cake making and baking - ALL WELCOME

[Caite]

Jenkins and Sapphire - those cakes look really, really good.

I need to make a cake for my mum's birthday, which is coming up in the next couple of months. She is having a party, which she doesn't yet know about, and we have decided I am going to do a fancy, tiered cake.

I have never done a tiered cake before. I presumed I would just bake the cakes and sit them on top of each other. But I was reading one of my recipe books and it was talking about standing them on platforms and stuff. Can anyone explain to me what I need to do?

Also, we need different layers. My gran wants a fruitcake layer, like a christmas cake, which I can do easily enough. My sister wants a chocolate cake layer with strawberry icing and I don't yet know what to do for the third layer. Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions/recipes I could use?

Finally, its my gran's birthday soon and she wants a fruitcake christmas cake kind of thing (its definietly her favourite cake). I made it for her last year, and I made a few suagrpaste flowers and leaves to go on the top of the icing. At christmas, I don't tend to put anything on the top (other than the marzipan and icing). All your cakes have inspired me to try something different with the topping and to try something really fancy, but I have no idea what, so does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[sapphire1]

I've never made a tiered cake before, I mainly do cupcakes, but I do know it involves using dowels inside the cake to support each layer. Hopefully one of the other girls can help. For the third layer I would probably do a good old vanilla sponge, but you could do almost anything you fancy really. I used this recipe to make Holly's birthday cake, and it was a good 'solid' cake that you can carve into a shape if you're feeling brave.

https://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/8531/foolproof-sponge-cake.aspx

With regards to decorating, I suppose it depends what kind of thing she likes. You can make almost anything with sugarpaste. I really like decorating with piped royal icing as well. It looks pretty and a bit 'vintage', and is a traditional partner for fruit cake. It is actually pretty easy to rectify mistakes without ruining the rest of the icing. This is the kind of thing I mean (not my cake btw!) It does take a bit of practice though. The pic I posted was my second attempt, and I still have a lot of improvement to make!

https://www.sugarblisscakecompany.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Vintage-Cake.png

 

[Caite]

That recipe looks simple enough, I'll give it a try over the weekend I think.

That cake in the picture looks gorgeous. I can make the flowers and things, but I don'y know how I would get on drawing on those little squiggly lines. But I guess that would be something my gran would appreciate - I don't think she would be particularly grateful for a monster cake or a car cake or something like that.

Thank you for the recipe and the inspiration.

 

[sue_88]

For tiering you can use pillars which means the cakes stand a few inches above each other (supported with dowles through the pillars) or for sitting straight on top you need some support through each layer to stop them sinking.

A little cheats tip that I use - DRINKING STRAWS!

On your base layer, pierce cake with 7 straws (6 in a circle - 1 centred) the snip off the remainder. Next layer repeat, and again.

For added support I also have my cakes on a smaller cake board than my cake (9inch cake would be sat on 8inch board) so they are hidden but then the straws can take the weight better.

Hope that helps.....for a final layer - I'd just keep it simple to be honest. Victoria sandwich with raspberry buttercream (or rasp jam, and butter cream depending on how many layers your tiers are).
xx

 

[jenkins]

^^^^^^

I do exactly that with drinking straws!!! Works great and you can get a nice clean edge when you snip them!

 

[Caite]

Thank you both. I have never made a tiered cake so didn't know what to do with the different tiers.

Do I cut the straws level with the cake?

 

[FlowerFairy]

Hey!
Thought I'd come and join you. I have a small home business making cakes and cupcakes. getting better all the time and very busy with orders
I'm doing a 3 Tier square cake this weekend for a 30th and it's been ages since I did a tiered cake so just researching!
Do you put cardboard circles between tiers? Some say do, some say dont. Also do you use a large dowel from top to bottom? I didnt in my other cakes and they were ok but can't risk this!!
TIA xx

 

[sapphire1]

Why hello there

I have no idea, hopefully someone will come along to help. Having a quick google, it seems like even if they use cake boards bewtween layers, they put a sharpened dowel throught the whole cake after. Looks like everyone does it different though.

https://www.wilton.com/cakes/tiered-cakes/stacked-tiered-cake-construction.cfm

 

[sue_88]

For me personally , I use thin cake boards between the layers.

I also use dowels (well not dowels - drinking straws) as I mentioned above though each layer, not one through the whole cake. If it is a Wedding Cake then I use plastic dowels which have been cut using a saw & sanded smooth - after all they are paying a premium, don't like giving straws on a wedding cake.

Here's a photographic example:

https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5841455210_aa898837bb.jpg

https://img4-3.sunset.timeinc.net/i/2004/01/weddings/weddings-cake-scissors-0104-m.jpg


Hope that helps!

p.s always warn the recipient about the dowels/straws & boards! Most people think these tiered cakes are free standing like magic lol

 

[FlowerFairy]

For me personally , I use thin cake boards between the layers.

I also use dowels (well not dowels - drinking straws) as I mentioned above though each layer, not one through the whole cake. If it is a Wedding Cake then I use plastic dowels which have been cut using a saw & sanded smooth - after all they are paying a premium, don't like giving straws on a wedding cake.

Here's a photographic example:

https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5841455210_aa898837bb.jpg

https://img4-3.sunset.timeinc.net/i/2004/01/weddings/weddings-cake-scissors-0104-m.jpg


Hope that helps!

p.s always warn the recipient about the dowels/straws & boards! Most people think these tiered cakes are free standing like magic lol

thanks!! I might use straws. Never imagined they'd be strong enough but obviously they are. xx

 

[sue_88]

For me personally , I use thin cake boards between the layers.

I also use dowels (well not dowels - drinking straws) as I mentioned above though each layer, not one through the whole cake. If it is a Wedding Cake then I use plastic dowels which have been cut using a saw & sanded smooth - after all they are paying a premium, don't like giving straws on a wedding cake.

Here's a photographic example:

https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5841455210_aa898837bb.jpg

https://img4-3.sunset.timeinc.net/i/2004/01/weddings/weddings-cake-scissors-0104-m.jpg


Hope that helps!

p.s always warn the recipient about the dowels/straws & boards! Most people think these tiered cakes are free standing like magic lol

thanks!! I might use straws. Never imagined they'd be strong enough but obviously they are. xx

Yeah they are strong enough.

Here are my basic thoughts on how many straws per layer (based on my basic 3 tiered structure of 10in, 8in & 6in.)

10 inch - 8 straws arrange around edge (just under 8 inch in diameter), 1 centre.
8 inch - 6 straws arranged around edge (just under 6 inch in diameter), 1 centre.

With the straws being based just inside where the next tier will sit - this greatly adds to the stability. I think I probably put more than needed but nothing worse than seeing your work of art sinking throughout the day!

 

[FlowerFairy]

For me personally , I use thin cake boards between the layers.

I also use dowels (well not dowels - drinking straws) as I mentioned above though each layer, not one through the whole cake. If it is a Wedding Cake then I use plastic dowels which have been cut using a saw & sanded smooth - after all they are paying a premium, don't like giving straws on a wedding cake.

Here's a photographic example:

https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5841455210_aa898837bb.jpg

https://img4-3.sunset.timeinc.net/i/2004/01/weddings/weddings-cake-scissors-0104-m.jpg


Hope that helps!

p.s always warn the recipient about the dowels/straws & boards! Most people think these tiered cakes are free standing like magic lol

thanks!! I might use straws. Never imagined they'd be strong enough but obviously they are. xx

Yeah they are strong enough.

Here are my basic thoughts on how many straws per layer (based on my basic 3 tiered structure of 10in, 8in & 6in.)

10 inch - 8 straws arrange around edge (just under 8 inch in diameter), 1 centre.
8 inch - 6 straws arranged around edge (just under 6 inch in diameter), 1 centre.

With the straws being based just inside where the next tier will sit - this greatly adds to the stability. I think I probably put more than needed but nothing worse than seeing your work of art sinking throughout the day!

fabulous!! Thanks, It is 10, 8 and 6 inch so that is so helpful xx

 

[sue_88]

Good Luck!!! Piccies please when complete! YAY x

 

[Caite]

Sue - until I read something somewhere and hence why I asked about it, I thought the teired cakes were freestanding like magic

 

[sapphire1]

Don't worry Caite, I did too

 

[FlowerFairy]

Ta-dar!!

Spoiler

https://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee282/xxnicxxjd/021-1.jpg

 

[Louppey]

Well done FlowerFairy, that's great

 

[sapphire1]

Looks fab FF! x x

 

[Caite]

FlowerFairy, that is absolutely amazing.

 

[jenkins]

Caite - me too lol, It was just pure luck that on my first ever tiered cake (actually first ever cake) I had straws in the cupboard lol

Flowerfairy, welcome! and I love the colours on that cake, lovely!

This octonauts cake was collected yesterday and she was really happy with it so I was made up. Although I did cut my thumb pretty badly with a scalpel while doing it