Deliver Butter Cream Cake Without Top Crackling??????
Decorating By cakesbykitty Updated 24 Jul 2006 , 7:12pm by Tat
ok, so i just delivered my second large sheet cake (this one was 2 12x18's stacked on each other). it arrived beautifully but when i slid it off the board (oh so carefully) it still crackled along the top... where the icing crusts. how on earth can i prevent this? i didn't bend it, i didn't jossle it, i kept it on a board... and yet it crackled at the last minute. aggghhhh!~ and this was a cake at a city function to feed 100!!!!!
i forgot to mention (sorry, incredibly tired after this cake marathon) that the icing was butter cream, perfectly smooth.
i had the cake itself on a cardboard in a box, but carried it on a thick piece of plywood. perhaps i should have kept it on the plywood? it's when i took it off (slid it off, not even 1/3 inch high) that it crackled. i really didn't think that would do it. perhaps that's enough to make it do that. aggghhh.
If there is any give in your board, you are going to get wrinkles in your icing.
well @*#!**! LOL. i guess this was a learning experience. so next time i should actually put the cake (on a liner) on a real board? not just the cardboard? this sucker weighed close to 20 pounds i think. i am just amazed that it crackled just sliding off that 1/4 inch height. that's really enough to do it? like i said it was fine till i slid it off the board onto the table.
going to put a little post it on the garage door for DH to start cutting wood boards for me! LOL!!!!! 
no, apparently i'm just a dork LOL. i thought i only needed the board for transport, not while on the table.
what is this foam board i keep hearing everyone talk about. styrofoam? i think i live on another planet LOL
I don't know what stores are around you, but where I live, Wal-mart, Hobby Lobby, and Michaels all carry the foam core board. I used to have the same cracking problem until someone on here told me to use two pieces of foamcore together for a super sturdy base on a tiered cake. So, when I don't have a plate that's the right size, I now use foam core board and haven't had any problems since.
BTW, it looks like a thick piece (3/8" or so) of white posterboard.
i wonder what's cheaper? plywood or foam core?
I'm not sure which is cheaper per square foot. Where I live, a poster sized sheet of foam core board costs around $3. Plus, you can cut foam core board with an exacto knife or a serrated kitchen knife and it's very light-weight. With plywood you'd have the extra weight, plus it would be a lot more hassle to cut it (especiallly for shapes other than square).
I now only use plywood cut to the shape on all my cakes, even wedding cakes. I was getting all kinds of icing problems when I used the plastic rounds that come with all the wilton stands. Now that I use plywood covered, I have no problems.
thank you! making a list for my DH! LOL start up the saw baby!
Hey there! Fellow Anchoragian here 
I just did a promotion cake for a guy pinning on TSgt. and it was 2 11x15's side by side, so a 15x22. I obviously needed something more sturdy than cardboard, so I went Home Depot near Dimond Mall, and went back to their pre-cut lumber section. There was a section with boards already cut. I did the math, and had hubby saw right down that thing. Then he sanded the edges and rounded the corners. It was awesome. I paid 3.99 for it (it's called "Hardboard") and got 2 big cake boards out of it!
Let me know if you need anymore help! That worked like a charm and was VERY reasonable in price. I just wrapped that in foil and put the cake directly on it!
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%