I used to use pans and books, but the tiles work better as the weight is better distributed. As txnonnie says, go to your local hardware or tile store and buy an ugly discount tile for $1.
I tried this trick on Saturday. I had some leftover tiles, however, I could not locate them quickly. Instead I had a serving plate still in the box and was larger than the 12x12 cake so I used the platter. Worked great. Much quicker than waiting over night for the cake to settle. Thanks for the tip!!!
I've been leveling my cakes like this for a couple of years because my knife leveling skills leave a lot to be desired. I love it! However, I read a post somewhere (cannot even begin to remember where) and the poster was up in arms about it. "Do not smoosh your cake! You're ruining it! You're making it too dense! You make us look bad!" Quite a few people agreed with the poster.
What would rather have- a level cake that's also dense enough to hold together a bit better or a big ol' humped cake?
As far as I understand, this trick is not for leveling, it is for getting the excess air out of the filling before icing the cake so that you don't get the ugly "bulge" once you have completed decorating.
I use my Agbay for leveling , and I just tried this new method (thanks Leahs!) for a 6" round birthday cake, and it worked like a charm - no ugly bulge!
Yes, marmalade1687, my "trick" has nothing to do with leveling. That's what my Agbay is for!
Hey, I'm just not a pretty face - I know a few things! Although almost every time I log on here I learn something new - hee hee!
That's cool! Iv'e been using a cake pan with a bag of lentils in it. It's gonna settle anyway. Just helping gravity along to settling point in a timely manor before decorating. I worry about not getting the tile placed evenly on the cake and causing the tile to lean to one side and pulling the cake down on that side. Does eyeballing it do it for ya?
Ok, now this is interesting...Im assuming *dummy me*...that the reason for doing this is to get the air out of the cake?...and settle it? It wont dry the cake out? Told you, dummy me....lol
So take it out of the oven let it cool and then do this? or crumb coat it, let it dry and then do it? Sorry lost....having a Freeze moment in my head...hmmmm have alot of those!
Thanks awesome info!!!!
take the cake out of the oven.
Let cool.
level.
Torte if you're going to and fill.
Wrap in plastic wrap.
Place tile on top.
Let sit a room temp.
Wait.
I rarely crumb coat, and if I do, it is immediately before regular icing.
What about this process could possibly dry out the cake?
Leah, you had mentioned this in a previous post so this past weekend when I had a wedding cake to do I torted, filled, crumbcoated the sides of the cake and then set a large pie plate on top of the cake for the two hours...then crumbcoated the top and put the fondant on and lo and behold, not only were there no bulges I had no problem with gas bubbles either! Whoo Hoo! Easiest time with fondant EVER! Thank you SO much for the tip! ( I will be going out to buy the tile tho and will wrap it in plastic wrap for the 12x12 cake I have coming up this summer!LOL!) So thank you thank you thank you!
How do you keep the plastic wrap from sticking to your crumb coat, if you do a crumb coat? (Which I always do because since I make scratch cakes, if I don't crumb coat them as soon as the cake cools, I start losing moistness too quickly.)
I would think parchment between your cake and the tile would work better and not stick like plastic wrap would. Or does it just not stick once the crumb coat is dry?
This is all new to me, though. Anyone ever have this issue?
Nice tip. Maybe a book would work too.
Rylan your cakes never have a buldge what is your trick???
I have a ton of tiles leftover in my garage.....I knew I saved them for some reason! Thanks Leah
Some of those beautiful decorative 12 x 12 tiles make very nice cake plates, too. Just purchase inexpensive "feet" (drawer pulls) and use silicone gel to adhere them to the bottom of the tile and voila!
Just make sure your cake is on a board or something and not directly on the tile itself as some of the tiles are probably not food safe.
this sounds like a great trick-thanks for sharing.
question: wrapping with platic wrap. is it loose or tight on the cake.
i too wouldnt crumb croat until after settled.
I use that tip too leah, is the best!.. I use the dam too, but I think sometimes the problem with the bulge comes from too much filling in the cake. Specially those of custards an Jellies.
In a one tier it might be fine, but when you do more than one tier, the weight of the upper cakes will be a problem on those soft fillings.
Edna
Rylan your cakes never have a buldge what is your trick???
Ganache is my only trick. I no longer dam, I no longer let it set...just ganache.
I saw u mentioned this ceramic tile thing on another thread a few days ago...we were at Lowes over the wknd and I grabbed a tile on our way out and my DH asked what it was for..he humored me as I excitedly explained your secret method..and he grabbed a marble tile and said, "hey, get this one, it's cheaper"..to which I barked at him, "NO! she said ceramic, I don't want to smash the cake!!" I now have a random ceramic tile sitting in the cabinet...using it tomorrow..can't wait! Thanks for the tip
I had a 11x15 cake to do for my granddaughter's BD this past weekend and I did not want the bulges that I sometimes get between the layers. I tried a variation of this method, and mixed Marshmallow Fluff with my buttercream and after piping the dam and laying the top cake on I turned the cake pan over (11x15) and put my heavy plastic flour container on it and let it set for a couple of hours. The weight was evenly distributed across the cake and the flour had to weigh about 15 pounds . It worked perfectly but, I do have some tile left from the house being built and I am going to try this.
As far as filling coming out when you try to compress the layers, do not spread the filling to the edges of the dam and do not overload the filling between the layers. The weight of the tile will spread it out nicely for you. Another idea (from someone on CC, don't remember who) is to use cake with your icing and make a dam with that mixture so there is cake in every bite.
evelyn
Yeah, I've used canned food, books, etc, until I saw a ceramic tile sitting in the basement. Perfect size, perfect weight.
oh gosh, bad, bad and BAD...first we go into home depot/lowes to look for cake boards, and to make cake stands, and now ceramic tiles!!! and a scraper for cakes, foam roller....
Hmmmm no wonder honey is getting upset, MY TOOL BOX IS BIGGER AND BETTER!!!!! and I cant stay out of the Hardware stores.....
oh gosh, bad, bad and BAD...first we go into home depot/lowes to look for cake boards, and to make cake stands, and now ceramic tiles!!! and a scraper for cakes, foam roller....
Hmmmm no wonder honey is getting upset, MY TOOL BOX IS BIGGER AND BETTER!!!!! and I cant stay out of the Hardware stores.....
ha ha ha!! You too??
You guys ROCK!
I am super new at this, and have never even pushed down on my cakes. Have always been so gentle with them, now I know the proper way to fix them up :0)
Remember you are the boss of your cakes, they are NOT the boss of you!
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