edge so that when it spreads, it will fill in the void and not squish out the sides and bulge. Also for a more soupy filling I was taught to carve out an ultra shallow area in the center of the cake for the juices to run into - instead of running down the side of the cake.
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Original message sent by sujane
Loving this thread on the dreaded buttercream. Here's my problem with it... I just can't get to grips with using it for flowers and patterns etc. It doesn't matter how thick I make it, it still seems to resemble a weed rather than a rose when I attempt to use it. And putting it in the fridge first leaves me with an issue of it "blowing the nozzles" out of the piping bag as its so firm it won't pipe... !!! Any suggestions? Someone said use meringue buttercream, I have looked at the recipe for that, what a lot of extra work that is... Is this the only way to use it for piping patterns or flowers. ?
Here's a video on how to pipe a buttercream rose.
m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=LxlEfd5bj-c&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DLxlEfd5bj-c
I want to try this, but all I can find so far are 12" tiles. I was trying to replicate it for an 8" and 6" cake, with pans and dried beans. I did the same ratio of weight as a 12" tile would be for a 12" cake, which made me wonder....are all 12" tiles relatively the same weight? Mine was about 3.25 lbs.
Has anybody weighed their tile??
I don't think you need to be *that* exact.
Do you have a Home depot or Lowes where you are?
Yes, I do. I'll check for smaller ones next time I get stuff there. Thanks Leah!
I tried with the pan and beans this weekend. Even left a 1/2" space on the edge when I filled the center with buttercream. Still had a slight buldge. I guess I will have to make my buttercream thicker, especially in this hot weather.
You have solved the air bubble problem for me, though! Eternal gratitude!! (found that in another thread)
Do you mean you fill the cake then crumb coat it and place the tile on top while it freezes? Just wanted to get clarification.
I guess I should direct this question for Leah, since you seem to be the expert whenever I read these forums! I use swiss meringue buttercream to fill all of my cakes (unless its ganache). Do you use this BC as well? No one ever really mentions it, which leads me to assume most people are using the confectioner sugar buttercream. Also, how many cake layers/filling do you have per tier, and how thick do you make them? I've been using 3 layers of cake/2 layers of buttercream, but decided (because it is summer and obviously hotter) to do 4 layers of cake and 3 of the filling, since I though having thinner layers of BC would cause less of a chance of bubbling with the fondant...WELL....it didn't!!! It caused the cake to shift and crack!! It was a 2 tiered cake and delivered it, kind of fixed it when I got there but was so embarrassed and in disbelief of it happening! Fortunately, everyone was still happy with the cake (for a bridal shower).
I feel like the SMBC is stable, but I feel the need to refrigerate it after I fill and crumb coat...however I never let it "settle," just pushed down a little with my own hands. Thanks for the tip, and maybe you can help me with the other questions!
@couturecakes17, absolutely no. Cakes will never settle in the freezer. Needs to be done at room temp.
@MyaCakes I use an icing recipe I've altered over the years. It's a meringue icing, but not IMBC or SMCB neither of which I really like in taste. All my cakes are four layers of cake, three layers of icing per tier. If it shifted, that's generally a sign of a slippery filling or too much filling. What support system did you use?
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Original message sent by leah_s
The cake needs to settle at least a couple of hours. Longer is better. You can also crumb coat in the thicker bc you use for the dam. That will help Also using cake spackle for the dam work well.
I know this is an old thread, but what is "cake spackle"?
A trick by Toba Garrett. Crumble up cake trimmings and mix with ganache or butttercream to make a thick paste. Use this is a crumb coat to really seal in and smooth the cake before final frosting or covering.
http://ericaobrien.com/blog/2009/09/tricks-of-trade-toba-garretts-cake.html
Hi Leah...I used the same wooden dowels to support as I have always done. However, I think I know what happened. The layers of cake were torted a little too thin (since I did 4 layers instead of the usual 3) and they weren't all even in thickness to the outside edges, therefore the I think the outside edges of filling pushed down on it and caused the cake to tilt, then crack the fondant. I would love to get the agbay that you said you have, however I might just wait until Christmas to put that on my list! Although I have seen another kind (not the Wilton) that is similar and $25 so maybe I'll try that. I'm actually pretty good at leveling with a bread knife. What I usually do is put the cake in the freezer for a little bit (saran wrapped twice), take them out and torte them on their side after a few minutes of defrosting.
I was completely mortified when this happened...had no words...I was anticipating that one day, after many cakes, something like this could happen. Has this happened to you? Fortunately the person still loved the cake (it wasn't totally wrecked as I brought matching RI with me always for possible repairs if needed from transport), but she actually just asked for another cake from me in a few months! Oh a relief! I take what I do seriously and never want to disappoint! Thanks for your response!
@MyaCakes I had one cake shift because I put in too much filling. One, out of maybe 1000 cakes. (I'm a fast learner.)
Get the Agfbay! Save a little money from each cake, ask your family to contribute to your Agbay fund for birthdays, Mother's Day, whenever there's a gift giving occasion. And don't touch that Agbay fund until you order it! You will be sooooo very happy. There are NO substitures.
Next we have to get you away from those dowels and on to SPS! There's another long thread on that.
@MyaCakes I had one cake shift because I put in too much filling. One, out of maybe 1000 cakes. (I'm a fast learner.)
Get the Agfbay! Save a little money from each cake, ask your family to contribute to your Agbay fund for birthdays, Mother's Day, whenever there's a gift giving occasion. And don't touch that Agbay fund until you order it! You will be sooooo very happy. There are NO substitures.
Next we have to get you away from those dowels and on to SPS! There's another long thread on that.
Just gotta add my two cents... I bought the Agbay after much thought because it is, after all a bit pricey, but can honestly say I have never regretted it. It works like a dream, perfect cuts every single time. Like Leah said, there are NO substitutes...
great tutorial. thanks, Leah, for always being so helpful and supportive.
AI just found this old post. Does any one have pictures of how this tile procedure works? Would be nice to see inside of layer filled cake and picture with the tile.. I am making my first topsy Turvy cake with only butter cream. I would hate to see it bulge on me:-(
what kind of buttercream recipe are you using?
Wow, I'm not sure if Im lazy or just doing the best I can with the time I have, but what a great idea, I usually decorate at night and don't have several hours to let the layers settle under anything. Good idea though.
ALeah, thanks for all the tips. I'm a hobby baker and have never let the cake settle. I notice after cutting the cake, the bottom layer is squished a bit underneath all the weight of the other two layers, buttercream and fondant. I'm excited to use this trick but wont the bottom layer be more squished (thinner) than the other layers? I was thinking maybe using the tile trick on all three layers of the cake. Thoughts?
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