Stacking With White Cake

Decorating By Mae_mom Updated 6 Jan 2011 , 11:00pm by AnnieCahill

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Mae_mom Posted 3 Jan 2011 , 8:18pm
post #1 of 10

Hi,

I sure hope I'm posting this in the right place.

I'm doing a wedding cake for a gal but in the past I've always shied away from white cake since it just seems so light. I guess I've always been afraid it'll fall in. ?

The gal is wanting, from bottom to top tiers: chocolate, white, red velvet, chocolate. So this brings up two questions of mine:

1. I typically use the recipe I found here for cake where a mix is used along with pudding mix, sour cream, etc. I've not had any luck using this for a white cake though as it ALWAYS comes out yellow due to the vanilla pudding mix. Is there a white pudding mix to use instead? Should I not use this recipe for white cake?

2. Am I right to worry that a white cake won't be able to hold up two more tiers of cake (chocolate and red velvet)? I use the dowel rod method of supporting the tiers that I learned from here also, but it still makes me worry.

I don't know why I'm so intimidated by that darn white cake!!!

Any suggestions or special tips would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks much!!!

9 replies
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indydebi Posted 3 Jan 2011 , 9:02pm
post #2 of 10

Stacked wedding cakes have been made from white cakes for more years than you or I can remember.

It doesnt' matter what kind of cake you use because the cake itself is not what is holding up the upper tiers. It's your support system (SPS; Wooden Dowels; Bubble Straws; etal). theoretically, you can make a bottom tier of jello and it will support the upper tiers because the upper tiers are sitting on your support system, not on the cake (or on the jello).

If you've never made a stacked cake before, I'd highly recommend making a practice cake before doing this girl's wedding cake.

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Mae_mom Posted 3 Jan 2011 , 9:41pm
post #3 of 10

That's a great way to look at it.

I have made loads of stacked cakes before...just not out of white cake. Mostly because I make my cakes for fun, birthdays, holidays, etc. and I always try different things with them...white (and chocolate) are just kinda boring to me. icon_smile.gif

You know...I've always known that white cakes are stacked all the time, and have always been that way... just needed someone to say "buck up and do it!" icon_smile.gif Just one of those things I get stuck in my head, I guess.

Because I've avoided white so much...what is the best recipe for a white cake that actually makes it "white". The one I've used before with the added pudding mixture makes it yellowy and yucky looking as soon as the vanilla is added (which isn't white!).

Thanks again for all the help!!

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AnnieCahill Posted 3 Jan 2011 , 10:26pm
post #4 of 10

White cakes don't have the yolks added in (in most recipes, anyway). You don't have to add a pudding mix to a box cake. I stopped doing that long ago because I can taste the pudding chemicals in the final cake. I now prefer to bake from scratch but I keep my fair share of box mixes on hand.

Here are some good recipes to use for white (if you want a box mix):

http://www.food.com/recipe/white-almond-sour-cream-wedding-cake-69630

A lot of people on this site use that recipe. I like that one or Kakeladi's original WASC:

http://www.food.com/recipe/kakeladis-original-wasc-white-almond-sour-cream-cake-309528

Both are really good but the second one has a less gummy top when it bakes up.

For a scratch recipe, this one has gotten really good reviews over on the white scratch off thread:

http://www.bakespace.com/recipes/detail/White-on-White-Buttermilk-Cake-with-Jack-Daniels-Buttercream/7175/

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Mama_Mias_Cakes Posted 3 Jan 2011 , 11:48pm
post #5 of 10

I use white chocolate pudding in my white cake mix. It'll remain white and still taste like white cake.

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Mae_mom Posted 4 Jan 2011 , 2:32am
post #6 of 10

I'm game for making the cakes from scratch! I think I will try the recipe you posted!

Now if I could find a good red velvet and chocolate recipe I'd be set. icon_smile.gif Red velvet is one of those cakes that I am just not a fan of, so when I make them, they all taste bad to me.

I know it sounds a little odd but personally, I'm not a fan of cake...eating that is. Making and decorating...that's a different story. icon_smile.gif

I'd never thought of white chocolate pudding mix, though!! That's a great idea!!

Thanks everyone for all of your help with this!!!

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BlueMoon73 Posted 4 Jan 2011 , 3:20am
post #7 of 10

I know it sounds a little odd but personally, I'm not a fan of cake...eating that is. Making and decorating...that's a different story. icon_smile.gif

I am also not a cake fan! When asked what I want for my birthday its pie! I have a good recipe for Red Velvet that everyone raves about

1/2 cup butter, softened (unsalted)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon white vinegar
3 large eggs
1 (1-oz) bottle liquid red food coloring
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy, gradually add sugar, vanilla and vinegar, beat well. Add eggs 1 at a time beating until well blended after each addition. Add food coloring, beating until combined.
Combine flour and next 3 ingredients, add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 22 minutes ( or longer depending on size of pan)

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AnnieCahill Posted 4 Jan 2011 , 3:23am
post #8 of 10

I can help on the chocolate, but not the red velvet. Here's a good chocolate recipe:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Double-Chocolate-Layer-Cake-101275

It won the chocolate scratch-off on this site. I made it for one of my wedding cake tiers a couple of weeks ago. I filled it with cookies & cream filling. Everyone LOVED it and it was completely demolished. I was chastised for making that the smallest tier (8 inches) but we don't have a lot of chocolate lovers in my family (at least I thought!).

Another good chocolate recipe is the one on the Hershey's cocoa can. To make it even more chocolatey, replace the liquid with coffee.

Adding coffee to a chocolate cake deepens the chocolate flavor. It smells and tastes really strong in the batter, but in the final product you can't tell there's coffee in it.

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Mae_mom Posted 6 Jan 2011 , 9:03pm
post #9 of 10

Wow you guys are awesome!! Thank you so much!!!

I do have one questions about the coffee. It's going to sound really stupid though.

I'm not a coffee drinker at all...I don't even own a coffee maker. I'm wondering...what kind of coffee do you use? I'm assuming there's an easy way to brew it without a coffee pot, too? (Again, I know it sounds stupid; no one in our family has EVER drank coffee) icon_smile.gif

Thanks!

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AnnieCahill Posted 6 Jan 2011 , 11:00pm
post #10 of 10

Hi,

The easiest thing to do would be to go to a convenience store and pick up a cup if you don't own a press or coffeemaker. But that's just regular strength so it won't be very strong.

You can buy a coffee press or coffee maker pretty cheap, but you can make coffee without it too. For strong coffee, you can use two heaping tablespoons of ground coffee (not instant) to 8 oz of water. You can boil the water and pour it into a container with your ground coffee. Let it sit for about 10 to 15 minutes and then pour it through a fine sieve (to catch the grounds). Or you can buy a pack of coffee filters and pour the brewed coffee through the filter into your container.

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