Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A
Number Cakes – Tin or Carve?
Hi
I’ve just been asked to do a number 2 cake and I can’t decide whether it is best to make a cake and carve the number out, or buy a number shaped tin?
Does anyone know which method is the best, with the quality of baking, cutting, filling, waste, cost etc to think about?
Many thanks
Sharon
My personal choice with number cakes is to carve them out of a rectangle cake (I avoid buying any special shape tins because of the cost, storage space, difficult to line, and also you are fixed to that size)
My method of making a number cake is to bake a rectangle cake to the approx. size you would like the number to be. I then type the number in a simple font and enlarge to the real size on my screen and trace over with baking paper to make a template (or print if you have a printer) Level the top of the cake, cut out the shape roughly, layer and fill. Refrigerate until firm, then cut out the shape using the template – you will have the perfect shape already filled in perfect layers! Dip the knife in hot water while carving if the filling is not cutting neatly.
By using a normal cake tin to bake you cake, you know you will get your usual quality of cake. A number 2 would quite neatly fit inside a rectangle cake so there would be minimum waste.
This is just my opinion/method – sure others will have different tips!
I agree with goldengoose, this is by far the best method for me too for all the same reasons. Not that I’m asked to do many numbered cakes thank goodness!
