The last few times i've baked a cake, the top is always bulky and broken sort of thing, does anyone know how to make it even so i can decorate it properly?
Or do i just simply cut the top part off?
Or do i just simply cut the top part off?
The trick to having a flat top is to turn the cake upside down so that the bottom becomes the top. Check out the bottom (which was the top) and see where it is wonky, and then slice off a bit of it so that it sits flat. Voila! A nice flat cake that you can decorate.Originally Posted by fwan
The last few times i've baked a cake, the top is always bulky and broken sort of thing, does anyone know how to make it even so i can decorate it properly?
Or do i just simply cut the top part off?
Ive tried that though and the lump is so big it doesnt stay straight.Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45
Don't cut off the top - do it the easy way. Put the cake on a plate. Put another plate on top of it and flip it over. You will have the nice flat bottom to decorate
If you don't have cheese cutter wire, you can use good old cotton thread, or fishing line, or even dental floss (the un-scented kind). Just be sure the cake is cooled if you use any of the above.Originally Posted by fwan
i dont have a cheese wire cutter!
Which is why I said to cut off the "lumpy" area so that it does sit flat on the plate.Originally Posted by fwan
Ive tried that though and the lump is so big it doesnt stay straight.
that's why you flip it.Originally Posted by auchick
In a cake baking class, we were taught to slice the top off, but after doing so, I always had issues with the icing getting all these crumbs in it. Finally I just gave up.
That means you didn't use enough frosting.Originally Posted by auchick
In a cake baking class, we were taught to slice the top off, but after doing so, I always had issues with the icing getting all these crumbs in it. Finally I just gave up.
After the "crumb coat" put the cake in the fridge to let the icing harden. A crumb coat should only be a quarter inch or so thick.Originally Posted by laureen227
that's why you flip it.
Alton Brown did a whole episode on cake decorating. he sliced off the rounded tops, then flipped them so there was a flat side. then he also cut the sides so they were even. next, he applied what he called a 'crumb coat' - a thin layer of frosting.
i think after that, he let it harden, maybe?
anyway, then the final frosting was applied, along w/any decorative work.