I've seen instructions for carving 3-D cakes but they don't seem to talk about the actual carving and how its done. Like the fact that you stack your cakes with buttercream but then do you freeze it and then carve it frozen, or do you just use a serrated knife and carve once its fresh and stacked. I'm looking to make a boat and need to know how to carve it. I will be using a stacked oval cake. Thanks for any input!!
Hey christina,
I have carved a few cakes and I have just let them cool on the rack then place them on the board and just used a Sharp Knife to carve, I have also heard that you can place them in the freezer to get them a little frozen and carve them then, But I have had wonderful luck with just doing it when the cake is cool. Just Remember when you go to Ice the part that has been carved to use plenty of Icing and wipe it in a seprate bowl just in case you get any crumbs on your blade. I just carved a skate board, Haven't uploaded it yet cause this dern dial up STINKS! hehehe.. but It turned out really well, But My X-box Controller is on here and I did a Good bit of carving on it.
It may help to start on the inside of the cake and work your way to the outter edges. I found that made it easier too.
GOOD LUCK!
I hope this helps you!
~Sweet~ 
I've carved cakes frozen & un-frozen. For me it's easier to carve frozen. I get crazy with a knife!! Frozen keeps me from cutting too much. After I carve the cake I crumb coat w/ simple syrup or apricot glaze. Carving leaves way to many crumbs so either of those will help with the crumbs. I sometimes put the cake back in the freezer after I've crumb coat it. It's easier to ice when it is a little frozen. I don't let it freeze all the way, just enough for the icing to glid on. Have fun!!
I have never carved a cake, but just watched a demo of one and her cake was not frozen and she mentioned her knife was a sharp fruit knife? She said it gave her more control on the amount she could carve off. I guess a big chunk or a small shave? I do't think I've ever really heard of a fruit knife, do you guys know what it might actually be called? It was long but not huge.
Rose
A fruit knife is more like a boning knife in shape. It is longer than a paring knife and the metal is slimmer, it has a slight curve to the shape of the blade and a bit of flexibility. It is this way so that it can slightly bend and follow the curve of the skin or peal on a fruit or vegetable. I use one when I am doing the little details in my carving as you can get a rounder cleaner cut with it.
I've done quite a few carved cakes. Here's what I do:
1. Use a firm cake
2. Freeze cake completely before carving
3. Carve using a small serrated knife(see below). After cake is carved to shape then I fill it with either buttercream, ganache, or mousse.
4. Apply thin crumb coat of buttercream using pastry tip basically makes lines of icing every two inches or so (you drag less crumbs this way) and then spatula to smooth. Put in fridge(I use a butter based butetrcream so this firms up great). Then apply thin layer of buttercream to chilled crumb coated cake. This layer will have no crumbs at all and will give you a beautiful smoothed finish.
5. Cover with fondant and decorate.
I use an electric carving knife to make my main shape and then clean up and do fine details with a small serrated knife.
Here's a link to a blog with photo's of my cakes
http://www.thatcakeboard.net/iboard/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=27&
My most recent carved cake was the race car cake which was made from a 10inch square.
Let me know if you have any questions.
"3. Carve using a small serrated knife(see below). After cake is carved to shape then I fill it with either buttercream, ganache, or mousse. "
This is what I don't get and exactly why I hate fondant..no matter what I fill with I get bulges...I've even left cakes overnight in the fridge, crumb coated..slapped on the fondant and there ya go.
So how are you filling these cakes after you carve them?? Are you torting them??
I must be the only dim bulb on this board...many of you use fondant and have no problems..me...disaster!!!
Justcakes, you're cakes are wonderful! Did you carve your batman cake? Could you share how you did the head and body?
I've read it's easier to carve a madeira cake, is it true?
Thank you! 
The head is a styrofoam wig head that I bought off of EBay. Try to get either a male wig head or the gender neutral one. I first made brows with logs of fondant forming a v shape over the eyes. White discs of fondant over the eyes. Built up the chin area with flesh tone color fondant(the head had a weak chin so it needed more to make it look more mascualine). I bought two heads(because two head are better than one lol) and used the second head to make templates for the one I needed. I then made the front of the mask so that it covered the front 1/2 of the head. Shaped the back half of the head on the model and then applied that. Ears were just fondant that I shaped and made to a point at the tips and I secured them with toothpicks. The head was made two days in advance and took the most time.
The chest is made from two 10 inch rounds stacked ontop of each other. I cut out a hole in the top tier for the neck to rest in. The arms were two 8 inch cakes that were cut in half and then propped on their sides. All the edges were rounded off and I made a cut in the chest in the middle.
HTH and that it makes sense too!
Oh and I don't use Madiera cakes. I use a firm cake--close to a pound cake in texture which is great for carving.
"3. Carve using a small serrated knife(see below). After cake is carved to shape then I fill it with either buttercream, ganache, or mousse. "
This is what I don't get and exactly why I hate fondant..no matter what I fill with I get bulges...I've even left cakes overnight in the fridge, crumb coated..slapped on the fondant and there ya go.
So how are you filling these cakes after you carve them?? Are you torting them??
I must be the only dim bulb on this board...many of you use fondant and have no problems..me...disaster!!!
I haven't had any problem with bulges so I'll tell you what I'm doing and hopefully that might help trouble shoot what's going on with your cakes. There might be better ways but I can tell you this works for me. I'm so sorry you are having problems. Feel free to PM me anytime. I'm more than happy to help.
1. Always use a firm cake (a pound cake or if you use mixes add one box of pudding and an extra egg).
2. I use Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Chills nicely and tastes divine!
3. I usually use a mousse filling but have also used buttercream and ganache.
4. When I split/torte my cakes to prepare them for filling I use a #10 pastry tip and pipe a rope of buttercream around the inside edge slightly to the inside of the cake(so not over the edge--you can still barely see my edge of the cake). Pipe another layer of buttercream over the first to create a higher dam.
5. Take your filling and spread it as evenly as you can. Make sure it is the same height as your dam.
6. Place your top half of the cake over and with your hand press down slightly over the top to make sure you have a good seal (this also avoids air pockets that can lead to blow-outs).
7. Then take your #10 tip and pipe around to make sure that the two layers are completely sealed and crumbcoat/cover cakes with buttercream. Chill. I usually let mine chill at least one to two hours.
8. I use a dry hot knife to smooth my buttercream. Try to get the cake as smooth as possible. Chill briefly again. Then cover with fondant.
I refridgerate all my cakes. Take the cakes out about 1 hour before serving to come to room temp.
I think that's it. I have a cake to do this weekend. I'll try to snap some pictures if you like????
I hope that helps.
This is what I don't get and exactly why I hate fondant..no matter what I fill with I get bulges...I've even left cakes overnight in the fridge, crumb coated..slapped on the fondant and there ya go.
So how are you filling these cakes after you carve them?? Are you torting them??
I must be the only dim bulb on this board...many of you use fondant and have no problems..me...disaster!!!
Anytime I have ever done an icing dam, my cakes have always gotten that horrible "spare tire" bulge. Soooooooo I quit doing 'em, and guess what -- no more bulges!
All I do is keep my filling a good 1/2" away from the edge of the cake... place next layer on top, gently press it down. Let it settle for 10-15 minutes before proceeding. Sometimes I don't even let it settle; and still no bulge.
I fill in the 1/2" gap by squishing icing in from the outside with my spatula as I'm crumb coating.
HTH!
WOW!!..You guys are great..I am going to try both methods and see what happens!!!
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