Do you prefer 3 layers of cake with 2 layers filling...or 4 layers of cake with 3 layers of filling? Or do you let the bride decide? 
I prefer 4 layers of cake, and 3 of filling. I think everybody is different. I use 3 inch pans to bake my rounds, so I wind up with tall cakes when I use 2 rounds sliced in half and filled.
I hobby bake, but I aspire to Ron Ben-Israel quality cakes. I just purchased my Agbay Deluxe Single Blade which will allow me to create 4 perfect 1" high layers of cake, with 3 layers of filling between each layer.
I want to make different flavor profiles and create a cake that is more gorgeous and surprising and tasty INSIDE than it looks outside.
Here are some of my inspiration photos:
This is from the website: Celebration Generation Cakes
The cake artist has some gorgeous pictures of torted and filled wedding cake slices.
http://www.celebrationgeneration.com/flavors.html (see post below. This is NOT the correct link)
and the famous, inspirational, Ron Ben-Israel slice:
Sorry, the website won't let me post the Celebration Generation Cake photos link.
Here is the link with spaces in between. You will have to copy and paste the whole line. This will bring up a search page with Celebration Generation Cakes - Gourmet Flavors for your wedding...
http://www. celebration generation . com /flavors . html
Thanks Apti...
I too am a hobby baker, but want to have my cakes be delicious on the inside and not just have the outside look good! Thanks for the link to the Celebration Generation Cakes site...amazing flavors!! Now I just need to find the recipes to go with the flavors! 
And the 4 layers of cake with 3 layers of filling does look great. So I guess the cake would be taller than the usual 4 inches? (I too have the Agbay and LOVE it.)
Thanks all for your opinions...I do appreciate all the help and suggestions that I have gotten here on CC over the years! 
Thanks Apti...
I too am a hobby baker, but want to have my cakes be delicious on the inside and not just have the outside look good! Thanks for the link to the Celebration Generation Cakes site...amazing flavors!! Now I just need to find the recipes to go with the flavors!
And the 4 layers of cake with 3 layers of filling does look great. So I guess the cake would be taller than the usual 4 inches? (I too have the Agbay and LOVE it.)Thanks all for your opinions...I do appreciate all the help and suggestions that I have gotten here on CC over the years!
srkmilklady~~I just got my Agbay and have only been able to use it once. (I've been on vacation.) I baked about 15 different round cakes in 4 flavors and different sizes and can't wait to tort the absolute heck out of 'em!!! Unfortunately, when I returned from vacation, my indoor side-by-side fridge/freezer was dead and I had to pitch everything. AAAAAAGH!
The good news is that my 15 cakes and all my pre-made buttercream and dark chocolate ganache were safe in my "new" (old, used, but working) outdoor, upright freezer! Unfortunately, until I get my new(ish) indoor fridge, I can't tort my cakes or make fillings, etc.
Boy.....does that tell you how obsessed I am with cake decorating? I had to pitch EVERYTHING in my home fridge/freezer, but don't care because my cakes and frosting were safe in the "cake freezer" on the porch.
As far as the recipes for the Celebration Cakes, I'm just going to wing it and make my own versions of her buttercreams and fillings. I've already worked up a really detailed version/recipe/instructions for the Turtle Chocolate cake. If you like, I'd be happy to send you the write-up I did for another caker (and my own files!).
Have you used your Agbay a lot? Do you love it? I just know that my Agbay will open up a world of possibilities and beautiful cakes! I've put in about 2-1/2 years learning lots and lots of stuff, so now I have the confidence to branch out with different flavors and have the knowledge of how to figure out most of it.
I have SPS and will use the Agbay to make sure my stacked cakes are exactly 4" high, but otherwise, I don't care if they are exactly at 4". All my pans are 2" high, but I like to tort everything.
Here's a photo of a cake I did BEFORE I got my Agbay, torting the "old fashioned" way with the lock-arm technique and a 12" serrated knife. This was my first experiment with ganache. The cake is sour cream chocolate cake with dark chocolate ganache icing. The bottom filling is dark chocolate ganache, the middle is white chocolate ganache with raspberry, and the top filling is white chocolate ganache.
(I've looked at your photos and your cakes are stunning!!! My favorite is the "My First gumpaste flowers". That is just sheer perfection.)
Guess what? I just looked on Amazon for a review of Celebration Generation Cakes book, Evil Cake Overlord, and there is a photo of her KA and AGBAY!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/0984604022/ref=dp_otherviews_5?ie=UTF8&img=5&s=books
Thanks Apti for your kind words. I have had my Agbay since last Christmas...it is the Agbay Jr. but it suits me just fine. It cuts up to a 12" cake I believe. I hope so, because I will be making my daughter's wedding cake for October and the bottom tier is a 12" square. I just love how it just slices through so smoothly and STRAIGHT! No dips or rips...perfect.
Your chocolate cake looks delicious! Is it a scratch cake or WASC? If you don't mind sharing the recipe I would love to try it. I recently have been using the upside down method of icing my cakes and I love it...I did 2 cakes using IMBC, but I would really love to try the method with ganache.
Now I just have to get a cake fridge/freezer so I can have cakes and frostings made ahead of time!
Thanks again!
Thanks Apti for your kind words. I have had my Agbay since last Christmas...it is the Agbay Jr. but it suits me just fine. It cuts up to a 12" cake I believe. I hope so, because I will be making my daughter's wedding cake for October and the bottom tier is a 12" square. I just love how it just slices through so smoothly and STRAIGHT! No dips or rips...perfect.
Your chocolate cake looks delicious! Is it a scratch cake or WASC? If you don't mind sharing the recipe I would love to try it. I recently have been using the upside down method of icing my cakes and I love it...I did 2 cakes using IMBC, but I would really love to try the method with ganache.
Now I just have to get a cake fridge/freezer so I can have cakes and frostings made ahead of time!
I'll send you a PM with my regular email address so I can send you the links and recipes used for the cake in the photo.
You REALLY need to get an upright freezer for your cake stuff. When you are by yourself, it is wonderful to do the baking, etc., ahead of time.
I do 4 cake layers, 3 filling layers. I bake 2" layers.
I, too, adore my Agbay. It really makes getting a nice level cake so very easy. Worth every penny.
I like cake. I like fillings. I personally find that I don't like too many flavor profiles in my cake. In my experience, I prefer a higher ratio of cake to filling, too.
With the way my cakes bake up, I figure that I have about 3" of cake and 1" of filling--it makes me and my clients happy. I also find that with the types of filling that I use, this ratio leaves me virtually no bulges.
Rae
Thank you Apti for the recipes...I'll definitely give them a try. And yes, a standup freezer would be nice...wonder if I can get that for Christmas this year!
Rae, I like the ratio of cake to filling you mentioned. So do you level your layers of cake off at 3/4 inch with the Agbay? I have been doing 3 - 1 inch layers of cake with 2 layers of filling, but I think I'll try the 4 & 3 combo. I think it would make a nicer presentation when the cakes are sliced and served too.
Thank you all for your input...I really do appreciate your responses!
Rae, I like the ratio of cake to filling you mentioned. So do you level your layers of cake off at 3/4 inch with the Agbay? I have been doing 3 - 1 inch layers of cake with 2 layers of filling, but I think I'll try the 4 & 3 combo. I think it would make a nicer presentation when the cakes are sliced and served too.
Yes, that's about what they come out to after I cut off the tops and then split them. It can vary slightly from recipe to recipe or the type of filling used (i.e. if I use a jam or preserve filling, it's thinner because of the sweetness & texture).
HTH
Rae
Sorry, just realized I posted this in the "cake disasters" forum!
But thanks to everyone that replied!
Man I wish I could pile on my SMBC as thick as RBI does, it looks so good. I always end up with a thin layer
Any tips?
Nearly 3 years into to this, I'm STILL on a learning curve to get smooth icing, horizontally level, 1/4" layers of filling without bulges. I'm slowly learning that it's not "just one thing". In my opinion, it's a hard-won combination of techniques and recipes that have been utilized multiple times. (The old "practice, practice, practice".)
I do 4 cake layers, 3 filling layers. I bake 2" layers.
I, too, adore my Agbay. It really makes getting a nice level cake so very easy. Worth every penny.
With the way my cakes bake up, I figure that I have about 3" of cake and 1" of filling--it makes me and my clients happy. I also find that with the types of filling that I use, this ratio leaves me virtually no bulges.
Rae
My "educated" guess for the Ron Ben-Israel photo slice, the Celebration Generation cake slice photos and Rae's cake slices:
1. The cake recipe is a tried and true recipe that yields a denser cake that does not dissolve into a crumbling mess.
2. Filling recipes that are tried and true. Knowledge of which fillings soak into the cake, flatten out, maintain their shape, etc. (i.e., raspberry jam, whipped cream, non-whipped ganache, fresh fruit, Pastry Pride with dry pudding mix, sleeve fillings--ALL have very different properties. Some you can slather on really thick, some are slippery, some soak into the cake, etc.)
3. Agbay leveler
4. Measuring the amount of filling--not just slapping it on.
5. Allowing the cake to "settle". (Either time or using a weight on top.)
6. Knowing when to use a dam of icing. Knowing how stiff that dam needs to be for each type of filling.
7. Thin, minimally handled, layers of fondant that won't weigh down the filled/crumbcoated cake.
8. And my biggest surmise for an RBI slice: The photo slices have been chilled, cut with a hot, dry, clean knife, (and staged for photography).
Rae~~what do you think of my guesses above? Anything to add/subtract/change?
Man I wish I could pile on my SMBC as thick as RBI does, it looks so good. I always end up with a thin layer
Any tips?Nearly 3 years into to this, I'm STILL on a learning curve to get smooth icing, horizontally level, 1/4" layers of filling without bulges. I'm slowly learning that it's not "just one thing". In my opinion, it's a hard-won combination of techniques and recipes that have been utilized multiple times. (The old "practice, practice, practice".)
I do 4 cake layers, 3 filling layers. I bake 2" layers.
I, too, adore my Agbay. It really makes getting a nice level cake so very easy. Worth every penny.
With the way my cakes bake up, I figure that I have about 3" of cake and 1" of filling--it makes me and my clients happy. I also find that with the types of filling that I use, this ratio leaves me virtually no bulges.
Rae
My "educated" guess for the Ron Ben-Israel photo slice, the Celebration Generation cake slice photos and Rae's cake slices:
1. The cake recipe is a tried and true recipe that yields a denser cake that does not dissolve into a crumbling mess.
2. Filling recipes that are tried and true. Knowledge of which fillings soak into the cake, flatten out, maintain their shape, etc. (i.e., raspberry jam, whipped cream, non-whipped ganache, fresh fruit, Pastry Pride with dry pudding mix, sleeve fillings--ALL have very different properties. Some you can slather on really thick, some are slippery, some soak into the cake, etc.)
3. Agbay leveler
4. Measuring the amount of filling--not just slapping it on.
5. Allowing the cake to "settle". (Either time or using a weight on top.)
6. Knowing when to use a dam of icing. Knowing how stiff that dam needs to be for each type of filling.
7. Thin, minimally handled, layers of fondant that won't weigh down the filled/crumbcoated cake.
8. And my biggest surmise for an RBI slice: The photo slices have been chilled, cut with a hot, dry, clean knife, (and staged for photography).
Rae~~what do you think of my guesses above? Anything to add/subtract/change?
No, I think this is right on point. Like with so many things, you have to know your products and those have to be very consistent so that you get consistent results.
Personally, I BC dam EVERY filling because I pipe the dam with the same tip every time as a guide for filling height. I sometimes color the BC dam--or add a bit of the filling to it to make it blend in with the filling better.
I guess the only other thing is that with some fillings & cakes, I'd suspect that RBI assembles them in cake rings or acetate rings and then chills them very well before covering, etc.
And yes, I have NO doubt that the pictures we see of the pro's cakes have been done by food stylists and ...........possibly photoshopped.
Thanks for outlining it so clearly!
RAe
With the way my cakes bake up, I figure that I have about 3" of cake and 1" of filling--it makes me and my clients happy. I also find that with the types of filling that I use, this ratio leaves me virtually no bulges.
Rae
Personally, I BC dam EVERY filling because I pipe the dam with the same tip every time as a guide for filling height. I sometimes color the BC dam--or add a bit of the filling to it to make it blend in with the filling better.
Rae
Thanks. I also appreciate the tip about adding color or a bit of the filling to the dam. Such simple ideas seldom occur to me.
While talking about "piping a dam", I have another question...Rae or Christina or whoever can help.
I have switched my BC to IMBC primarily now. So because it is a softer BC can it still be used for a dam? When I took classes or if I watch Sharon Zambito's DVD, I was taught that the dam had to be THICK to do what it is supposed to do....contain the filling. But IMBC isn't that thick...is there a solution to this? I'm a little confused...
Welllll...............I have never stiffened my dams by adding enough PS to essentially create rolled buttercream (my personal take on the method you're referencing.). I always thought I'd be very unhappy to receive a corner piece of a cake that had that type of dam.......
I use a variation on IMBC and also an AMBC that is softer because it contains a good amount of heavy cream. For the most part, those icings are still stiffer than the fillings that I use, so I do find them very helpful in holding the fillings in place.
Once my crumb coated cake has settled, if there's a bulge of the dam, I can scrape that away and when I finish ice, the bulge is gone.
HTH
Rae
It can be interesting for someone of you I sure !!!
Not for your cake but for someone wedding )
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