Wish I could help Metsa. I'm not a baker... all my cakes are rounded at the top too. I would usually flip the bottom one upside down to have 2 flat sides together. Don't know what you do with 3 layers ! I'll be anxious to hear.
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » TDK Cafe
Friday Cafe 5-29
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If you bake them thick enough (lower heat longer time to ensure the middle is cooked without burning the top) you can always trim off the rounded bit, but try to leave a "well" in the middle of the cake when you put the mixture in, so that it stays as flat as possible. If you do need to turn it upside down I can't see that there would be a problem. Also, have you thought of freezing the cakes once baked? That will keep them nice and fresh and if you assemble them still not entirely defrosted you will have less chance of collapse before cutting.
Posted 2 years ago by Pollys_Mum_in_UK_2605 #
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DD and BB have just set off to Bangor. They were going to leave much earlier, but the weather was so nice they wanted to stay longer. SO I didn't quite make it in to work today. We are officially on holiday so it isn't a problem, but it will mean a horrendously early start for me on Monday as I have 17 exam scripts to mark by 12.30 and I teach most of the morning. I'll have to be there by 7.00 so I get and hour and a half before the day begins. *sigh* But it was lovely to have them here and we had a great lunch in the garden.
Posted 2 years ago by Pollys_Mum_in_UK_2605 #
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Thanks for the ideas PM. The trouble is I will be in a hotel in the lake district for a few days before the weddiing and I will have no access to cooking facilities. I have to be there early so we can get the reception venue set up (she's wanting it low key and family orientated so she doesn't have decorators). So the cakes have to be fully ready on the Monday, the wedding is on the Thursday. I plan to put a layer of chocolate between the cakes, to prevent collapse and also so the cakes can be cut in individual layers rather than the whole thing needing cut at once :). the trimming idea might work best, especially since the tops are tending to be both rounded and a bit too well cooked :). I could try to leave a well in the middle, but the problem is the top sets then cracks and the wet mixture comes up through that, so I suspect it still would do that.
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Good luck! It sounds like you have it all well sorted.
Posted 2 years ago by Pollys_Mum_in_UK_2605 #
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Have to go to choir practice now. Speak to you later everyone. Should be back in about 3 - 4 hours.
Posted 2 years ago by Pollys_Mum_in_UK_2605 #
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Hi, everyone!
Metsa, I found these tips on a couple of different websites:
If the top of the cake peaks and cracks:
• The oven temperature was too hot, causing the outside of the cake to bake and form a crust too quickly. As the mixture in the center of the cake continued to cook and rise, it burst up through the top of the cake.
• The cake wasn’t baked on the center rack of the oven.Baking A Level Cake:
• Fill cake pans no more than 1/2 to 2/3 full to allow for even baking and rising.
• Once you’ve poured the batter in the pan, wobble the pan sideways a bit so the batter reaches up along each side (with the middle being slightly lower). As the cake bakes the middle and edges will meet and rise more evenly.
• If the cake rose high and uneven in the middle when baking, you may need to slice a bit off across the top so it’s level.If the sliced side is turned over to become the bottom of that layer, it should work just fine.
Let us know how it turns out!
Posted 2 years ago by Kitten Whisperer #
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Metsa, my friend is a baker and when she is doing multi level cakes she puts wooden dowel rod in the bottom layer, has a plastic disc that sits on top of the frosting and dowles. then adds the next layer and repeats. This keeps the bottom layers from cracking under the weight of the upper layers. There is a website called www.expertvillage.com that has lots of videos on wedding cakes. Justy type what you need to know in the search box. Good luck!
Posted 2 years ago by KYKAT 12 23 #
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All good cake advise - I trim the tops of my cakes a lot because they most always come out rounded. My friend, who is a real cake artist! also uses the dowls as noted above to hold her layers in place. Good luck I hope you can post some pics!
We just got back from graduation, what a nice ceromoney! I was really impressed that they stuck to the time schedule so well - a class of 600 in, out and done in 2 hours flat!
...... after the ceremoney, we took daughter out to eat the Olive Garden...... just as my luck would have it - guess who was there!???!!!..... the "cardiac express"!........ they were having a "field trip" to the Olive Garden for lunch...... luckily they were loading up to leave when we arrived! I told my family, "hey those are my new buds from Publix the other morning".....So now I know - don't go grocery shopping at sparrow fart in the am, and if you want to eat at the Olive Garden, go later!...... LOL (oh I'm so bad)
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I used to decorate cakes and that has included a few wedding cakes. Kykat is correct---dowels are inserted in the bottom layer of the cake so that the weight is dispersed evenly. Also, you might want to look at Garden Ridge or any other kitchen type store (anyplace that sells cake decorating equipment) for a cake leveler. If you don't have one of these, you can use plain dental floss and just slide it across the top of the cake pan to slice off the rounded part.
Posted 2 years ago by FondaHonda #
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Oh, I can't be of any help, Metsa :-( I'm a horrible baker. Why, FH can attest to the fact that I don't know the difference between condensed milk and evaporated milk!!
Posted 2 years ago by WillowandWindismom #
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GD, still around? I have a question. What do you charge for petsitting? My friend Spangle is going to start doing that as a way to make some money but she doesn't know what to start charging. Do you charge more if you stay at the house. Any guidance you can provide will be appreciated!
Posted 2 years ago by KYKAT 12 23 #
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GD--yes, and thank you, I did get your email :) I'm sorry I haven't replied, but this is been our last week of school and it's been more hectic than usual! Anyway, I need to go back and reread it--I do appreciate you sending it to me!
Posted 2 years ago by FondaHonda #
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Metsa, I am completely addicted to watching cake shows on television, and this is what I've picked up on making a beautiful wedding cake:
bake the cake & cut it to the shape that you need it
for tiered cakes, you gotta use structure! I've seen pieces that look like clear plastic tables (round, with a flat top and 4 "legs"). You place a structural piece in each layer, and the structure of the layer above it rests on the structure below (no structure on the top layer)... oooh, if only I could draw you a pic! I know you can get such pieces anywhere you can get cake decorating supplies, or from a bakery supplier. Or, you could go down to your local bakery and ask them where to buy such a thing.
to make sure the icing looks perfect, you need to do an initial "crumb coating" of icing. What this means is that with each layer of cake, you put a very very thin layer of the icing you are using on the cake to seal it. Then refrigerate the layers for a few hours, to make sure the icing hardens. Assemble the cake, and then frost it with a regular layer of frosting.
I hope I helped! Good luck, and long live cake!! yummy.... mmmm... cake...
Posted 2 years ago by blackandwhitekittymama #
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OOOH! I am so angry at my neighbor! I live in a duplex and the guy on the other side is a loud slob. For some reason my landlord likes him better then me even though I have been here for 7 years. He gets his son a few nites per week and they are really obnoxious! I live on the side facing the driveway and he has then entire backyard which is sizable. I went out to waddle to the mailbox when I found a pile of cards (from TDK'ers) thrown on the trunk of my car. I asked if he put them there he said yes. I asked how long they had been piling up and he said "Dunno a while I guess". Then I see he and his boy throwing baseballs toward my bedroom window. I asked them to move and they said "There is nowhere else to do it" HELLO?!??! What about the back yard? How about toward HIS bedroom window???? I asked him to move and he said "No we are fine here!" The nerve! UGH
Posted 2 years ago by mollycat71 #
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Hmmmm - handling someone else's mail by removing it from a mailbox is a felony, I believe. Why would he have moved your mail? *glares towards inconsiderate person in Rockford*
Posted 2 years ago by WillowandWindismom #
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I did AV! I think maybe (and this is a stretch) that I had SO MANY coming that maybe the mail lady accidently put them in his box by accident. I have gotten some of his mail before, so who knows?
Posted 2 years ago by mollycat71 #
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I'm back!
Glad you got the email, FH! It was so long, I figured you may still be reading it from the other day :)KYkat, the rates for my pet-sitting varies a lot. I started about 8 years ago and some of the clients are still paying the old rates of $20-$25 per day. These days I charge most about $35 per day and that includes me staying overnight if they want me to.
I charge more if the client lives further away from me. EBL asked me to dog-sit for her. She lives 30 minutes away so she'll be paying $75 per day (I asked for $60) I don't want to dog-sit for her, but can't pass that kind of money up! The other new lady who lives 20 minutes away is going to pay me $45. If I cat-sit and it's close to home, I usually charge $20 per day. That includes scooping litter, playing and feeding but not staying overnight.Hope this gives you an idea. I tend to sort of make up my prices as I go along depending on the situation and the client and what's involved (extra walks for puppies and older dogs, meds, etc).
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I guess then that since my girls are in Illinois that would cost just a bit more!
Posted 2 years ago by mollycat71 #
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Evening all! Shan't be around for too long, the horse pills (well, they look like horse pills) will kick in soon and I'll fall asleep at the drop of a zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz - just kidding! But don't want to be too late to bed anyway. Thank Crunchie it's Friday!
Posted 2 years ago by MadcatwomanintheUK #
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Thanks for the advice BWKM! I think this cake is a bit different to usual because it is a chocolate waterfall. The tiers have to be stacked together with nothing in between, then I pour chocolate from the top of the cake, letting it flow down and coat the rest of the layers. I then stud on as many types of chocolate sweetie I can find - minstrels, M&Ms, buttons, revels, even Munchies. If they fall off the bottom, I scoop them up and put them back on until it sets enough to hold things :). I will then decorate the top with coloured Smarties, perhaps in the shape of a heart. I also plan to make white chocolate roses to put on in the end.
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Sleep tite MCW!
Posted 2 years ago by mollycat71 #
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I just read Metsa's post and now there's drool all over my keyboard...
Not gone just yet Molly - but soon-ish! How are you today? Been reading some of your posts, that op didn't affect your sense of humour did it?!!
Posted 2 years ago by MadcatwomanintheUK #
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Nope, I have been kinda sick today. I have been throwing up. I really want some of that tasty chocolate I got from you but know I need to lay off today so that my tummy will feel better!
Posted 2 years ago by mollycat71 #
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Have you still got plenty? Or do I need to send fresh supplies?
Posted 2 years ago by MadcatwomanintheUK #
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Still got one bar left! I have never had the cadbury dark and it is DELICIOUS@ What is the one that Cadbury has that has the "bubbles" in it? My ex was British and always ate those, when I didn't sneak them first!
Posted 2 years ago by mollycat71 #
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