WOW.. I love that cake..

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hello out there in cybercakes ..
Making a wedding cake (for a smaller crowd -50). Was going down the Art Deco path - but my taste testers thought while way delicious, a bit too much.
Any of you have suggestions? really want to try that Rolled Chocolate (tootsie roll) Foundant..... but what cake?

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I’m new to forums, posts, fondant, and marzipan - please bear with me!

I just posted "Quintessential Marzipan" on the Forum, and it was suggested that I ask my question on "Rose's Blog" to be certain of the answer (gosh - not even sure how to "post" on this blog).

When using Food Processor Poured Fondant as an ingredient in Q. Marzipan (page 320, Cake Bible):

Is the fondant in the rock-hard state (not thinned), meaning I'd need to cut off a 1/3 cup chunk?

Or... is the fondant already thinned at this point?

Am hoping to master marzipan and fondant BEFORE attempting my son's wedding cake!

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Im thinking of pairing Roses Golden Almond Cake with a Peach Buttercream. Possibly adding Peach Puree to SMB. Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions or have done this before?
Thanks,
Lori V.

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I have to make a wedding cake with a filling of oreo's and cream. I see many cake shops have this as a filling. What do you think would be the best way to make it? Buttercream with crushed oreo's, cream cheese with crushed oreo's, or your marshmallow filling for whoopie pies with crushed oreo's added in?

Thanks for your help and you are a god to us in the pastry world. I had made many cakes before and when I had to make large cakes could never figure out how to adjust recipes, as I never went to pastry school. Then I found your book and voila there it was. Thank you so much!

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Hi again. I was baking and freezing my cakes, and well, the layers of the lowermost tier- 10" chocolate- are just sooo soft that they were breaking off even though they were cool. I should probably have chilled them a bit, but oh well... now I'm just wondering if it will be sturdy enough to support the two tiers on top.

I got the recipe from the Smittenkitchen blog, where the writer showed how she used it to bake three 8" layers.

Makes one 8-inch square, three layer cake

3 cups cake flour
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
3 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups freshly brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter three 8-inch square cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

2. In a large mixer bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. With the electric mixer on low speed, blend for about 30 seconds. Add the butter and buttermilk and blend on low until moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Whisk the eggs and coffee together, and add to the batter in 3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating only until blended after each addition. Divide the batter among the three prepared pans; each pan will take about 3 1/4 cups of batter.

4. Bake for 38 to 40 minutes

Since I was baking larger layers, I upped the quantities of everything, including buttermilk, coffee and soda. I wonder if that had anything to do with it.

Oh well, what's done is done. Anyway of finding out for sure/ doing something about this?

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salma, I believe all answers areon cake bible.

1- cake should sit on the cardboard round prior to frosting, so you can lift/move the cake tiers. the cardboard will get soggy if your cake has excessive syrup or if you don't prevent condensation when thawing. my frosted cakes are frozen in vacuum or with close and tight plastic wrap and I don't open the wrap until cake has finished defrosting.

2- I don't see why you need a crumb coat, any crumbs will be covered by your poured ganache! if you care for your inside ganache to be crumb free then crumb coat.

3- I would apply the first ganache prior to freexing. Then thaw in the refrigerator and apply your poured ganache. Then immediatelly return to the refrigerator to prevent condensation. Cake must be well refrigerated so it will remain solid and survive the trip and display. the poured ganache may loose shine when refrigerated, but in my experience when displayed in my warm climate, the shine comes right back!

4- you can place the straws at any time.

5- my poured ganache is just chocolate melted in a bit of cream. please don't boil the chocolate or it will loose its temper and ability to solidify.

I think your chocolate cake will be fantastic.

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One cake, innumerable questions-

Regarding my three tier stacked cake-

Should I frost the layers with ganache frosting, assemble each tier, crumbcoat and freeze, so I only have to defrost and pour on the final ganache before assembly? Or is it better to crumb coat on the final day a little before the poured layer (Patrincia mentioned condensation affecting ganache. If I'm careful about returning it to room temp, would the first idea work?) Or is it even necessary to crumbcoat the layersif they are being coated in warm ganache? All in all, what is the best way to get a smooth shiny coating of ganache? (while on that subject, is it better to do one pouring or more?)

Also, provided I stack the layers of each tier and freeze, can i put them on the foil-covered cardboard rounds that I'll be using in the final stacking? Would they go soggy in the freezer?

And how, or rather when, do I mark the dowel positions? I think I would just stick them in, and pour the ganache on top, otherwise it might get messy. Not sure, please advise me.

Another question. I intend to prepare each tier and stick it in the fridge, then drive them to the venue (a covered lawn) which is about 25min away. I'll do the final assembling there, after which the cake will sit out for around 2 hours. The temperature is around So do you think the ganache will get too squishy or anything?

And how do I figure out the total amount of ganache needed?

Thanks

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salma, I hope you post a pic since your cake is sounding fantastic! light whipped chocolate ganache is lighter brown and I have used semiswet chocolate chips commonly used in cookies (nestle, yellow bag).

your 3 chocolate idea sounds fantastic. white choclate mousseline will be a better bet than white chocolate ganache (is there such thing?). creame ivoire may work, too.

good luck, and don't straw yourself! use plain wood sticks or plastic pvc piping or dowel rods, just to be safe. even pencils will work well!

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Hector, I was wondering where you got the pic of all those straws:) Thank you for posting it, it's a great help. I've seen the red-n-white striped ones here. Will try em. BTW, what is the most important feature of straws for this purpose- thickness, hollowness (this i ask since you suggested disposable chopsticks), inflexibility...? And yes, that part about them being neither too thin nor too thick was funny.

Shimi: i am so grateful for your suggestions! I'm leaving tonight, so you are more than in time.

Reeni: really glad you told me that milk chocolate ganache is not too good an idea. I was hoping to do three tiers, in dark, milk and white chocolate ganache. Hmm, will have to think what to do to get the medium color in the centre tier now. As for TCB, i lead a deprived existence. I've never laid eyes/ hands on one, and have just seen it online. I do intend to change the status quo very soon though.

Patrincia, we get these cream tetrapacks here, 40% fat content. I've made ganache using it, n i think it turned out ok. Will be doing test runs once i get back...

Take care, you all!

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Patrincia, was just a sampler box from Dixie brands I got when attending a offie supplies trade show! I immediatelly thougt of posting the picture on the blog.

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Salma, I know all about substituting ingredients in the tropics, having first attempted duplicating the creations in TCB when I still lived in the Philippines in the 80's and early 90's-- when being a foodie was so much harder than it is now!! it is now a bit of a niche for me, but back then, substituting tropical ingredients in for euro or american was a neccessity.
The chocolate: use good-quality semisweet chocolate chips, or try hitting the duty-free or the airports, look for Lindt, Cadbury or Hershey semisweet bars. Milk chocolate is not really the best for ganaches except the Milk Chocolate Buttercream which specifically calls for it; it is too soft and won't coat the cake properly.
The dairy: there is cream available in cans, Nestle and a few other brands will label it "table cream". Your local dairy producer might also have heavy cream (or double cream, or whipping cream) tetra packs. These all are ultrapasteurized but have the right amount of fat. Also check out Rose's way of boosting the fat of lighter cream with butter by re-emulsifying ... almost like buerre blanc. It is in the pages of TCB near the whipped creams.
i can vouch for bubble tea straws, they work well for tiering cakes. Another alternative is lollipop sticks, at least 1/4" in diameter. HTH!

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Salma - I wouldn't suggest substituting milk for cream when making ganache. But you can make ganache with sour cream. Yogurt and Sour Cream are often used interchangeably here, maybe yogurt would be another option in the ganache... might be worth making a very small test batch to see what happens.

Do a search on the blog - I think I recall reading a post about adding butter to milk in order to substitute heavy cream (I'm not positive on that though, and it might only be suitable as a substitute in baked recipes).

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Hector - Why am I not surprised that you have such a vast collection of straws?

:)

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Hector is right, the little juice box straws are not wide enough, but McDonald's straws are perfect.

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Hector is right, the little juice box straws are not wide enough, but McDonald's straws are perfect.

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Salma

I've just read this thread and don't know if you will read it in time. You mentioned being in Kuala Lumpur in the next few days and wanted to know where to find cake ingredients.

One good shop is Ampang Grocer on Jalan Ampang in the city itself. They have most of the stuff you would need, and is the only shop where I found Softasilk cake flour (though it cost about 5x as much as the local cake flour). They carry a lot of American ingredients (not just for cakes).

The other place is Hock Choon, also on Jalan Ampang. Another well stocked grocery store that has a lot of cake/pastry ingredients.

Sorry I can't give you the exact addresses, but all the taxi drivers SHOULD know Jalan Ampang - it's a major road!

Good luck with your cake!

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HI Salma, the McDonalds straws are one of the best to use, and indeed I've done the midnight run to McDonalds when I could not find plastic straws!

The ones you indicate for the juice packs, are very sturdy, but they are too thin.

Hope that helps, and hope what you get is what we see. If there is such thing as a "regular" plastic straw that is all you need, but try getting the ones made of more sturdy plastic similar material made from the bubble tea straws. You need not use the bubble tea straws, it isn't necessary although a lot sturdier.

I think the thicker plastics are the ones that aren't clear translucent. Almost all plastic straw that are colored, are made of a thicker plastic.

The strength of the straws used for cake tiers is that it needs a minimum width, if the width is too thin it will just bend in half. To confuse you more, if the width is too wide, it will also bend in half (I have never seen straws such wide thought).

The strength of the straws comes also from remaining vertically put, on a layer cake. The cake itself (and the frosting) will support the straw from shifting or bending. It is really a work of the two. A straw on its own isn't as sturdy as one inserted on cake.

Here is a picture of all the straws one can find in the USA. You can grab what you can find, cut a few 3 or 4" pieces, and stand them up on a table, then press on the top and see which ones are stronger.

http://www.hectorwong.com/roselevy/Straws.html

For Elaine's 7-5-3" tiered cakes, I used the translucent straws on this picture, the weakest ones!

Sure the straws wont be strong enough to step on them, but sufficient for cake.

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Hehe. Thanks for the note about the paper straws, but plastic ones seem to be the popular choice. Which kind is the question confusing me.

We get these 8 oz juice tetrapacks here with little foil-covered holes on the top that you pierce through with the thin, white, hardish straws they sell alongside. I think they might be a good bet, but I could be totally wrong.

I looked up bubble straws online, and I think we get similar but thinner kinds here. Once again, not sure. How about the ones in McDonalds’ shakes? I never go there, but if you all think they could work, I just might saunter in tomorrow and order a double helping

BTW, at least half the question I’m going to be posing off n on would be based on the ‘we don’t get such-and-such product here, so can I substitute xyz instead?” premise. Here’s one: for ganache, can I use Hershey’s milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips? I hope Valrhona, Guittard etc enthusiasts are not cringing, but that’s all available here. Ordering online would be murderously expensive.

Patrincia, the long line of zeroes at the end of my previous message was my daughter’s doing, though my marbles may be similarly strewn about at the end of this first attempt at a tiered cake…

Hector, just the mention of all those delights you conjure up is enough to set me drooling. Good luck with everything, which I hope will work out fine, and more power to you!

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salma, u r my favorite people! thank you for pointing out I have no masterpieces since I am alive =)

hawaii way was on 2007. on 2006 was my 40 panettone trials. holiday 2007 was Roses's Celebrations Thanksgiving meal. 2008 brought Rose's World cake and my cousin's 7 cake wedding. seems that this has been a yearly show and no idea what is coming on 2009! my car has just lost a spark plug and all my money is going towards my new apartment and florist, I am really nervous of my future but is people like you and this blog who keeps me going!

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Do check out "bubble tea" straws as well. They have a larger diameter and are made of a much stronger heavy-weight plastic.

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disposable wood chopsticks work well, too! but really Rose's discovery on plastic straws are the way to go!

if I am asked to remake hawai way, for fun and for true scientifc data, I shall use plastic straws to proove Rose's Law =)

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Hmmm, bamboo is natural, hollow, strong, renewable, and grows in larger diameters.

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Oh yes, paper straws would be disastrous. Do they still make paper straws?

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Hector, Patrincia... and Rose, of course:) i am SO in awe of these names! It's fabulous to be able to get advice from such experienced bakers, thanks to technology, and more so, you guys' generosity.

Hector, while Patrincia is undoubtedly an expert at such cakes, you are no less. In fact, when referring to your marvellous cake (TWELVE tiers? i did you a disservice in thinking it was eleven), i was thinking that it's probably wrong to call it your 'masterpiece'. I mean, it is amazing, but isn't a masterpiece the best work ever produced in the creator's lifetime? If so, every tempting-looking photograph you upload is fabulous in itself; each makes it harder to choose the best (not that I want to), and convinces me that you have much, much more up your sleeve. Can't wait to see what comes next!

And Patrincia, there are definitely some great people here, I was just lucky one of the nicest answered:)

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

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salma, what a great cake you are making and international feat. patrincia's advise is all you need.

each of my 12 biscuit tiers for hawaii way was on a cardboard round waterproofed with foil. indeed I used two cardboard rounds taped together with the cardboard veins crossed. the weight after stacking the 7th plus tier was too heavy and subsequently smashed the cardboard. this error made the total 12 tier cake lean about 1 inch. you won't have ANY trouble with cardboard and straws on ANY 4 minus tiered cakes!

good luck and can't wait to hear more from your overseas cake!

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Oh gee... I just so happened to be working late at my computer tonight. There are lots of wonderful bakers here who would have offered great advice if they saw your post before me :). Have fun with your new copy of TCB, and buy lots of baking goodies on your trip!

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Wow, I don't believe this! I shouldn't be so surprised, considering that you replied to my first question so soon, but your second reply came within 30 min. This is just so thrilling! Occasionally, living across the Atlantic has its advantages- the time difference is a working in my favour:)

Not to whine, but it can get frustrating reading all these wonderful caking experiences, and realising you can't attempt them, at least in the original, because a lot of stuff, ingredients and equipment, is not available here. Then I console myself with the upsides I do have:) I'm ordreing The Cake Bible online though, because I've decided i just cannnnot bear the torture of seeing you all trying the delicious recipes and having to restrict myself to viewership. Yes, the pictures and descriptions are great, but I long for the taste and texture, and simply the experience of making them:)

Patrincia, I hate to be a dud btw, but I still can't ask a new question. I wanted to ask Elicia how well-stocked the baking stores in Kuala Lumpur are, since I'm going there on vacation in two days. Cake flour, good-quality chocolate etc... sigh.

But thanks again for your detailed response. I doubt I can get foam boards; cardboard sounds easier in every way. So, provided I end up coating the cake with ganache, and freezing it to be given the final ganache covering later on, I'll make sure that the condensation has disappeared. (That ganache story was scary. i'll be especially careful)

BTW, I was just going through your older postings, and all the advice you've given to bakers asking about your lovely wedding cakes is so hugely useful. Thank you for sharing your expertise!

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Hi Salma - great questions... Hector's Hawaii Way Cake was made of Biscuit de Savoie that was moistened with an espresso sugar syrup. The addition of the sugar syrup makes the cardbaord rounds very wet which weakens them considerably. Standard butter cake don't include the syrup, and I've never had a problem with the cardboard getting wet (greasy yes, wet no :) ).

I don't know if you have access to foam core boards (usually found in art supply stores), but some cake makers use those to support their tiers, especially very heavy ones, but I find the foam core is more difficult to cut into a perfectly round shape than cardboard is.

When I mentioned pouring ganache on a "wet" cake, I was referring to a chilled, crumb coated cake that might have condensation form on it's surface after being removed from the refrigerator. If that happens, the condensation should gradually dissipate, and then it would be safe to coat it with ganache. I once had a large batch of ganache chilling in the fridge... just a tiny bit of condensation formed on it's surface and I didn't think anything of it. Well, the minute I started whipping it, the whole batch seized into the clumpiest mess. Thankfully I had another batch in the fridge and I was able to prevent it's demise. Btw, I fed the seized batch to the family so it didn't go to waste.

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Hi Patrincia. I really appreciate the reply:)

May i ask what you mean by not pouring ganache over a wet cake surface? Are you referring to my question about freezing the cake with one coat of ganache already on it, that might get too wet on thawing to pour the final coat on top?

Also, referring to something Hector wrote elsewhere about his eleven-layer masterpiece: he says not to use cardboard circles. is that only because of the huge number of tiers? I ask because I've generally read about bakers using them, and was thinking of cutting out thin cardboard and covering it with foil.

And I'm especially glad that you answered about the flowers, since I adore the wedding cakes you've psoted here. In fact, it was those beauties, more than anything else, that convinced me that fresh flowers are the best decoration- easier to do, and yet so spectacular to look at!

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Oops, that was from me.

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Hi Salma,
Wow... you have thought long about this project, haven't you. :)

Let's see... first of all, don't be afraid to stack your tiers, once you do it you realize it wasn't so hard. a 4-6-8 cake is fairly small, so you would easily be able to use straws instead of dowels. Rose suggests straws in even larger tiers... they are very strong, cheap, and very easy to cut.

As for your ganache question... well, I wouldn't pour ganache over buttercream... that would just be too much. You'll have to experiment a little and see if you like the way your cake looks with poured ganache over a naked cake, or poured ganache over a smooth ganache base.

For the flowers, I just place them gently on the cake and make sure everyone knows they are for decoration only. I don't poke them into the cake. If you cut and place the flowers just before the wedding, you won't have to worry about them drying out.

Feel free to freeze your cakes ahead of time, being sure to seal them very well. Thaw in the fridge to reduce condensation. Please don't pour ganache onto a wet cake surface - the moisture can make the ganache seize. Your cake should be served at room temperature - cold ganache is much to difficult to cut.

Your instant coffee/hot water substitution should work perfectly.

also, you can start new topics on the forum... just go to the pink section at the top left side of this screen and it will link you to the forum. Please don't hesitate to ask more questions!

Good Luck!

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Hi Salma,
Wow... you have thought long about this project, haven't you. :)

Let's see... first of all, don't be afraid to stack your tiers, once you do it you realize it wasn't so hard. a 4-6-8 cake is fairly small, so you would easily be able to use straws instead of dowels. Rose suggests straws in even larger tiers... they are very strong, cheap, and very easy to cut.

As for your ganache question... well, I wouldn't pour ganache over buttercream... that would just be too much. You'll have to experiment a little and see if you like the way your cake looks with poured ganache over a naked cake, or poured ganache over a smooth ganache base.

For the flowers, I just place them gently on the cake and make sure everyone knows they are for decoration only. I don't poke them into the cake. If you cut and place the flowers just before the wedding, you won't have to worry about them drying out.

Feel free to freeze your cakes ahead of time, being sure to seal them very well. Thaw in the fridge to reduce condensation. Please don't pour ganache onto a wet cake surface - the moisture can make the ganache seize. Your cake should be served at room temperature - cold ganache is much to difficult to cut.

Your instant coffee/hot water substitution should work perfectly.

also, you can start new topics on the forum... just go to the pink section at the top left side of this screen and it will link you to the forum. Please don't hesitate to ask more questions!

Good Luck!

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Hi. Sorry for asking a separate question here, but somehow I couldn't start a new thread. So here goes... (deeeep breath)

I am a novice baker, who lOVEs making and decorating cakes. I am thinking of baking my brother’s wedding cake. If you’re wondering why the task has been entrusted to a total amateur, well, in Pakistan, there is practically no concept of wedding cakes, and it is seen as a western tradition. There will be other dessert too, btw, so any disasters (God forbid) won’t ruin the occasion. However, everyone enjoys cake, and I doubt I’ll ever again get the chance to indulge myself like this, so I’m contemplating doing it .

I am thinking of doing three layers, 8”, 6” and 4”, dark chocolate, milk chocolate/ mocha and white chocolate for separate tiers, and decorating with fresh flowers. I have some (okay, a LOT) of questions I’m hoping all you wonderful bakers might be able to help out with.

For one thing, I am terrified of dowelling since I’ve never before done tiered cakes. A really nice book called Quick and Easy Celebration Cakes by Joanna Farrow simply stacks them without any support whatsoever, but everything I’ve read online suggests that that would be a bad idea. Since I can’t get rods here actually meant for dowelling, I intend to get them made by the local carpenter. How thick should they be?

Also, how does one put in flowers so they don’t touch the cake and yet stay fresh? I’ve read about people using styrofoam etc to stick the flowers into, but won’t they dry out?

Ok, here’s another one. I think I want the final coat on my cake to be ganache. Like I said, probably dark, milk/ mocha and white chocolate ganache for each of three tiers. Is it necessary to have some kind of frosting underneath? I could put SMBC, but wont it melt when I pour on the warm ganache? Or what if I simply put thicker, frosting-style ganache on each layer, and then later pour on the thinner one? Or if I simply do the pourable ganache, will that be too little as frosting goes? I want ganache because I’m not sure just how smooth I can get a buttercream top layer to be. In case my ganache doesn't turn out too smooth, I've seen some cakes where they just swirl it for a pretty and easy look:)

Oh, and the chocolate cake recipe I intend to use contains ½ cup of freshly brewed strong coffee per cake layer. Now all the coffee available here is the instant kind- Nescafe etc. Can I use this, adding, say, 1 teaspoon of instant coffee to ½ cup of boiling water?

My final question- for now : ) *ahem* I was wondering if I could bake these cakes, ice the layers of each tier either with ganache frosting or SMBC and freeze them, around a week before the big day, then take them out the night before so they thaw in the fridge, and then pour ganache over them. I'd then stack them at the wedding venue and put on the flowres. Basically, my siblings are going to be here after a long while, and that too for only a few days, and I want to spend as much time with them as possible. For that, I need to go for as much do-ahead as I can.

Everyone here is so nice and willing to help others. I’ve often come here to read up about problems relevant to me. I’d be ever so grateful if you could help out with this biG project!

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I Thought that cake that you had made was awsome well done :-) Hopefully you could teach me how to make a birthday cake one day?

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looks like a simple round tip - I'd guess one with an 1/8-inch opening or so.

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Can you please help me in telling me what tip # you used to do the scrolls because they are beautiful. Thanks for any help at all!!!

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Again, it comes down to servings. Imagine a cake for 10 people being $300 -- that would be a very special cake, encased with gold leaf and possibly each guest's portrait being piped with a 000 tip or something else outrageously tedious.
Then there is cake for 450 people being $300.

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Reeni, I've just came back from attending a wedding at the nice Marriot Ihilani Resort in Koolina. The cake was deep ping with brown scroll! The entire wedding theme was deep pink and chocolate!

I think "grocery store" wedding cakes, generic mass produced, can fall around $300. But the effort, customization, and taste, can change that being the sky the limit!

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actually i got a really good price for 300 for a for layer cake a local bakery...

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Ammen -- how many people are you planning to serve with a 3-tier cake? The style of cake nowadays can vary widely, a cake for only 12 people can be 3 tiers. Best to plan a number of servings, not a particular size. A $200 budget can be small or huge depending on how many servings you need.

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Lovely cake Michelle. Scrolls are my favorite, I put them on my own wedding cake. This month/year it seems everyone is having a red- themed wedding! I made two cakes in one week that were red and chocolate.

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Decent 3-tier wedding cakes cost around $500-1000+++ so you might have to settle for a grocery store sheet cake. To suggest $200 doesn't even cover ingredients- and the baker's time- dozens and dozens of hours!

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Ammen - I wasn't sure. I don't know where you live. Have you thought about asking someone who lives in your town? Most towns have at least one place that offers cake decorating classes (like Wilton classes usually held at craft stores). Maybe the class instructor, or one of the more talented students, would be willing.

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yes it is a serious question, I am not rich or have too much money

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Is that a serious question?

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Hi is anyone able to bake a wedding cake for July 28,2007.
I am willing to spend $200. For a three layer cake using pillars.

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again to ruks, if u dont have the cake bible u must visit the feb2007 issue from the archives. u may find something as per yr requirement. u might as well visit the websites like www.allrecipes.com or www.bakedecoratecelebrate.com but u r sure to be back to Rose bc there r many a things still left between the steps u know... fyi, they hav got rose-specials too!

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i've tried the french genoise using these handy things and it came out wonderfully perfect. so light, airy and spongy, unbelievably risen, evenly baked and level all thru. i had no problem at all to cut 3 layers out of the 9" cake and spread the icing straight on the top! the top crust was extremely thin and there was no crust at all in the sides!

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Oh Nushera, the flower nail trick is great! Yes, indeed using a heating core and simple homemade baking strips make a lot of difference to the cake - you will have a wonderfully moist and baked-thru cake that's level, with a beautiful golden crust!

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Ruks, i think u r anxious about getting the sides overdone with the middle still not completely baked in larger cakes. if u feel uneasy about using cake cores for baking larger cakes, simply take a flower-nail(of course a metal one), spray or brush cooking oil on it and place it flat-side-down in the middle of the pan filled with batter and placed in the oven rack. if u dont have flower nails or need them for piping flowers while baking goes on, u can use 1 or more flat-headed nails/boardpins/screws to serve the same purpose. no matter if the cake rises more than the height of the nail(s). u can easily remove them after unmoulding the cake when it is upside-down. the hole or tunnel(?) is not at all noticeable even if no icing or frosting is applied. don't forget to sterilize by boiling them in water before using. i have got great results using nails alongwith another home-made substitute of bake-even strips(3-fold strip of regular aluminium foil wrapped around 1 or 2 wet tea-towel strips firmly wrapped around the pan; 2 wooden pegs are enough to hold the whole wrap together in place). thks.

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Michelle Li also made our wedding cake for us when we got married in 2002. It was such an honour that she could take the time out to do this for us and of course the end result took our breath away. It was a special wedding gift that we'll always remember. She is so intelligent and full of many talents!

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The cakes were the standard 6, 9, 12" pans (double layers) as suggested in the Cake Bible for 3 tiers and 150 people. BUT, this depends on other desserts, time it is served, etc. I thought someone may have referred to the recipe being posted on this website??? I'm not sure. I do know that the recipe/instructions make this totally manageable.
Hector, I did a thick crumb coat- perhaps 1/4" on the outside of the cake. It didn't end up being too hot here- but our "hot" weather here in Vancouver is not nearly as hot as other places;)so I don't have too much experience with the buttercream getting too soft.

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A beautiful cake indeed!

At first glance, I thought it was decorated with Cornelli lace, but then I realized it was scrolls! It looks amazing.

Congrats on a fine effort.

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Michelle is an amazing baker and our family and friends have been lucky enough to be beneficiaries! We also enjoy sampling the "trial" cakes- which are always as good as the finished product! She definitely should be teaching classes and probably should start working on her own cookbook too!
-From her sis

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Michelle, the cake LOOKS and READS delicious! The colors and the scrolls are a instant classic. I have experiences that if the weather is too hot, the buttercream will soften too much and the fondant will start to wobble. How thick was your buttercream layer?

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For your fourth try, this is amazing. I can decorate cakes but somehow lack the confidence of baking a larger size cakes. The biggest I have baked is a 12" round. I would like to bake a wedding cake for my Nephew's wedding but I am hesitating thinking what if it does not work. Please let me know the three sizes of your cakes. Where can I get the recipe if I do not own a cake bible. Your help will be much appreciated.

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I didn't realize that Rose posted a picture of my cake! Thanks for all your replies! So sweet!
The details-I made the 3-Tier White Butter Cake (sprinkled with lemon syrup) with Raspberry Preserves and frosted/layered with Mousseline Buttercream with the Lemon Curd Addition. I used packaged fondant to cover the cake (for decorative use and because we weren't sure how hot it would be that day). Then I piped the swirls with royal icing. The swirls hide minor imperfections wonderfully! The ribbon matched the wedding colours & bridesmaids' dresses and was easy to attach at the wedding venue when I put the cakes together and I didn't need to do any piping between the cakes.
I highly recommend this type of cake/filling for hot weather or for longer storage at room temperature. The cake was very tasty and moist the next day too!
Thanks again Rose and those who post!

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michelle-
that's such a beautiful cake and we know it tasted good too since it was made from the cake bible. i'm so impressed it's only your 4th. how long have you been doing the decorating? you probably should be giving classes.

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It's breathtakingly beautiful! I gasped when I clicked on this link. Many pats on your back!

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Michelle - I love the scrolls! From a distance, they look formal, but on closer inspection, they look fresh and modern - so you have the benefit of both. The red ribbon is beautiful against the white as well.

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Thnx a lot, rose... for taking me in account. we'd lov to see a photo of the golden lady in that gold tissue sari. btw, i am from Bangladesh(very much nearby and having similarity of language n culture with 'west bengal' of India) and benarasi (sari woven at or following the style of benaras) is almost our bridal uniform!
hats off to the dad who brought up such a wonderful daughter like you, Rose.

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Michelle - Your cake is so elegant! Would you mind sharing some details about it?

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Oh Michelle, another lovely wedding cake! Did you pipe the scrolls with icing?

Rose, did you ever imagine that the Cake Bible wld be such a great resource to possibly 'millions' around the world for baking breathtaking celebration cakes? Thks so much from all of us!

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lovely. i think simplicity plays the key-role in this cake's beauty. as a Bengali woman the color combination made me emotional b/c in special occasions we wear white "sari" with red border and attach flower to hair-do's. good on you, michelle.

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Michelle,
That is one professional looking cake! I am not at all surprised that you were asked to teach cake decorating. Great Job!
Rozanne

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