Hi, I'm new to this board and am new to cake decorating! I'm a baker by hobby and am venturing into cakes more lately.
The last time I made a sheet cake I cooled it before flipping it out onto a cooling sheet, but then the top was moist and stuck to the other sheet, breaking when I lifted it off. So I was thinking I needed to let it sort of dry out a bit before I work with it.
I'm making a cake for a baby shower this weekend and wanted to bake the cake on Friday, decorate it on Sat., for a Sunday baby shower. My question then is how do I keep the cake moist, but not break? And how do I keep it fresh but make it a few days in advance?
Hi Seascotter, and welcome to CC! You'll love it here and will learn so much just by reading other people's posts, and asking lots of questions if you can't find the answer.
Okay, I will help what I can (I am not an expert, but do bake cakes and have for a while for my family). After you take your cake out of the oven, be sure and let it cool in the pan on a cooling rack (off the stove, preferably on the counter) for about 10-15 minutes. Then, I grease my cooling rack with butter, I place the rack on top of the cake, which is still in the pan at this time. I hold onto the rack and pan and flip it over, so now the cake is on the cooling rack. If your cake pan was properly prepared, your cake should easily come out of the pan without sticking Let it rest until cooled. When it is cool, place a plate or pan on the bottom of the cake (which is facing up, right?) and flip it over. Slowly release the cooling rack from the cake--it may stick a bit, but if you go slow, it shouldn't break.
I then wrap my cake with saran wrap and foil and and place it back in a clean pan that I baked it in (so it won't get crushed in the freezer) then freeze it until I am ready to tort and fill my cake, which is usually the next day or so.
The main thing is be sure and let the cake cool on a cooling rack, otherwise if you are letting it cool on a plate or pan, as it cools it will stick to the pan and that is what has caused your breakage when you try to take it off the pan. I have done this, but you can salvage your cake. Just piece it back together and freeze it, and when you are ready to assemble it, you can glue it together with some of your icing.
I hope this helps. You will probably get other responses and different ways on how to cool a cake, but this is what I do, and it works!
Have fun, Bernadette
To prevent your cake from sticking to the pan:
either flip while still warm (but not hot) or else pan grease tends to seize up and act like glue or line your pan/s with parchment paper.
Frosting seals in the freshness of your cake (as it acts as a moisture barrier).
If you wish to get a head start on your projects; many bake and freeze the cakes one day, make frosting/fillings another day and then spend one day decorating.
HTH
Welcome to CakeCentral! You will love it here!
I have a method I have used for 20 years. I bake the cake, after spraying the pan with cake release like Baker's Joy. When it is done I set it on a rack to cool, with a layer of paper towel over the top. Cool for 10 mins (level the cake top if it is needed) and then leaving the paper towel in place, I flip the cake out onto a rack. This way the cake does not stick to the rack and you can peel the paper towel off later. After the flip, I cover the top and sides with Saran Wrap, and then set to cake pan back over the cake to cool. Allow the cake to cool slowly for at least 2 hours. Then I put the cake still on the rack inside a Rubbermaid storage box, the kind that goes under the bed. The cake will keep for a day or two before you ice it if you keep it cool, or longer in the fridge if you have room . Many people like to put it in the freezer after wrapping the whole cake in saran or foil.
When I am ready to put the cake on the board, I flip cake and rack over so the rack is on top. Then I peel off the paper towel, spread frosting on the bottom of the cake, place the cake board over the cake and flip both together. The saran wrap can be peeled off then and you are ready to ice and decorate.
Thank you all for the suggestions! I'm so excited I found this site!
The idea of wrapping the cake in saran and then freezing is interesting. Does that also help with getting the frosting on? I mean, do you ice it while its still frozen?
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