Pudding Filling & A Drifting Top
Decorating By wendysue Updated 4 Feb 2006 , 10:27pm by SquirrellyCakes
What's the secret to placing pudding between your layers without having the top drift? My cake looked great when I first assembled it, but soon my top was floating from the bottom. I placed a buttercream dam before I filled with pudding and the dam held, so what's up with the cake sliding? I even refrigerated the cake with the pudding before adding the top layer. Looking for ways to do this better next time! : )
You may have used too much pudding. Can you put a dowel rod through the cake to hold it ( you may have to repair your icing afterwards )?
I didn't put a lot of pudding between the layers, but admit that I don't know what the proper amount looks like. : ) When we cut the cake it seemed like the perfect amount... didn't make a mess when we served it... all held together nicely. Just wonder if there is a secret to this.
Is there something that can be added to the pudding to make it thicker?
According to my pastry chef friend, the rule of thumb is no filling should be more than a 1/4 inch high.
You should also fill (in the cake pan w/parchment liner) the layers,cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Overnight is great,but several hours works. It allows gravity to do its thing. You should build the cake top side down, put a dab of icing on the last layer and put a board on that has been cut to size. Then wrap and refrigerate.
Then loosen the sides and flip it out. I then trim off the sides and crumbcoat. Refrigerate again ( a good time to get your icing ready) for 10 minutes or so. Remove from the fridge and finish icing the cake.
Yes, it takes a bit more time 
. But it is time well spent. Since I've been doing this, my cakes come out perfectly. No bulges, no slippage.
Hope you'll give it a try!!
I made hazelnut pudding filling last weekend and I used the 6-serving size French Vanilla pudding mix and whisked in 1 1/4 cup flavoured hazelnut coffee creamer and added 3/4 cup of coarsely ground hazelnuts. The pudding held up well. I refrigerated the filled cake for abt 20 mins.
Been doing a lot of reading in books lately on cake decorating and one author said that she pipes a "dam" around the inside edge of the layer with bc or whatever she is frosting with and that holds in just about everything you could put in there. Sounds logical to me.
What's the secret to placing pudding between your layers without having the top drift? My cake looked great when I first assembled it, but soon my top was floating from the bottom. I placed a buttercream dam before I filled with pudding and the dam held, so what's up with the cake sliding? I even refrigerated the cake with the pudding before adding the top layer. Looking for ways to do this better next time! : )
Are you using a pudding you cook or an instant one? A cooked pudding holds up much better. You are looking at using about 1 cup per an 8 or 9 inch round cake as a good amount. And you want your pudding cooled to room temperature and your buttecream dam to be really stiff. You fill the cake and press down slightly. I used cooked filling recipes that are meant to be used for cake fillings and don't have these problems. These filling are old recipes and hold up well at room temperature for several hours although these days we are supposed to refrigerate fillings like these. However I used to many years ago, leave them out as long as overnight.
Vanilla Cream Filling
To scald milk is to make it hot, but not to the point of boiling it. It has reached the scalding point when bubbles form a ring against the side of the pan but don't appear on the surface ot the liquid.
This can be made on the top of a double boiler with the bottom section filled with boiled water or directly on the stove in a small heavy bottomed saucepan.
In a small saucepan over medium low heat, scald : 1 cup milk - for best results use whole milk.
Combine in a small saucepan:
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
Very gradually add your scalded milk and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened. Cover and cook 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir a small amount of the hot mixture into :
1 egg, slightly beaten with a fork
Blend this mixture into the hot mixture and cook for 1 minute longer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and blend in:
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla.
Let cook. Makes 1 cup filling, enough to fill an 8-10 inch cake.
Variations:
Almond Cream - Follow basic recipe but substitute 1/4 tsp. almond extract for the vanilla and add 1/3 cup slivered blanched almonds at the end.
Banana Cream - follow vanilla cream instructions, but just before serving add 1 banana sliced
Coconut Cream - Follow recipe but add 1/2 cup desiccated coconut at the end.
Coffee Cream - Follow vanila instructions, but add 2 tsp. instant coffee powder to the scalded milk.
Butterscotch Cream - Substitute 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar for the white sugar and follow other instructions.
Chocolate Cream - Follow vanilla instructions but substitute 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa for the sugar and salt called for in the recipe.
Always let fillings cool down to room temperature before filling a cake. Refrigerate after filling.
Thanks for the filling recipes.
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