So I go buy cake boards for my cakes...why is it they dont fit right?...or am I wrong on what Im doing?
I baked a 12" cake, square...I got my 12" board, and its alittle big, cant hide it under the cake....had to cut it down.
Now the wilton platters the same thing, but I cant cut them. and a 10" platter is way to small for a 12" cake or is that what Im suppose to do?
Usually by the time you ice and decorate your cake, the board is covered. Just make sure that your covering (BC of Fondant) is sufficiant enough to make up the difference. And don't put a 12"cake on a 10" board. That's not going to work out that well for you. HTH 
My pet peeve is the decorative boards that don't fit in the boxes. Make a box to fit them already!
Calhoun, Im not putting a border on the cakes....my daughter just wants them iced and no borders at all on each cake. so Im lost as to how to cover up that small area.
this is what I have:
_________ my cakae
__________ my cake board
make sense? any ideas?? and they are to be stacked, square.
My buttercream covers it, but I use ALOT, I use the rim of the board as a guide....to me it's easier and I can make it look smooth.
Calhoun, Im not putting a border on the cakes....my daughter just wants them iced and no borders at all on each cake. so Im lost as to how to cover up that small area.
this is what I have:
_________ my cakae
__________ my cake board
make sense? any ideas?? and they are to be stacked, square.
You may just have to add a thicker layer of icing. My icing is usually quite thick unless I'm adding fondant. I've iced cakes without a boarder, and haven't had an issue. It's also easier to get a perfect smooth cake if you start out with a thick layer of icing.
If you already have a decent amount of icing, and it still won't cover, have you checked your pans? Maybe the size is off. I can't think of anything else. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone having this issue before...If all else fails, you may have to cut the board. Sorry, I'm out of ideas.
My pet peeve is the decorative boards that don't fit in the boxes. Make a box to fit them already!
Which decorative boards don't fit in boxes? We buy gold boards with scalloped edges in all sizes (up to half sheet) and have no problems fitting them in boxes.
A 12 inch cake will shrink upon baking and be a little under 12 iches when cooled completely.
I was taught to trim my cake boards just under 1/2 inch all around to make up for the cake shrinkage. It works pretty good, less overhang and in some cases no overhang, but at the same time it's a pain in the butt getting the blasted trimming even..
As for wilton plastic plates, when I did use them, overhang was the norm. You either filled the overhang with more frosting or left it plain.
Maybe your cakes are pulling away from the sides of the pan, this has happened to me before so it is quite a bit smaller than it should be. For the cardboard I just cut it with scissors after the cake is iced. Also after the cake is assembled if its only showing slightly, I pipe a ring of icing around the cake and smooth with a viva paper towel that usually does the trick.
ALL cakes shrink a bit, whether during baking or during cooling--especially during cooling.
I don't want a board that fits exactly. I want space for my BC and the board edge acts as a guide for my bench scraper so that I can get a nice, straight side, "L", with even BC coverage.
I cut my boards from foamcore. I trace the bottom of the pan. I find that with most recipes, I have about 1/4th inch all the way around--just the right amount for my BC. If I have more room than that, I just trim it off until it is about 1/4th inch.
Rae
Pulling away can be a sign of over baking them.
Pulling away can be a sign of over baking them.
Absolutly. I tell all my students that if they're cakes shrink, they need to reduce the cooking time. Sometimes even 2-3 minutes over can overbake your cake.
Well..........I can tell you with great certainty that my cakes aren't overbaked.
I won't take a cake out of the oven unless my cake tester--usually a wooden skewer---comes out clean(ish) AND it bounces back when touched. For most recipes, that means that it has pulled away a tiny bit from the pan.
That said, all hot things, especially those that "rise", will shrink when they cool. The heated gasses "deflate".
If you freeze your cake, it will shrink even more because moisture freezes (and ice is actually expanded water) and when it comes back to room temp, those ice crystals have melted (deflated) again.
Point is, it's expected that cakes will change shape/size a bit and not match up to a standard sized board.
Rae
I like the little lip too... even a perfectly baked cake that didn't shrink up (my chocolate cake hardly shrinks up at all) won't fit perfectly.
I use it as a guide to ice my cake... this way they are always nice and round. If you aren't doinf fondant after you can ice a little bigger thant he board to hide the lip. It sounds to me like you aren't putting enough icing on your cakes if you have a teeny bit over 1/8" of space and can still see the board.
Some cakes are going to shrink a bit no matter what. Unless you are dealing with mixes, it's just a part of baking. they shouldn't shrink a lot though... if that happens you are most likely overbaking like was already pointed out.
Well..........I can tell you with great certainty that my cakes aren't overbaked.
I won't take a cake out of the oven unless my cake tester--usually a wooden skewer---comes out clean(ish) AND it bounces back when touched. For most recipes, that means that it has pulled away a tiny bit from the pan.
Rae
I was only refering to when the cake actually separates itself from the pan. That's an overdone cake. I've never frozen a cake, so I can't comment on the size after thawing. I've played with my oven temps a lot until I could bake a cake to perfection, and still have it touching on all sides. I have to bake 25 degrees less than recommended just so the sides won't cook faster than the centre. That could be what's happening with the OP. (or anyone who has significant shrinkage).
Thank you so much, and yes that is whats happening...I noticed that my cakes are pulled away from the pan when I took them out yesterday. Is there away to avoid this?
I crisco and flour my pans. ok back to icing! thanks again.
Do you wait until your cake tester comes out perfectly clean?
What temp do you bake at?
I buy a pallet at a time of sheeted hexcomb cardboard.Hubby cuts them up on his table saw in the most popular sizes that also fit my boxes.
Shrinkage aside, if you actually measure the baords and the pans, the dimensions on them are probably slightly off. The Wilton pans that are supposed to be 2" tall are only 1 7/8", and the 6" round that I just measured as a test was only 5 3/4" across. The boards can be slightly off, too, so it's probably never going to be 100% accurate all the time.
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