I just started cake decorating for fun. I"ve never taken a class, but the decorating part is pretty easy for me; however I'm having an aweful time with the cake part. The cakes i make don't seem to be able to hold the weight of the upper tiers. Do you have any suggestions?
I don't know if you are familiar with stacking tiers but this link might help answer your question!
http://www.cakecentral.com/article23-Teired-Stacked-Cake-Construction.html
Actually i have seen that before, it just totally slipped my mind. And i remembered it when i was watching the Wedding Cake Challenge on the food network. Thank you so much for your help.
Also you should try a few different cake recipes. Some are too moist & crumble. That's not the kind of cake recipe you want when your stacking. Check out the book the Cake Mix Dr. she has very good recipes & also the recipes on this forum are great!
I have a hard time w/ the cake part too! I can decorate in a flash & love it! It's the baking & leveling that drives me crazy!! Once I finished with that part the love comes back into the decorating! You'll get it just practice!
To level my cake, I'don't use the baking strips. After I pour the batter into the pan, shake it around, and then I bang the pan on the counter a few times. It gets all of the bubbles out of the cake. Also, someone had a great tip (Sorry I don't remember who) when the cake comes out uneven put a cloth over it and push it down (right out the oven). It flattens, YIPPEE. When I bang it on the counter, I don't have uneven cakes.
You guys tips are so awesome. I learn a lot everyday!
Another tip for level cakes would be to bake them at different temperatures. An example. Start baking the cake at 250 degrees F for the first 15 minutes. Then for 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Finally reduce the temperature to 300 degrees F until cake is done. This method of baking guarantees a level cake with no dome. It's best to use a kitchen timer when doing this for accuracy.
I've gotten mine to flatten just by turning them onto a cooling rack fresh from the oven. Otherwise I level. I don't like the slightly crisp edge that some cakes can get around the top if they dome. To me that doesn't present a pretty uniform edge piece when cut. Just my thoughts.
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