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Science behind the bubble in frosting

post #1 of 12
5/9/12 at 5:23am
Thread Starter 
I left a red velvet fridge in the cake overnight by mistake - I only meant to leave it there enough for the crumb coat to harden. Anyhow, I took it out this morning and put the final coat of frosting on. 2 hours later a bubble has developed on the side, and a smaller one on the top. The cake had already settled before the crumb coat was applied. Why does this only happen with cakes I have refridgerated or frozen, and not with room temp cakes? Please explain icon_biggrin.gif
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post #2 of 12
5/9/12 at 5:34am
That's the only time it happens to me as well, and only with powdered sugar based icing. I think it has to do with the condensation loosening the final coat, which causes it to bulge. From now on I only ice cakes at room temperature, but I always refrigerate before delivery.

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The Dude abides.

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post #3 of 12
5/9/12 at 7:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dayti

I left a red velvet fridge in the cake overnight by mistake -



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post #4 of 12
5/9/12 at 9:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by CWR41

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dayti

I left a red velvet fridge in the cake overnight by mistake -



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I'll bring the forks! thumbs_up.gif
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post #5 of 12
5/9/12 at 9:38am
Every time I want to put a fridge in a cake, I end up making snickerdoodles. No forks required. icon_biggrin.gif
shanter, crazy in Seattle

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I hope I die before "your" is the official contraction of "you are."

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post #6 of 12
5/9/12 at 9:47am
icon_lol.gificon_lol.gificon_lol.gificon_lol.gif
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post #7 of 12
5/9/12 at 9:58am
The culprit is the condensation under the icing, makes the icing blow out. icon_sad.gif

Sharon

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Sharon

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post #8 of 12
5/9/12 at 10:12am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by CWR41

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dayti

I left a red velvet fridge in the cake overnight by mistake -



Got Coffee?



Clearly I think faster than I type icon_lol.gif
I popped the bubble, melvira'd the icing, and another one appeared in the same place a few hours later. Now the icing is cracking because of the huge bubble... think I'll just scrape the lot off and re-ice. Or send it over to the US and you guys can eat it...
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post #9 of 12
5/9/12 at 11:00am
Thread Starter 
Fixed. No cake for you, sorry. I have now learnt my lesson re. chilling cakes for too long!

Image
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post #10 of 12
5/9/12 at 11:06am
Wow! We missed out on that? thumbsdown.gif Looks beautiful.
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post #11 of 12
5/9/12 at 1:56pm
The air bubble was most likely always there but as you took it out of the fridge the cake and icing will have warmed up and all air pockets in the entire thing (may explain the cracking) will have expanded as the air inside them warmed and expanded.

that's partly why cakes sink slightly when they come out of the oven as all the air pockets cool and shrink. It is also why somepeople like to chill their cakes before applying roll out fondant so that as it warms it expands slightly and pulls the fondant really tight and smooth. but again if you have an airbubble under your fondant it will expand and make the icing bulge!

sorry to spoil the thread with technical stuff!
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post #12 of 12
5/9/12 at 2:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveJ

The air bubble was most likely always there but as you took it out of the fridge the cake and icing will have warmed up and all air pockets in the entire thing (may explain the cracking) will have expanded as the air inside them warmed and expanded.

that's partly why cakes sink slightly when they come out of the oven as all the air pockets cool and shrink. It is also why somepeople like to chill their cakes before applying roll out fondant so that as it warms it expands slightly and pulls the fondant really tight and smooth. but again if you have an airbubble under your fondant it will expand and make the icing bulge!

sorry to spoil the thread with technical stuff!



That's ok - you missed out on cake too!
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