Sculpting cakes which type of cake is best

You might want to make a template to help you with the carving. This totally depends on your design of course, but it really does help. For the corset cake below, I just printed off an hourglass shape from PowerPoint, blew it up and cut it out. I held this up to the cake as I cut the basic shape out. I just used it all around the cake as I carved.

By the way, this was one of my very early cakes, so try not to judge the photography. This fireman cake was for a wedding I did years ago. I printed it on cardstock paper so that it would be a little more sturdy and then set that on top of the cake while I cut around it. This one is also one from my early days.

I used DIY templates for the middle design as well. Well this is one of those exceptions. When you add your buttercream or ganache, use a pliable smoother to get it really smooth. You can use those to make cake pops or just to eat like they are! Ask me how I know. Ok, my final tip is to try not to stress about it. If you must fill your cake, keep the icing, jam, or glaze layer thin to prevent the layers from slipping.

Also, chill the cake completely. Stability is the key to a good cake carving. Never attempt to carve freshly baked and filled cakes because this type of cake will usually crumble. Anyone who has iced a fresh cake knows the frustration of crumbs and falling edges. This is why we "crumb" cakes - add the first layer of frosting - to avoid erosion. Freezing your cakes will ensure that the carved edges are sharp and accurate.

It will also make more detailed and complex designs possible. Use a very sharp knife to carve your cakes. You can also use an assortment of knives for intricate details or awkward edges. A serrated knife can be a good choice too. Make sure your cut edges are clean if you are covering the finished cake with fondant. Fondant is a very unforgiving product which will show every bump, lump, and crevice on the surface.

This can ruin your design unless you are piping icing details on top of the fondant. Carve with a bit of exaggeration in the shape, almost like a caricature of the finished shape. This is important because details will be lost when you coat the cake with icing and fondant. You want a spectacular finished cake, not a vaguely recognizable blob.

Do the best you can and accept the fact that sometimes a design turns out different than what you envision from the start. Often icing, fondant or added design elements can camouflage errors, so be creative in covering them up. With practice, your "errors" will be minimal so take heart and cut with confidence.

Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. I know that sounds counter-intuitive because I always say to stay away from box mix if you want a nice stable cake.

The reason why box cake is so great is because it has preservatives in it. These preservatives protect the cake from getting mold or going bad. I know it sounds terrifying but I actually had a display cake made with box cake sitting on top of my fridge for over a year and it never got moldy. They just dry out and become perfectly preserved. To make my boxed vanilla cake sturdier, I add in two cups of flour, 4 extra eggs and leave out the oil.

This sturdy cake is also better for when the cake has to travel a long way by car or even plane and not refrigerated for long periods of time. Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes. Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary.

Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines. Another success!! I followed the recipe exactly for a 2D monster truck birthday cake for a little boy in my neighborhood who was turning 4. He said is was the best birthday cake he ever had. Four year olds are tough critics so I trust his assessment! I made this cake yesterday for a friends birthday.

I used the white chocolate ganache to cover and decorate the cake. We all thought it tasted amazing. Slightly disappointed that the sponge had a slight dense layer at the bottom but think maybe I undercooked it? Will definitely use this recipe again!

The dense layer comes from the cake batter separating breaking due to some of the ingredients being too cold. Usually the eggs or milk. When cake batter is split then the oil separates and falls to the bottom of the cake while baking and it looks raw.

All the ingredients need to be room temperature before making the cake. I use your recipes all the time and we definitely love this one — but the cake batter calculator!! Game changer!! The cake was so moist, carved beautifully, held the fondant well, all the good things!!! You are my go-to gal for recipes and tips. You rock!! Hello Liz. I really want to try this recipe.

Can i use buttermilk instead of regular milk? I really liked your white velvet cake recipe, but i would like to try a recipe that uses egg yolks and AP flour. I am a chef by trade, but a baking novice.

I used this recipe to make a 6 layer Rainbow cake and it was pure gold. It tasted great and the texture was perfect for holding all of those layers.