Getting Perfectly Straight Sides On Cake Tiers
Decorating By PeggyMichel Updated 9 Dec 2012 , 12:18am by Pearl645
I struggle with getting perfectly straight sides on my cake tiers. I always torte each layer, so the tier is 4 layers of cake and 3 of filling. I always have to cut and trim each tier before crumbcoating to ensure that my frosted sides will be perfectly straight. But on the cake shows, they never seem to have to do that. Does anyone else struggle as I do?
I DO use a bench scraper, but if the cake itself is not straight, even that is not enough to help.
I'm not sure how the sides can't be straight if they were straight before you torted them?
Are you re-stacking them in EXACTLY the same position as before they were cut. Look at the cake as a clock. It's now torted. When you re-stack them, do you place the 12 o'clock position of layer 2, back onto layer one with the two 12 o'clock positions lined up with each other? If you're just slapping them back together willy-nilly, they may not line up well with the original cut.
If you're talking about a bulging problem, which can cause the sides of the cake to 'push out', are you using an icing dam to hold the filling in? Are you placing that dam slightly inside the edge of the cake and not on the exact edge of the cake. By placing it slightly inside the edge of the cake, when you assemble all the tiers, you're giving some "squishing" room for the filling/dam to move outward without bulging out over the edge.
Apply enough icing to MAKE the sides level. Don't make the mistake of (a) not using enough icing or (b) icing to the shape of the cake. (Took me years to learn that lesson!)
What kind of pans are you using? Some cake pans have slightly slanted sides so that the pans can be stacked inside each other on the shelf.
Another thought...are you possibly overcooking your cakes? Overcooking can lead to the cake shrinking. When it shrinks, the top & bottom edges shrink more than the center of the side, causing a kind of bowed side.
Apply enough icing to MAKE the sides level. Don't make the mistake of (a) not using enough icing or (b) icing to the shape of the cake. (Took me years to learn that lesson!)
Exactly! 
When scraping off the excess icing, if you get a thin spot, simply add more icing and smooth again.
Wow! It's like you all pin pointed items that I didn't notice were causing me frosting issues! Thanks for your help!
Any suggestions as to how I can avoid all the bubbles in the frosting? I know the more you mess with it, the worse the bubbles get, but how are people able to frost cakes with zero imperfections? Even grocery stores frost cakes perfectly in house and they don't usually have access to big frosting machinery.
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Sarah
Any suggestions as to how I can avoid all the bubbles in the frosting?
Even grocery stores frost cakes perfectly in house and they don't usually have access to big frosting machinery.
Are you making a batch that is large enough to cover the paddle completely to the top? If not, you are incorporating air.
The grocery stores are most likely mixing full batches with the beater blades covered, or ordering in premade buckets from wholesalers which is normally perfectly smooth. It helps if you are using icing that's smooth to begin with--not airy at all.
Wow! It's like you all pin pointed items that I didn't notice were causing me frosting issues! Thanks for your help!
Any suggestions as to how I can avoid all the bubbles in the frosting? I know the more you mess with it, the worse the bubbles get, but how are people able to frost cakes with zero imperfections? Even grocery stores frost cakes perfectly in house and they don't usually have access to big frosting machinery.
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Sarah
Give me a sterile needle-pin and I'll go bubble popping crazzy!
I struggle with getting perfectly straight sides on my cake tiers. I always torte each layer, so the tier is 4 layers of cake and 3 of filling. I always have to cut and trim each tier before crumbcoating to ensure that my frosted sides will be perfectly straight. But on the cake shows, they never seem to have to do that. Does anyone else struggle as I do?
Cake shows--fuggedaboudit. They have shown "bakers" sticking their fingers into large batches of icing and licking them...and then going back for more. They couldn't even dollop their mix onto a plate...
Chill your cake layers before slicing. Then chill your stacked tier until the filling hardens up before trying to crumb coat. Your layers might be sliding sideways over the filling. Maybe too much filling, or too soft filling, or kitchen too warm, or some other reason.
I don't have to do anything else.
craftsy.com has a free buttercream class and the instructor filled in sooo many holes i was missing in my knowledge on how to do this...the class is in sections so you can easily skip over the first lesson on how to make the buttercream. it was a huge ah ha for me on how to get this very thing to look right!
Tiffany
I can ice a square tier perfectly round, and I can take a round cake and make it square. It has nothing to do with how straight your layers are. You ice to the shape of the cake board. That ensures perfectly straight sides. Trimming, leveling...lol. Never.
I can ice a square tier perfectly round, and I can take a round cake and make it square. It has nothing to do with how straight your layers are. You ice to the shape of the cake board. That ensures perfectly straight sides. Trimming, leveling...lol. Never.
I'd like to see that ;-)
AIf you go to the top of this page and on the right hand side in the sears bar type in Jeff_Arnett when you hit search it will bring you to another page go to the left side and find tutorials click on that and there is a step by step tutorial on how to do the upside down cake frosting. I've never done it but some people swear by it
AI noticed in that last step by step tutorial she doesn't mention to let your bottercream to crust up before using the viva paper towel you really need to let it crust up for a few minutes before going onto the cake with the paper towel if you don't let it crust you will just be pulling away the icing ..... do you have a good crusting recipe I have a good one that uses all high ratio shortening and heavy whipping cream it's very yummy let me know if you want the recipe
craftsy.com has a free buttercream class and the instructor filled in sooo many holes i was missing in my knowledge on how to do this...the class is in sections so you can easily skip over the first lesson on how to make the buttercream. it was a huge ah ha for me on how to get this very thing to look right!
Tiffany
This ^^. Follow the guide of your cake cardboard circle or square. I use an L-shaped metal ruler from a hardware. It allows the cake to get even sides.
I can ice a square tier perfectly round, and I can take a round cake and make it square. It has nothing to do with how straight your layers are. You ice to the shape of the cake board. That ensures perfectly straight sides. Trimming, leveling...lol. Never.
This ^^. Follow the guide of your cake cardboard circle or square. I use an L-shaped metal ruler from a hardware. It allows the cake to get even sides.
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