AI don't even know where to begin. I have multiple questions and concerns. Please bare with me. I'm making three cakes for my daughters' birthday party this weekend. All three will be double layered, decorated with rose swirls. This is my first time making a double layered cake or working with piping. The size pans I purchased are 6x3 (smash cake), 8x3, and 10x3. I'm planning on two being chocolate and one vanilla. I plan on using box cake mixes, and I'm worried about them falling apart. I'm going to freeze them the night before I decorate. Is any brand better for working with layering? Also, how many cups of batter should go in each size pan? Is buttercream my only option for making rose swirls? I tried a half shortening/ butter recipe that was petty gross. I plan on trying a new recipe that is something like 1 cup butter, 3-4 cups powdered sugar, 1tsp vanilla, 1-3tbs milk or cream. Will this hold up? The cakes will be inside besides the 5 minute car ride to the party location. Does anyone have a good icing/ frosting recipe that would work well with what I'm trying to do? The cakes are for children mostly so I would like to avoid a really sugary frosting. I also found a cream cheese buttercream I thought about using for one of the chocolate cakes. Will cream cheese pipe well and hold up? I'm thinking I bit off more than I can chew, but it's too late to turn back now. Any tips/ answers/ suggestions are very much appreciated!!

• 6" pan is about 2 cups batter
• 8" pan is about 3 cups batter
• 10" pan is about 6 cups batter

 

that ^^^ is from here http://www.wilton.com/wedding/wedding-cakes/wedding-cake-data.cfm

 

i recommend that you avoid the cream cheese icing this time--don't even go there

 

you could make a meringue and add butter and make a swiss meringue buttercream--very light and not as sweet as powdered sugar--but you gotta cook egg whites with sugar

 

here's a recipe http://sweetapolita.com/?s=swiss+meringue

AThanks so much. I checked this chart for serving sizes, but I must have missed the batter part.

AI think I may just stick with a traditional buttercream. The amount of frosting I'll have to make is probably going to be ridiculous. Seven eggs every batch of frosting is a bit much maybe. Is their any whipped cream frosting that would work?

i don't know--cool whip has some new frostings --i haven't tried them yet

but you could try it and let us/me know how it does--test it first

some peeps do great things with bettercream and pastry pride and icings like that

being fully prepared to fall back on the regular buttercream ;)

Whipped cream is going to be much harder to get stiff enough to hold up than the butter recipe you've given. I suspect it will be fine.

Cake and icing will be sugary, regardless. Just cut small pieces for the kids.

AThank you!

AThank you all for your help! They turned out great. (I set it as my profile picture). I was up til 5am finishing them up, but it was all worth it. Next time, I'll definitely start a day earlier and maybe not make three in one day. Thank God for this forum bc I got so many helpful tips from literally hours of research. Happy Easter!

Nice work!  The three colors look good together.

Very nice! The colours are really pretty together. Happy Easter to you, too!