Filling Is So Slippery My Layers Keep Sliding Off?
Decorating By CindyW Updated 19 Aug 2006 , 2:31am by CindyW
Help. I was attempting my first purse shaped cake. I cut my sheet cake into thirds and put strawberry filling between the layers. (The kind I bought at the cake store in a plastic sleeve) The filling is so slippery the layers kept sliding off! I took out the filling, then put in buttercream topped with a little filling but is was still so slippery! My naked cake was beautiful out of the oven but with all the falling around I might have to start over, it's breaking now.
Any Advice! Help. Maybe I should have secured it with a dowel? But it wasn't very tall?
i normally like to use custard based cream in my cakes, the problem when you're shaping the cake is instability. i would suggest using buttercream between the layers so that you can refrigerate it and the buttercream will harden up enough that nothing will slip. I once made a purse cake with a mousse filling (the LV one in my photos) and once the mousse was refrigerated it held up well....
u might want to try that...
Cindy Honey!
You may be putting too much filling inside. A mistake ALL of us do at one time or another!
All you need is a very thin layer of filling, almost just a "GLAZE" between layers.
After I fill my cakes, I then will place my hand on the top of the layer and kind of "smush" it down and "jiggle" it...lol
Ok, I admit it...I am a CAKE ABUSER..lol
But this way, anything that's going to ooze out will ooze out, anything that is going to fall out will fall out on my table and not when the customer has it in their possession.
Then you can give it a quick crumb coat to seal it all. Let it sit for a few mintues ( this is the time I give the place a quick clean up) so the cake has a chance to "settle", and then I finish decorating the cake.
Take what you will from this, I know sometimes we are in a hurry and can't devote the time to wait..lol
HTH
i do that too, press down on the cake and then scrape off whateveer squishes out the sides... and use that for the crumb coat
I always make a "dam" out of buttercream - a ring of stiff buttercream about 1/4 - 1/2 inch inside the layer - use a tip 12 or something similar. Let it sit for about 15-20 minutes to crust a bit, then fill the inside with the filling. Let sit a few more minutes before putting on the top layer. This will keep the filling from squishing out. Make sure the filling is not higher than the "dam".
Just another thought...do you think your cake was cooled enough before you started to ice/fill it? I know that has happened to me when my cake was stil a little warm and the top was sliding all over the place. Hope this helps 
I think that the 3D pieces work a lot better with cake and icing. Even with regular cake, you need a firm filling and an icing dam.
I have seen decorators on tv swirl some icing on the cake layer then add the filling--could help the filling stand up to the layers of cake on top.
Dowels will never hold a cake together. They are only useful when used vertically between 2 cake boards. (with the exception of the center dowel through all tiers) There's nothing else dowels can do for your cake.
How is your purse oriented? Is it standing up, or laying down? if the cake is over 4 or 5" high, and filled, you would need to separate it into 2 or more layers and use cardboard and dowels. Or maybe you could stand it up or lay it down and see if it stays together.
I feel your pain. I didn't do a purse shape, but I did a topsy turvy and I think I put too much buttercream (and my buttercream was too soft) inbetween the layers and it keeps shifting on me. I brought it to work anyway but the silly thing really does want to fall over, not just look like it is lol
Live and Learn.
a little off topic, but . . . I asked this question on another post and am still looking for the answer. I bought the jumbo coupler so that I could use it to make "jumbo" dams in order to make some cakes with a good amount of filling. I know some people like a lot of filling so I thought this would work. Is this just a disaster waiting to happen? If I use that big coupler and then fill it that much will the cake be unstable?
I think it would really depend on the cake. I mean if it's just a 2 layer single tier cake and very thick buttercream, you might be able to get away with it. Another option I just thought of (dunno if it would work, never heard of it), is to carve a well into your cake layer leaving a thick ring of cake on the outside. Then you could put a dam of buttercream on the ring and have more room for your filling.
Like I said, no clue if this would work, would have to be a nice dense cake I'm sure. Worth a try though if you really want a lot of filling.
I know some people like a lot of filling so I thought this would work. Is this just a disaster waiting to happen? If I use that big coupler and then fill it that much will the cake be unstable?
Yes, it is, tiffsmom is correct. I know you said people like a lot of filling, but the filling is there:
1. to give the cake a longer shelf life ( keeps it moist longer)
2. Enhance the flavor of the cake, but either complimenting it or making the cake flavor pop.
If people ask you for more filling...you can always make the filling into a puree that they can serve alongside the cake slice.
Those cakes that you see in pictures, like the supermarket ads are made by machines with chemicallly stabilized formulas. The cake itself is light as a feather....they seem to be made of air...and taste like it too...no flavor! lol
Give me a nice, dense, flavorful cake with less icing and filling ANY DAY!
I use lollipop sticks to hold my creations together.
Thanks everyone, I think my problem is a combination of too much filling, my buttercream was too soft, and the cake was a little too high, about 5 inches I guess. I put it in the freezer and it's holding together, do you think it will start sliding around when it thaws?
I'm thinking I should just eat this one and start over!
(remembering your tips for next time)
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