I just have to share this! I finally tried cake spackle from Toba Garrett's book The Well-decorated Cake (http://www.tobagarrett.com/meet.html) and wow! It turned my hideous Wilton pan 6" rounds into a thing of beauty!
I'm not sure what's up with my 6" rounds. I'm using the Wilton 6"x2" pans. Here they are leveled and layered.
See? The sides are awful looking ... and part of it stuck to the pan They're so small, it's hard to get a for me to get a clean level.
Add spackle...
BAM! Nice, clean edge cake to start icing.
I hadn't finished the top with the pic was taken, but here:
I just thought that was the coolest thing ever. Anyone have any bad experiences with cake spackle? If you don't know what that is, I think google-books allows you to preview that section in her book. So far, my first spackled cake is holding up well.
I JUS bough the book yesterday and read abou cake spacke! I am soooo gonna spacke my next cake!
That's pretty cool. I've never heard of the cake spackle thing. Am I right to assume that it's just cake crumbs mixed with icing?
I love it! Since learning the technique, the only times I haven't spackled was when I was covering with firm ganache.
here's the google book preview:
http://books.google.com/books?id=f9Kq4ajgGogC&printsec=frontcover&dq=toba+the+well+decorated+cake&ei=Fn1US7zQF4WyNqeKwM&cd=1
i was wrong though, it doesnt show the spackle part. i do highly recommend getting the book though!
Have her book, but haven't needed to use spackle yet...will certainly try it now!
Evoir, you don't have to "need" it to use it. I use it on most cakes. While it does work to fill in defects, it's also good just as a crumb coat, just to make a VERY stable base for your final frosting or fondant.
I sometimes will also use it, as Toba suggests, as a filling for the middle of a torted caked. In other words, if you have two cakes that you are torting into four layers for a tier, this gives you three places for filling. I use spackle for the middle one and regular filling for the other two.
And the recipe is a non-specific mix of cake trimmings, buttercream and filling. I usually use a ratio of 2-2-1 parts of each. But it really depends on the consistency of each and whether your filling is jam or mousse, etc. What you're aiming for is a thick paste. So I usually start with equal parts of cake and frosting, then add filling until it's spreadable, but still thick.
Toba's cake spackle is just like cake balls. No Special recipe needed. If you can make cake balls, you can make the spackle.
I just used this for the first time on a cake. (Mine didn't look as pretty as yours) Has anyone been successful in using this method to prevent blow-outs? Thanks for posting
I have her professional cake decorating book and found spackle quite interesting but I don't have that many cake scraps. So I have yet to try it...but looking forward to.
I have used it a couple of times (only made a small amount) to fill in "craters" that broke on the side of a cake - it works wonderfully!
yah i just did some googling figuring it would Pop up some where and saw what was involved.. then i slapped my forehead and went duh.. it was one of the first things i learned on CC and completely FORGOT by now Oye! lol
does this eliminate the actual need to crumb coat? Do you find it makes the cake more stable as well, bulging etc? I have always trashed my cake scraps and now I'm thinking this would be a good use for them to fill in the oustide of my dams.
Looking forward to trying it.
Also, anyone do this that also uses ganache under fondant. I'm going to try the ganache under fondant this week and just curious if I need to spackle as well or if the ganache will take care of it.
I'd still suggest a crumb coat. As you can see in the pics, I did the spackling with a red velvet cake. I skipped the crumb coat and paid the price by having specks and streaks of red in my final product!
edit: on second thought, maybe i was just being sloppy or my workspace was crumby ... well, a crumb coat couldn't hurt
Hat is the recipe for the cake spackle? Also does it dry like a crumb coat so that it does not smudge when you apply the crumb coat or do you just chill the cake to make it firm?
I would love to try that.
Can it work with regular buttercream?
Thanks
Thanks for posting! I'm gonna have to try that technique. I think I am going to invest in her book
Can someone tell me about the mouth-feel. Does it feel like you're eating mushy, wet cake...or does it just feel like icing?
I've heard of using it as a dam, but never as filling, like artscallion does...that's great!
Can someone tell me about the mouth-feel. Does it feel like you're eating mushy, wet cake...or does it just feel like icing?
I've heard of using it as a dam, but never as filling, like artscallion does...that's great!
Feels just like icing. People have wondered if it had nuts.
This might be a tad off topic you say your cakes are sticking really bad in your 6X2 what are you using to grease it?
does this eliminate the actual need to crumb coat? Do you find it makes the cake more stable as well, bulging etc? I have always trashed my cake scraps and now I'm thinking this would be a good use for them to fill in the oustide of my dams.
Looking forward to trying it.
Also, anyone do this that also uses ganache under fondant. I'm going to try the ganache under fondant this week and just curious if I need to spackle as well or if the ganache will take care of it.
Use ganache almost all the time under fondant. No, you will not need spackle if you are using ganache like a peanut-butter consistency putty. It allows you to get a perfectly smooth surface under your fondant. Ensure you let the ganache set and dry before applying fondant.
If you are going to POUR ganache (in which case you probably aren't going to put fondant over it) then you do need a smooth cake to start with, as ganache poured on goes on evenly - that means INTO craters and gaps, leaving a divot.
Hope this makes sense!
Thanks for posting! I'm gonna have to try that technique. I think I am going to invest in her book
It's probably my favorite cake book. Full of good advice, recipes, lot's of technique, mostly classical stuff like string work, pastillage, gumpaste flowers & figures. Much better than all the other books that feature lots of splashy pictures of topsy turvy cakes with minimal instruction on how to actually accomplish anything.
And Kitchenkat is right about the mouth feel. I tried it as a filling because Toba recommends it, saying people often mistake it for some kind of nut filling.
And I do use it as a crumb coat. I never get crumbs or color bleeding into my finish layer of buttercream. But red velvet isn't on my menu, so...
The reason I asked is I use a cake release that I got off here. 1 cup flour, 1 cup veggie oil, 1 cup shortening. Whisk flour and oil together then incorporate the shortening. I usually have to zap it in the microwave for a few seconds to get it to come together. The best thing since sliced bread!!! I would love to thank who ever originally posted it. My cakes JUMP out of the pan practically! HTH!
EVOIR - what is your recipe for the peanut butter consistency ganache that you use as a crumb coat? Everytime i try to ganache, it hardens up with big old lumps before I get smooth it and it just makes things worse!
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