Cake Dam, Refrigeration Question
Decorating By makeminepink Updated 31 Aug 2013 , 4:15am by makeminepink
I'm baking a hummingbird cake with cream cheese icing. It's 2 tier, an 8 and a 12. I'm taking it tomorrow about 60 miles away. Do I need to make a cake dam if I'm just using icing between the layers? Would you refrigerate it so it's firmer for the trip?
It is very important to use a dam when doing a tiered cake with cream cheese icing. Cream cheese icing tends to be softer than other types of icing. Without a dam it tends to allow the cake layers to slide a bit and can cause you to have shifting in transport. I have been doing cakes for 22 years. Want to guess how I found this little bit of wisdom out? Just add a lot of extra powdered sugar to your cream cheese icing and make it really stiff and then put the smooth creamy cream cheese inside. This is true with any soft fillings like fruit, custard, whipped cream, etc. So, rule of thumb....always put in a filling dam for tiered cakes. HTH
Would you refrigerate the cake so it would be cold when you transport it or just leave it out at room temperature? And thank you for replying!
A few more questions, please. I've done many cakes-- just haven't done any in awhile. The cardboard under the 8" cake-- it's not coated, is it ok that I've covered it with freezer paper and would you feel safe transporting this size cake assembled?
I'm using bubble tea straws and I feel good about them. I've used them before in a four tiered cake. Do you think the freezer paper is ok? I think I've done it before, I just can't remember!
really? You use a dam even when you're using the same buttercream for the outside & the filling?
Would you refrigerate the cake so it would be cold when you transport it or just leave it out at room temperature? And thank you for replying!
It would help the cake to stay more solid if it were refrigerated. However, I don't ever do this as I like to know that there will not be condensation problems with my cakes and their decoration.
Using a cake board that is not coated may become problematic especially with cream cheese frosting. I know some people cover their cake boards with press-n-seal and I have done this in the past when I did not have a coated board on hand in the size I needed. I do not know if condensation/moisture will cause freezer paper to fall apart because I have personally never used it on a cake board.
As for transport, a two tier cake should cause no issues if it is properly supported and if you have a central dowel or if you were using the SPS support. I transport up to four tier cakes fully assembled and have done so for over an hour transport with no issues. I admit I am more comfortable transporting fully assembled cakes when they are three tiers or less. Over four tiers, they go in sections.
I know a lot of people use the bubble tea straws and have no issues with them. Personally, I use the hollow plastic dowels so that I do not have to have as many dowels in the cake and they are easily removed by my customers.
Yes, I use a dam even when the filling and the frosting on the outside are the same. As I said, I found out that I had issues in transport (especially with cream cheese) when I did not dam the cakes. Having the dam in place helps "cement" the layers together so they do not slip, cause the cake to lean, or cause bulging.
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my questions. I appreciate you!
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