Hi All,
I know this has been covered before but I want to ask again to be sure I understand correctly.
It's regarding stacked cakes and frosting on them. So if you frost each layer, put each on a cake board, then stack them, how does the frosting stay on the top of each layer once you remove the cake board? And do you always use boards under each layer?
I made a stacked cake w/o cake boards once and of course there was really no frosting left on the tops of the middle and bottom layers once I went to cut it.
If I understood correctly in other posts, you're suppose to sprinkle something on the top of the layers before adding the cake board for the layer above it. (Hope that make sense.) Powedered sugar or what? I think some people even use wax paper. Is this what is suppose to prevent the frosting from pulling up off the cake when you remove the board?
Any insight would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!
KimAZ
I have heard people use powdered sugar or coconutflakes to help prevent sticking. Also, the dowel underneath should be slightly higher than your frosting. 1/4 inch max. I havenever put anything between the layers, I just let it crust well.
I have never used anything. I just make sure my dowels are slightly higher.
I used straws the other day on a cake I did because I did not have any dowels and they worked really well. Anyone else out there ever used straws?
bj
Never used straws, I like the plastic dowel rods. I actually prefer to do a stacked cake w/nothing in between. Ice the bottom layer, put the next on and ice that...probably not the smartest technique, but it worked for me...the cake board & other techniques kinda caused me strife LOL!
Well, first of all you have to let the frosting set on your cakes. This is usually done in about a half hour. Then you put some icing sugar, cornstarch or coconut - some folks use cookie crumbs or chocolate, then the next cake and so on. I tend to just use icing (powdered) sugar and don't have any problems with the icing sticking. Your boards must be covered on both sides though, that is important.
Hhmn, well actually your dowels should be level with the top of the icing, in fact most folks go a fraction lower. I know I have seen a few people saying to go higher, but that isn't the norm. The reason why you are best off with the dowels lower or level is that the cake will be more stable. It is important to have level cakes and also important to insure that all of your dowels are cut to exactly the same length. To make it easier to stack, some folks raise the dowels up a bit so the weight of the cake will cause them to lower when they are stacking. This makes it easier to handle the cakes and lower them without getting your fingers in the way. The dowels also strengthen the cake, that is their main purpose, to add strength, like posts, not so much to keep the boards from damaging the icing although they do help with that.
Hhmn, no boards in between, well it isn't a good idea because the boards actually help support the cakes and the combination of the dowels and the boards insure that the weight of the cakes doesn't cause them to sink into each other or fall. It also makes it easier to serve each cake when you take the stacked cake apart to serve. Also, it helps keep the icing intact.
Personally I will use straws for some smaller cakes with less tiers, for example a two tiered stacked cake. But I don't really trust them enough to use for much more than that. Mainly because they are small in diameter and some of them bend easily. Partly because it is like structural engineering, sort of like sono tubes and supporting a deck. The sono tubes are large in diameter and they are filled with cement. Well, your straws are the sono tubes and your cake and filling become the cement. Which is why the actual plastic dowels sold for this purpose are larger in diameter, so that they can hold more cake cement. Staws are very tiny in diameter, so they are holding less cake cement in them, so they are not as strong.
I do tend to use wooden dowels most of the time, mainly because they take up less space than the plastic dowels do and they have been used effectively for many years. The larger plastic dowels are a good idea to use in a bottom, very large cake, like an 18 inch or 16 inch cake. But you do get a fair bit of cake waste because of the large diameter of these plastic dowels.
Hugs Squirrelly
Yay Squirrelly Cakes!!!! I am so glad you said all of that!
I would also like to suggest that you use a cake circle that is the same size as the one you plan to use for the tier that will be stacked on top to make a light impression on the layer it will rest on. That way, you will have an area marked for you to use when placing your dowels. Also, it is important that you measure your dowels from the lowest point inside that area (to prevent a gap between your layers) and cut all of your dowels the same length. I use gardening sheers to cut mine and find it to be very helpful.
Gotta love this site! I am new to all of this and I have learned so much just by ready this site! Such smart ladies
I have to say that I was told to cut the dowels a little taller and was wondering why I was working so hard to make sure you could not see any gaps and that everything looked even! duh! Makes sense to cut them same height or little shorter - still have the same support and less work for me!
Thanks!
bj
CALEJO THAT IS WHAT I USE - THE GARDENING SHEERS. IT DOES A NICE JOB CUTTING AND NO JAGGED OR SHARP EDGES ARE LEFT. I MAKE MY DOWELS ALL A LITTLE SHORTER AND ALWAYS USE BOARDS IN BETWEEN FOR EXTRA SUPPORT. I HAVE NEVER TRIED THE POWDERED SUGAR IN BETWEEN - WILL HAVE TO TRY THIS NEXT TIME.
Thanks Squirrelly for posting all that. Ever consider going into Architecture?
I grabbed something from my boyfriends toolbox to cut them, and they work well.
Has anyone ever used skewers? Like you use for grilling? That might be more supportive than straws on a lighter cake. Although they still aren't as strong as a Wilton dowel.
Is it safe to use dowels from the hardware store? I mean, wood is wood, no?
Well, technically, the Wilton wooden dowels are FDA approved, which just means that they are tested to be safe for use with food. Any hardwood dowelling that has not been treated with wood preservative is fine though. I wash them before using and make sure they are dry. I do find that the Wilton wooden dowels are a better quality than the ones I buy from places like Home Depot, but then, they are so darn expensive!
Actually the wooden skewers are not much better than a toothpick, mainly because they are not very strong. I do use them in gumpaste figures and such though. You have to be careful with them, because they tend to splinter fairly easy. I don't think I would trust them for a cake.
If you do use straws for the smaller stacked cakes, get the ones that have a larger diameter, like the kind McDonalds gives you. The really narrow ones are not much good and are harder to remove.
I don't have the "Stress-free Support" System that is on Earlene's cake site, but apparently it is a wonderful investment. It is just very expensive to get shipped to Canada.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
I must confess, I have used skewers in desperation. I would not recomend it though. First, the wood grain on a skewer goes the length of the skewer. I noticed the person who then cut and served the cake cut into a skewer (softer wood). The skewer splintered into the cake. He didn't even notice until I pointed it out. Second, I have lost a cake from the lack of good support (my only loss, and luckily it was not for a major event).
Actually the wooden dowels will do this too but not as easily, that is why you should really sand them smooth after you cut them to make sure there are no splinters, they clean them before inserting. The wooden supports should always be removed before serving a cake.
Hugs Squirrelly
Never used straws, I like the plastic dowel rods. I actually prefer to do a stacked cake w/nothing in between. Ice the bottom layer, put the next on and ice that...probably not the smartest technique, but it worked for me...the cake board & other techniques kinda caused me strife LOL!
Just in case anyone did not have a chance to read our latest article, Anne Welch has given us a BRILLIANT solution to time-consuming and expensive dowels!
BUBBLE TEA STRAWS .... If you are not from/been to Asia/Eastern Europe, you may be wondering what in the world "Bubble Tea" (AKA Boba Tea) is, its basically like drinking Tapioca Pudding through a straw, so you need a really FAT straw that is really strong in order to suck up the tapioca pearls.
Bubble Tea straws run aound 7" - 9" long and 1/2" wide. These are not your North American soda drinking straws These are industrial sized, Dowel Strength straws.... Plus, they are really inexpensive, you can get about 50 for less than $2 (if you buy volume you can get about 50 for $0.50)
Yes, they are more like plastic dowels. I did see the article, it is very good. I have been trying to find them here in Canada, likely at a store that caters to Asian goods.
Hugs Squirrelly
Ok so the whole dowel support thing is best and using cake boards for each layer is best but how does one get the dowels down through each board? Do you just dowel each layer seperately? Do you just pound them in and hope they go right through the cardboard? I've seen decorators just push them in and I wonder how do they go down the entire height of the cake?
Thanks Squirrely for all your help.
KimAZ
Hi Kim,
You are talking about the centre dowel that you use through all of the cakes, right?
Well you sharpen one end and pound it through the centre with a mallet, but you have to be careful when you do this.
Personally, I started precutting holes in the centres of the boards before boarding the cakes, all boards but the bottom one. Then I measure the centre dowel to be slightly shorter than the height of all of the boarded cakes, mainly because I don't always want that hole on the top of the cake. Now if you are just using the centre dowel to transport, and plan to remove it, you can make it longer.
So holes are cut in cakes, cakes are boarded, well I take a dowel and feed it through the bottom of the board, so now I can see my centre hole in the cakes. So then I take this long dowel and have an extra pair of hands hold it in place in the centre of the bottom cake. Place icing sugar on top of each cake once the icing is set, in the area they will have another cake on top. Now, looking underneath my boarded cake with the hole in the centre, I line up the dowel to the hole and thread the cake through from underneath. Continue until all cakes are in place.
Does that make sense?
Hugs Squirrelly
Yes, this makes good sense. Thank you for taking your time in explaining. It's very helpful! Now...wanna come over and help me? Hee hee!
Thanks again!
KimAZ
Squirrelly.. there is a link in that article that gives you a site to buy the straws online.
Here is a step-by-step article with pictures on how to construct a stacked cake:
http://www.cakecentral.com/article23-Teired-Stacked-Cake-Construction.html
Thanks Jackie, I was just going to suggest checking out the article for those who need a little more explaining of this-it has helped me!
SquirrellyCakes you are so imformitive and helpful!
BTW Jackie, it's nice to see you on here more often!
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