Hi guys!

Almost every time I ice a cake in buttercream, it will not be very long until the ugly "buldge" begins to develope between the layers. I have tried everything that I can think of, but I was wondering what some of you do to solve this problem? What works for ya'll?

Any advise will be GREATLY appreciated...I have a wedding cake this weekend and could really use the help.


Wanda

I don't know the answer, but I would really like to know too!

KelleyM has an excellent tutorial on how to avoid this at this site:

http://www.cakeboss.com/PreventBulging.aspx

I don't generally have this problem, but I have heard of a technique that might just work for you.

Fill your tiers, then let them sit with some weight on them (maybe a cake cardboard with a large soupcan on it or something like that ... not too heavy, but heavy enough). Allow it to relax for a couple hours (even overnight if you've got that time luxury). This will allow your cake to settle into where it really wants to be and any bulging issues will then be able to be corrected when you put your crumb and final icing coats on.

HTH,

Odessa

Here's a link to some info that may help.

http://members.nuvox.net/~zt.proicer/cakepict/icingcakes.htm

I agree with yh9080, Kelleys tutorial should get you a "non-bulging" cake. Overfilling is the main culprit when this happens. Listed below is how much filling you will need for each layer, I either got this from Earlenes website or CK (I cant remember which but want to give proper credit!!).

Amount of Pastry Filling Needed - This is the approximate amount of filling needed. Different fillings may vary slightly. Heart shaped cakes may take a little less filling than rounds, square shaped cakes may take a little more than rounds. One sleeve of filling equals 3 cups.

Rounds
5" 1/4 cup
6" 1/3 cup
7" 2/3 cup
8" 3/4 cup
9" 1 cup
10" 1 1/4 cup
11" 1 1/2 cup
12" 1 3/4 cup
14" 2 1/3 cup
16" 3 2/3 cups
18" 5 2/3 cups
  
Sheet Cakes
9 x 13 1/2 cup
10 x 15 2 cups
12 x 18 3 1/3 cup

I used to have the same problem, but now I just fill and let it sit overnight and I don't have any bulge when I decorate it the next morning.