Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Hello.

I’ve always used ganache and sugarpaste on my cakes but a friends daughter wants a 5 tiered crumb coated cake for her wedding. I have no experience whatsoever of these cakes.

What type of time frame would I have to work to.
Do they all have to be the same colour. I think she wants all different flavours
Does it have to be buttercream as I’ve never even made buttercream let alone filled a cake with it
When I’ve looked at pictures they seem to have very straight edges how is that achieved. I’d desperately like to talk her out of it as I’m worried I won’t be able to do it.
How would I prepare them.

Help please

Sorry but update about the cake above it’s a crumb coated naked cake she wants.

Hi ctennant

First find out the type of cakes she wants. They don’t have to be all the same flavour, it just depends what kind of look she wants. For a good timeline, choose cakes which give the best shelf life eg madeira, chocolate mud cake or an all in one method sponge cake. Crumbcoating with buttercream is not dissimilar to when you crumbcoat with ganache, it is just a layer of buttercream allowing the cake to show through instead of being totally encased.
If you’re not familiar with how to make and use buttercream please see Paul’s tutorial here:

Using Buttercream – How to use buttercream

Since the cakes will only be crumbcoated, it is best to do this as close as possible to the time of the big event. The cakes can all be baked ahead, wrapped and frozen to save time. The buttercream can also be made ahead and kept refrigerated. For tips on how to keep the cakes moist please type in the search box ‘naked cakes’ and you’ll see different comments about simple syrup and heavy duty clingfilm, which can be used keep the cakes fresh. Click on the ones most relevant. Also if you google ‘how to make naked cake’ you’ll see loads of tutorials to use as guidelines. I hope some of this helps. Please come back for more information if you need it.

UPDATE
Peek here for tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+make+naked+cakes

Thanks can I also ask. Can you use ge buttrxreampaul mentions with the added ganache for these cakes. Also what are the rules about fresh flowers and foliage on cakes. I usually make my flowers but I think she wants fresh.

Hate predictive text. Sorry meant to say canvyou use Paul’s buttercream with the ganache added to it for these cakes

Also meant to ask. I have lovely recipe for mud cake and carrot cake but struggle with vanilla or Madeira. Any ideas. Most of the recipes I try I find to dry.

Yes you can, it does help the buttercream to firm up and makes the masking more stable. For ratios please see my my blog here: https://www.cakeflix.com/buttercream-covering-and-filling-guide
I’ll post again shortly with the remainder of your question, just have to pop out for hospital appointment. I’d like to give a sane answer rather than a rushed one. x

Hi ctennant

Sorry for the delay in my reply. If your friend wants fresh flowers, best advice would be to ask her to use a florist. Using fresh flowers is not straightforward as there are many varieties which are poisonous,. A florist deals with wedding cake displays all the time and will know which flowers to use. Please take a peek here for site member comments on this topic:
https://www.cakeflix.com/questions?s=fresh+flowers

For a lovely recipe similar to Madeira but moister see here:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/10860/easy-vanilla-cake

Many of our members have used this recipe with great satisfaction. Please take a peek here to see comments:

Jane Hornby’s Easy Vanilla Cake

and for comments on simple syrup peek here: https://www.cakeflix.com/questions?s=simple+syrup

Please let me know if this helps and ask away for any other questions you may have .:)

Hello

Another question please

With this naked cake being crumb coated do you think it will be OK to crumb coat the cakes the day before and then take them to the venue to stack on the day or will I need to crumb coat on the actual day

Apparently the wedding the service is for family only and then the reception is for all guests which starts at 6pm. I know it would be better to crumb coat them on the day but I’m also a guest at the wedding but really it feels a bit last minute to me in case of disaster plus my hubby says he won’t be able to take my strain ha ha

Yes the cakes can be crumbcoated the day before. Keep them covered in clingfilm until you stack them. Depending on how long they are going to stand before cutting, the cakes can be fine misted with simple syrup so they don’t get dry. All I do is make some simple syrup and put it in a fine spray bottle, occasionally mist during the day while they are standing. Take a repair kit with you, eg the medium which you have used for the masking, a palette knife, a scraper or anything else you might find useful in case you need to make any emergency adjustments.
If you’re using ganache, it may have solidified. Someone at the venue should be able to help you use their microwave to soften it. Most venues are quite obliguing. When I used to do weddings, the venue staff were always so helpful. Tell your hubby it’s his job to take the last bit of strain! Team effort 🙂 Good luck 🙂

Sorry just a couple more questions that just came to me.

I’ve had a practice run with a chocolate mud cake (got it out of the freezer the other day by accident) and I’ve used the buttercream recipe with the milk chocolate ganache added. Once its done does it need to go in the fridge. I’m not keen of putting cakes in the fridge as I think it fires them out. Will the buttercream harden up a little at room temperature and then I would cover in cling film

The other thing I noticed is that once I put the buttercream in the middle of the layers it was fine but then as soon as I did the sided, left it a little time and then went to lift it up it seems to bulge out slightly even though I didn’t put too much in.

Other problem I found was the cake was smaller than the cake card so when I was crumb coating it and then scraping it off there was too much room between the cake and the cake card. Any ideas as I don’t want to cut it as I need the straight edge.

Thanks

I’ll try and answer in the order in which you’ve asked your questions.

1. Once the cake is done, it helps to keep it in the fridge for the buttercream to crust over. Keeping it at room temperature depends on how warm your kitchen is. If you have a cool kitchen, the buttercream will crust. As you are using milk chocolate, add melted chocolate in with the buttercream to help it stiffen up.
Cake will not dry our in the fridge if covered in cling and boxed. It’s only if it is stored in the fridge for several days that the moisture will be sucked from it.

2. The sides of the cake bulged because the buttercream hadn’t hardened enough at room temperature. Pop the cake in the fridge to crust over, this will help keep the sides straight.

3. Normally when we ganache or buttercream a cake the gap is filled in by the masking medium. As your cakes are not going to be encased in the medium, you’ll need to cut the board as close to the cake as possible or you could use a slightly smaller cake board.

Hello

I need help again. My friend now wants a 4 tier cake covered in buttercream with a ruffled effect on every tier. As mentioned previously I have never worked with buttercream. I suspect I would apply the buttercream to the cakes as I do my chocolate ganache and am planning on buying the combs from the evil cake genius that give a pattern when scraping it off so hopefully that will help with that.

I have a number of questions:
How long in advance can you cover them with the buttercream?
How do I store them once covered
Is it OK to stack them as its not as hard as ganache and no sugar paste on them?
Is there anything else I need to be aware of with the buttercream and how to manage it?
What flavour buttercream would be better with carrot cake, chocolate cake, red velvet and lemon and poppy seed cake.

Help please hate buttercream stuff

Hi ctennant

The cakes can be covered in the same time line as you would with ganache. They can be stored in the fridge to crust over once you have decorated them. Keep them in a cake box if you can or cover them up with cling film and well away from strong smelling foods. Stack once they have crusted over for easier handling. Keep away from heat sources like radiators, direct sunlight and very warm rooms.
Flavours are personal choice. For carrot cake I use maple syrup. Red velvet cake I don’t make, however, cream cheese flavour is usually the most popular and for the lemon poppy cake, a zingy lemon curd flavour. Please see the following link for professional food flavours: http://www.foodieflavours.com/

Hope this helps.
ps I hate the stuff too. It’s the bane of my life! Give me ganache any day.

Sorry another question.

I can still do flowers with modelling paste for the cake can’t I?

Also its for about 350 people what sizes would you recommend?

Thanks

Sorry forgot to also ask if I cover it in buttercream is it the normal recipe or is there another recipe/type if you know what I mean.

Yes you can still use modelling paste for the flowers. Try and put them on the cake as late as possible to prevent any moisture softening the flowers. I have never had problems.

Use Paul’s buttercream recipe with added ganache as it is stable. Scroll up this page for the link. Or any other recipe which you may already be using. Add flavours as prescribed on the instruction labels.

Use the following chart to establish how many portions will be required for the number of attending guests.

Portion Calculator

Sorry just another thought. Is it easy to attach flowers etc made of modelling paste t the cake as there’s nothing to stick them to if you know what I mean, unlike when the cake is covered in sugar paste.

I’ve read about using the swiss meringue buttercream would that be better than traditional buttercream? and how can I make the buttercream a bit more on the whiter side.

One more question, I am now going to have to make about a 14″ bottom tier I was going to do my chocolate mud cake for that any hints on baking such a big tier the most I’ve done before is 11″

Thanks

Are you intending to use wired flowered? It can still be done, however you might find it easier to do unwired which can be placed on. For wired flowers, it is necessary to insert them in either posy picks or in straws before sticking them into the cake. The texture of the cake will be sfoter with the sugarpaste icing but it can still support the posy picks or straws. I don’t think it’s a good idea to use meringue based buttercream for the crumbcoat, it doesn’t set up as well as normal and may affect the gumpaste. As a filling it will be fabulous. There are hundreds of recipes online which, although much of a muchness, work well and taste great.
To make buttercream whiter, add in the tiniest dot of violet gel colour on the end of a cocktail stick. This will lift the yellowness of the butter. For lots of tutorials search in google ‘how to make buttercream whiter’.

If you’ve never made a 14 ” cake before, the first thing to do is find out whether your oven can accommodate that size cake tin. The door should be able to close properly and still have at least an inch all round space between tin and the sides of the oven for the air to circulate. If I was baking this size cake, I’d do it in two halves or in layers instead of one deep one. Take a peek at the following thread for more information relevant to large cakes: https://www.cakeflix.com/questions/quantities-for-a-14-inch-cake

Hello

Just me again with yet another question.

So the final cake has been decided – 4 tiers with a buttercream covering on the outside of each that looks like ruffles. She has asked if I can do a cream /mascopone cheese filling for the carrot cake and the lemon curd on the lemon and poppy seed cake but I read somewhere on line that using these types of filling can de-stabilise the cake in that it will slip around???

The other thing I’m worried about is will the cream/mascopone filling go off. Someone told me that it wouldn’t depending on the best before date on the stuff I’m using.

Any more advice please

Hi ctennant

Mascarpone cheese filling needs refrigerating as it is a fresh dairy product same as fresh cream or milk. It can’t be used in cakes which will be standing around. You could use chocolate buttercream filling with a cream cheese flavouring like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lorann-Oils-Emulsions-Artificial-Multicoloured/dp/B009G74E1O

Glad you’re nearly reaching a conclusion, hope all is going well.