Compressing A Cake With A Ceramic Tile?

Decorating By bakerliz Updated 16 Aug 2011 , 3:38pm by mommynana

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bakerliz Posted 16 Aug 2011 , 12:39am
post #1 of 18

I've finished the cake that may have cost me the few remnants of my sanity. I let the cake sit at room temp after I filed it, and I still had gigantic air goiters that tried to ruin my cake! Two tiers actually exploded while I wasn't looking and one tier settled so much, that I had to trim about 1/2inch of fondant that had rippled around the base. icon_cry.gif

I've heard of people weighting their cakes with a ceramic tile to try and get some of the air out and I'm ready to try it!, I have a couple of questions though, so if you do this...Help please!! thumbs_up.gif

1. What size tile do you use? Do you use different sizes for different cakes?
2. How long do you let it sit?
3. Do you do this at room temp or in the fridge?

TIA,
Liz

17 replies
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JanH Posted 16 Aug 2011 , 12:54am
post #2 of 18

My newest "trick" thread on using a tile by leah_s:

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

HTH

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mommynana Posted 16 Aug 2011 , 1:24am
post #3 of 18
Quote:
Originally Posted by JanH

My newest "trick" thread on using a tile by leah_s:

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

HTH




I have seen this but have`t tried it yet, Dose putting a clean towel on the cake when it comes out of the oven, And pressing down on the cake firmly, Would that serve the same purpose??

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Vanessa7 Posted 16 Aug 2011 , 2:04am
post #4 of 18

I have used a ceramic tile several times with great success. The tile just needs to be larger than the cake. I leave it sitting at room temperature for a couple hours or so. Never any bubbles since I began this technique. HTH.

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LindaF144a Posted 16 Aug 2011 , 2:21am
post #5 of 18
Quote:
Originally Posted by bakerliz

I've finished the cake that may have cost me the few remnants of my sanity. I let the cake sit at room temp after I filed it, and I still had gigantic air goiters that tried to ruin my cake! Two tiers actually exploded while I wasn't looking and one tier settled so much, that I had to trim about 1/2inch of fondant that had rippled around the base. icon_cry.gif

I've heard of people weighting their cakes with a ceramic tile to try and get some of the air out and I'm ready to try it!, I have a couple of questions though, so if you do this...Help please!! thumbs_up.gif

1. What size tile do you use? Do you use different sizes for different cakes?
2. How long do you let it sit?
3. Do you do this at room temp or in the fridge?

TIA,
Liz




I'm curious. How does a cake tier explode? I don't think this has to do with putting a tile on a cake. That is done to let the filling settle into place and not create a bulge along where the filling is located. I'm not too sure about an explosion. Could you elaborate?

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kel58 Posted 16 Aug 2011 , 3:02am
post #6 of 18

I'm guessing that her "explosion" was a big blow out from an air pocket in her cake. Please correct me if im wrong but that what im assuming she is talking about.

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leah_s Posted 16 Aug 2011 , 3:04am
post #7 of 18

[quote
I have seen this but have`t tried it yet, Dose putting a clean towel on the cake when it comes out of the oven, And pressing down on the cake firmly, Would that serve the same purpose??[/quote]

Absolutely not.

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bakerliz Posted 16 Aug 2011 , 4:23am
post #8 of 18
Quote:
Originally Posted by kel58

I'm guessing that her "explosion" was a big blow out from an air pocket in her cake. Please correct me if im wrong but that what im assuming she is talking about.




This is exactly what happened. On two of the tiers, the giant bubble busted and actually split the fondant open from top to bottom!! icon_eek.gif

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bakerliz Posted 16 Aug 2011 , 12:22pm
post #9 of 18
Quote:
Originally Posted by JanH

My newest "trick" thread on using a tile by leah_s:

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

HTH




Thank you for this link. I went back and read the entire thread and I'm ready to try it now. I understand that the intent is to stop the side bulge, but I think that this might help with the general settling issues that I'm facing...and for a couple of dollars, I'd be a fool not to try! And thanks Leah for the tip icon_wink.gif

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AnnieCahill Posted 16 Aug 2011 , 12:39pm
post #10 of 18

It seems to me that we are talking about two different things here.

We have the bulge, which is when the cake settles and the filling dam kind of pushes out from between the layers, creating a doughnut effect around the cake, and then the creepy air amoebas (although I like "goiters" better haha) which form randomly all over the cake.

For the goiters, I have found this happens when the cake is cold. I know you said you filled it at room temperature, but at any point was the cake refrigerated? I find that when I pull the cake out of the fridge and fill it then ice it, if it's not 100% at room temperature I will get those goiters. Myself and Sharon (sugarshack) seem to think it has something to do with condensation. I also think it's important to note here that I've never had the goiter issue with a non-crusting buttercream such as Charlotte's or IMBC .

I do find that using a very stiff filling dam is a good way to prevent the bulges. I don't have a tile but I have taken a piece of parchment or waxed paper and put it on top of the cake then used a heavy cookbook to compress the layers.

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bakerliz Posted 16 Aug 2011 , 1:06pm
post #11 of 18

I do refrigerate the cake after I've coated it with buttercream, I find that the only way for me to get my fondant to lay sooth (since I use a thick layer of buttercream) is to have the cake very cold.

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leah_s Posted 16 Aug 2011 , 1:30pm
post #12 of 18

I had a solution for those random bubbles, also. It was in a FNCC thread. I'll see if I can find it, because there was the tip and some discussion.

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AnnieCahill Posted 16 Aug 2011 , 1:32pm
post #13 of 18

Was that where you run your knife under the edge of the cake between the board and the icing to loosen it? I remember that too.

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KatsSuiteCakes Posted 16 Aug 2011 , 1:39pm
post #15 of 18

Warm weather always seems to exacerbate the problem for me. I insert a bubble straw through the center of the cake all the way to the bottom then remove and let my cake sit at room temp for about an hour after the final icing application. Gives the air a place to escape, then can be easily hidden with buttercream or your fondant.

Kat

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bakerliz Posted 16 Aug 2011 , 1:54pm
post #16 of 18

Ok, looks like I have 2 new things to try! The spatula thing seems to make sense because the bubbles stopped returning after I lifted the excess fondant that had been created and allowed it to "hang" over the cake board. This would have created the same effect. So my next question is this...If I do this after I buttercream, let the cake sit, and then cover in fondant, do I need to do this to the fondant as well? Or should all of the air be out by then?

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kearniesue Posted 16 Aug 2011 , 2:03pm
post #17 of 18

I always push my cakes down right out of the oven AND do the tile method. Well, kind of - I leave parchement on my cake, then put the pan upright on my cake with something heavy in it (shortening, a couple bags of PS, whatever is comparable to the weight of the cake). That seems to do the trick.

Karen

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mommynana Posted 16 Aug 2011 , 3:38pm
post #18 of 18
Quote:
Originally Posted by leah_s

[quote
I have seen this but have`t tried it yet, Dose putting a clean towel on the cake when it comes out of the oven, And pressing down on the cake firmly, Would that serve the same purpose??




Absolutely not.[/quote]


Thank you Leah_s

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