HI

I am making my 1st ever wedding cake. I have covered the two tier cakes separately with fondant. I would like to prepare to stack the cakes a few days before transporting the cake to the wedding venue. I am thinking of inserting plastic dowel into the base tier today so that in 4 days time I can stack the cake on site. I have never stacked a cake before!

Will this damage the sponge in anyway by making it less moist if I insert the dowels now?

Also my friend has just told me there are now more guests! I need to make some cupcakes in advance so there is enough cake. Does anyone have a vanilla/victoria sponge recipe that will last and still be moist 3 days after baking?

Please help!

Thanks :)

Is the wedding on Saturday? Why have you already covered your cakes? Will they be OK by the wedding?

A

8O I admire your proactive stance and your inclination to get it done on time but you're a couple of days too early. A fruit cake I can understand but the sponge cakes are already covered in fondant now? So they would be about 1 week old by the time they're eaten? Are you going to store the cakes in the fridge/freezer? What's your plan to keep them fresh over the next 4 days?

To answer your question, I add the dowels (bubble tea straws actually) just before I stack, and I tend to stack as close to the event as possible.

Hi

Yeah they will be fine. I followed and spoke to a Lindy Cake representative (a UK cake making company) and I am following there madiera cake and sugar paste recipe. Also we did a tester cake and left it for 5 days and it was fine.

I am just wondering if I can insert the dowels beforehand too?

Many Thanks

I wouldn't. I'd do that part as close as possible.

its not just sitting around its  a box...If you have nothing useful to say then maybe don't respond!

Okay thanks

Madeira cake has a longer shelf life than a sponge cake, but I would put the dowel rods in just before transporting on the day.

Okay Thanks.

It is a professional cake recipe and a Madiera sponge moistens over time. I have followed the advice of a professional cake making company and we also made a test cake beforehand which was fine. Here is the link for the blog site:

http://www.lindyscakes.co.uk/2009/12/17/baking-the-perfect-madeira-cake/

Thanks very much. Yes Madeira cake does and this is why I have used it as the wedding is a long journey away so it has to be made in advance.

Its a 'favour' cake for a friend who has a small budget wedding so we are doing our best...

Thanks for some useful advice!

Thanks very much for the advice

Oh agree,   I would put in the dowels right before you transport it or at the event....:)

Many thanks. I will add them the night before the wedding.

Have any US bakers made a madeira cake before?   They have always been so interesting to me, but I have not made on before.  

Hi Scarletfee, I hope you had fun making your cake and it was a success.  I am in the same situation.  I am making my first wedding cake for my son but have to transport it 350 miles 4 days before wedding.  I am making fruit, madeira and chocolate mud cakes because they seem to stay fresh the longest.  The will be covered in fondant a week before the event and stored in a cake box.  I was thinking of dowelling before leaving home as it would be difficult to do at the last minute in a hotel room.   Do you have any advice? I would be really interested in hearing how you got on.  And well done for making your friends cake, it's not an easy feat.

Thanks in advance

Hi

Firstly I would like to say the cake we made tasted and looked great! Madeira sponge tastes amazing a week after baking and it was absolutely fine to store in a cake box for the 6 days (when covered in fondant and butter-cream). The sponge was as moist as can be with madeira sponge. I would recommend the Lindy Cake recipe and putting a bowl of water in the oven whilst it bakes. Rest for 12 hrs then cover with fondant.

On the dowel front I inserted the dowels 2 days before. I sealed the holes made by the dowel with royal icing. It was fine and because it was sealed with icing it kept the moister of the cake.

Also in terms of transporting we sat with the cakes on our lap. We put a pillow to absorb shock on our knees then a cake box each with the cake in it. We held them horizontally.  I also recommend double side taping down slip proof matting into each cake box. Put the cake board with cake into the box and double side tape this to the matt (don't use to much as you need to remove it to get the cake out the box). I good reassurance that the cakes want move with the long commute!

It was a huge success and I'm sure your cakes will be too. Good luck and hope that helps.

AHi scarletfee! Glad your cake went well...I used to use the lindys cake chocolate cake recipe and It was truly delish!!! Can I ask what you filled it with? I would like to switch from a Victoria sponge to Madeira as a standard 'plain' cake (largely for the shelf life) but have always been concerned that it would be a bit dry? Have you ever had any problems? I have always thought it would be a similar texture that American cakes seem to be...? (Could be way off never having been to the us- just basing it on how they handle their sponges in tv shows!). Thanks!

Hi

Not sure about American cakes but the Lindy Madeira worked great for us. We butter cream and raspberry jam the centre and put butter cream only around the outside before adding fondant. Fondant is really difficult to do so do practice if you haven't used it before! I didn't and it took a bit of crafty decor to hide cracks!

Sponge wise it is drier than victoria sponge but it is dense for stacking. However it was moist enough and gets better over time (hence baking it a week before). Follow the Lindy cake madeira blog for storage but basically bake and leave to rest for 12 hrs in tin foil then ice and store in cake box.

We put a bowl of water in the oven whilst baking and it improved the moister.

We are making another wedding cake and we will be using the same recipe again!

Hope that helps and good luck :)

Hi Scarletfee, thank you so much for your reply and good advice.  Good luck with the next cake.