Complete Newbie - Lots Of Questions

Decorating By TexasRandi Updated 14 Jun 2009 , 3:18am by Lisaa1996

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TexasRandi Posted 9 Jun 2009 , 3:14pm
post #1 of 11

After a few years of looking and learning online from all of you talented artists I am finally ready to give it a go and make my daughter's 1 year bday cake. Any answers to my questions would be appreciated...

1. I have read all the oohs and aahs for the WASC cake and about using creamers. Do I add the creamer in place of the water or just part of the water? Do you recommend using creamer for a 1st birthday and if so what flavor? Do you recommend using white chocolate and if so do I just use chips?

2. Okay, freezing and simple syrup. Do I freeze my cake wrapped in saran wrap, press and seal or both? Do I freeze my cake hot, warm or cold? Do I unwrap to thaw or thaw wrapped? Do I brush with simple syrup before or after I freeze?

3. I hope to make a 10-8-6 round stacked and obviously need support. Is there something you recommend for a total newbie? Will it look silly when I take off the top round to give to my daughter to destroy when the second round will be a little bare? Shoul dI not add the top layer?

4. The party is Saturday, should I bake Thursday and decorate Friday? Also should I use butter buttercream or crisco and if so do I have to put in the fridge when decorated. We live in south Texas but it will be indoors.

Thanks so much, I hope my cake is 1/4 as awesome as all the ones I see on here. You are all an inspiration!

10 replies
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bashini Posted 9 Jun 2009 , 4:51pm
post #2 of 11

Hi there, welcome to CC!

I haven't made the WASC cake, so can't help you with that. Sorry! icon_redface.gif

When I freeze cakes, I use Saran wrap, then wrap it with foil and put it in a freezer bag. I make sure my cakes are completely cool before wrappignt hem. Thaw it with the wrappings. I personaly think that you don't need syrup as the cake will be very moist as a freshly baked cake.

I would do two tier cake (10" & 8") and make another small cake (6") for the little one.

There are great recipes with buttercream or Crisco or mixture of both. It comes down to what you like the most. You don't need to store it in the fridge if you are using buttercream.

I would agree with your plan to bake cakes on thursday, decorate on friday!

HTH. icon_smile.gif

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Kimmers971 Posted 9 Jun 2009 , 4:56pm
post #3 of 11

If you are baking on Thursday and decorating on Friday, you don't need to freeze the cake. Just wrap well and leave on the counter.

Good Luck!

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Rylan Posted 9 Jun 2009 , 5:19pm
post #4 of 11

1. You can do part or pure creamer. I've never head of white chocolate in WASC.

2. I don't use simple syrup. I wrap my cake after completely cooled. I wrap it with layers of plastic wrap and then put it in a freezer bag and foil the bigger ones. I thaw it wrapped.

3. I don't quite get the question.

4. Thats good, you can bake now and freeze it if you'd like. I store all my cakes in the fridge with no problems but I don't think you really need to as long as the AC is on.

Good luck.

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TexasRandi Posted 13 Jun 2009 , 9:05pm
post #5 of 11

Thanks! I still have a few weeks to practice and hope to make a few cakes before the big week! Hopefully it will turn out decent and I can post pictures. Thanks again for all the help!!!

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krissycupcakes Posted 13 Jun 2009 , 9:21pm
post #6 of 11

ok lets see(im trying to think as i am makeing a cake) for my wasc i use vanilla butter nut flavoring instead of the almond i use indydebis butter cream i agree that you dont need to freeze your cakes. and i dont think you should use simple syrup i think that would make a bit of a mess, plus you dont need it. and as for support if you go to ac moore you can get these plastic (they look like giant straws) in the cake section there great you can cut them with scissors and i would say 4 on the bottom tier and 3 on the top tier you should be good. good luck and remember this is cake central if you have a problem no matter what time theres always someone on.

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Texas_Rose Posted 13 Jun 2009 , 10:21pm
post #7 of 11

I use Indydebi's buttercream. Even indoors buttercream with butter can get a little soft, unless you've got your AC cranked down to 70. Indydebi's buttercream crusts well and it stands up great to heat...last weekend I drove a cake across town at 4pm with no AC in the car and my buttercream stood up great to the heat. Besides, her recipe tastes really good. Something in the Dream Whip keeps the crisco from being greasy in the frosting...it's not even hard to clean off the bowl like other crisco buttercreams I've tried in the past. I could never do anything great with buttercream until I tried her recipe (I sound like a commercial but it really is that good).

It doesn't really look weird when you take the cake apart to serve it. Use a crusting buttercream and then put a circle of waxed paper trimmed to fit under your top tier so that the frosting doesn't come off when you lift the tier off. Most people think it's kind of neat seeing how the cake goes together (they stand around and say, "So that's how wedding cakes are built!"), and besides on a first birthday, once your little girl has the cake on her high chair tray, all eyes will be on her and not on the rest of the cake...most of the time everyone watches the baby demolish the cake before they worry about getting their own slice of cake. 6" of cake is a lot to try to get out of a baby's hair and ears though icon_biggrin.gif For my kids I made 4" smash cakes, just a single layer and even that was a chore to clean up (my eldest fell asleep in hers)...I was still using Wilton's half-crisco buttercream recipe and her hair was an oil slick for a week, no matter how much I shampooed it icon_biggrin.gif

The white plastic dowels that Wilton makes are what I like to use in my cakes. It seems a lot cleaner than wood and it's easy to cut them. You can get them at Hobby Lobby or Michaels and they're about three dollars. There's enough in the package to do a 6-8-10 cake. I use foam core board cut to the right sizes instead of the cardboard cake circles. I just trace the cake pans and cut the boards with a box cutter.

I don't freeze my cakes unless I'm making (ugh!) mini cakes and need to cut up a sheet cake. Then, I wrap them in plastic wrap and then again in foil. I don't use syrup on them either. WASC is moist enough without syrup, to me.

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TexasRandi Posted 14 Jun 2009 , 12:26am
post #8 of 11

Thanks again! I am making a trial run tonight while my husband puts our angel down for the night. Keep your fingers crossed! Texas_Rose, we live in SA too! We moved here about a month before our little girl was born. Do you have any suggestions on great places to shop for cake supplies? We live near a Michael's and not too terribly far from a Hobby Lobby. I stay home with my little one now and have dreams that my cakes will someday be beautiful, or at least not terrible...I just need LOTS of practice!!

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Texas_Rose Posted 14 Jun 2009 , 3:03am
post #9 of 11

There's a few cake supply shops in town. There's Terry's House of Cake Decorating off of West Ave, which has a really nice older couple who own it, and most of what they sell is Wilton stuff. If you're ever looking for a discontinued Wilton pan, they've got a good chance of having it. American Gift Shoppe is at Blanco and 1604. The first time I was there I wasn't wild about the store because the girl working there wasn't very friendly...but maybe she was just having a bad day because she's been very nice the other times we've been there. AGS has all the "modern" cake decorating stuff...tylose, creme bouquet flavor, gumpaste and fondant cutters, tubs of Satin Ice, etc...There's also Lucy's on the South Side. I haven't been there but I've called them and they have mostly stuff for buttercream cakes and I do mostly fondant. Also, the Walmart at I-10 and DeZavala has a lot more cake stuff than the other Walmarts, so if you ever need something and it's the middle of the night they've got a better chance of having it than the other Walmarts. I keep meaning to go to Garden Ridge Pottery because I think I remember them having cake stuff...but I broke my leg in February and so far I don't think I'm up to walking through Garden Ridge Pottery to see what they have icon_lol.gif

I stay home with my kids too...I've got a 7 year old and a 3 year old, both girls.

I'm doing a practice cake tonight too icon_biggrin.gif I'm making my friend's wedding cake in July and I'm doing an 8" cake to try out my idea for her cake...I can picture how it will look in my head but she can't, so this way she'll get to see what she thinks of it.

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Lisaa1996 Posted 14 Jun 2009 , 3:15am
post #10 of 11

I make a white chocolate WASC and it's soooo good! I add 1/2 package of white chocolate pudding mix, vanilla coffee creamer and melted white chocolate chips....very moist! I use this for tiered cakes as well and it holds up great!

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Lisaa1996 Posted 14 Jun 2009 , 3:18am
post #11 of 11

oh, and I use Indydebi's buttercream icing too! Love it!!!!

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