|
|
 I
receive numerous questions about wedding cakes on
Ask Sarah,
baking911.com's online message board for bakers. I will post the questions and
answers here for you to review!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
QUESTION:
I have been asked to bake a wedding
cake for a wedding that will be in a park.
I am concerned about my regular
recipe for buttercream frosting holding up in the heat and humidity. Any
suggestions?
ANSWER: If your buttercream is very soft,
you may need to use a different one. Be sure the cake
is kept in a cool place and OUT of the sun. The denser the shade the better.
Also, keep it out of high traffic areas. And set up the cake as close to the
beginning of the reception as possible, and let the bride know not to let it sit
for hours and hours, but to serve as quickly as possible.
AND don't use any perishable fillings like
fresh fruit or custards because they can spoil quickly. I like to have the cake
refrigerated before transported for stability reasons anyway, and this will help
with a summer wedding. You can check out my recipe,
Tami's Buttercream.
I have used it in the summer without a problem for many years!!
Tami
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
QUESTION: This is a great
site! I'm making my brother's wedding cake, and during a trial run, the
separator plates I'm using to support the next tier, stuck to the buttercream
frosting underneath ... what a mess, and not nice looking for the guests. Is
there a trick? I must use the bottom plates as the cake features "tiers" of live
roses between the tiers of cake.
ANSWER: To keep your
plates from sticking to the icing when stacking any cakes you
need to follow several steps.
First you need to allow the icing on the base cake to set up
and crust a bit, about 30 minutes. This will help. Then simply mark where your
plates are going to go by measuring or "eye-balling" the center and gently lay
the plate on the icing to leave an impression, then remove the plate and set
aside. Position your cake supports, some people use the large tubes that
wilton sells cut to size, or wooden
dowels or even drinking straws. Be sure they are all cut the same size to keep
the cake layers from toppling.
| Q:
Can you make a wedding
cake from a mix?
A: Yes. Figure out how much each box
serves divided into the number of servings you desire. The result is how
many boxes of cake mix you need to make -- and, always round up, if
necessary! |
Then sprinkle the top of the cake with powdered sugar, just
where the plate will be and place the plate with the cake on it on top and
continue with this until you are done.
The downfall with this system of stacking with the plastic
plates is that you can not sharpen a dowel and then pound it through the center
of the finished stacked cake. I usually use two layers of cake plates, wrapped
in foil and then a heavy dowel can be driven down the center of the cake to
prevent slipping.
Some decorators also believe that using the cake plates makes
the cake harder to transport and increases the chance that your cake will slip.
If your cake is large, you may need to transport the layers separately and then
stack on site and finish your decorating at the set-up point. Happy Baking,
Tami
|
Q:
I have to make my wedding cake a week ahead because I am going on vacation,
so how do I freeze a 3-tier wedding cake? Help!!
From Patricia, via
Ask Sarah, 6-24-02
A: Be sure that you have a filling and buttercream that will
freeze/defrost well. Then, you need a LOT of room in your
freezer. You can either bake the cakes and then just wrap and freeze the
layers to decorate fresh, or you can just ice the cake and then freeze it
and then do the decorations fresh. Unless you have room for the cakes in a
box, I wouldn't store a decorated cake in the freezer, you really risk
knocking off the decorations in the freezer. And when you defrost the cake,
be sure to keep it in the original wrappings to help prevent condensation
marking the cake. |
|
Q: My significant other and I are
having a difficult time deciding on a type of icing for our wedding cake.
Can you please tell me what would be the best to stand July heat?
A: You
certainly wouldn't want to use whipped cream for a July wedding because it
will melt faster than anything! You could use an
Italian meringue buttercream
-- it will hold up the best in hot weather, as will
marzipan and
Fondant.
Click for recipes. |
QUESTION:
How do I transport a cake?
ANSWER: I have transported cakes
as far as 400 miles! If you have a good flat surface in your car you
will be fine. DON'T ever put the cakes on the seats of a car. If you just touch
the brakes they can FLY through the air (done that). If you are doing a stacked
cake, do most of the work at the set-up site, even heavy decoration. Transport
the cakes with the dowels etc already to go and then set up the cakes on site
and do the finish work there. You will need to take a box of your decorating
stuff, and extra buttercream plus everything you will need (and some things that
you just MIGHT need) but you will save yourself from having to fix any problems
that happen en-route. Good Luck!!
|
Q:
When stacking cakes for a wedding cake what do you suggest to prevent the
icing from the top of the bottom cake from coming off when the cakes are
separated for cutting? A: Sprinkle
confectioners’ sugar between the layers. That should do the trick. |
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
QUESTION:
I'm going to stack
a 10, 8 and 6-inch cake rounds for my in-law's cake. Do you have to use things
between the layers or can you stack right on top of each other?
ANSWER:
You can do a number of things.
See
How to Assemble
Cake Tiers.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
QUESTION:
I need to make a marble wedding cake. I
love the taste of a box cake mix, but find that they tend to fall apart when
they are cut and served. I need it to be a little denser (like a scratch
recipe), so that the cake has good presentation when cut. Any suggestions on how
to "doctor" the box cake mix so it is denser?
ANSWER: You are better off "densing up" a
boxed mix. Here are several boxed mix recipes to help you.
Click
|
| |
