The simple tips and techniques in the following pages will help you create Teena’s amazing cakes in the Cakeatorium chapter. Here you’ll find invaluable advice on assembling the cakes, as well as simple charts to help you adapt the recipes for cakes of different shapes and sizes, and calculate the quantities of sugar paste (rolled fondant), frosting and ganache you’ll need for each one.
MOTHER CAKE TRICKS
BASE BOARD AND CAKE BOARDS
We use two different kinds of boards for cake decorating: a base board (also called a cake drum), which the entire finished cake sits on top of, and cake boards (or hard boards).
All the cakes in the Cakeatorium chapter will need a base board.
The base board is quite thick and very sturdy, and for the cakes in this book, needs to be wider than the base of the finished cake. For a professional finish, it is usually covered with a layer of sugar paste (rolled fondant) before the finished cake is placed on top. The base board should be covered with the sugar paste at least a day before it is needed, to allow the sugar paste to set properly, so it isn’t deformed by the weight of the cake or cakes on top.
Cake boards or hard boards are slightly thinner than the base board. Their sole function is to provide an invisible means of support between cakes that are stacked on top of each other, so the cakes don’t collapse into one another.
Base boards and cake boards are available from cake decorating supply shops.
COVERING THE BASE BOARD
To cover the base board, brush it with cooled boiled water, then roll out your sugar paste to 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick and lay it over the board.
Run your cake smoother over the surface to push out any air pockets. Trim away the excess sugar paste by running a small sharp knife or palette knife around the edge, keeping it flush with the board.
Finish by fastening ribbon trim around the edge, using double-sided tape.
LAYERING AND ‘DIRTY ICE’
To fill cakes with frosting or ganache, first cut each cake horizontally into three equal layers, using a sharp knife or cake leveller.
Place the bottom cake layer on a cake board of the same size. Pipe the frosting or ganache over the cake.
Place the next cake layer on top and cover with frosting or ganache.
Place the final cake layer on top. Now give the whole cake a fine coating of frosting or ganache, around the sides and top — this is called ‘dirty ice’, and helps trap the crumbs so they won’t get into the final icing layer; when you dirty-ice, this also gives your final icing something to stick to.
Once you have dirty-iced, allow the frosting or ganache to firm up for about 10 minutes, and the cake is ready to cover.
COVERING A FILLED CAKE WITH SUGAR PASTE
Lightly dust a clean work surface with icing (confectioners’) sugar. Knead your sugar paste until it is pliable and smooth.
Evenly roll out the sugar paste about 3–5 mm (1/8 –¼ inch) thick, and to a size large enough to cover the top and sides of the cake. You can use a piece of string to measure the cake’s dimensions, allowing for a little excess.
Lift the sugar paste with a rolling pin, lay it over your cake, then gently push it down the sides. Smooth the top and sides with your hands, carefully pressing the icing against the cake.
Finish by polishing the icing with a cake smoother and trimming away any excess with a sharp knife.
STACKING CAKES ON TOP OF EACH OTHER
When stacking cakes on top of each other, you’ll need to use some hidden cake boards and wooden or plastic cake dowels for support, to keep the cakes stable and to stop the top cake tiers sinking into the bottom tier.
All the cakes in the Cakeatorium chapter are stacked centrally, so they sit in the middle of each other; cakes can also be positioned so that one tier is offset to one side or corner.
Once your cakes are covered and ready to stack, push in some dowels, all the way down to the base board, making sure to position the dowels so they’ll sit 2.5 cm (1 inch) inside the cake above, spacing them evenly. As a guide, use four dowels for a 20 cm (8 inch) cake, and six dowels for a 30 cm (12 inch) cake.
Now you need to ensure the dowels are all the same length (so the cake above will sit perfectly level). Mark each dowel at the point it surfaces from the cake, remove it from the cake, then line the dowels up on the table to find the average mark. Cut all the dowels (using a sharp knife or other cutting implement) to that same length, to ensure an evenly stable support base for the cake above.
Reinsert the dowels and spread a small amount of royal icing in the centre of the cake.
Gently lift the next tier into position. Repeat the process until all the cake tiers are in place.
THE ‘BLOCKING’ METHOD
You can use hidden foam or polystyrene blocks to support a tiered cake, or to hold a border of flowers or other decorations between the cake tiers.
Place a foam block in the centre of the bottom cake tier and secure in place with royal icing.
Insert a dowel on each side of the foam block, at the centre point of each edge.
Mark each dowel at the point it touches the top edge of the foam, then remove. Line the dowels up on the table to find the tallest mark, then cut them all to that length to ensure your cake is level.
Reinsert the dowels. Spread a small amount of royal icing on top of the foam block. Gently lift the next cake tier (on its cake board) into position.
Repeat until all the cake tiers are in place.
ADAPTING RECIPES FOR DIFFERENT CAKE SIZES
Some of the tiered cakes in the Cakeatorium chapter use cakes of different sizes. The vanilla butter cake, chocolate fudge cake and traditional fruit cake recipes each make a 20 cm (8 inch) round cake.
To make a square or round cake of a different size, use the chart below as a guide to adapt the base cake recipe, remembering that one quantity is based on a 20 cm (8 inch) round cake.
If you need to make a cake smaller than the sizes shown, it is best to reduce the quantity by no more than half, as quantities smaller than this are difficult to mix.
Cooking times are given in each recipe. You will need to increase or decrease the cooking time slightly for each 5 cm (2 inch) variation in cake tin sizes.
| ROUND CAKES | SQUARE CAKES | QUANTITY* |
|---|---|---|
| 15 cm (6 inch) | 12.5 cm (5 inch) | ½ |
| 17.5 cm (7 inch) | 15 cm (6 inch) | ¾ |
| 20 cm (8 inch) | 17.5 cm (7 inch) | 1 |
| 22.5 cm (9 inch) | 20 cm (8 inch) | 1¼ |
| 25 cm (10 inch) | 22.5 cm (9 inch) | 1½ |
| 27.5 cm (11 inch) | 25 cm (10 inch) | 2 |
| 30 cm (12 inch) | 27.5 cm (11 inch) | 2½ |
| — | 30 cm (12 inch) | 3 |
* 1 quantity is based on a 20 cm (8 inch) round cake
SUGAR PASTE QUANTITIES FOR COVERING BASE BOARDS
See below to work out how much sugar paste (rolled fondant)you’ll need for covering base boards of different sizes.
| ROUND CAKES | SQUARE CAKES | SUGAR PASTE |
|---|---|---|
| 17.5 cm (7 inch) | — | 325 g (11½ oz) |
| 20 cm (8 inch) | 17.5 cm (7 inch) | 450 g (1 lb) |
| 22.5 cm (9 inch) | 20 cm (8 inch) | 575 g (1 lb 4½ oz) |
| 25 cm (10 inch) | 22.5 cm (9 inch) | 700 g (1 lb 9 oz) |
| 27.5 cm (11 inch) | 25 cm (10 inch) | 825 g (1 lb 13 oz) |
| 30 cm (12 inch) | 27.5 cm (11 inch) | 950 g (2 lb 2 oz) |
| 35 cm (14 inch) | 30 cm (12 inch) | 1.2 kg (2 lb 11 oz) |
| 40 cm (16 inch) | 35 cm (14 inch) | 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) |
| — | 40 cm (16 inch) | 1.8 kg (4 lb) |
SUGAR PASTE QUANTITIES FOR COVERING CAKES
Here is a guide to how much sugar paste (rolled fondant) you’ll need to cover cakes of different shapes and sizes.
| ROUND CAKES | SQUARE CAKES | SUGAR PASTE |
|---|---|---|
| 15 cm (6 inch) | — | 750 g (1 lb 10 oz) |
| 17.5 cm (7 inch) | 15 cm (6 inch) | 850 g (1 lb 14 oz) |
| 20 cm (8 inch) | 17.5 cm (7 inch) | 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) |
| 22.5 cm (9 inch) | 20 cm (8 inch) | 1.25 kg (2 lb 12 oz) |
| 25 cm (10 inch) | 22.5 cm (9 inch) | 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) |
| 27.5 cm (11 inch) | 25 cm (10 inch) | 1.8 kg (4 lb) |
| 30 cm (12 inch) | 27.5 cm (11 inch) | 2.1 kg (4 lb 10 oz) |
| 35 cm (14 inch) | 30 cm (12 inch) | 2.5 kg (5 lb 8 oz) |
| — | 35 cm (14 inch) | 3 kg (6 lb 12 oz) |
FROSTING AND GANACHE QUANTITY GUIDE
The creamy vanilla frosting and ganache recipes are sufficient for filling one 20 cm (8 inch) cake.
To work out how much frosting and ganache you’ll need for cakes of other sizes, simply consult the chart below.
| ROUND CAKES | SQUARE CAKES | ICING/GANACHE |
|---|---|---|
| 17.5 cm (7 inch) | — | 1 quantity |
| 20 cm (8 inch) | 17.5 cm (7 inch) | 1 quantity |
| 22.5 cm (9 inch) | 20 cm (8 inch) | 1 quantity |
| 25 cm (10 inch) | 22.5 cm (9 inch) | 1½ x quantity |
| 27.5 cm (11 inch) | 25 cm (10 inch) | 1½ x quantity |
| 30 cm (12 inch) | 27.5 cm (11 inch) | 1½ x quantity |
| 35 cm (14 inch) | 30 cm (12 inch) | 2 x quantity |
| 40 cm (16 inch) | 35 cm (14 inch) | 2 x quantity |
| — | 40 cm (16 inch) | 2 x quantity |
