Do I Dare?

Decorating By laura4795 Updated 26 Mar 2012 , 9:59pm by kakeladi

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laura4795 Posted 26 Mar 2012 , 3:35am
post #1 of 10

I'm currently making a 3 tier wedding cake. The bottom layer is a 10" carrot cake. After I cut the top off the cake to even it out, I transferred it to a plate and it cracked down the center. It didn't break in half, but there is a pretty good crack there. Do I dare use this cake as a bottom layer?

9 replies
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julz417 Posted 26 Mar 2012 , 3:39am
post #2 of 10

I wouldnt chance it

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step0nmi Posted 26 Mar 2012 , 3:58am
post #3 of 10

nope, would not use that cake...it will just cause problems down the road. go with your gut icon_wink.gif good luck!

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lilmissbakesalot Posted 26 Mar 2012 , 3:01pm
post #4 of 10

I am going to be totally honest... I'd use it. I have had the same thing happen to me (a chocolate cake) and so long as you have a proper suooprt system there is no reason to throw out a cake that is perfectly fine. Now if it had split in 1/2 or worse I'd say re-bake, but seeing as how it simply cracked a bit and didn't go all the way through I see nothing wrong with it. It is the support system that bears the weight of the upper tiers... not the bottom tier. Once it is filled and iced it should hold up just fine.

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SweetDreams_DK Posted 26 Mar 2012 , 3:38pm
post #5 of 10

I would most certainly use it. There's nothing wrong with it, and the filling will pretty much "glue" it all together. Besides, how do you think those giant 3-D cakes they make on the Cake Challenges are done? They have elaborate pipe structures inside, and cakes are split and pieced together around the pipes. (I learned how to do them in a class with Mike McCarey.)

The key is structural integrity. Use a good support system: on a 3-tiered cake, I use about 5 bubble-tea drinking straws in the two bottom tiers for support, then I put a dowel straight down through all 3 tiers and it's good to go.

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lilmissbakesalot Posted 26 Mar 2012 , 4:04pm
post #6 of 10

Exactly! I do a lot of carved cakes and you piece them together where needed and they don't fall apart, and they have more weight bearing on them than your average tiered cake.

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pieceofcaketx Posted 26 Mar 2012 , 6:09pm
post #7 of 10

I'd use it also, it's all about the internal support. Since the weight doesn't actually sit on the cake itself as long as you use a proper support system it will be fine.

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doramoreno62 Posted 26 Mar 2012 , 7:09pm
post #8 of 10

I agree with the last 4 posters. I would definitly use it. All the weight of the cake will bear upon the support system, not the bottom layer. The bottom layer could be made of jello and with a good support sysytem, it would not fall apart.

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step0nmi Posted 26 Mar 2012 , 7:44pm
post #9 of 10

the only reason i said i wouldn't use it is Carrot cake is already crumbly enough. even with a good support system "I" would be nervous that the crack and the cake would not be secure once the supports were put in. just my opinion tho.

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kakeladi Posted 26 Mar 2012 , 9:59pm
post #10 of 10

Just use b'cream to 'glue' it back together. I have done it dozens of time w/o problems.
It sounds like the plate was not *flat* which is what caused the cake to crack.
If y ou put it on a cake board glued together w/filling and the top layer there should have been no problems.

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