Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A
Can more layers make a cake taste nicer?
Hi All
I made Paul’s cake this weekend but my tasters and I weren’t too happy with the overall taste although we liked the sponge on its own when It was taken out of the oven and we had a taste, but after it was completed it tasted too “dry” with the ganache and sugarpaste. (I had cling filmed it before it had completely cooled and decorated it after 2 days but hadn’t frozen it)
Not sure if this was because we don’t like ganache (will be testing again this weekend with chocolate buttercream) but I like the balance between moist/sturdy so was hoping to use this recipe again.
However earlier I just thought whether it was because of the size of my layers and filling (I only had the 2 thick layers sandwiched together with a layer of ganache and then a coat of ganache on the outside). Should the layer of ganache used for the filling be a particular ratio to the size of the sponge layers and should the layer of ganache on the outside of the cake be a particular thickness?
Or would it be better if I had 4 thin layers of cake and had 3 layers of filling so that the proportion of cake to filling in each mouthful makes it feel less “dry”
I’m a newbie at this and want to perfect the taste before I start perfecting the look, but don’t want to waste time and ingredients if I’m doing something wrong.
Hi Abio783
Yes the cake should be baked on the middle shelf. Top shelf would bake too hot and was probably another reason why the cake came out a bit dry. The cake can be filled with chocolate butter cream however I would use ganache for the crumbcoat. The ganache buttercream might not crust as hard which would be a little worrying under the sugarpaste. If you use a dark ganache for the crumbcoat you’ll get a far sharper finish underneath the sugarpaste. It would also cut some of the sweetness from the sugar in the chocolate buttercream and the sweetness in the cake. The ganache coating would be hardly noticable with a buttercream filled cake. If you want to crumbcoat with buttercream, use a crusting type so it sets hard. How well did your chocolate buttercream set? Do you think it might have been hard enough for smoothing and for sugarpaste? To make a crusting buttercream use more icing sugar to butter ratio, follow Paul’s method of smoothing similar to ganache.There are lots of recipes online or use Paul’s chocolate buttercream recipe:
http://www.cakeflix.com/blog/making-buttercream and also ganache buttercream in the free lessons:
http://www.cakeflix.com/free-cake-decorating-courses/using-buttercream-overview
When I’ve filled all the layers I like to settle/relax my cake overnight before crumbcoating. All I do is loosely cover the cake with clingfilm, place a medium weight on top like a book and leave it preferably at cool room temperature in a tin or a box. This helps to expel any trapped air in between the layers and squishes out any excess filling. The squished filling can be smoother around the cake once you begin the crumbcoat. The settling helps prevent any bulging of the filling once the cake is covered with the heavy sugarpaste. It’s especially good with buttercream fillings which tend to be a lot softer than ganache.
This is how I prepare my cakes which works well for me. Other members may prepare differently and hopefully will share any advice which works well for them.
Please post any time if you need more information. Happy baking, hope the next cake is more moist than your trial cakes. Any feedback on your method would be most welcome so other members can learn from your experience. xx
Hi Abi0783
There could be several reasons why your cake has turned out on the dry side. It’s possible the temperature was slightly too high. If you don’t have an oven thermometer it might be an idea to get one so you’re sure that both internal and external oven temps are reading the same. Are you baking in fan oven? Usually most fan oven temps should be reduced by approx 10 – 20%. Fan ovens bake faster and sometimes the circulating air can affect this type of chocolate cake. You could try and keep a bowl of water in the oven during baking to keep the moisture levels up. Sometimes the brand of cocoa powder can absorb too much of the liquid in the batter. If this happens the batter can look very thick, adding a little extra warm water can help.
Personally I have never experienced this cake to be dry, in fact quite the opposite. I always cut my cakes in three layers, I prefer thinner layers for a nicer mouth feel. Brushing each layer both sides with flavoured simple syrup prior to filling not only adds flavour but also keeps cake moist. Although this recipe matures after a couple of days even without the syrup wrapped in cling film and stored in an air tight cake tin.
A different type of ganache can be used for filling if you like. I make a butter and liqueure ganache which stays soft and use the normal ganache for crumb coating which sets hard. The ratio of chocolate to cream can also be reduced to 1:1 which gives a softer filling ganache. There is a ganche quantites chart here: http://www.cakeflix.com/blog/how-to-ganache-cakes-without-gnashing-your-teeth
If using a different type of ganache for filling just reduce the quantity for crumb coat by approx 25%.
Hope this helps.
Thank you so much for the reply madeitwithlove xx
Will have to check the oven temp against a thermometer next time I make it (it’s a conventional oven) a should I have kept it on the middle shelf (I had it on the top shelf as forgot to change shelf position until it was too risky to open the oven door)
Great idea about the simple syrup (thought it was only used for vanilla sponges – didn’t occur to use it for chocolate!) will definitely try that next time
I will also cut it into 3 layers next time as I think you are right about the nice mouth feel of eating the cake.
I actually added the ganache I made into a buttercream recipe so as not to waste it and then tried it on some leftover cake and covered it this morning (removed the fondant and ganache from the weekend) and then got the boys to try it again (without telling them it was the same cake) and they complimented it greatly and even said the “cake sponge” was so much more moist!!
Anyway I think next time I will be using a chocolate buttercream for the filling, but was wondering would you advice using the same buttercream as a crumb coat (let it harden) and then the final smooth coat with ganache before covering in sugarpaste? Or just do the crumb coat in ganache? I’m just thinking if some people don’t enjoy the taste of ganache then not to waste a double layer of the stuff on a cake if one layer on the outside will suffice due to the cost?
Thank you once again for the detailed response as it really gives you peace of mind when someone else with more experience offers their personal view xx
Thank you for all the tips and advice madeitwithlove will try then next time and hopefully will be able to update with great results!
The buttercream ganache filling was soft but had crusted slightly… You are right about dark ganache on the outside but I think I will try full buttercream (but use a crusting icing for the outside and see how it holds up to being covered etc and I will also create one with buttercream filling but ganache on the outside and then compare.)
As I’m new I probably should practise both anyway but hopefully the ganache works for me as from all comments I have seen online it appears to be better under sugarpaste xx
