Please Help

Baking By cjlpn Updated 19 Jul 2016 , 1:51pm by -K8memphis

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cjlpn Posted 6 May 2016 , 12:44am
post #1 of 22

 I wish I had the money to have a skilled baker to do this but since it's a second marriage and they both have children , money is tight. I had planned to pay for the cake,but as luck would have it , the hospital where I work will be closing and money is now tight for me as well. My only option is to bake and decorate the cake myself and pray that God will see me through and of course some help from you all. I have read many posts but I still need help. I often use the cake extender recipe . Would this be dense enough to stack 3 tiers. I plan on a 10 inch 8 inch and 6 inch. I have wooden dowels for support. I would like to use sleeve filling between the torted cake layers but have concern with the possibility of the layers sliding.. I haven't decided if I should use buttercream or fondant. I have made some MMF and I mixed 2 batches of white chocolate candy clay in with it thinking I might try a ruffle cake but am questioning how hard it would become since i will need to decorate the cake Wednesday night as wedding will be on Friday . I  have a couple weeks of practice before the wedding and help and tips to prevent my cake from being a failure would be so deeply appreciated . I'm a nurse who loves to bake for my family , I know this will be very labor intensive so what type of time frame could I start on this cake? I was hoping to bake torte and crumbcoat on Tuesday,and decorate on Wednesday which would give me an extra day in case the cake fails I would have another shot at it or a day to rest before the wedding. Also any tips on how to level a cake would be so helpful for me. I have read that this is important not only for apperance but structural as well. Thanks in advance

21 replies
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costumeczar Posted 6 May 2016 , 1:11am
post #2 of 22

Bake it the day before you torte and crumb coat it, it will need at least overnight to cool off completely. If you try to ice it before it's totally set it will end up being really crumbly. You can bake on Monday and torte and ice it on Tuesday, then decorate on Wednesday. Box it up and put it in the fridge and it will be fine. DO NOT try to move the cake to the wedding reception when it's at room temperature. If it's well-chilled it will be more solid and FAR less likely to slide and shift as it's being transported.

Put boards under each tier, stack it using the dowels and it will be fine. That's not a huge cake, so you'll be able to move it in one piece. Make sure that the cake drum that you put the whole thing on is solid and not wiggly...Some of the Wilton silver drums are so flexible it's ridiculous, and you want the cake drum to be as solid and secure as possible so that it doesn't flex when you pick the whole cake up!

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cjlpn Posted 6 May 2016 , 2:46am
post #3 of 22

Thanks so much for your help. What exactly is a cake drum?


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carolinecakes Posted 6 May 2016 , 2:55am
post #4 of 22
That's what you place your cake on, a crucial piece, that needs to support the weight of your completed cake. Here's a pic, I like to use masonite cake drums, cause I'm a nervous hobby baker.


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carolinecakes Posted 6 May 2016 , 3:22am
post #5 of 22

I do not own any expensive leveling equipment, so having level cakes to begin with is a plus. There are several ways to accomplish this, baking strips  or collaring your pans with parchment paper. Since I started collaring my pans, may cakes bake up even. I recommend using a level, an inexpensive one from your local hardware store will do.Use this to check your cakes before stacking to make sure they are level.


To collar measure the perimeter of your pan and cut parchment paper that length. Next you fold that piece into three pieces, this way there is only one join in the paper and you have enough collars for three pans.Use shortening to adhere the paper to the sides of the pan and also line the bottom of the pan with a separate circle parchment. Hope this makes sense. Here's a pic


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As to torting, I use a long serrated knife, here's a tutorial




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carolinecakes Posted 6 May 2016 , 3:41am
post #6 of 22

When I did my first 2 tier buttercream cake, I found these links to be helpful. There are many different ways of doing  things, what works for one person doesn't for another. I use straws in my cakes but for the 2 tier buttercream I used SPS (Single Plate Separator).  Some might say overkill, but those puppies never moved, 45mins in NYC traffic, arrived in tact. Kept that cake in the fridge after decorating, until it was time to deliver.

http://media.cakecentral.com/files/sps_104.pdf

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2012/01/secrets-to-making-a-wedding-cake/

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kakeladi Posted 6 May 2016 , 6:09am
post #7 of 22

You mention using the 'cake extender recipe' but which one?   If you use the *original* WASC recipe  http://www.cakecentral.com/recipe/7445/the-original-wasc-cake-recipe

each batch is enough to fill one 10"r and one 6"round OR two 8"rounds.  

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cjlpn Posted 17 Jul 2016 , 8:58am
post #8 of 22

[postimage id="4634" thumb="900"]Thanks so much for all your help. Here was the final result. It wasn't perfect but it was my first and last wedding cake. You girls work very hard. I will leave it to the pros .Used the WASA recipe and it got rave reviews at the wedding. Again, thanks so much .

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cjlpn Posted 17 Jul 2016 , 9:10am
post #9 of 22

[postimage id="4635" thumb="900"]here's the grooms cake

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810whitechoc Posted 17 Jul 2016 , 9:26am
post #10 of 22

Great job! A lot of time, effort and love has gone into this cake, congratulations.

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-K8memphis Posted 17 Jul 2016 , 10:30am
post #11 of 22

 beautiful -- sweet success! and a great way to start the day to hear such a nice story of generosity -- thank you for sharing

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Nana52 Posted 17 Jul 2016 , 10:47am
post #12 of 22

Wonderful Job!


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kakeladi Posted 17 Jul 2016 , 5:14pm
post #13 of 22

WOW:)  What a marvelous job you did!   Yes, the pix don't show what you think is wrong with it but how wonderful you were able to provide  really nice cakes.  And, of course, I'm delighted to hear my WASC recipe was so well enjoyed :)

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Claire138 Posted 17 Jul 2016 , 7:45pm
post #14 of 22

Sorry for hijacking your post (beautiful cakes), I've a question for Kakeladi: I looked up your WASC recipe and wanted to know about substitutions, I can't get cake box mixes here so I've looked up how to make my own. One of the ingredients is powdered  milk which I can't get here either, do you know how I would sub that? I'm not mathematically inclined but I don't think equal measures in milk V powdered form would work. Do you (or anyone else) have any thoughts/ Ideas?

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Dar917 Posted 18 Jul 2016 , 4:11am
post #15 of 22

@Claire138 could you substitute 1 cup liquid milk for the 1 cup of water called for in the recipe? That's what I would do.

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Claire138 Posted 18 Jul 2016 , 6:28am
post #16 of 22

Thanks Dar but it calls for powdered milk which I'm looking for a substitute for.

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-K8memphis Posted 18 Jul 2016 , 10:47am
post #17 of 22

hey Claire nice to see you

powdered buttermilk

but powdered milk is a sub for milk -- so dar917 is on it when suggesting real milk or canned evaporated milk, coconut, soy, almond, cashew milk -- not sweetened condensed milk 

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kakeladi Posted 18 Jul 2016 , 4:10pm
post #18 of 22

Clair, I understand fully what you are asking here.  You can omit it (the dry powdered milk) and use  any of the suggested liquid subs mentioned above when mixing it into batter.  

Be sure to note on your packaging of any leftover dry mix to use liquid milk when making up your batter.  As others have mentioned you can use canned evaporated milk; soy, almond, rice or any other 'plant' milk as long as it's not sweetened when you do make the dry mix into your cake batter.  The other day I made up a (box) mix using liquid 'rice dream'.

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kakeladi Posted 18 Jul 2016 , 4:11pm
post #19 of 22

Clair, I understand fully what you are asking here.  You can omit it (the dry powdered milk) and use  any of the suggested liquid subs mentioned above when mixing it into batter.  

Be sure to note on your packaging of any leftover dry mix to use liquid milk when making up your batter.  As others have mentioned you can use canned evaporated milk; soy, almond, rice or any other 'plant' milk as long as it's not sweetened when you do make the dry mix into your cake batter.  The other day I made up a (box) mix using liquid 'rice dream'.

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Claire138 Posted 18 Jul 2016 , 4:49pm
post #20 of 22

Thanks Dar, K8 (Hiya) and Kakeladi. I've both coconut milk and soy so will try either or, I shall try it tomorrow and will let you know.

I shall try it tomorrow and let you know.
Read more at http://www.cakecentral.com/forum/t/829267/please-help#t0llQMAUAfOjABse.99
I shall try it tomorrow and let you know.
Read more at http://www.cakecentral.com/forum/t/829267/please-help#t0llQMAUAfOjABse.99

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Claire138 Posted 19 Jul 2016 , 12:05pm
post #21 of 22

I made the cake this morning and it is delicious, thank you so much for the recipe and thanks all for the help.

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-K8memphis Posted 19 Jul 2016 , 1:51pm
post #22 of 22

oh good!

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