I use a crusting buttercream as well as the SPS for stacking...trouble is when I lift the tier to place onto the larger tier, I always have issues with the bottom of the tier (that I have lifted) and end up using a bigger border to mask it than intended. Am I stacking too early and not waiting long enough for the buttercream to crust? It's so frustrating & if anyone has any thoughts I would greatly appreciate it!! Thank you!!!
I stick the tiers that I am stacking in the fridge for about 10 minutes to firm them up. Then,I use a Viva papertowel to smooth any marked areas.
I always have issues with the bottom of the tier (that I have lifted)
What type of issues? (Is it cracking, falling apart, or just getting messed up around the base?)
Is your cake on its own board? (If so, you don't have to be very precise when placing it... you can lower it onto the separator plate and slide it into place.)
I do the same as cakegirl. Fridge or freezer for 10 to 15 min. Most people use a hamburger spatula to help guide it onto the plate then adjust. I use the viva paper towels and a palette knife to clean up any messed up edges.
thank you for the suggestions. my base of my cake just gets completely screwed up...used offset spatula, etc and still having issues. i use the viva method as well. thank you for your suggestions...i guess it will come with time & practice! thank you!
I use a metal pan cake turner and it works great.
I use a crusting buttercream as well as the SPS for stacking...trouble is when I lift the tier to place onto the larger tier, I always have issues with the bottom of the tier (that I have lifted) and end up using a bigger border to mask it than intended. Am I stacking too early and not waiting long enough for the buttercream to crust? It's so frustrating & if anyone has any thoughts I would greatly appreciate it!! Thank you!!!
When you stack the cake, leave the dowels in the lower tier sticking up about 1 inch above the cake. When you set the above tier in place, simply let it sink and push the dowels in. This will give you time to get your fingers out of the way.
I use a crusting buttercream as well as the SPS for stacking...trouble is when I lift the tier to place onto the larger tier, I always have issues with the bottom of the tier (that I have lifted) and end up using a bigger border to mask it than intended. Am I stacking too early and not waiting long enough for the buttercream to crust? It's so frustrating & if anyone has any thoughts I would greatly appreciate it!! Thank you!!!
When you stack the cake, leave the dowels in the lower tier sticking up about 1 inch above the cake. When you set the above tier in place, simply let it sink and push the dowels in. This will give you time to get your fingers out of the way.
They don't use dowels... they use SPS.
I use a crusting buttercream as well as the SPS for stacking...trouble is when I lift the tier to place onto the larger tier, I always have issues with the bottom of the tier (that I have lifted) and end up using a bigger border to mask it than intended. Am I stacking too early and not waiting long enough for the buttercream to crust? It's so frustrating & if anyone has any thoughts I would greatly appreciate it!! Thank you!!!
Sorry...didn't see the SPS...... What do you ice your cakes on? If you ice them on separate boards, you can always leave the SPS plate about 1 inch above the tier below so that when you set your upper tier on and get your fingers out of the way the cake will sink the rest of the way down.
My cakes are always in the cooler at least 6 hours prior to stacking so that the icing is very firm.....makes stacking so much easier.
Just a warning Jeff, I tried leaving my SPS plate a bit above and it was really hard to control how it sank into the cake. It could have been just me but it went kind of wonky on me. I have better luck chilling the cakes well and using a large hamburger flipper under the edge of the cake and one hand on the side of the chilled cake and adjust. As long as the cake is well chilled I don't do too much damage.
To the OP, make sure your spatula is tilted up a bit. When you place the cake on to the plate, I have to side with the spatual at about 15 degree angle from the cake board, the side I am supporting with my hand I rest directly on the SPS plate and then I gently slide the spatula out. The spatula never contacts the bottom tier. I can then kind of push the cake around until it lands just right on that little nubby thing on that SPS plate. I am usually repairing the damage on the edge of the top tier not the bottom. If that makes sense.
Just a warning Jeff, I tried leaving my SPS plate a bit above and it was really hard to control how it sank into the cake. It could have been just me but it went kind of wonky on me. I have better luck chilling the cakes well and using a large hamburger flipper under the edge of the cake and one hand on the side of the chilled cake and adjust. As long as the cake is well chilled I don't do too much damage.
To the OP, make sure your spatula is tilted up a bit. When you place the cake on to the plate, I have to side with the spatual at about 15 degree angle from the cake board, the side I am supporting with my hand I rest directly on the SPS plate and then I gently slide the spatula out. The spatula never contacts the bottom tier. I can then kind of push the cake around until it lands just right on that little nubby thing on that SPS plate. I am usually repairing the damage on the edge of the top tier not the bottom. If that makes sense.
Good point. I just use a board with a center dowel already glued in place.....I then just lower my cakes down over the dowel...really simple and that way they are always centered perfectly!
thank you for all of your suggestions!
to sillywabbitz: i smear a bit of buttercream to the SPS plate & I understand your description of placing the cake plate on the SPS plate but it just seems so unsteady even after it attaches to the "nubby" thing. do you spread a lot of buttercream or just enough to have it stick? just trying to figure out my kinks so it doesn't frustrate me so much! thank you!!!
abunintheoven,
Are you prepping the cake circles before you put your cake on them?
If not, you should be doing the following:
Before putting cakes on the cardboard circles. Take the cardboard circle and press it firmly onto the SPS plate. This will make the indention in the center of the cardboard circle. Remove the circle and using something like a metal skewer push that indention all the way through so the hole is obviouse in the circle.
Then once you put the cake on the cardboard and the finished cake on the SPS plate, the hole and the little nubby thing should line up. If I don't put buttercream on my SPS plate, I can still spin my cake around but I can't move it left to right. If the cake feels that unstable I don't think it's really on the nubby thing. If you put buttercream on the SPS plate it should be difficult to even spin the cake around. Some people use double sided tape between the cardboard and the SPS plate but I don't normally do that.
Let me know if that helps.
OP- don't worry, you're not alone! I damaged the crap out if my last two cakes when I went to stack them on my sps. I have no problem when stacking Fondant, but for done reason the buttercream gets the best of me. I have a couple cakes this weekend and I was going to try the fridge/freezer method for about 15 minutes to see if that helps. My guess is that it just takes more practice!
Does anyone have a trick they use to get a HEAVY cake on the nubby thing? I did a 5 tier wedding cake and the larger rounds would just poke a new hole in the card board so I had a dickens of a time finding center hole that I had poked prior.
The only thing I can think of is for you to use foam core instead of cardboard for your cake circle. That is much harder to puncture so you'd have to be sure you always made the hole first but it would be less likely to accidently catch on the nubby.
Foamcore is not food safe so you have to cover it in press n seal or put another cake board on top of it. I would cover it just to be sure but that's just me.
With the really big tiers (I use 1 regular cardboard) you need to get the edge of the cake that's furthest from you pretty close to the edge of the SPS plate. Don't assume too much sliding around ability. Then ease it down (I have one hand under the cake at this point and one hand holding the cake up with an offset spatula) and visually check side to side to see if it's centered. Then ease it down onto the peg.
I put a good bit of bc on the SPS plate and yes it gets all over the one hand that's under the cake.
I can still adjust/spin the cake tier by pushing on the cardboard with a small spatula to get a design lined up if needed.
I give up! just completed the 1st 2 tiers for a 5 tier cake for tomorrow (the rest I need to assemble at the venue, so therefore, can't use the chiller method) and the 12 inch cake literally cracked everywhere. horrible time getting it on the SPS plate. i am at a loss for words & need to rethink this SPS thing....need to look into something else because it seems like everytime i stack a cake, that is always my fall. I am just starting to get that feeling that maybe wedding cakes i shouldn't be doing........more research to do i guess....let's hope tomorrow goes better!
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