If you missed it… here’s Adventures in Cake Making:: Part 1.
Earlier today, I showed you how I do the first few steps in putting together my tiered cakes in Cake Making :: Part 1. After I bake them, cool them, and put the layers together, I let them rest for a few hours or overnight. Today I couldn’t let them sit for long because I started late and well, I just didn’t have the time, but you can still see how the bottom layer has started to bulge out. If I had let it sit overnight, it would’ve been even worse on both the top and bottom layers.
This is not a big deal if you’re just cooking for family, but if you’re building a cake for a wedding or other event, you don’t want the sides of your cake to look all ripply and bulging. You’ll want them smooth and straight. I promise – it makes a world of difference!
But, to level that and get a really smooth, straight sided cake, hold a sharp knife straight up and down and trip all the way around the a cake.
Usually, after sitting all night, there’s bulge on the top and bottom layers but today, I trimmed mostly on the bottom to make it a really straight up and down (again, this is important when covering in fondant!!).
After I got it all trimmed, I put a thin coat of buttercream on the entire cake. I forgot to mention earlier that I did all these same steps for the 10″ layers and the 6″ layers (most of my pics only show the 10″ layers).
Here’s a finished shot of the 6″ layer too…
So, when that’s done, you’ll want to let the cakes sit, preferably in a frig and get a “crust” on the buttercream. I promise, it doesn’t get all hard and yucky, it just gets a thin crust so that it’s not super easy to damage and it’s easier to smooth so that you have a great surface to put fondant on.
Update: Way back when I posted this tutorial originally, I wasn’t smoothing the buttercream underneath as much as I should have. I highly recommend getting it as smooth as possible… using a bench scraper to smooth it… then after it crusts, use a Viva paper towel and fondant smoother to smooth even more! The smoother your cake underneath is, the smoother your fondant will be!
I should say here, if you don’t “do” fondant, that the rest of my posting today may not interest you, but if you are interested in learning fondant or trying it, this might be a helpful tutorial. I am by not means an expert… I’ve actually only been doing this for a few months, but I’ve had lots of practice and I’m getting better with each cake.
So, after the buttercream crusts, I’ll do a few more steps then start my fondant work. I’ll show you those steps in part 3… coming later tonight or in the morning! For now, I have to get pizza warmed and drinks made for the pile of boys who’ve invaded my house!!
To keep reading, check out Adventures in Cake Making:: Part 3.
Wife to Richy. Mommy to 6 kids. Homeschool Teacher. Jesus Freak. Good Books. Baker. Friend. Loves to Laugh. Photographer. Chocolate Addict. Mathematician. Pink. Diet Dr. Pepper-aholic. Cook. Flip-Flops. Ponytails. Loud Music. Writer. Budget-er. Chocolate Milk. Pillow Hog. Late-night TV & Junk Food.
You may have shared it before and I can't find it, but I would love to have your buttercream recipe. I'm currently taking the Wilton classes and I'm loving it but I'm not loving their icing recipe. Thanks!
love this 3 part series…..can you please just clarify something. In part 2 you say the following: At this point, you’ll want to let your cakes sit and settle for a few hours or overnight. I’ll show you why in my next post…..
But then in part 3 you say: If I had let it sit overnight, it would’ve been even worse on both the top and bottom layers.
If making heavy cakes is going to mean a bulge, would you prefer to be able to make them right away? or just letting them sit do something else beneficial for you? thx
Sorry about the confusion. I prefer to let them rest for at least a few hours as I did with this cake. If you don’t let them rest and you immediately decorate, you run the risk of them settle more and then bulging *after* they’re decorated. That can be much harder to deal with or fix. I guess if you’re doing a cake for family and you’re going to immediately serve it, it might be okay, but when I’m doing them for customers, it’s usually at least a few hours or sometimes the next day before their party and I do not want to risk bulges, air pockets, or anything like that happening after it’s decorated!
Thanks for the clarification—-I was reading it as letting it sit so as to not have the problems— but I understand now that you mean with that size/weight cake you will probably have problems—it’s just making them fixable. Thanks!