I may be repeating the same questions that others might have asked before but as I am pressed for time to search for it I hope you will all help me out.
I am new to cake decorating. I just finished the Wilton course 1.
I am going to make a 2 layered 9" x13" cake for a friend of mine. I am planning to put 16 red and ivory roses on them(it is for her daughter's 16th birthday).
I have dark non stick pans and I bake them in the center rack of the oven and I find the cake rising too fast in the center. Is levelling the only solution to obtaining a flat surface? If I move the pan to the top rack will it help?
I dont mind levelling the cake but if it is too uneven then I have that much more unused cake to eat on my own
I also wanted to know how many batches of the wilton buttercream icing will I need to make?
I was guessing around 3-3.5 cups of thin icing for frosting and 2 for the roses , so definitely need atleast 2 batches but will I need more?
Also what is crumb coating?
Please help
Thanks
Val
you will need about 6 cups of icing to ice and decorate 2 layers 9x13x2''. i used to use a leveler to level my cakes but i've learned on here when you take the cake out of the oven take a clean towel or cake pan the same size and press down on the cake to level it out. i havent had any problems doing this and after doing this i didnt even need to cut anything off and i have nice tall cakes. crumbcoating is when you put a thin layer of icing on the cake to hold in the crumbs before you do your final frost that way you wont get any crumbs in your final layer. hth.
The dark pane is the reason your cake is cooking too fast. If you have to use this type of pan, put the Magic Strips around the pan. These are what I know them as. They are silver cloth strips that you soak in water and wrap around your pan. The method behind this is that the batter will then cook from the middle and the edges at the same rate and not hump in the middle, leaving you with a flat cake. Also, I do not crumb coat my cakes, I seal them instead. You can do this by mixing 1 2/3 cups of Confection Sugar (Powder Sugar), 1/2 tsp. Salt, 1/2 tsp. flavoring, 1/4 cup Water. Stir till it looks like Karo. Brush on sides and top of cake with pastry brush. Let dry 2-5 hours. Then frost cake. This method not only helps eliminate the crumbs but it seals the moisture in the cake.
here is the wilton guide for batter and frosting amounts.
http://www.cakecentral.com/article14-Cake-Baking-Cutting--Serving-Guide---2-in-Deep-Pans.html
I usually add a couple cups more -I like a little more coverage.
it also gives good baking time and temps.
I swear by leveling the cake by pressing on it like above-works everytime and is great when you are stacking as it makes the cake a little denser .
Definitely press the cake down. I place a sheet of wax or parchment paper on the cake and set a cookie sheet on top. Then I weight it down with whatever is handy and can take the heat for the cake. I works every time. I level most of my cakes but it is a real pain and will go back to pressing.
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