Cake Fundamentals

     Although the idea of making a cake may sound juvenile and simple, the world of baking and pastry has been brewing up a storm in the past couple of years. Knowing how to put together a cake is a skill that is often overlooked by most, but can evidently become a lucrative career or side-job for anyone of any age. From preparing a sponge batter, to baking, from icing a cake, and putting it all together, you’ll find all you need to know, and the tips and tricks in-between, right here.

     I believe that the most important part of cake fundamentals is what you will learn in the next few sentences. Without a proper base for your creation, which evidently is the cake, you will have not have a good foundation on which to build. In baking terms “the cake” is referred to as sponge. You want to make sure that you handle your sponge with care and treat it gingerly when making the batter. Flour and all other dry ingredients are sifted into the liquid mixture of your sponge so as to not create lumps. When adding the dry ingredients, it is important to fold them in; one of the most common mistakes people make is to feverishly mix their batter; what this does to the sponge is create a “tough crumb” texture which makes the sponge dense and less absorbent of moisture from your fillings. Preparing your pans for baking the sponge is the next step. You should thoroughly coat the inside of your pan with cooking spray or brush it with melted butter. Another important tip that will make life easier once it comes to handling the sponge after it is baked is to cut a piece of parchment paper (not wax paper) to place in the bottom of the pan. The parchment will help to release the sponge out of the pan, but will also help the sponge retain its moisture.

     Once your sponge comes out of the oven, it is important to let it stay in the pan for about 30 minutes; until the sponge is cool enough to handle. Day old sponge is easier to work with for cake assembly and will also help when cutting the sponge as it will be less crumby. You may notice at this point that your sponge has taken on a dome-like shape. At this point, the sponge must be levelled off using a long serrated knife, making sure that your sponge is on a level surface. Next, the sponge must be cut into the different layers. How many layers are dependent on your preference, but I try to cut four or fewer. The easiest way to cut even layers is to turn the cake on its side and divide the height of the cake by the amount of layers you desire. Cut into the cake just a tad where each layer will be. Setting the cake back down on a level surface, you want to place your knife into the cut you made, starting with the top layer, and cut around the cake but not quite to the middle the first time around. Continue with this until you cut the layer off.

     Now that you have your layers of sponge, it is time to put your cake together. You want to put your cake on a solid foundation. Cake boards come in many sizes and varying thicknesses. Make sure to select a size appropriate to the shape and size of the cake you are making. Having a piping bag ready, filled with buttercream, pipe a small amount onto your cake board. Place the first layer of sponge down. The next step is to soak the cake in a sugar syrup; this is a mixture of two parts sugar and one part water boiled in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves (remember to cool your sugar syrup). With a small off-set spatula, smooth a very thin layer of buttercream onto the sponge. The next step, using your piping bag, pipe a “dam” around the edge of your cake. This “dam” will help to prevent your flavoring or any toppings, such as fruit, from spewing out the sides of your cake. Add more buttercream if needed to fill in gaps that might have been created by your toppings and smooth over with your spatula making sure that this layer is level. Continue to repeat this process until all your layers are completed finishing with sugar syrup on the top layer. At this point you want to chill your cake for 20 minutes, just so that the buttercream stiffens a little, before continuing on to the crumb coat. In order to crumb coat your cake you want to make sure that you place it onto a turntable. With a large off-set spatula apply buttercream to the top of the cake making sure you smooth it out so the top layer is level. Next, work on covering the sides of the cake using the turntable to your advantage to smooth out the sides. The last part is to deal with the “shoulders” of the cake; this is where the top part of the cake meets the sides. You need to use a clean spatula and start from the side smoothing over the “shoulder” onto the top of the cake using a quick motion. Make sure to clean your spatula every time you go back to smooth the shoulder. Chill the cake again so that everything can settle.

     At this point your cake is completed, unless you choose to cover it in fondant or create tiers. If you choose to cover your cake in fondant, when you roll out the fondant use a mixture of icing sugar and cornstarch to dust your surface as to prevent sticking. When making a tiered cake you must have a support system. Wooden or hollow plastic dowels are used to support each tier. They must be cut to the height of each cake and placed into the middle of the cake. When stacking tiers you want to add a little buttercream or royal icing between the tiers to act as a sort of “glue”.

     Decorating a cake is when you bring the cake to life. Color and decorations set the mood for the cake. This is where your creativity comes into play. You can color the fondant to whatever color your heart desires. Perhaps cover the cake in gumpaste sugar flowers or handmade figurines. Airbrush a masterpiece onto each tier. Create the look of fabric on your fondant by using a quilting tool. The choice is up to you.

     The only way to master the art of cake making is to practice, practice, practice! These cake fundamentals laid out for you will create the basis to your knowledge of cake making and a foundation on which to start a new and exciting hobby.