My First Cake Fail

Baking By Nanas.sweet.treats Updated 31 Jul 2019 , 4:09pm by SandraSmiley

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Nanas.sweet.treats Posted 28 Jul 2019 , 6:16am
post #1 of 12

Yes it was bad!!! OK so this is the cake. I used this recipe for the bottom tier and Carrot cake on the top tier with cream cheese frosting.  And the whipped cream frosting on the bottom. 

https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/strawberry-dream-cake

Except I used the WASC recipe for the the bottom cake. My client wanted the yellow cake. I used whole strawberries between the layers. I used cake boards under the top tier,  weight supports, center supports. The cake was fine when we left. By time the cake was delivered the frosting on the bottom was sliding  off the cake and out from between the layers. Then the bottom fell completey apart. What did I wrong ???My First Cake Fail

11 replies
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kakeladi Posted 28 Jul 2019 , 1:06pm
post #2 of 12

There are sooo many things that could have contributed   You say you used the strawberry recipe for the bottom but then say you used the WASC recipe also for the bottom —  which is correct?    What kind of ‘weight supports’ did you use?   Wood dowels; straws; or ?   Did you insert one, mark where it met the top of the cake, then use that to cut ALL of them?  How many used?  Were they inserted straight?  If even a little off it could cause the problem   Using cr ch icing is always a bit of a problem especially in this HOT weather!  And whole berries might have contributed—too uneven.   

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Nanas.sweet.treats Posted 28 Jul 2019 , 8:56pm
post #3 of 12

I substituted the WASC cake instead of using that cake recipe, because thats what the client requested, but I followed those directions for everything else.  I did use the recipe for the dream Whipped frosting.  And for weight reinforcements, I used the fat plastic smoothie straws for supporting the weight of the top tier, a cake board between the tiers and a center support. 

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Debbieshobby Posted 28 Jul 2019 , 9:39pm
post #4 of 12

I am certainly not an expert but I would think maybe the fillings were too soft and the whole strawberries also potentially affected the structure - the straws could have moved due to this. So sorry this happened . 

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Nanas.sweet.treats Posted 28 Jul 2019 , 11:03pm
post #5 of 12

I also think maybe it was the strawberries as the frosting that melted. 

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Nanas.sweet.treats Posted 28 Jul 2019 , 11:03pm
post #6 of 12

I also think maybe it was the strawberries as the frosting that melted. 

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SquirrellyCakes Posted 29 Jul 2019 , 12:29am
post #7 of 12

The fresh strawberries bleed out juice. The whipped cream frosting is not a stable frosting and the combination is best used for a cake that will be refrigerated up until serving time. I would never stack a cake like that - it isn't a combination meant to be stacked. Whipping cream just isn't stable. Addjng icing sugar (powdered sugar) to it stabilizes it as much as it can be but most fresh fruits bleed out juice and de-stabilize it even more. It needs to be kept cold. It cannot support a lot of weight and this is why it is generally used with sponge type cakes.


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kakeladi Posted 29 Jul 2019 , 2:23am
post #8 of 12

Squirrelly cakes it’s not the cake that supports the upper tiers it’s the supports/doweling used   ‘Regular ‘ American recipes — especially the WASC which is very close to a pound cake —  therefore a sturdy one What she said she used should have been fine except for what you point out — the combination of real,fresh berries mixed with whipped cream    Whole berries are not uniform in size giving UNstibility , then mixed w/soft whipped cream allowed slippage of the layers most likely 

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SquirrellyCakes Posted 29 Jul 2019 , 8:09pm
post #9 of 12

Kakeladi - I am confused - I thought she said she made a stacked cake with the strawberry whipped cream one on the bottom and either the almond or carrot next and the other on top. So the whipped cream one on the bottom would slip and slide with the fruit no matter what support system you use. Am I missing something? My understanding is that this is a 3 tiered stacked cake with the strawberry whipped cream cake on the bottom. So if that is the case, no matter how you support it, if it sits out whipping cream even stabilized is fluffy and compresses. I only see a photo of one cake. Please explain.

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kakeladi Posted 29 Jul 2019 , 9:35pm
post #10 of 12

Yep I understand now & you’re right   I’m sure that was the problem 

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SquirrellyCakes Posted 30 Jul 2019 , 2:11am
post #11 of 12

kakeladi - I understand what you mean about the support system supporting the cake though and not the cake itself. It is just that if someone is going to use a whipped cream and berry filled cake normally you would use a lighter cake texture like an angel food or light sponge cake with that. Otherwise it won't cut well - it will tend to slip and squish out even when cold. Plus it won't hold the supports as well. If I were to do that, I would only stack at the last minute and that cake would be on top. 

Perhaps I am misreading but normally with a stacked cake you would use the same icing for uniformity. This would have worked better with a cake that had separate tiers. Whipped cream frosting on a wedding cake is always a challenge unless you can keep it refrigerated up until serving time. It is best used for small groups - in my opinion. Delicious though!  

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SandraSmiley Posted 31 Jul 2019 , 4:09pm
post #12 of 12

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