Hi cake friends,

I been having problems with my cakes lately. When I ice them in buttercream after torting them, they still have the bulge around the whole cake. I dam the filling & it doesnt help too much. I have a wedding cake coming up (3-tier buttercream) & im afraid this will happen again. Please does anyone have any advice on how to fix this? Thank you.

Make the BC thicker. That is what works best for me.

Have you seen that video by Sharon Zambito? Her damn is so thick it almost looks like fondant. This might work for the wedding cake if you are concerned about it bulging.

Like Jess said you should have a dam to keep filling from buldging out between your layers. I add enough powdered sugar to some of my buttercream to make my dams. I make it thick enough so that I can actually roll it in my hands. I roll ropes of this "dam buttercream" and make a dam about 1/4 of an inch from the edge of my cake all around my layer then I fill.

NEXT:

You then need to allow your cakes to "rest" after filling them. This allows your cake to settle and you can remove any filling that has "escaped" which is usually what causes the dreaded buldge. This step should be done before crumbcoating and covering with fondant.

Alot of times I see questions posted that read "why did my cake settle?". CAKES SETTLE. It's just part of the process. After filling your cake it should be allowed to rest for 12-24 hours to give it time to settle. It's not IF my cake settles. It's WHEN my cake settles. It's just better if it settles BEFORE it's covered with fondant or your final coat of buttercream.

Really? I thought when you put a thicker layer of buttercream on the cake the BC would start sagging. Whats the best BC recipe to use? Thank you.

Also when you say to use thick BC do I only use it for the damming or do I use that thick BC for the cake itself & the damming?

The really thick BC is only for the damn. It will be so thick in fact that you can mold it in your hands. The recipe I like best is 2 cups shorting, 4 sticks butter and 4lbs powders sugar. I like to use coffee creamer as my liquid along with vanilla and little almond extract.

thanks...wow thats alot of ingredients for just damming a small amount. i wonder if royal icing would work for damming.

Do you refrigerate your filled cakes while the settle?

I used to have this problem until someone told me to fill my cakes and put them in the fridge overnight to let them settle. It works great. Just use your regular butter cream recipe and add less liquid. After you are done add a little extra liquid to thin it down for frosting and decorating. I use 2 pounds powdered sugar, one stick of salted butter, 1 1/2 cups hi ratio shortening, 2 tablespoons clear vanilla and 1/3 cup water. Whip for 5 to 7 minutes.

Thanks. I'll try doing that. But then do you let the filled cakes come to room temperature before icing and decorating? Would you do the same for IMBC?

when I make my buttercream, I take out a bowl-full and save it for my dam before I add the liquid.