It was a crazy week, two cakes in one week! Let’s just say I learned some things real fast.
- My two cakes out of the oven and ready to be “decapitated”
I did get a bunch of practice in from my first layered cake (previous post), but apparently I’m still learning! I used shortening to coat the cake pans and then I dusted with flour. Well, both times the cakes had difficulty coming out of the pans! You can even see the crater-sized hole on the cake to the right! I use Baker’s Joy spray and dust with flour for my bundt cakes and so that is what I’ll do next time. The crater wasn’t a big deal, I just used my cake decapitator…
Different cake, just showing how to slice the tops off a cake aka my cake decapitator
…and I sliced a little bit off the top and bottom. Then I filled the hole with frosting when I was icing the cake.
- Skipped a few steps but here I am ready to add the second layer!
If you’re not sure how to get to this step then definitely check out my previous post, I did a more detailed walk-through! This part is getting easier for me, and I know that with practice it will be like second-nature and I won’t even have to look at the book or second guess myself.
I prefer this method as opposed to "glopping" the icing on the top and then spreading
I do prefer this method of using a large tip to pipe the icing onto the cake and then icing. I’m so afraid that the cake crumbs will just get everywhere if I just plop it on top and spread it, like this method as shown by Wilton. Using a spatula to ice a cake. I have heard about using crumb coats and I think that will just have to be a lesson for another day! Anyways, here is how Wilton recommends using a tip to pipe the icing. Using tip #789.
I don't mind the not-so-smooth look of buttercream icing
One thing I did change about this cake was the frosting that I used. I hate, no loathe, shortening. I understand that it has its role in the baking world, but if I can avoid it, I will. I found a nice frosting recipe from Cooks Illustrated, my go-too place for tried and true recipes. Trust me, it’s worth the $30-something a year to access amazing recipes, equipment reviews, and how-to-cook videos! I found a great Vanilla frosting recipe without shortening! Of course it had lots of butter, but it still performed the way I needed it too. Quick and Rich Vanilla Frosting by Cooks Illustrated.
I used my stencils again
I cheated again though. I used stencils. My decorating skills are that of a two-year old! The stencils worked great and I even picked up a few tricks. When using stencils on cakes make sure the frosting sets for about 5 minutes. Spray just a little bit of Baker’s Joy or PAM on the back and spread it around with a paper towel. The last cake had Baker’s Joy all over the top of this beautiful white frosting and I couldn’t get it out! Then spray the top, don’t worry about spreading this out, you’ll need it to ensure that the glitter stays on the stencil and not fly off when you pick it up.
Not too shabby...
You can tell that the glitter still flew off and smeared some of the letters. The important thing is to go slow and use as little glitter as possible.
So! To sum up! Things I learned this time around:
- Use a spray to coat the cake pan and then dust with flour. I may even try butter. Just NOT shortening.
- Found a better recipe for frosting, though I will continue to search. Also, if you want white frosting, make sure to buy clear vanilla extract. I go to a cake shop or Hobby Lobby.
- Go slow with icing the cake, there is no rush!
- Don’t go overboard with the pretty glitter…
- Don’t have someone blow out the candles with a glitter cake…just sayin’.
EDIT: As I continue to make cakes I am continuing to learn. I did retry the shortening/flour method and it worked out great! The one factor is to invert the pans while they are still warm. I have made 4 cakes successfully using the shortening/flour method and all 4 times I inverted the pans while they were warm. Not hot, but not room temperature.
Not cake related 
Just wanted to show off my new fishies while I’m at it! I got 4 new dwarf rainbowfish (only 3 are pictured). Of course as I was trying to take pictures of them my needy angelfish kept photobombing the pictures! In this one he looks like he’s eating one, but don’t worry, he’s not!
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Tags: baking, cake, cake decorating, decorating, icing, rainbowfish, recipe
