Bulging Cake Fillings, Top 5 Reasons Plus Solutions
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- Опубліковано 27 лип 2024
- CAKE FILLING SERIES LINK: goo.gl/Zheo41
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: www.wickedgoodies.net/2016/10...
Fillings that bulge are like the unwanted muffin tops of the layer cake world. Why does it happen and how can you prevent it? Here are the top five most common reasons why your fillings are likely to bulge:
1. BECAUSE AIR GOT TRAPPED INSIDE THE CAKE
This is one of the most common yet unexpected reasons why your cake fillings might bulge. It has everything to do with how the filling layers are added. If you don’t push them all the way out to the edge, little caverns form where air pockets get trapped beneath the frosting. Once the cake goes on display, it warms up. As it warms up, the fillings get softer. At the same time, gravity exerts pressure from above, which pushes the air pockets out.
The way to solve this problem of air getting trapped inside the cake is to build your layer cakes inside the baking pan instead of free-form. Here is the link to that series:
2. BECAUSE THE FILLING IS TOO SOFT
This is the most obvious culprit. A soft filling is more likely to get squished. If it spreads when you spoon it onto a plate, then it’s definitely going to squish out of a cake. However the filling recipe itself is not necessarily the only variable here. The consistency, size, and form of the cake sponge may also impact how the filling performs. Tall cakes, stacked cakes, and dense, heavy cakes exert more pressure on the filling layers below, increases the chances that a soft filling will squish out.
Another variable is the how the cake is finished. The more plain the outside of the cake is, the more likely bulging filling layers will show. For instance, a cream cheese filling recipe that holds up beautifully in a 6” double layer carrot cake with nuts around the sides may not perform as well when it’s used in a 12” triple layer wedding cake with plain white frosting around the sides. The nuts hide the bulge whereas the plain frosting won’t.
So how do you solve the problem of a soft filling bulge?
If a filling is too soft, consider not working with it. Personally, I think it’s just too much of a pain dealing with soft fillings. If you happen to be attached to a particular filling recipe that is too soft but you still want to use it because it’s delicious, you can always pipe a dam of stable buttercream around the edge of your filling layers to help hold the filling in. Just keep in mind this will create a bit more work during the filling stage, especially if you are making a large wedding cake with multiple tiers. You will need both extra frosting to make the dam and extra time to fill your piping bag over and over as you add the dam.
3. BECAUSE THE FILLING IS TOO THICK
This is another common problem. Cake fillings shouldn’t be more than ½” thick. It’s better to have thin layers of cake alternating with thin layers of filling versus a two thick layers of cake with one huge layer of filling in between.
4. BECAUSE OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE
Any time you make a layer cake, you have to include some sort of infrastructure to hold it up. Certain types of infrastructure such as thick dowels or SPS are going to exert pressure on the outside of the cake. This increases the chance that your cake will crack on the finish. It will also increase the chance that your fillings will bulge. The wider your infrastructure elements are, the more cake you displace. Width is not the only factor here. The more units of infrastructure that you add, the more you disrupt the inside of the cake. That’s why you never want to use more dowels than are needed.
The way to avoid displacing too much cake is to core out space whenever you are planning to insert a thick column. You can core out your cake using an apple corer or bubble tea straws. I recommend and inserting dowels right after the frosting stage, when the cake is somewhat soft from sitting out at room temperature because you were working on it. Then it will be a little more forgiving. Don’t attempt to core out a cake when it’s frozen.
5. BECAUSE OF TEMPERATURE
Unless you are working entirely with ingredients that are stable at room temperature, you need to keep your cake in the fridge whenever you’re not working on it. If you leave it out overnight or for days and it has butter in it, well, you can guess what’s going to happen. The fillings are going to get very soft. The longer your cake sits out at room temperature, the softer it gets. If you transport a cake when it’s soft, you can almost guarantee that your cake layers are going to shift and your filling layers are going to squish out.
In conclusion, it’s important to understand that bulging cake fillings are not usually caused by just one thing alone. It’s more likely to be the result of more than one issue.
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Since using your cake filling method & info here *knocking on wood* I've never had a cake bulge. I love the Cake Filling series. It upped my cake game. Thanks for the info.
Great video thanks for sharing!
Great informative video!
Thank you very much for such valuable information
Awesome video 👍 thanks.
Very helpful!
This was handy thanks :)
Your book looks really good. I wish I could buy it in paperback.
Hi, I've been asked by several friends who are new at decorating cakes why the buttercream underneath their fondant covered cakes seem to create air bubbles and pull the fondant down - I always use ganache underneath my fondant cakes to avoid those problems, so I'm not sure what to recommend. They cover their cakes with the fondant while the buttercream is still firm from the fridge, but as soon as the cake comes to room temperature, the bulging/drooping process begins. Any recommendations other than using ganache? Many thanks
Great video… Thanks for all the great tips! Unfortunately, last night I put together an 8” three layer cake that will be underneath a 6 inch three layer. The bottom layer has a Swiss meringue style buttercream with a raspberry filling. When I finished crumb coating I realized my filling was beginning to have some bulging. I finished up the crumb coating and stuck it in the fridge overnight to let it settle and firm up. Is there a way that I can deal with the bulging before I do my finish icing? I’m in a bit of a panic because the cake is for an event tomorrow. 😩
Hi
Good tips. Thanks for sharing. My question. How thick should be a cake layer if I am making a three layers
It's totally up to you but I think 1/2 inch is a decent thickness for cake layers.
Hi Kristen! Thanks for all your videos! This one hits me hard today!
I made the most incredible tree-layer cowboy themed cake for my grandson's birthday! It looked amazing until the next day when we had the party!
I waled into my kitchen and cried! Each layer had buckled under the fondant!
Lesson learned! Let. My cakes "settle" before adding fondant!
Id love to sent you my pics! Where is the best place?
~Jules in RI
Julie, I would love to see your pics! You can post your pics in the comment section of my site here or on any page/post that relates to your material: www.wickedgoodies.net/2016/10/why-cake-fillings-bulge/
Hey I have a question I'm making my daughter 3 layer princess cake and I want to use strawberry and cream cheese for the filling and fondant for the frosting is that a good combination
Yes! That sounds delish.
can I freeze the layers, then later add filling and return to freezer
On butter cream use a roll fondant ..
No joke.
What different fondants are there?
But once it’s done how can it be solved? All I see is prevention.
Once it's done, it can't be solved. That's why we focus on prevention.