Layering Cakes - Mistakes To Avoid
When making layer cakes it’s not just about the baking it’s just as much about craftsmanship. The whole process requires dedication, time and patience, but the finished project is guaranteed to be worth it in the end, especially when they are made and assembled correctly they provide a stunning look and an equally satisfying dessert. They can often seem a little daunting to make at first but with practice it’s much more simpler than you may think, especially when you know what to avoid.
1. Stacking Your Layers Unevenly
Sometimes no matter how hard you try your cake can often still come out with a domed top, don’t worry it’s happened to all of us even the ones who have been baking for years, but please remember never to try and put together the layers of your cake if they are uneven, this poses the risk of your cake becoming wonky or lopsided this could lead to your cake falling out and becoming ruined completely.
Our top tip - Any one who bakes knows how difficult layer cakes can become so the last thing you want is for your cake to topple over and all your hard work go to waste. You need to make sure your cake is stable before you start to put it together, avoid stacking uneven layers, and flat layers help keep your cake stable.
2. Trimming A Warm Cake
Once your cake is baked if it does have domed tops then don’t worry this also happens more often than you might think, and fixing this is often pretty simple take a serrated knife and slice off the top of each layer this will help to level them out, keep in mind that trimming your cakes while they are still warm may cause crumbling or tearing.
Our top tip - If your cakes need to be trimmed then try to avoid doing so whilst your cakes are still warm wait until your cakes have cooled off completely or even chill the layers before trimming them.
3. Frosting Cake Before Its Cooled
Take it from us with first hand knowledge it’s never a good idea to frost a cake whilst it’s still warm, the main ingredient in most frosting is fat so when frosting is spread onto a warm cake it often leads to softening and melting.
Our top tip - Slow and steady wins the race, making and assembling your layer cake takes hard work and patience so you don’t want to ruin everything by rushing in and applying your frosting too early. To help you along the way you may want to consider baking your cakes a day earlier to ensure it’s fully cooled before frosting.
4. Avoid Sealing Soft Fillings
There are some fillings such as buttercream, fudge and cream cheese that can be spread across your cake simply because they are pretty firm and aren’t going anywhere. But thinner options like jams, fruit puree and pastry cream are a little more difficult to work with and if they are not sealed can leak out and spoil the sides of your cake.
Our top tip - When working with soft fillings create a dam of sorts with your soft frosting to prevent spillage or leaking. Try to use the same frosting on the inside and the outside of the cake, remember to pipe a single layer on the outer edge.
4. Skipping Crumb Coating Before Frosting
You may have made layer cakes before and found the outside frosting is clumped with loose cake crumbs? Yes we have to and it doesn't look the most appealing and usually happens because we missed the crumb coating.
Out top tip - Before you apply the frosting be sure not to skip the crumb coating step. After all that hard work you don’t want all your hard work going to waste.
