WHY IS MY CAKE BULGING???? when i covered my cake yesterday, it was perfect! but today..... it looked like a completely different cake!!!! it looked like it was tilting (its in the shape of a flower pot) and the frosting looked like it was bulging! what did i do wrong???

these were my steps with this one....

i froze the cake then carved it to be sorta like the shape of a flower pot (skinnier at the bottom), then filled it, crumb coated, then refridgerated. then took out of the fridge after about an hour and waited 10 mins, then frosted. then decorated.... looked perfect!!!!

should i have let the cake get to room temp before frosting?

before i realized that had happened, i already did the 2nd tier and did the same steps! i put that one in the fridge to hopefully hold its shape but i still have one more tier to make (the biggest) and i dont wanna make the same mistake! this cake is for tomorrow:/ please help!!!!

You have to lets cakes settle. Weighted it takes at least 3 hours for settling. Unweighted it can take 12 - 24 hours for settling. You also have to use a *very* stiff icing dam between the layers. And unless there is a filling in your cake that requires refrigeration, you should never refrigerate a cake.

settle after crumbcoating?

and why should you never refridgerate a cake?

I refrigerate all cakes, can't think of many instances when I don't. Gives me a hard surface to get super sharp fondant, and I never get marks from my fingers from stacking...I could go and on about the benefits of refrigerating. Some swear to never do it, that's ok. What works for you, works for you.

When I am doing a carved cake, I fill first like I'm doing a regular cake, let settle, then freeze, then CARVE. Messy? Yes. Chances for problems like you described? Very minimal to zero. Next time, eh?

i'm still trying to figure out when the "settling" comes in place! anyone?

I thought the settling came between filling and crumb coating. But I never have to leave my cake very long to settle as I weight it.

So, in all the cakes in your pics, you filled, went straight to icing, and stacked and never had bulging issues?

I think the problem this time, is due to your tapered shape. Wider on top means heavier cake smooshing onto frosting and smaller bottom cake layer. That could be it.

Maybe (guessing cause i have no idea)....since you have the tapered bottom, you may need to use less filling on the lower layers. I know you don't want to hear this, but maybe you have time to scrape the frosting off (cakes are settled now) and start the frosting part over. I really hope it all works out for you.

well one time i had a very small bulging problem (rubber ducky cake) but it was VERY small. other than that, no problems. i'm about to fill my last tier, same shape as the others.... should i let it settle before i crumbcoat then? i always thought you were suppose to crumbcoat right away to avoid drying out the cake????

i think you could crumbcoat, THEN let it settle. If there is any bulging, you still have time to fix it during the final icing. I'd rather crumbcoat and save moisture than give it a chance to dry out. I've done it both ways. I've wrapped in plastic wrap and let each layer settle before crumbcoating and i've filled, crumbcoated, put the cake in the box and let settle before icing.

I fill, and sometimes wrap loosely in plastic wrap and put on the rack for about an hour, not because I'm waiting for it to settle, but because I am making more frosting. I do most of my work as I go. I don't crumbcoat though, I go straight for the final coat in one shot.

I always refrigerate my cakes and let them settle with a crumbcoat.
Some people even put some weight on them to help them settle faster.

Did you do a dam? What Kind of filling you used? What kind of cake??
Edna

the one that bulged is betty crocker white with a box of pudding mixed. i used betty crocker vanilla frosting to fill cause i knew it was risky..... i thought i was playin it safe with simple filling.... i hope the other 2 layers will survive!!! the other 2 are chocolate and strawberry... same filling. i still have the second tier finished in the fridge. the top tier, that bulged was some-what repaired:/ luckily it was only one side and i was able to take the viva to it to smooth out the bulge as much as possible, its still a little crucked but i think the bow i'm going to put on top will hide most of that. luckily the cake is for my neice, free of charge, and i warned her that i had never carved that way before and there were some risks. she's supporting me along the way!haha

oh.... and yes, i do a dam with thick frosting.

I recently did a cake tapered like that. There was a 2 in difference between the top and bottom of the cake= 8 in. at top and 6 in. at the bottom. I baked them and when cooled wrapped with plastic wrap and let them settle over night. The next morning I fill them using a stiffened icing dam ( do a nice thick one) to keep the filling from coming out. I crumb coat them then stick back in the fridge until that evening. That way if you get a little more settling that causes a bulge you can take a knife and trim it smooth again. Then I cover with buttercream or fondant and start decorating.

How much filling you put inside?..White cakes tend to be softer cakes, more problematic too.
Edna

Thank you EVERYONE for your help! the cake turned out great (tho the top tier was not perfect after repairing), but you all helped me save the other 2 tiers! i learn something new with every cake i make! and this lesson probably was one of the most useful! I'm sure you all saved a lot of future cakes for me

you'll find the cake in my album if you'd like to see