I made a cake and it leaked through the side. I have no idea what was leaking or why it leaked.

The cake was devil's food chocolate with buttercream icing between the layers. Then it was covered with chocolate buttercream icing.

The oozing looked like sap from a tree. I have no idea why it did that. I tried plugging the leak with icing and diluted gumpaste, but to no avail. Ended up adding fondant stripes around the sides to cover it up, so it turned out ok and no one knew any different. But still.

Anybody have ideas on what causes a cake to ooze like this?

Thanks!


K-

Great looking cake, first of all. As for the leakage, I'm not sure. It almost looks like the BC melted between the tiers. Was it really warm where the cake was? It also looks like maybe you had too much filling and it was trying to ooze out. I don't know, but I'm sure someone on this forum has an answer for you!

I had this same problem with a devils food cake a few weeks ago. It leaked right through a small toothpick hole in my fondant and puddled at the base of the cake. Still no idea why or how

I am guessing on this but when I leave my chocoalate frosting out in the bowl at room temperature it "seperates" So some of the liquid from the recipe seperates from the criso in the recipe...I have noticed that this has not happened to me since I have started adding some (not a lot but just about a TBSP or a little more) of fat into the recipe in the form of whole milk and also one envelope of dream whip...let me know if it works for you too...I have been working on the exact consistancy myself for a few months and it is not perfected yet....

How did you store it? Was it in a cake box or a cake pan that would make it too moist? Sometimes my cakes will weep like that if they are way to moist

here is my theory of why your cake leaked i think that the buttercream inside of the cake separated when buttercream is not made properly or too hot or even not enough air is whipped into it the bottom of the bowl can have residue of egg white liquid sometimes when that happens the buttercream will separate. It has happened to me not necessarily the cake leaking but b4 i took it out the bowl i noticed at the bottom of the bowl that there was a good amount of liquid. also by the buttercream not being solid enough incorporated good the weight of the devils food cake could react with the non structured buttercream. YOU WILL BE FINE!!!! Try another method of making buttercream. HAPPY BAKING!!!!!!

Thank you so much for all the comments! I really appreciate it.

I am thinking it probably had something to do with the BC icing between the layers breaking down. My BC recipe doesn't have egg whites, so that wouldn't be it. The leakage started when the cake was out on the counter. I put it in the fridge and that stopped the leak. But when I brought it back out to decorate it more, it started leaking again. That made me think it was a temperature problem...perhaps it was too warm in my kitchen?

I haven't quite pinned down why it did it to this one cake and not any of the 11 others I made the same week.

Hopefully it was just a fluke. A one time thing. (crossing fingers)


K-