I mean the frosting. I doesnt always happen! It is always on top. If there are no decorations you can press them out pretty easy.
Well, there are a few reasons for cracking. One is not enough support, seems to be common on the larger cakes particularly sheet cakes. So doubling up on support can really help. Also, if you freeze your cakes on the cake boards, well the boards absorb some moisture and warp and when they settle down from the weight of the cake and icing, you can get some cracking. oFten this is larger cracks, but it can also be those hairline type of cracks.
What I am finding to be a common cause is that most people use the class icing, the one that uses water as the liquid. The water evaporates and this very fine hairline cracking I believe, is caused by the water in the icing evaporating. I find that just about everyone that has this issue is using the water added icing. It also happens to people that don't freeze their cakes, but the iced cake sits for more than a day. I suggest boxing and bagging the boxed cake to trap the moisture in. Even the cardboard will absorb some of the moisture from the icing. Also, if people use more liquid in their crumbcoat of buttercream and less in their final top coat or vice versa, what happens is the less moist coating of icing draws moisture from the more moist coat and the cracking is the result.
I know a lot of people like to crumbcoat with buttercream and freeze and I think this also contributes. Again the was the condensation or moisture evaporates.
I use butter and shortening and milk and cream as my liquids and I have never had this fine line cracking issue even if a cake has sat on my counter (for my personal use) for 4 or 5 days.
Anyway, those are my theories on the issue, haha, it is a pretty common complaint too.
Hope that helps,
Hugs Squirrelly
No these are sheet cake w/ plenty of support that haven't been moved. Not cracks like you get when you bend or move a cake. These are caused when the cake is thawing after it was frosted frozen. It looks like it is caused from expansion. It really happens to a friend I help out cause I usually partially thaw mine or do a buttercream coat and let it crust or partially thaw. The frosting is still wet when this is noticeable. Anyway thanks for the suggestions. I know what you are talking about too. It doesnt always happen! It is possible it has something to do with the consistency of the frosting or using water. I know she does use that in her frosting. Thanks again!
I think you are right, I also think that because of the frosting while frozen it has to do with the moisture once the cake thaws. I suspect the condensation starts to evaporate. Interestingly, it doesn't happen with the icing made with butter and shortening, cream and milk even when the cakes are iced frozen. Haha, today I experimented again with this method, I must say I still prefer the results of icing a room temperature cake although I do like to fill them while they are still frozen.
Hugs Squirrelly
I agree Completely frozen is a little more risky, but sometimes you don't have a choice. Thanks for the info and interest. auntiecake
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