Question About Sculpting Cakes

Decorating By annakat444 Updated 25 Mar 2013 , 3:55pm by annakat444

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annakat444 Posted 25 Mar 2013 , 3:22pm
post #1 of 6

How crucial is it to use pound cake when sculpting a cake? I'm doing a tiered cake for my daughter's baptism and would like the shape of each tier to be wider at the top and get narrower towards the bottom. The cake has to be vegan, and I'm not sure how yummy a vegan pound cake would turn out, so I'd rather not use pound cake if I don't have to. Thank you!!

5 replies
-K8memphis Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
-K8memphis Posted 25 Mar 2013 , 3:32pm
post #2 of 6

in regard to doing the tapering for any cake--it's no worries because even just a half inch off will make a nice effect for the taper--so any viable cake recipe will do that for you...

 

but as far as it being vegan--you need to know your vegan recipe--i have no idea how it holds...

 

i have worked with some really wonky product that barely could hold together on a plain flat board as a sheet cake much less stack or be sculpted

 

so it can certainly be done but you have to test your recipes in advance..

 

because there's no quarantee that the vegan pound cake will perform for you

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ddaigle Posted 25 Mar 2013 , 3:37pm
post #3 of 6

....or instead of carving, you can, for example, stack a 6"", 7", 8" single layer on each other to have that tapered effect at the bottom.  I did that once so I didn't have to carve.

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annakat444 Posted 25 Mar 2013 , 3:43pm
post #4 of 6

K8memphis - good point, I didn't think about it not holding up. Does this mean I need to make an entire cake for practice ahead of time, fondant and all? Also what is the best way to make sure I carve an even 1/2" all the way around?

 

ddaigle - great idea! didn't think of that. thank you!
 

-K8memphis Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
-K8memphis Posted 25 Mar 2013 , 3:47pm
post #5 of 6

for the carving

 

say you have an 8" cake

 

put a 7" board on top of it

 

and cut it down from the 7 tapering to the 8 that it is on the bottom

 

flip it over--viola

 

and you could just make a half batch to test

 

you should be able to tell really easily if it will hold up or not--bake it and put a little weight on it to see if it crumbles--

 

i can't tell the difference from vegan cupcakes to eggy ones but for egg free cakes--those are an art form unto themself imo

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annakat444 Posted 25 Mar 2013 , 3:55pm
post #6 of 6

Thanks for bringing that to my attention - I have several vegan cupcake recipes I've used before and converted them to cakes and they came out fine, but I've never covered a vegan cake in fondant and definitely haven't done a tiered vegan cake, so this is good to know.

 

And thanks for the tip on carving, I should have been able to figure that out! I've taken a break from cakes since last summer since I was pregnant and am just now starting back up again...I'll blame it on tired mommy brain!
 

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