Cutting cake to fill..Need Help 4 Valentines day!

well - the way i do it is to adjust the wire to where i want to cut the cake. have the cake on a solid surface or board and "saw" the cake with the wire untill you have two cakes. when you get almost through the "other side" i always hold my hand there so the cake doesn't fall apart when i pull the wire through. it helps to chill the cake first - don't use a freshly cooled cake or it may crumble. then slide another cake board under the top layer until ready to slide it back onto the bottom layer.

hope this helps!
Deb

I learn everything the hard way!

Deb

And frozen is even easier! So is dental floss, if you really have nightmares with your leveller/torter. Generally, though, for larger cakes, freeze them and they are easier to handle without breaking when you go to put the top back on over the filling.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

SquirrellyCakes: I generally have a problem cutting the cakes when they are frozen, even if it's just to level. So now I just refrigerate them overnight before cutting. Is there something I'm doing wrong? Thanks for any information you can give.

Are you freezing them in a chest freezer or just in the freezer part of the refridgerator? I ask because a chest freezer freezes harder than a refridgerator freezer.
I use a chest freezer and I find the cake is frozen enough after about 90 minutes though I will go overnight of a couple of days if I have to. I wrap cakes in plastic wrap and then in a clean unscented garbage bag.
I take it you mean you have trouble cutting into it?
Well, for one thing, though I have both the regular size and the large size Wilton cake levellers, I rarely use them, I have this cheap Bride's knife with a really long serrated blad and I use that, to level the cake. I must say though, that I generally level my cakes as soon as they come out of the pans, I just find that works the best for me, to level them when they are still hot . But to torte them, well when you have issues with them breaking when you torte them or when you are lifting the torted top off the bottom, or when you are replacing the top back on a filled cake, well I find this easiest, with the larger cakes, when the cake is frozen.
With a large cake, I generally mark off the centre with a few toothpicks to guide my knife through the cake, using a gentle sawing motion.
As was mentioned in one of the above posts, you want to have a hand on top of the cake when you get towards the end so as not to break off the end, a common problem.
I also torte cakes using dental floss or heavy thread, making a slice through the centre, marking the centre with toothpicks or icing dots so that you keep the dental floss in line with the centre. So you have an upside down "U" shape to start and crossing over the ends of the thread as you pull towards the centre like in an "x" motion until the floss crisscrosses and cuts through the centre like this smilie :
Does that make sense?
Anyway, Jscakes, if it works better for you when they are refridgerated, definitely go for what works for you. It is all in what we get used to, that is for sure!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Thanks Squirrelly Cakes, will try the dental floss as you suggest and I may even try it on a "non- refridgerated" cake!

You might also try the "Cake Lifter". It's like the thing they use in the pizza places, to lift the pizzas. A big 10" round metal spatula with a handle. It's wonderful for lifting and moving torted cake layers, also great for getting cheesecakes, and the like, out of springform pans. I use mine all the time! Just a thought for you! Happy baking, Missey

Hi Briansbaker,
Most folks when making a wedding cake, actually bake the Wednesday or Thursday before a Saturday wedding and the cake is fine. I tend to coat the cakes with a thinned apricot glaze and when that is set, wrap them in plastic wrap. Others, just completely wrap the cakes with no crumbcoat on. Still others crumbcoat the cakes with thinned buttercream icing. The one thing I would avoid doing, is refridgerating the cakes. Some cakes, like butter cakes, actually dry out from being refridgerated. However most cakes can handle overnight in the fridge. Or you can freeze most akes up to a month and they will be great, as long as they are well sealed and protected from freezer burn.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Brainsbaker,
You crack me up, haha! Sometimes if we act like we know what we are doing long enough, we actually do, haha!
I will check it out. Thanks,
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

My 2 cents on this interesting issue. For the most part my technique is similar as Squirellycakes'. I prefer to freeze the cakes (I have a freezer for cakes only and set up the temperature to #1 so they don't get too hard), this way they can be sliced evenly and with less crumbs. When I am ready to fill the cake, take it out of the freezer and mark it either with icing dots or toothpicks all around it. I have the Wilton cake slicers, but honestly I prefer to use a 14" long and thin serrated knife for this purpose. Finally, I introduce a cookie sheet to separate both sections and the cake comes out nicely sliced and still firm. As I say there are many ways to "skin a cat". Hope this will help.

Avoid refridgerating the cake? I wrap them in 2 to 3 layers of plastic wrap first and make sure there are no openings what-so-ever. Apricot glaze, does this affect the taste any? I've been reading that all over the web sites and can't help but wonder about the flavor after the cake is all iced. As far as lifting the layer, I usually use the cake board or the largest cooling rack with a piece of plastic wrap on it for the larger layers and it works for me alright. This has been quite the learning forum Briansbaker and I'm thoroughly enjoying it! Thanks for all the ideas everyone.