dst10spr97: FNCC is simply a gathering of members. Friday night is traditionally crunch time for cakes so if you need immediate help, this thread is the place to post. From what I understand, this is a no judgement thread so no worries about touchy subjects or questions on this thread on Friday nights. If you need help or can give help, post here. If you have nothing going on, but want to chat a bit, post here. It's an informal thread that Leah starts between 10:30 and 10:45 every Friday night. Leah has loads of experience and can answer most questions or concerns. If she can't answer it, has passed out for the night, or whatever, whoever knows it jumps in to the best of their ability.
So...feel free to post, ask questions, chat, or help someone. All are welcome!
@dst, yes, since a lot of us work late of Friday night to get orders out for Saturday, we check in periodically to have someone to "talk" to through the night.
@rendee, I have cut back to three wedding cakes per weekend, usually all for Saturday, but not always.
@garcia, I've never had any luck at all with the upside down method, having tried it a few times. But yes, darker colors can get a weird marbling effect.
Hi everyone,
Not a hugely busy week this week. Lots of little sugar picnic baskets to get done before the 5th, a Star Trek themed Father's Day cake which is now in my albums here, and mini cupcakes for a Karate Dojo's open house.
And, yes, just reading 32 doz cookies makes me tired too! Hope it all goes well.
Cat
OK, first tip of the night:
I learned this in culinary school and had promptly forgotten it. It has to do with those bubbles we all get on cakes. Three weeks ago, every wedding cake I delivered had a bubble. Then it hit me. When my Chef Instructor showed us how to ice a cake, the last step after smoothing the icing on the tier, was to run the edge of the spatula between the cardboard and the cake, "Breaking the seal."
Yes, it will mess up the very bottom of the tier, but that can be repaired later. Just let the cake breathe a bit (even a hour or two) and when you finish assembly with a ribbon or an icing bead the messy part will get hidden. If you're doing a no border of any type cake, then you'll have to repair the lower edge - but you won't be getting bubbles on the side of the cake that have to be repaired.
Once I remember this step, I've had no more bubbles.
I know two things: I didn't get these air bubbles when I did cakes in culinary school and I haven't gotten any since I've remembered to run the knife/spatula between the cardboard and the cake. You don't have to get the knife/spatula all the way under the cake either. An inch or so does the trick.
Now second tip of the night.
And it involves using an Agbay. I got a single blade Agbay this week. I have the double which I use to torte and level every cake. Why would I need a single blade you ask?
I set it at 4 1/4" and run it over the top edge of the iced cake. And viola! flat top and even edges.
I heart my Agbays.
So for tomorrow's cakes I'm going to pop them in the freezer first and see if that makes the top icing easier to slice off. I still have to clean up the edges a bit with a hot spatula, but tonight, this decreased my top edge finishing time by about 90%.
I dream of Agbays....I think it'll be my purchase with wedding season bookings.
did someone say 32 DOZEN cookies??? yikers!
Well for me I had one birthday cake already go out. Have 2 tier Under the Sea ready for the morning and am finishing a 3 tier wedding cake. It's a chic red white and blue. I'm in the middle of "s" scrolls....needed a break.
Had to take a break...
Leah, I love that tip about the Agbay and an iced cake - who would have thought?! I have trouble with getting precised, crisp, clean edges and top...do you need to chill it first before you use the Agbay on it?
The only issue I have with my single blade Agbay (the only one I have), is when I have a really short cake - then I have to put it on something to level it (an upside down cake pan)
I did get my Agbay on eBay if that helps anyone - put it on your watch list. However, I think next to my KA, my Agbay is valued the next highest and then my Pampered Chef Spatulas (scrapers).
Okay, break over. Sandra Bullock is the next one to keep me company (Hope Floats is on now) since Erin Walton got married (watched A Walton Wedding earlier while cookie cutting fondant).
Cheers!
Well my alligator cake is almost finished. All I have left are covering and attaching the legs which can wait until tomorrow. Good luck everyone.
Anybody still here?? How would I prevent the oozing of the filling? What am i doing wrong?
To prevent the filling from oozing, I put a thick layer of frosting around the perimeter just inside the border. Usually, I just use my coupler without a tip to put a thick band around the inside edge. This usually does the trick in keeping the filling from seeping out. Hope that helps!
Agbay on Ebay? Really?
Leah's tip makes me want to get a second one, just for the sole purpose of top frosting. I have a hard time too and I find that the upside down frosting methods adds more time than benefit. There are some things I want to perfect old school style and getting a smooth icing top with a spatula is one of them....until I can get to a culinary school.
This weekend was nice...no cake orders. BUT I didn't find myself in the kitchen testing out cupcake recipes. I never thought people would prefer cupcakes over cakes until last weeks order.
I have tried the WASC recipe for cupcakes: not the taste texture that I'm looking for
Joy of Baking Vanilla cupcakes: too dense and missing flavor. the icing recipe was good, I just found that I needed to add some more butter, dreamwhip and a wee dram of lemon juice to give it some POW. The icing turned out delish...I had a cupcake for dinner and woke up wanting/eating another one...
I'm going to give this recipe a try tomorrow: http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/10/28/vanilla-cupcakes-vanilla-buttercream-frosting/
Starting to really love these cupcake thingies and the variety in flavors, icings and garnishing!
what about some kind of jam or jelly....like orange marmalade?
I'm not a fan of the piping gel taste, I round rather use watered down corn syrup or jam.
Well, it looks like I'm not the only one who has trouble with top icing. I have always thought that with more practice I would get better, but I think maybe I just get pickier? My first wedding cake in August is all buttercream and has no top border, so I won't be able to hide any flaws, which means I better get it right! I'll continue to experiment with the upside-down method and see if I can get that one right.
I'm starting to see double and run into things, so I'd better call it a night. Thanks for the company guys!!
Now second tip of the night.
And it involves using an Agbay. I got a single blade Agbay this week. I have the double which I use to torte and level every cake. Why would I need a single blade you ask?
I set it at 4 1/4" and run it over the top edge of the iced cake. And viola! flat top and even edges.
I heart my Agbays.
So for tomorrow's cakes I'm going to pop them in the freezer first and see if that makes the top icing easier to slice off. I still have to clean up the edges a bit with a hot spatula, but tonight, this decreased my top edge finishing time by about 90%.
Wow Leah, do you have a picture of the way the cake looks after you do this? So do you have to smooth over the icing again after you cut it?
After this thread I'm pretty sure I better bite the bullet and get an Agbay. I've been torting my cakes all this time with a serrated knife and sometimes I do a pretty good job of really slaughtering the cakes...
Got a horrible air bubble today too, sick all day thinking about all the customers who I HOPE are not getting air bubbles and not telling me.... it happened 3 hours after I set it up over at our church. I know you work all room temp though, and I fridge...I guess if I do the bottom edge like that, I'd also have to let sit at room temp for awhile too? Or would it still let out the air in the fridge? (Probably not.)
I do have to do a quick smooth over with a hot spatula, but the cake is pretty much even after the Agbay swipe. Today I put the cakes in the freezer and that really didn't help and in some ways I didn't like the effect of the cold icing being cut. Anyway, I use a non-crusting icing. Crusting might work even better! I also tried the blade first through the icing, took off the part that was cut off, then tried going back over the top with the non-cutting side of the blade. That stars to smooth is out a bit. Still perfecting this.
I gotta tell ya, "breaking the seal" is a winner!
Kita, your cakes called and said they don't like the fridge. Makes them shiver. 
I do have to do a quick smooth over with a hot spatula, but the cake is pretty much even after the Agbay swipe. Today I put the cakes in the freezer and that really didn't help and in some ways I didn't like the effect of the cold icing being cut. Anyway, I use a non-crusting icing. Crusting might work even better! I also tried the blade first through the icing, took off the part that was cut off, then tried going back over the top with the non-cutting side of the blade. That stars to smooth is out a bit. Still perfecting this.
I gotta tell ya, "breaking the seal" is a winner!
Kita, your cakes called and said they don't like the fridge. Makes them shiver.
Leah, I'm not talented enough to work with room temp cakes. They're all soft and smushy and the preserves filled ones especially hardly even stay together....
Yes I love this method of leveling my cakes, its so much easier than getting every cake precise. I have always just ran the whole cake thru the agbay, works like a charm.
Kita, your cakes called and said they don't like the fridge. Makes them shiver.
That made me laugh out loud, Leah. I'm guilty of making my cakes shiver too.
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