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angelcakes5
Frequent Member
Joined: Jul 07, 2006
Posts: 208
Location: Western NY
Birthday: Apr 28
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Fri Jul 04, 2008 11:03 am |
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I know here in NY last weekend it was very humid and I had carved a cake for my husbands bday and ended up throwing it away becasue it was like you said gummy? I usually keep my house very cool and the cake was at my moms, which was very warm. It did fall apart easy. I would bet the humidity placed a role too. |
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StaceyC3
Regular Member
Joined: Mar 29, 2007
Posts: 128
Location: Southern Missouri
Birthday: Apr 01
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Fri Jul 04, 2008 11:07 am |
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Oh, thank you all SO MUCH. I definitely feel a little better now - still totally embarrassed, but better! I do wish she had called last night - if I couldn't have fixed it, I always have a few extra cakes and BC at the ready, and I could have at least made her something pretty to serve. I just ended up apologizing profusely and giving her a total refund.
I do agree that something fishy happened with the top tier - it just FELL off? Hmmm.
However, I think you all must be right about icing frozen. I usually let my cakes mostly thaw before I ice them - cold, but not frozen. I was so afraid of not being able to smooth an angled cake with just BC that I did ice this one TOTALLY frozen. I bet that's the main problem.
I tried to tell the customer that fondant really did help hold things together more firmly on a topsy cake, but she insisted on BC!
I will definitely use a firmer batter next time like jkalman recommended- but anybody know why the pudding and extra egg baked up so strange?
Thanks again for all of your comfort and advice! |
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Kitagrl
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Jun 16, 2005
Posts: 2459
Location: NE Philly suburbs
Birthday: Jan 31
Gallery Supporter Member
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Fri Jul 04, 2008 11:12 am |
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I have found that straight cake mix and buttercream does make a VERY moist cake...if it was not chilled before traveling, it very well could have weakened enough to fall later on.
When you add pudding mix and an extra egg, you are supposed to also decrease the liquid...I believe its one cup of water instead of 1 1/3 cups. Also be sure to beat it til its nice and thick. I always use the pudding and egg...that, or I combine one DH yellow with one small box of BC pound cake. Either one makes a nice moist, yet slightly more sturdy, yellow cake. |
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Mike1394
Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 20, 2008
Posts: 801
Location: Michigan
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Fri Jul 04, 2008 11:12 am |
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The pudding won't give it any structure at all. One egg probably no difference at all.
Mike |
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BlakesCakes
Forum Fanatic
Joined: Aug 01, 2005
Posts: 1775
Location: Cleveland, OH
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Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:12 pm |
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The addition of a box of instant pudding mix and an extra egg definitely changes the texture of the cake, making it much more like pound cake.
I had some leftover batter a few weeks ago, so I made 3, 7x1.5 inch round layers. I cooled them, wrapped them well, and then froze them. I decided to use them to make a small birthday cake for family, but rather than drive 12hrs. with a completed cake, I planned to bring the layers with me and construct there. I put the frozen layers in a cooler with ice packs, but of course, they defrosted most of the way by the time we got there. The cake wasn't needed for 4 days, so I re-froze the layers and then defrosted them in the refrigerator the day I constructed the cake.
These cakes were WASC--for me, very stable & dense. After so many freeze/defrost cycles, they were terribly soft and crumbly! The cake was only 4.5 inches high and it couldn't handle even a thin coat of buttercream and some RI flowers! It sank like a stone.
It was a great learning experience--I will never freeze, defrost, freeze, defrots, again!
I don't normally freeze layers before constructing--I just refrigerate. I have frozen completed buttercream cakes with no problems once defrosted.
I think more than one freeze is just more than cake can handle--too much structure disruption when the moisture freezes (expands) and then defrosts (contracts).
Rae |
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sunnybono
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 06, 2007
Posts: 46
Location: Oklahoma
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Fri Jul 04, 2008 5:26 pm |
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One question...what was your filling? I assume it's buttercream but I have heard time and time again that fruit fill creates layers that slide (aka sliders). Just a thought. Adorable cake! Try again with a sturdier recipe, don't ice frozen and see what happens. |
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k8memphis
Forum Addict
Joined: Mar 21, 2005
Posts: 761
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Fri Jul 04, 2008 6:01 pm |
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After the ride over and the putting of it up in the hutch that all might have gently g-forced it enough to start the crack heard 'round the internet add in the humidty factor etc.
Plus to me a huge biggee with whimsies is that angle where the ledge of the bottom cake surrounds the base of the cake above it. The wrong kind of pressure at that join and that's a catastrophe. I mean initially the cakes will give for each other--but that can start something big.
Just a thought.
So very sorry that happened, Cake-buddy. (((hug))) |
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StaceyC3
Regular Member
Joined: Mar 29, 2007
Posts: 128
Location: Southern Missouri
Birthday: Apr 01
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Fri Jul 04, 2008 8:46 pm |
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Sunnybono, I've heard that about fruit fillings too - I just used thin layers of BC between the layers.
Thanks again, everybody. Your suggestions have really been helpful - I knew I could count on my cake friends! No more freezing / thawing / freezing for me for sure. |
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jkalman
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Mar 12, 2007
Posts: 3685
Location: Southern New Hampshire
Birthday: Oct 28
Gallery Supporter Member
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Fri Jul 04, 2008 9:18 pm |
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I have made many tiered cakes with slick fruit fillings (even the TT cake in my photos is filled with lemon curd and raspberry puree in 2 of the layers and pastry cream and strawberry puree in another) and have never had a problem with sliding. It all has to do with how well it is balanced and supported if you ask me. One slightly crooked dowel and be the demise of a beautiful cake.
I do think though that the handling of the cake with the freezing and thawing partially and freezing again and all that had a lot to do with why it fell apart. Don't you hate these sort of lessons? Why do they always have to happen on a paid cake?? It couldn't be the crappy cake you (the collective you not you personally) threw together for company last minute right?  |
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StaceyC3
Regular Member
Joined: Mar 29, 2007
Posts: 128
Location: Southern Missouri
Birthday: Apr 01
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Sat Jul 05, 2008 12:28 pm |
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| Quote: | | Don't you hate these sort of lessons? Why do they always have to happen on a paid cake?? It couldn't be the crappy cake you (the collective you not you personally) threw together for company last minute right? |
Yeah, no kidding! And compared to the cakes I usually make, I lost a significant chunk of cash on this one!  |
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KateWatson
Regular Member
Joined: Apr 15, 2007
Posts: 104
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Birthday: Oct 02
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Sat Jul 05, 2008 8:27 pm |
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That was the cutest, most beautifully done cake!! Really impressive . . . I think the humidity and maybe a "bump" or two at the house may have done it in. But please be proud of it, it's an amazing cake! |
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loriemoms
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Nov 09, 2005
Posts: 2235
Location: Cary, North Carolina
Birthday: Feb 12
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Sun Jul 06, 2008 6:42 am |
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| Mike1394 wrote: | They were still frozen when you iced them? I think with the thawing, and refreezing it broke down the structure of it.
Mike |
I was about the say the same thing..was your fillings well dammed with good strong (more sugar added) buttercream? This helps a lot in making sure the structure stays put.
But it does sound like the moistness in the cake built up in the freezer then broke down again. I also do not feel a straight cake mix is strong enough to hold up to a topsy turvey design. Just too soft. Just my opinion, nothing against cake mixes! It would have done better with a doctored mix I think or a good pound cake recipe. |
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loriemoms
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Nov 09, 2005
Posts: 2235
Location: Cary, North Carolina
Birthday: Feb 12
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Sun Jul 06, 2008 6:48 am |
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| sunnybono wrote: | | One question...what was your filling? I assume it's buttercream but I have heard time and time again that fruit fill creates layers that slide (aka sliders). Just a thought. Adorable cake! Try again with a sturdier recipe, don't ice frozen and see what happens. |
Raspberry filling is one of my top sellers and I have never had any problems with a cake sliding. If it is dammed properly, and not overfilled, it should be fine!
My question also is how did you create the topsy turvey affect? Remember, a topsy turvey cake should be the ILLUSION that it is going to fall over..you don't actually set a cake directly on an angled cake like you would a normal tiered cake. I always cut into the cake to have the next tier actually sitting on a flat surface...
If the cake was set up High, heat rises and it could have also melted! |
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Mac
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Jul 20, 2005
Posts: 2190
Location: East Texas
Birthday: Aug 29
Gallery Supporter Member
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Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:06 am |
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I made a topsy-turvy last year and the top layer (3-tiers) did split and fall. It was too tall and tapered. Went to plan B and refrosted the mound that was left and put a graduation cap on it. It was on my table (thank goodness it was for a friend) all by itself. I had the feeling that it would when I finished it.
Maybe that was what happened to yours. As for the center dowel--My TT cakes are on the 1/2" foamboard. I drive the sharpened dowel all the way thru the cake and into the foamboard. Haven't had a dowel come loose and fall over (YET!). I do use the plastic tubes by Wilton for supporting the bottom tier. |
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leahs
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Jun 19, 2007
Posts: 2536
Location: Louisville, KY
Birthday: May 29
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Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:31 am |
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How did the customer transport the cake? In a box sitting on the car seat? |
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