?? About Placing A Ceramic Tile On Tier To Prevent Bluging

Decorating By tryingcake Updated 30 Mar 2011 , 2:37pm by AngelFood4

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tryingcake Posted 20 Jan 2011 , 1:51am
post #1 of 32

I tried this and had no luck. What do yo think I may have done wrong?

I baked a 2 9" rounds (1 standard, the other contour). I allowed them to cool over night. The next day I prepped the cake (no filling - just BC in between layers) and crumbcoated the sides.

I placed a paper towel over this and placed my tile on top. It doesn't seem very heavy so I placed (2) 1 pound bags of dried beans on top of the tile.

I had errands to run and left it there. I got home about 6 hours later - not a bulge to be found...... I then iced the cake. It bulged.

Boo-Hoo!!

Any ideas?

31 replies
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ptanyer Posted 20 Jan 2011 , 2:18am
post #2 of 32

It might be that when you iced the cake that you pushed icing in between the layers that later bulged out. I put weight my top tier and let it sit overnight if possible before doing the final icing.

One thing more that I do is to make cake "spackle" from my cake scraps and icing and spread it on the cake as a crumb coat and then lightly ice over that after the spackle has firmed up and crusted. That will help stop bulging and gives you really straight sides and top.

If you haven't seen them, Sharon Zambito (Sugarshack on CC) has great DVD's you can order that show her techniques to deal with bulging.

Hope that helps!
Pam

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leah_s Posted 20 Jan 2011 , 2:24am
post #3 of 32

That's not exactly the directions I gave in the thread.

Was this a stacked tier?

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tryingcake Posted 21 Jan 2011 , 2:17am
post #4 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by leah_s

That's not exactly the directions I gave in the thread.

Was this a stacked tier?




I thought the directions you gave were to fill it and place the tile over it. No matter what I do a search for it will not open - tells me topic does not exist. So I have to go from memory.

But I remember the directions being fairly simple and straight forward. Fill it - put weight on it: which is what I did.. so that's what I'm asking... what did I do wrong? Since I can't get the thread to open, it's not like I can figure it out on my own. I asked for help because I need help not because I was too lazy to search. I DID search. For over a week now I haven't been able to get any posts to open thru search. I'm getting frustrated with all the tech issues on this site. I even went back 16 pages looking for it - I did the work before bothering anyone.

It was one tier. (A stacked tier would have dowels and the weight wouldn't affect the one under it anyway.) It was a 2-layer round simply filled with BC. Like I said, I filled it, took what squished out right then and created a crumb coat with it - I did not crumb coat the top. I placed a paper towel on it because I did not like the idea of a the tile material seeping into the cake. Then I placed the tile on it. It didn't feel very heavy - so I made it heavier and put TWO more pounds on it. Still did not bulge. Waited several hours....

I iced it with BC - no fondant - it bulged.

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trishvanhoozer Posted 21 Jan 2011 , 2:52am
post #5 of 32

This isn't really relevant to this specific topic, but I find that when I have trouble searching on this site, and I know it was on here, I search the key words to the topic in Google (usually put cakecentral buldging tile as key words as an example) and find it that way, you can cache the result (if it doesn't click right into it) and find the thread even if it didn't come up here. It works for me 99% of the time. I just did it for this topic, and it seemed to be successful. But too much to paste here. Sorry.....

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tryingcake Posted 21 Jan 2011 , 3:05am
post #6 of 32

I've had that work a couple of times. But if it's more than one page - I get the first page just fine and then the second page gives me that non existent crap, so I gave up. If I remember correctly, that thread was several pages long.

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aligotmatt Posted 21 Jan 2011 , 3:16am
post #7 of 32

Even if it's "just buttercream", you need to make a dam. Did you?

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leah_s Posted 21 Jan 2011 , 3:19am
post #8 of 32

Torte. Put on a dam with extremely stiff icing. Fill. Do not crumb coat. Wrap entire cake in plastic film. Put tile on top. Leave it at room temp to settle. I leave the cake at least 3 hours and overnight usually. All I can say is it works for me.

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-633571-newest.html+trick

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FlourPots Posted 21 Jan 2011 , 3:44am
post #9 of 32

When you do a search, if the topic has more than one page, don't ever click on the numbered pages...it always says the topic doesn't exist, even #1.

Click on the topic title itself...then you'll get the entire thread and all its pages.

For example...I did a search about this topic...on the keywords line, I typed tile, and leah_s as the author...
this is what I got:

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=search&mode=results

...second after this thread.
If you don't know the author, and just used the word tile, her thread still comes up.

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FlourPots Posted 21 Jan 2011 , 3:51am
post #10 of 32

My bad...I can't link a results page....sorry!

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heyjules Posted 21 Jan 2011 , 4:04am
post #11 of 32

It makes me sad that you feel the need to apoligize for asking a question. There is no rule that says you can't ask a question again if someone's asked it in the last couple of days. I personally prefer doing searches because it's faster. If we all feel like we can't ask questions that have already been asked, then how many new topics would there be, really? And different people come in at different times with different ideas. I think it's a great thing. Sorry people are being snarky and catty about answering questions! Don't think we're all that way!

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tryingcake Posted 21 Jan 2011 , 4:14am
post #12 of 32

Yes, I make a dam as described in Sharon Z's BC video - so thick you can almost roll it by hand.

I'll go back to doing what I was doing. It was a little pain, but it worked. I liked that I could let this sit for a few hours and it would work, but it didn't for me. I'll go back to letting it sit overnight to cool and sit overnight with the filling in it. Sometimes you just can't beat time.

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Karen421 Posted 21 Jan 2011 , 2:08pm
post #13 of 32

I have to admit that the tile thing didn't work for me. I thought "how the heck did I mess that up" evidently it was easy for me! icon_redface.gif Now I have to just let all my cakes settle over night, and for me that works. (sorry Leah!)

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mayo2222 Posted 21 Jan 2011 , 2:25pm
post #14 of 32

If your just using buttercream for your filling I would disagree that you still need to make a dam and in most cases is an unnecessary step.

Don't know what the solution is, but it seems to work for me and seems to work even better when I use two tiles instead of one. I let time and gravity take over and when I come back to the cake I just scrape off the excess frosting

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leah_s Posted 21 Jan 2011 , 2:41pm
post #15 of 32

I agree that you don't need a dam with all bc as filling.

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DianeLM Posted 21 Jan 2011 , 2:51pm
post #16 of 32

I've been doing the weight thing as long as Leah, if not longer. We each came up with the idea independently. icon_smile.gif

I have never crumbcoated a cake while it was being weighted. If I have to reach for a reason why that would cause a problem, all I can think of is that the crumb coat held in what should have squished out during the weighting. But I'm not convinced that was the problem.

When you added your buttercream filling, did you fill all the way to the outer edge of the cake? Or did you stop a 1/4 inch or so from the edge? I always leave a little room for filling to expand, although it usually doesn't. If I've done it right, after the weight has been on for several hours, the filling won't extend past the edge of the cake. On the rare occasion when it has squished past the outer edge, I've scooped it away with my finger until the filling is once again 'indented' - not even with the outside of the cake.

I'm a little concerned that you left a cake completely uncovered - except for a paper towel on top - for several hours. You should really wrap it in plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.

I would also advise against using weights that may not be distributed evenly, like bags of beans, boxes of cake mix, etc.. You're better off placing a can right in the center of the tile to add more weight. I keep a small level near my cakes while they're being weighted so I can check for tilting or unevenness, then make adjustments as necessary.

I can't understand why your cake bulged, but I am intrigued and will try to help find a solution.

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tryingcake Posted 21 Jan 2011 , 2:57pm
post #17 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by mayo2222

If your just using buttercream for your filling I would disagree that you still need to make a dam and in most cases is an unnecessary step.

Don't know what the solution is, but it seems to work for me and seems to work even better when I use two tiles instead of one. I let time and gravity take over and when I come back to the cake I just scrape off the excess frosting




I would think that adding the additional two pounds I added would make up for an extra tile.

I don't know. Maybe it's the way Karen 421 and I hold our tongues as we place the tiles on.

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tryingcake Posted 21 Jan 2011 , 3:04pm
post #18 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by DianeLM


I'm a little concerned that you left a cake completely uncovered - except for a paper towel on top - for several hours. You should really wrap it in plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.



I can't understand why your cake bulged, but I am intrigued and will try to help find a solution.




One compliment I get over and over is how moist my cakes are. I made the mistake of wrapping them once because of all I read - they were horribly mushy. I had to throw them away and start over, now with less time. Yuck. So leaving them sit out overnight has not been an issue.

It doesn't make any sense to me why it did not bulge under the weight, even if not level - not one bulge... as soon as I iced it, within about 3 hours out came the bulge... nice and even all around the cake - a cute little flat tire. GRR!!

I truly appreciate your feedback. I'll give it another try on a non-customer cake; which I rarely ever make. Cake is not allowed in my house. Seriously. I'll have to make one and take it to the neighbor.

But for the wedding cake I have coming up - old tried and true - until I figure this out.

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bakencake Posted 21 Jan 2011 , 3:31pm
post #19 of 32

the only thing i see that you might be doing different is that you are cumbcoating after filling and then putting the weight on.

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VaBelle Posted 21 Jan 2011 , 4:07pm
post #20 of 32

Just want to say that I've been having the same search issues as you.

I'm pretty new to cake decorating, but I usually leave space at the edges for any filling I do, including regular buttercream, and haven't experienced a bulge yet. I fill in as I ice the cake. And I don't usually let it "settle".

Hope you find something that works for you that doesn't take a lot of time.

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PattyT Posted 21 Jan 2011 , 4:44pm
post #21 of 32

I tried using the weight method after I read Leah_s post, and think it has made a big improvement with my cakes.

However - and this is just a shot in the dark idea - is it possible that there was too much weight on the cakes? It ends up actuallly compressing the layers rather than just speeding up the natural settling? My thought is that when you removed the weights the layers uncompressed a bit, pulling in some air - you finished the cake and it re-settled again???

Just a thought to try and solve the problem.

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sweetaudrey Posted 29 Mar 2011 , 2:28am
post #22 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by heyjules

It makes me sad that you feel the need to apoligize for asking a question. There is no rule that says you can't ask a question again if someone's asked it in the last couple of days. I personally prefer doing searches because it's faster. If we all feel like we can't ask questions that have already been asked, then how many new topics would there be, really? And different people come in at different times with different ideas. I think it's a great thing. Sorry people are being snarky and catty about answering questions! Don't think we're all that way!




I agree with you. We're all here to learn. We can't see every single post everyone has ever submitted because, lets face it, that would take forever and we all have cakes to make and lives to live. As long as people put in an effort to search and find their answers than I think it's perfectly fine to ask again if they cannot find what they are looking for. Kindness is key, for sure. icon_wink.gif

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sweetaudrey Posted 29 Mar 2011 , 2:28am
post #23 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by heyjules

It makes me sad that you feel the need to apoligize for asking a question. There is no rule that says you can't ask a question again if someone's asked it in the last couple of days. I personally prefer doing searches because it's faster. If we all feel like we can't ask questions that have already been asked, then how many new topics would there be, really? And different people come in at different times with different ideas. I think it's a great thing. Sorry people are being snarky and catty about answering questions! Don't think we're all that way!




I agree with you. We're all here to learn. We can't see every single post everyone has ever submitted because, lets face it, that would take forever and we all have cakes to make and lives to live. As long as people put in an effort to search and find their answers than I think it's perfectly fine to ask again if they cannot find what they are looking for. Kindness is key, for sure. icon_wink.gif

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tryingcake Posted 29 Mar 2011 , 2:53am
post #24 of 32

Thank you for your nice comments. I just decided (back in January) not to ask any further questions. The few times I have tried have all kicked my butt. So, I will surf and figure it out on my own. Sad, but necessary.

I really miss the other site that is having to close down. In my eyes, it was much friendlier, overall. But I digress. It's closing and we all have to move on.

I haven't retried this method yet. I will someday. I gave icing a cake using the upside method two tries before accepting it was a total waste of my time. It took soooo much longer than what I normally do with the exact same results.

This method, so far, did not work at all for me. I was willing to accept that it was completely my doing. But I still don't know what to do differently to feel the need to try again.

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sweetaudrey Posted 29 Mar 2011 , 5:02am
post #25 of 32

That's really sad that you decided to stop asking questions. icon_redface.gif That's not how things should be, I agree. We are all professionals in one way or another (regardless if we bake just for family and friend at home or for the entire countryside)...therefore, I think everyone should act like it. Everyone makes mistakes and cakers are no different. I'm no expert, but if you have a question, I'd be happy to try and answer it for you. icon_biggrin.gif Good luck with this bulging cake endevour...I have similar problems so I'm not sure I can be of much help. I think it's just trail and error and practice makes perfect. icon_smile.gif

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sweetaudrey Posted 29 Mar 2011 , 5:03am
post #26 of 32

That's really sad that you decided to stop asking questions. icon_redface.gif That's not how things should be, I agree. We are all professionals in one way or another (regardless if we bake just for family and friend at home or for the entire countryside)...therefore, I think everyone should act like it. Everyone makes mistakes and cakers are no different. I'm no expert, but if you have a question, I'd be happy to try and answer it for you. icon_biggrin.gif Good luck with this bulging cake endevour...I have similar problems so I'm not sure I can be of much help. I think it's just trail and error and practice makes perfect. icon_smile.gif

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tryingcake Posted 29 Mar 2011 , 10:53pm
post #27 of 32

No- there is something about me on this site that just didn't fit. I just commented on another post about creating guitar strings for a particular cake that hasn't even been created yet..... and another poster insists that I was slamming her guitar cake - I never even mentioned her cake! OMG! and I did post on her pic that I thought it was great - and I really did.

I was slammed a couple of weeks ago because I htought someone who was unaware of the requirements of being licensed should be given a chance just like one of the posters had been given - OMG! You would think I had suggested stealing someone's baby. I pretty much totally gave up then. And then now over those stupid strings - yeah. It's pretty ridiculous.

I can't tell you how many times I've been slammed on this site and no one can find anywhere where I have ever slammed anyone first or in retaliation. I just don't get it.

So, now, not only am I not asking questions, I'm considering not posting at all. I'm not allowed to be honest while others are. Funny, huh?

There are a lot of really really nice people here. But those small handful of people make it not a nice place to visit at times.

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Karen421 Posted 29 Mar 2011 , 11:49pm
post #28 of 32

tryingcake that makes me sad, because you have some great cakes, and a lot of good advise. I wish you wouldn't let some affect you that way, there will always be nay sayers, but there are so many good people here! thumbs_up.gif

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Coral3 Posted 30 Mar 2011 , 2:22am
post #29 of 32
Quote:
Quote:

[quote="tryingcake"]No- there is something about me on this site that just didn't fit. I just commented on another post about creating guitar strings for a particular cake that hasn't even been created yet..... and another poster insists that I was slamming her guitar cake - I never even mentioned her cake! OMG! and I did post on her pic that I thought it was great - and I really did.

I was slammed a couple of weeks ago because I htought someone who was unaware of the requirements of being licensed should be given a chance just like one of the posters had been given - OMG! You would think I had suggested stealing someone's baby. I pretty much totally gave up then. And then now over those stupid strings - yeah. It's pretty ridiculous.

I can't tell you how many times I've been slammed on this site and no one can find anywhere where I have ever slammed anyone first or in retaliation. I just don't get it.



It's very easy to read comments the wrong way. Comments that are merely matter of fact & to the point can easily be interpreted as blunt & harsh, when that was never their intended tone. It's so easy to grab the wrong end of the stick on forums. Making a conscious effort to read comments in a more positive tone helps... if you read responses with the mindset that everyone is 'out to get you' then your mind will automatically put a negative spin on comments that were never intended that way. I guess I'm saying that because we can never really know the exact tone of voice others intend their posts to be read with it's best not to assume the worst, but to give people the benefit of the doubt.
icon_smile.gif

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sweetaudrey Posted 30 Mar 2011 , 3:37am
post #30 of 32

I agree that comments can be read COMPLETELY wrong. It's kinda like writing emails or texting on your phone. Sometimes you just need to simply "talk" to the person and this doesn't allow that to happen in a forum setting. I would deffinitely just write those people off as ignorant who insist on being rude to people they don't really even know on a forum. If you have a question or if you want to give advice, I deffinitely would post it. Just completely disregard those people who want to be ignorant and rude. I know it's hard. I've been in a similar situation through emails and other settings and it's usually a complete misunderstanding. Writing something in text shows very little emotion and therefore it can be taken completely wrong. It's not your fault and I do hope you comtinue to share your wisdom on here because you never know who can benefit from it! icon_biggrin.gif I know I would benefit because I'm pretty much just a hobby caker and I'm, in a way, just starting out in the decorating field (not baking, but decorating) and I could sure use all the wisdom and help I can get! thumbs_up.gif

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