Hi, I have been doing cakes for a while but I usually cover with fondant so this didn't reall matter that much but I want to get away from it a bit and my problem is that the cake boards I buy seem to be small because when I frost the cake with the bench scraper there is always cake that shows on the sides. I was just wondering do I need to just cut my own boards? and if so what size? how much room is best for the space from the cake to the edge of the board? Should I trace my cake board with the top of the pan will that even be enough room? Thanks for any help!
Kiley

I'm not sure what is going on here, but for an 8 inch cake, I use an 8 inch board. After the cake bakes, it is a little bit smaller than the board (shrinks a little). I like this because I use the edge of the board to guide the bench scraper around it to get the nice even edges.

You can always cut your own though.

Wait...do you mean cake is showing through your fondant???? if so, then maybe roll it a little thicker?

If you are talking about buttercream, then use a little bit more. You should really consider watching Perfecting the Art of Buttercream by Sharon Zambito! Made a world a difference in my buttercream cakes.

Yes this is a problem I have come across almost every time with cakes. Our cake card board circles and squares sold here are not exactly 8" or 9" in diameter. They are about 1/2" less than what I need. I too have the problem of cake showing through the crumb coat. I have been forced to either 1. make my own cake boards from card board boxes or 2. shave / trim the edges of round or square cakes. I then hold up the bench scraper against the card board to make sure there is sufficient room for a crumb coat without the cake being too close to the edge. Even though cakes shrink, I think you should check to see if your cake boards are exactly 8", etc. That was the cause of my problem. Best to make your own card boards. I hate trimming the sides of my cakes because I am throwing away good cake for my customer.

yes I do use an eight inch board for an 8 inch cake but when I do use my bench scraper and frost it, the cake will still show through so its like my cake really doesn't shrink all that much! So I am thinking I need to make my own or buy a different brand, maybe some brands are different sizes idk lol. I would like to try and smooth a nice cake with just butter cream but it seems impossible when this happens because I use the cake board and scraper to get straight sides. I really wish I could buy a tad bit larger size like an 81/2 inch cake board or something lol. I hope this makes sense. I also do have the dvd and have watched it but I don't recall anything about this.

An 8 1/2" cake board from experience is okay for a one tier cake but if you are doing stacked cakes you can run into some aesthetic problems. Your cakes with crumb coat will be 8 1/2" in diameter plus extra millimeters for fondant. This can look squatty for stacked cakes especially for cakes that are 6", 8" and 10" or 8",10" & 12". Just from my experience trying to solve this problem and having tried using a board 1/2" larger. Best to make your own cake board or find another local supplier. Trimming cake sides isn't as easy as it looks. I have removed more cake than necessary trimming cake sides.

You have to layer your frosting on. Smooth it, put it in the fridge to 'set' and then add another layer. Keep doing that until you don't see cake anymore. It's what I do. It should have nothing to do with the size of your board. If you want an inch of board showing around your cake, buy your board an inch larger than your cake!

I am not really sure what the exact problem is that you are having, but I will explain how I do buttercream cakes. It's really all that is used in my day job.
For any cakes that are going to be stacked I first ice them on a board that is at least 2 inches larger than the cake. I give them a crumb coat and then let them set a little in the fridge. Then I cut the board on the cake flush to the sides of the cake and secure it to another board with some BC. Then I do the final coat of BC. This way the final coat is covering the area where you trimmed the board, and giving you a flat surface to hold your bench scraper on. Lastly let the icing set up in the fridge and you can take it off with a spatula, or if it set up for a good while, you can actually handle it with your hands for stacking. Now you have a perfectly iced cake with the board underneath for stacking. I hope I described this so it makes some sense!

I understand what you are saying... you should be trimming your sides. I always do, even on recipes where my cake shrinks the perfect amount. It gets rid of any dark crumbs.

If you want an example of almost exactly how I ice my cakes, get the free buttercream tutorial on Craftsy right now.

Thanks. That's basically what I thought. I don't want the extra sweetness in an SMBC, that's why I LOVE yours. I think I'll stick with what I use. LOL. I've heard about combining ABC and SMBC but haven't tried it yet.