Cake Boss - Handling Torted Layers!
Decorating By radtech Updated 28 Jun 2009 , 5:53pm by sweetiesbykim
I was watching Cake Boss the other night and I was amazed how they were handling the torted layers of the cake they were making- I think it was the zombie cake. They were throwing it around like a frisbie (?sp), If I torte my cakes, and I am afraid with large layers. I am so careful so they don't crack. I have to treat them like crystal. Is it just the type of cake they are using?
They said they were using a dense pound cake I believe. The rest of the handling just comes from experience
I've noticed that on Cake Boss, and even on Charm City Cakes... they all handle the cakes as if they were either frozen or wicked thick and dry. Ever notice how they carve the cakes? It's almost like they're seriousloy carving something hard, they actually saw the cake. Gotta be frozen/pound cake combos.
Charm City Cakes prides themselves on NOT freezing their cakes, and in my experience, I have to saw a cake when I carve it, otherwise it comes off in weird lumps and doesn't shape right. I would imagine their cakes are a butter cake variant, just like mine as the crumb is moist and a little dense. I think too that their background in art and their years of experience in his bakery have lent to a steady hand when carving and stacking!
If you saw the first Cake Boss he actually said that he adds cream cheese to his cakes because it makes them denser and easier to carve into shapes. I tried it and it really does work! Their still moist but they stay together pretty well, with a lot less crumbing. But I still dont think I would attempt the flipping that I saw the other night! I was really wowed by how they throw them around like pizza dough!! But they literally do these things in their sleep so I guess when you have that kind of practice, your bound to get some skills!!! (Like how Chefs can chop with knives so fast and not look at what their even cutting for example). I also know he said that when he does the Challenges, that he actually over bakes his cakes so that they stack better. They might be even doing some of that for this show. Since now that I know that Reality TV is scripted and not really leaving much to reality and fate, it might be done for the camera also!!
pound cakes and butter cakes are a lot easier to carve. i've used both in my cakes and have never had any cracking. i think i've made 2 maybe 3 cakes that had no carving on them. as for the handling, i just flip. i figure, if it breaks while flipping, it would break regardless. either during carving, icing, decorating, or transport. i've noticed they will do what they want (cakes i mean). just have to be confidant. and on occasion i have talked to my cakes...they tend to listen...
I need to see this Cake Boss! Cream cheese, eh? I'll have to give that a whirl! Weirkd, how did you go about adding it in? Do you do a standard butter cake and then add a brick of cream cheese? Is there a special ratio or some recipe somewhere that mentions it?
When they stack their "layer of sponge" on top of each other with fillings, it's the type of cake you would use for a jelly roll. If anyone has made one in a sheet pan, they are very easy to work with and can be thrown around, rolled up, and moved like they do. I think the pound cakes are the thicker cakes he carves. The cr chz pound cakes would not give and droop while picking them up and layering as you see Buddy's assistant do on the show with the sponge cakes
I need to see this ! Cream cheese, eh? I'll have to give that a whirl! Weirkd, how did you go about adding it in? Do you do a standard butter cake and then add a brick of cream cheese? Is there a special ratio or some recipe somewhere that mentions it?
There is a cream cheese pound cake recipe listed here on CC, under the pound cake category. It's close to my version, and very tasty and moist!
Whats a good pound cake recipe for carving...maybe one in chocolate? I just use the durable cake recipe here on this site...but I want to try the pound cake recipe
I used on package of cream cheese and added it to my regular cake mix. I use basically the WASC recipe with a little bit of my own alterations. I also had doubled the recipe so if you were doing one recipe then I would say use half a brick of cr.cheese.
I have a recording of CCCAKES where they are pressing on the cake with their hands using their body weight. I think when they say they do not "freeze" their cakes they mean weeks or months ahead of time. Like grocery store cakes where they come in frozen.
For the carved cakes, as mentioned above, Carlo's uses pound cake, which is very sturdy, and you don't really have to be gentle with it. For the larger sheets, they use an Italian sponge (which is baked in those thin sheets--not torted from a larger cake), which is also quite easy to handle.
I also thought it was crazy how they were just throwing the sheet cakes around. I wouldn't even want to try that.
PinkZiab,
I'm Italian...I guess we just use regular old all-American spongecake. What is Italian spongecake?
Thanks!
Thanks for the links, sweetiesbykim.
I still don't know what makes one recipe Italian sponge cake and one regular sponge cake, though. Probably the liquor! (But I hate rum-soaked cake.)
Thanks for the links, sweetiesbykim.
I still don't know what makes one recipe Italian sponge cake and one regular sponge cake, though. Probably the liquor! (But I hate rum-soaked cake.)
I researched since this topic came up (I love comparisons! I make charts at home to compare different recipe ingredients). I don't know if this is the true "pastry chef" answer, but the recipes I compared stated:
Italian versions beat all eggs, yolks, and sugar all together for longer time periods for more volume.
American versions beat their egg whites separately and folded them in at the very end, after the flour.
Edited to add:
Tips for success: 1. Fold in flour and whites very gently, don't stir.
2. Beat eggs with sugar until very pale, ribbons fall from beater, and all sugar is dissolved.
3. Make sure eggs are at room temp to get the most volume.
I'm anxious to try both versions!
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