Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Hi I am looking for some advice and tips on how to cut my madeira/vanilla cake into even layers. I recently made a deep 5inch cake, approx 4 and a half inches tall, as a trial for the top tier of my daughter’s wedding cake for next March. But despite having a cake leveller with a wire, it didn’t cut through the cake very evenly. I had to drag it through and ended up with an uneven cut. The leveller has hardly been used so I don’t think the wire could have been blunt. The other two layers were easier to cut through as there was less height to deal with. But I couldn’t acheive a straight cake despite having a spirit level. This is always something I struggle with so am worried about doing the wedding cakes for real as I don’t want the overall effect to look like the leaning tower of pisa! Also while the cake tasted lovely, Jane Hornby’s vanilla cake recipe, I’d to give it two coats of sugarpaste as the first was too thin and showed every lump and bump. Then I noticed the icing seemed a bit wet and there was a distinct bulge on one side of the cake which looked as though the butter icing had seeped out the the layers. I used ‘the mat’ to roll out the icing. I am desperate so please can somebody offer help and as many tips as possible as I need to get this right. Many thanks. xx

Hi bellscakes

I can’t cut even layers either on taller cakes. I’ve abandoned making deep cakes and instead make shallow rounds fill and stack them. This gives nice even layers which are fantastic for ganaching and icing. To prevent big bulges, pipe a filling dam about an inch in from the edge of each layer before adding the remainder of the filling.
Don’t over fill the centres. As you stack each round push it down gently to level it and squish out any excess filling. Do all the rounds the same way then place a light weight like a thin book over the top for about an hour. This helps push out any air which might still be trapped in between each layer. Crumb coat as shown by Paul in the tutorials, chill so the crumbcoat is nice and hard. Check the cakes are level with a spirit level, this is like the one I have http://www.newscientist.com/blog/lastword/2007/07/spirit-in-sky.html
I bought it in the local builders merchant. Ice the cake, put the level on it again just to make sure it’s still even.
At the moment one of the cake decorating companies has got a clearence sale of the 2″ Wilton cake tin, are you based in the UK? If you are I’ll try and search out the company, I can’t remeber who it right now.

Remembered it was CakeStuff, here’s the link
http://www.cake-stuff.com/equipment-c7/cake-tins-c55/round-cake-tins-c165/wilton-set-of-4-6-8-10-12-2-deep-round-cake-tins-pans-p1836

Hi madeitwithlove

Thanks so much for all these tips I would never thought of of them. It’s just a shame I invested in the deep tins but they won’t be wasted. I am going to look at the website you gave me and take it from there.

I am making a fruit cake, chocotate cake, lemon, and a vanilla cake for my daughter’s wedding. I am planning to ganash the chocolate cake and of course marzipan the fruit cake. Would it also be a good idea to marzipan the others prior to icing? I wondered if this would create more stability. I have a spirit level but still find it hard to level the surface of the cake. I guess I just need to keep trying as I don’t want to be beaten. x

P.S. I live in Bristol. x

If you’re ganaching the sponge cakes there’s no need to marzipan. I know lots of bakers who use buttercream crumbcoat do marzipan but not ganache. If you’re baking a rich fruit cake bake it in December and store it. It can be preppped up and iced two weeks before the wedding so that will leave you plenty of time for the others. If you’re making a madeira you’ll have a good two weeks of shelf life for that.
Which chocolate cake are you making? If it’s Paul’s recipe add a teaspoon of glycerine to the batter which will give you some extended days. If the vanilla is a victoria type sponge bake it as close to the wedding as possible for freshness. Between now and the wedding keep posting all your questions and worries so you don’t feel on your own. Keep practicing the levelling, don’t worry if the bubble is slightly out, there’s more than one way to get it completely centred.
You’ll get plenty of helps and support. For some reason I thought you were based overseas when you just up the M5! Will you be going to the cake show Birmingham? x

Hi madeirwithlove

Many thanks for all your help and support. It’s a great help. I forgot to say, that the icing on the poorly turned out cake I made at the weekend got quite wet. Would this be due to the butercream seeping out of the layers?

On a slightly differrent note I watched a video on layering cakes today with the same cake leveller as mine and I gave it a try on a Halloween cake, I made for tomorrow and it worked very well indeed. But the cake was only 3inch tall so it was more manageable. Also I took your advice and did an icing damn, a couple of inches in as you said and it made all the difference. I just used the buttercream I made for filling and crumb coating. Should I use a more sturdy icing for the cake damn and If so what should it be please? I’m going to make Jane Hornby’s rich chocolate cake recipe which is absolutely delicious, I tried it out at Easter time. Will it still be ok to add a teaspoon of glycerine in this recipe given I will be baking it in a 9inch tin? Her original recipe calls for a 12inch tin. Yes I have just booked tickets for the cake show in Birmingham and will be going on the Friday. I wasn’t even aware the show was on until you mentioned it and am looking forward to going as I have never been to a cake show before. Thanks again. x

P.S. Would help if I’d got the spelling for icing dam correct. x

I don’t use buttercream very often, when I do I make a stiff mix for the dam and for the crumbcoat and a softer one for the filling. Google ‘crusting butter cream’ to see the different types. Some use high ratio shortening which I don’t recommend. I just do a little more icing sugar to butter a table spoon of meringue powder and a couple of teaspoons of warm water. Beat it until smooth and use it just for the dam and crumb coat. Use a hot side scraper or hot knife to smooth it just the same as with ganache. It will need chilling so it becomes like a smooth hard shell. Before icing with sugar paste let the cake come to room temperature. If there is too much dew on the crumb coat dab it off gently with kitchen roll although the cake does have to be slightly damp and tacky for the sugarpaste to adhere.
Your icing did become wet from the buttercream seeping out. Did you use jam as well? If you are using jam I don’t recommend using butter cream and jam on top of each other. This can make the layers slide against one another causing the cake to be a bit wonky and bulgy. It’s safer to do one layer butter cream, next layer jam or make the jam very sparse. Glycerine can be used with Jane Hornby’s delicious chocolate cake, reduce it down to half a teaspoon because you are making a smaller cake. I make Paul’s recipe and Jane’s recipe but we rarely fill because both are so rich on their own. For a wedding cake though it’s good to see a filling. I did Paul’s for a recent wedding, the bride didn’t want filling, instead she wanted the cake injected with Baileys orange liqueur. She complained after the wedding that too many people were sneaking an extra piece of cake and still asking for more! She’ll have that again for Christmas.
My hubby and I are coming up to the show on the Friday and staying until Sunday. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, there’s so much jaw dropping stuff to see. Certain stands will be offering discounts to Paul Bradford members so don’t forget to ask Paul or David which ones. I think they have a leaflet with all the names on.
Keep practicing, you have lots of time. ps you can edit your spelling, just click on the word edit under your finished text and re submit. All it will do is correct the error. I do it frequently. oh and don’t forget to get your PBSS badge from the stand! x

To butter cream the sides of your cake use the double board method as shown by Paul here:
http://www.cakeflix.com/online-cake-decorating-courses/vintage-pearl-cake/lesson-1-ganaching-and-stacking
I know the tutorial is using ganache but it can be done equally as well with butter cream.
To see a similar method using butter cream search in youtube ‘Prepping the cake SatinFineFoods’
I couldn’t find this when I was searching before.

HI again madeitwithlove

Thanks for all the help and inforamtion. I will take a look at the links you sent me tomorrow. I have never used meringue powder before but it is called Merryvale? This name rings a bell. I filled the pooly iced cake with buttercream in one layer and then jam in the next but will bear in mind never to fill one layer with both. I will fill the chocolate cake for the wedding wih a ganash and hopefully crumb coat it in ganash too. The one you made recently sounds lovely having been injected with the booze I am sure it went down very well.
I am only going to the cake show for the day next week unfortunately so will need to have a good look at all the stuff before I go so I don’t waste any time. I am really looking forward to it and will look out for the leaflet you mentioned. x

The meringue powder is called meri whites like this https://www.cakecraftshop.co.uk/shop/products/id/bfpmeriwhite.htm
You don’t have to buy it online, your local cake decorating shop should stock it, you may even be able to get some at the show. I always keep some handy at home for making quick meringue desserts, I don’t always like to break eggs if I haven’t an immediate use for the yolks.
Have a lovely day at the show, x