Smaller Cake Size On A Larger Cardboard Round????
Decorating By chefandbaker Updated 17 Nov 2011 , 5:21pm by carmijok
Tonight, I delivered a wedding cake decorated in all BC. Most of my wedding cake requests are usually fondant-ed instead of all BC, only because I tend to have a lot of issues with BC!
I follow almost all the steps to a T but when I try to frost a 10" cake on a 10" cardboard round, the BC ends up getting almost all removed when I use my bench scraper to smooth out the BC.
So my question is, can I use a 10" cake but ice it on a 12" cardboard round? Would that give 2" of buttercream all around the cake? (correct my math if I am wrong).
OR, would you bake a 10" cake and then frost it on a 12" cardboard round and then trim the cardboard to fit?
oh, and for one of the tiers, I trimmed off the crust on the cake and that tier looked much better (I think because there was more room to BC the cake)....
I follow almost all the steps to a T but when I try to frost a 10" cake on a 10" cardboard round, the BC ends up getting almost all removed when I use my bench scraper to smooth out the BC.
Just don't scrape it bald. Sometimes you need to add more BC to thin spots and wipe it smooth again until it's right.
So my question is, can I use a 10" cake but ice it on a 12" cardboard round? Would that give 2" of buttercream all around the cake? (correct my math if I am wrong).
You can ice it on any size cake circle you'd like or no circle at all directly on your turntable, but you don't need to follow the circle size to determine the thickness of the BC2" thick is ridiculous. Use a 10" circle without scraping off too much, ice on the turntable and transfer to the appropriate size board, or ice your cake (on its own board) on top of any additional board you'd like and pry it off to ice the next cake. It really isn't difficult.
OR, would you bake a 10" cake and then frost it on a 12" cardboard round and then trim the cardboard to fit?
You could, but it seems like a lot of trouble and waste when you could just get used to icing a 10" cake on a 10" circle. I've never experienced this problemjust fix the bald spot(s).
Tonight, I delivered a wedding cake decorated in all BC. Most of my wedding cake requests are usually fondant-ed instead of all BC, only because I tend to have a lot of issues with BC!
I follow almost all the steps to a T but when I try to frost a 10" cake on a 10" cardboard round, the BC ends up getting almost all removed when I use my bench scraper to smooth out the BC.
So my question is, can I use a 10" cake but ice it on a 12" cardboard round? Would that give 2" of buttercream all around the cake? (correct my math if I am wrong).
OR, would you bake a 10" cake and then frost it on a 12" cardboard round and then trim the cardboard to fit?
I use the cardboard cake circles as a guide so I can get perfectly straight sides (using the upside down technique and ganache). I trim the edges on every one of my cakes so that there is approx. 1/4" between the cake and the board. I only occasionally get a bald spot, perhaps where I haven't centered the cake perfectly, so I just take a sharp knife and trim the overhang. I wouldn't ever go up a size, that would be far too much icing.
You could do as PP suggested, just make sure when you ice the sides you keep it straight as you won't be following the circle guide.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I also think part of the issue was not letting the cake settle. The bride was insistent on not ever freezing the cake so i didn't plan out a lot of time to let the cake settle. Will know better next time!
Don't let your customer dictate how you make your cakes. If you freeze them because they settle better or whatnot, then continue to do so. The customer isn't going to know if you have frozen a cake. Many bakers do it because it's easier to torte or carve while frozen. Just smile and nod. 
I use the cardboard cake circles as a guide so I can get perfectly straight sides (using the upside down technique and ganache). I trim the edges on every one of my cakes so that there is approx. 1/4" between the cake and the board. I only occasionally get a bald spot, perhaps where I haven't centered the cake perfectly, so I just take a sharp knife and trim the overhang. I wouldn't ever go up a size, that would be far too much icing.
You could do as PP suggested, just make sure when you ice the sides you keep it straight as you won't be following the circle guide.[/quote]
I have a question on this.. when u trim your edges how do u stop from triming to much off or falling apart.. I know the denisity of the cake helps but I always have issues doing it and even with freezing it
I have the same problem as the OP and I have been seriously considering cutting my own cake boards to 1/2 inch up sizes. 8 inch cake on 8 1/2 board which would give me 1/4 inch around the cake. I haven't done it yet but I prefer it to trimming the cake. I plan to use the dry wall circle cutters to do my boards
I haven't done it yet though.
I have the same problem as the OP and I have been seriously considering cutting my own cake boards to 1/2 inch up sizes. 8 inch cake on 8 1/2 board which would give me 1/4 inch around the cake. I haven't done it yet but I prefer it to trimming the cake. I plan to use the dry wall circle cutters to do my boards
I haven't done it yet though.
Wheww I thought it was just me who kept trying to figure it out lol. I keep thinking there has to be some kind of trick lol
I do like LisaPeps. I've found that most of my cakes will shrink after they have fully cooled. Once I have trimmed the sides so the layers are evened up vertically, I center them on the same size cake circle (10" cake on 10" board). I end up with 1/4", or more, all the way around that I can "fill up" with buttercream. I use the cake circle as my guide to get straight vertical buttercream without any bald spots.
Granted, this took a LONG time to get right. I'm a hobby baker and it's taken nearly 2 years to begin to get this part down. (Still a work in progress, by the way....)
I do not apply bottom borders until the tier is moved to it's "permanent home", i.e., stacked on another tier, or on the presentation plate.
Two of the hardest things I've had to work on: Scraping it bald (usually because I didn't put enough buttercream on in the first place!).
Super-stiff buttercream dams that don't cause cake bulges.
[quote="lisapeps]I use the cardboard cake circles as a guide so I can get perfectly straight sides (using the upside down technique and ganache). I trim the edges on every one of my cakes so that there is approx. 1/4" between the cake and the board. I only occasionally get a bald spot, perhaps where I haven't centered the cake perfectly, so I just take a sharp knife and trim the overhang. I wouldn't ever go up a size, that would be far too much icing.
You could do as PP suggested, just make sure when you ice the sides you keep it straight as you won't be following the circle guide.
I have a question on this.. when u trim your edges how do u stop from triming to much off or falling apart.. I know the denisity of the cake helps but I always have issues doing it and even with freezing it[/quote]
My cakes are partially frozen when I trim the edges. I use a small serrated knife which is really sharp. I don't trim it in a perfect circle, I sort of saw of the edges. It's hard to explain :S but it leaves a jagged circle shape, but when it is defrosted and covered in ganache and you cut the cake you can't tell that it wasn't a perfect circle to begin with.
oh and i did the math.. if i put a 10" cake on a 12" circle, you'd have 1" all around the cake circle.. not 2"! haha.. I knew my math was off on that.
I cut foam core circles for all of my tiers. I trace around the pan, and cut a bit outside of that. No trimming or bald spots ever occur for me.
I've seen many people talk about using foam core for their cakes. I always use the cardboard circles that are the same size as my tier. For those that use the foam core, do you have any issue when stacking and using a center dowel? Does it still go through easily? How thick is it?
And where do you get foam core? Michaels?
I've seen many people talk about using foam core for their cakes. I always use the cardboard circles that are the same size as my tier. This way you control how big your circle is, you're not stuck with one size. For those that use the foam core, do you have any issue when stacking and using a center dowel? It's way sturdier than a cardboard, and doesn't absorb the grease. I cover mine with press and seal though anyways. Center doels? Never use them. No one wants to cut into their cake and screw around with fishing out a piece of musty old wood. Does it still go through easily? If I have to, I'll use a skewer that only goes thru the top two tiers only, and I rarely have to do that. How thick is it? Thin or thick, you'll see when you go to Michae's. I use the thinnest of the two sizes offered.
And where do you get foam core? Michaels?
Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I also think part of the issue was not letting the cake settle. The bride was insistent on not ever freezing the cake so i didn't plan out a lot of time to let the cake settle. Will know better next time!
The bride--or anyone else--won't know if you ever freeze your cake. It tastes very fresh and moist. I freeze all my cakes just so their texture is better...plus it makes it much easier to handle when you're dealing with buttercream. To me it takes a lot of nerve for someone to tell a baker how to do their business.
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