Firm Cakes For Carving/ Stacking... Help!
Decorating By amsnowden Updated 3 Nov 2006 , 5:18am by amsnowden
I was just watching that show on FoodNetwork, Ace of Cakes, and the decorator on there, whose cakes get rave reviews in appearance AND taste, is handling a two layered cake that is filled (unfrosted) and is lifting it and moving it without even a cake board under it! He's even turning it on its side and the cake holds up perfectly. My cakes would break into a million pieces 
. I am a firm believer in baking from scratch and everyone loves my cakes, they are moist and delicious, but they are so fragile that I often have trouble with cracks or breaks. Does anyone have a solution to this or could someone point me in the direction of a made from scratch recipe that is sturdy enough for carving / stacking / etc.!!!
Thanks! 
It's probably a realllly well-chilled scratch (dense) cake.
I had one that I defrosted the other day that was a spare that I wanted to play with, and I could not beLIEVE how much I could handle it, turn it on its side, cut it down pretty small, etc., with no problem at all. It was *only just* defrosted, not frozen, but still plenty cold.
I just watched Ace of Cakes too. I love his cakes - it's just so sad that no one will be able to eat that dinosaur - he was so cute! Duff comes up with some ideas...
Sorry I can't help you with the carving...I've never had to do that.
Well, I don't know how it would work with a "scratch" cake, but I have seen on previous posts that people add a box of pudding, an extra egg and milk instead of water to their boxed cake mixes to make a dense cake. These would be used for carving, 3-D cakes, etc.
Hope this helps.
It's probably a realllly well-chilled scratch (dense) cake.
I had one that I defrosted the other day that was a spare that I wanted to play with, and I could not beLIEVE how much I could handle it, turn it on its side, cut it down pretty small, etc., with no problem at all. It was *only just* defrosted, not frozen, but still plenty cold.
I know that "Charm City Cakes" (Ace of Cakes' shop) advertises as a big selling point "always fresh, never frozen", so I am wondering if just getting it cold, like in the fridge overnight, would do the trick. Anyone have suggestions on a dense recipe???
I use a butter (pound type) cake for dense cakes. I haven't ever carved a cake but this recipe is almost exactly like my favorite pound cake recipe
3 cups cake flour
3 sticks butter
2.5 cups sugar
5 eggs
1.5 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1c. milk
bake at 325.
standard mixing order. cream butter/sugar. add eggs one at a time, mix flour and powder together. add flour and milk alternately starting and ending with flour
vanilla is mixed in milk or added at end. I usually mix in with milk now
I have also tried the ultimate butter cake from baking911 and I liked it too
The one I was working with was Toba Garrett's chocolate fudge cake. Sylvia Weinstock's chocolate fudge is very dense too, but I found it dry, though I have sculpted it. Rose Levy B's choc fudge is dense, but I haven't worked with it as much because I like Toba's for taste (!!) the best.
I don't ever freeze customer cakes, either, but for the fam, well--they get what they get...lol
I do freeze my cakes, but I also treat them with a simple syrup first and they are always very moist. I have had people say they are the best cakes they've ever tasted!
I believe this makes them much easier to work with than a non frozen cake.
I think thats, why the cracks occur and why its so fragile. Just my opinion.... 
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