JSkilling

Then it's probably like what I'm making now. I cut the butter down to about 1 stick in that recipe and have whipped it to get a nice light texture. When I used as much butter as he has in the recipe I didn't think it held as well in layers and that's where I'm looking to use it. But the taste! Oh.My.God. That caramel flavor coming through is divine. And I've subbed Gianduja for the milk chocolate and think that's actually much better and richer. You don't taste the hazelnut so much since the caramel overwhelms the other flavors but it is definitely richer. I'll go look at the recipe since I don't remember this one offhand...

Beatutiful, Patrick! Is that the same ganache recipe as the chocolate caramel ganache for the pave? I LOVE that one and have even whipped it and whipped it into buttercream - what's left from me scarfing it down that is...

I'm going to make this for this weekend's cake! I'm making the banana cake again which I'll layer with this caramel buttercream and a filling of rum laced cream cheese either buttercream or icing... I've not made buttercream with egg yolks so I'm expecting a richer more full bodied taste than the Swiss buttercream I've been making. Thanks!

Mkfradin, Bingo! That's exactly what's happening. The chocolate, whether cocoa chocolate or a mixture, is very soft between the layers of cake. That's what's causing my problem. I guess if I fill and frost, put on the fondant and then into the fridge until a couple hours before I need it that should solve my problem. All decor will just have to go on at the last minute. But why is only chocolate going soupy? The caramel and the vanilla are still both quite nice after 24 hours out.

It wasn't so much the fondant coming off the sides but the filling in between the layers just oozed out instead of staying in a nice firm layer. That's what caused the cake to just fall over on itself once I started to cut it. Probably what held it together was the fondant and the dowels. When I made the buttercream with the Papetti egg white only product (not frozen) I was able to get a medium stiff meringue and added the butter and had a product that was the right consistency. Same when I added the chocolate - it was a good weight and seemed to hold on the cake. I put it in the fridge for a while to firm up. That very same buttercream base held fine with the addition of the caramel so I'm still not sure what caused my problems. The temp here is in the 70's. The room was not excessively warm. Do you think the layer of fondant could be causing the filling to melt? My caramel buttercream (exact same container of base buttercream as the castle ) and chocolate caramel ganache are pretty much right where they were last night in my experiment cake. I have the cake sliced in half so I can watch how the layers look over time (um, we ate the other half for science sake!) The caramel buttercream is holding up better than the ganache which is softening slightly and bulging out of the layer a bit. Maybe it's my chocolate? I have made IB before so it's off to try that again. Would any of you cake experts care to post what you make for a chocolate buttercream? I'm not sure what you mean by a cooler frosting. Thanks for noticing the design, Wendy. I was quite influenced by the castle at Disney last week. My girls were enthralled with all the princess paraphernalia so they loved this.

Ok, I might be on the track for figuring this out. Here is the cake that I had the problem on.... When I dumped my pictures from my camera I really noticed the difference in the slant of those top turrets from the time I put them on and took a picture until I cut the cake. And I noticed that the slices on the girls' plates were holding together - from the outside of the cake. Once I put that together I think I know where part of my problem is. When I added those turrets I just stuck three long dowels into the top tier and popped the turrets over them with some royal icing to stick them to the fondant. I was worried about them toppling but hadn't thought about the added weight on all that sugar compressing down from the top tier to the bottom. I should have made some sort of plaque to put them on and then doweled underneath that. Duh! I still think the chocolate buttercream needs some work and will take some of the suggestions Keith and I emailed on today to see what I can do to improve its stability. But I think I just made it goo when I added too much weight to the top of the cake. I'm now testing out a chocolate caramel ganache and a caramel buttercream on the chocolate cake layers. It's sitting out in fairly warm weather and I've encased it in plastic to try and simulate being encased in fondant. If that still holds up tomorrow then it's chocolate buttercream again for the same test. If that holds up then it's chocolate buttercream, fondant and something heavy on top with no support. If I get goo, then I know I've solved my problem and know how to fix these tiered cakes architecturally. And people wonder why these damn things cost so much! Any other ideas with this new info? I have tried the RLB mousseline and will do so again to see if the IB recipe holds up better. I checked in Toba Garrett's book as well and she adds 1/2 of high ratio shortening - Keith had to tell me what that is! - to get it to hold up better. That's on my test list as well.

Jgarner, thanks! I meant that there is so much to it that I still have to learn. As an artist, the design part is coming quickly and the sugar work is getting easier to figure out. The cakes taste awesome from my baking experience - and all the great recipes learned here - but the structure and architecture of making tiered things work well is where I need to learn the ropes. Thanks for the kind words! Teepee, yes I did just dive in in my typical way. These were my 4th and 5th cakes so I'm happy with the way things are looking. This is very fun but very, very time consuming so I intend to stay very high end. Once I figure out my architectural problems I'm going to be doing wedding samples. Fun! Patrick, I was heavily influenced by our trip to Disney - aka Princess Heaven - this week. The girls had asked for a castle cake so we had Tinker Bell party supplies in pink and purple with castle shaped cookie favors. This was a little girl's delight but you know the funniest thing is the 16 year olds who worked the gym party wanted me to make one for their sweet sixteen! So these castles may have more appeal to them than I imagined! I will have to figure out how to properly support them!

Love the teapot cake, the shoes and the niece's birthday cakes! I bet that 2" cake is something to see in scale. And who would have the nerve to eat a shoe???? How gauche And what the heck is rolled buttercream? I've seen references to it but have no idea how that would actually work. Lucky niece to have you experimenting on her! My family gets that too....

Well, my daughters turned 5 and had their party this weekend so anniversary and Mother's Day simply don't rate! But here is what I made them... This is my slumping chocolate frosting problem cake!! Some mother at one of the other two parties going on said this cake made her feel quite inadequate. Oops. And here is another one that I did that sort of rates as a Mother's Day cake... I was practicing roses, bows, colored fondant, etc. So I made this 6" present. I'm getting there but I realize I have a long way to go yet!

I need to fix this chocolate frosting problem.... I made two cakes, last weekend and this, that were the Woolley recipe for cake - torted - and filled with a 1) chocolate buttercream made with powdered sugar, milk, butter, cocoa, vanilla or 2) a Swiss meringue buttercream with added 5 ounces or so of milk chocolate and some cocoa. Both times the cake slumped with the frosting in between the layers practically melting and the cake falling over on itself. They were both covered in fondant. Today's cake was a 9" hexagon with a 6" round tier on top. The top tier was a Wendy's banana cake with a caramel buttercream and this cake sliced perfectly and stayed together just fine. The buttercream base was from the exact same bowl as the milk chocolate so I guess the milk chocolate made it too soft? I'm hard pressed to figure out how I can add 8 oz of liquid caramel to the buttercream and it stays together but the chocolate solids melt!! Here's the buttercream recipe: 1 lb butter plus 6T (I have the grams somewhere but it's too late to go look it up) 1 1/2 cups sugar 6 oz egg whites (I use the Pappetti) 2 T vanilla paste I beat the butter to soften and add the vanilla. Heat the sugar and egg whites together to melt the sugar. Beat until it's a medium stiff meringue. Add the butter. Tastes fabulous even in a puddle. So what do I do? Help!!!! My goal is to have layers that stay together, moist and filled with a recognizable layer of filling.

Yes, the pens are meant to be used over a dry icing so you'd have no problem but I'm not sure why you want to do it that way. If you draw the letter you want, then you can fill in the extra space with your background color and treat it like a run out as opposed to having the raised design - unless you are looking to get a raised design. And if you do want the raised design, I'd roll that out in fondant and place it on the iced cookie since you could do several at a time and you wouldn't have to pipe the outline. You might also eat one and see what you think of that double layer of royal icing. Me, I love the stuff and am happy with both royal and fondant on a cookie but it is a lot of topping. I'm sure they'll be lovely whichever you choose and I can't wait to see your pictures!

After my cookies are baked, I just use one of the food safe colored pens and trace what I want on the cookie. Then I can pipe over the lines in royal and fill in as I need to. The color of the pen is never seen since it gets filled. And I don't have to worry about mishapen lines from the stamping a stencil in the unbaked cookie approach.

If it's by yourself, how to you actually do it???? I am just doing one cake at a time with my painstaking perfectionist self and I am sloooooooooow..... I realize that the creativity will have to take a backseat to production at some point or just do really expensive wedding cakes! But then, right now, I'm not looking to provide income of 8 cakes in one weekend. Now a little later.....

I agree with Wendy that your personal style does matter. It doesn't mean you have to have on Versace to get a chef's job but your own sense of creativity and style will play out in everything you do in a pastry chef's job. In fact, in the foreward of Claudia Fleming's book, her boss mentions that one of the reasons he hired her was because she was so stylish in her dress, so he felt that would carry over into her work (I'm paraphrasing here... ) I can't think of any profession where this isn't true. In the end, you must be able to back it up with good solid work, though, so walking the talk is much more important to getting and keeping the job. But for some, that first impression is the difference between being offered the chance to show you can do the work or being passed over.

If you go here: http://www.boironfreres.com/uk/uk_docs.htm and click on the sorbets you'll see all their recipes. They've already figured out how much of everything you need to keep your sorbets smooth and creamy.

I am so sad this is almost over! Wendy, it's been so much fun to see all your work and hear about your day. Girl, you need a vegetable in there somewhere!!

I was just about to go to bed and remembered your blog and ran all the way back!! Everything is so fabulous! Does that club have any, and I mean any, idea what they have in you??? We belong to a chi chi club here in Bethesda - umpteen $$$$ to get in. Do you know what they served at the Easter buffet for dessert???? Diagonal cut brownies (mine are 1000 times better) and Dixie cup ice cream. Oh, and I think some orange jello. I am going to print out your work and take it to the General Manger and let him know what we should be getting!! I love how you put things together and love seeing the cakes and the inventiveness. You deserve a big, fat, stinking raise!!

I suspect Melissa's been around long enough to know the difference between mentoring a good employee and not wasting her time on a dumbass. Sorry, but there are many stupid questions and most of all stupid phrasing in an interview with a potential employer. I'd love to hear the rest of the context of this but I can guarantee you that I'd have shown that one the door just on instinct alone. What bugs me the most about the question is the feeling that every task will be met by "how do you want me to do xxx?" And that's why it was such a dumb statement on the part of the potential employee because it set her up to fail. It's great when we want to root for the underdog, but there are occasions where they are underdogs for a reason. And she's working 100 hours a week! The reality of the situation is she needs to make quick judgments as to who will fit in and not require hand holding to get to a production point. More power to you, Melissa. I couldn't do this!!

Welcome aboard, Marina. The show was a good one and your cake was adorable. It's nice to hear about your career change since I'm doing the same thing right now. And you are so right about it's all you at this point! I'm used to the machine behind IBM (HR, admins - oh my god, I'd love an admin, classes, sales support, paychecks) and now I slowly have to get everything done myself. And make sure 5 year old twin girls have the education and social lives they believe they deserve!

Woo Hoo!! That's great. Stick with whatever method you like since it all comes out the same in the end. And the next time someone says how easy it is to caramelize, roll your eyes....

Bryan, My first attempts at caramel resulted in fine looking rock candy! Once you get the feel for this you'll be able to do it regardless of the flame or method. I dry caramelize the sugar and just get it to a nice golden stage so it tastes like caramel, not burnt sugar. Then I add my cream and let it seize right up. A few more minutes of vigorous stirring will get it all to even back out. You might just have to try this several more times until you get the feel for the speed at which this melts and then have your next ingredients ready and at a hotter temp so they'll incorporate in. I also find that if I add just a little of the cream first and mix that in, it's easier to start adding the rest and I get less seizing. But even if it does, now I know it will come back once I stir and get it back up to temp. Sugar is not easy. It's hot, it's dangerous and goes south in a heartbeat. But once you get it, you'll have far more successes than failures. Why don't you half this recipe and work with a smaller amount to see if that helps you out? Turn down your flame just a bit after the sugar starts melting and then add the sugar a few T at a time. It will go fast here once the initial melt happens - each bit you put in will get incorporated fairly quickly and will essentially be the correct color almost as soon as you get the last bit of sugar in and melted. So have your soy sauce hot and ready to go. See if that helps out...

For that little bit of water it's easier to just dry caramelize it. But the key is to add your sugar in small amounts, starting with a couple tablespoons. As soon as that starts to melt then add in some more, continuing until you have the full amount added in. Then just get it to the color you want. It might clump up a bit but if you keep working it, it will all melt.

Kohler's Bakery in Avalon, NJ. I can safely say I'll never make my own but I'll gladly eat a few of these at the shore each year - and stand in a line 100 people deep to get them!

Or just add a line that says: "But don't just stop at one...."

I think the best answer here is to weigh your ingredients and take the guess work out of it. Since I make this sugar cookie recipe just about daily I've run into just about all the issues I can with it. I've been lazy and had not coverted the 2 1/2 cups of flour to weight. I scoop flour into the measuring cup, level off and then add to the mixer. Since I know how this dough should handle I might add a bit more as I felt how it came together or if the cookies spread too much. I NEVER add too much as it affects the tenderness of this cookie. If I simply use a conversion of flour weight in this case it's not accurate and the cookies will spread too much for rolled cookies. So I'm going to do some work next week to get a completely accurate weight of the flour and sugar. I'll pass it on when I'm done. As far as the butter... I don't find it to be of any importance what temp it starts at once I put it into the KitchenAid mixer. Within minutes it's softened and usable even if it was cold from the fridge - a tip I picked up from KarenS here. I don't begin to cream it with the sugar, though, until I've spent some time getting it softened in the mixer. Adding sugar to colder butter will result in an initial grainy mixture, but several minutes of creaming will result in the exactly the same consistency as if I'd used room temperature butter, which most often becomes a pool of butter because I'll leave it out and then get busy and not get to it in time. Thus, I simply use it somewhat cold. The texture you are looking for is for it to have lost the graininess and become fluffy. At that point you can toss in each egg and the flavorings and mix until incorporated. Adding the flour is not hard. I put all of it at once into the KitchenAid and very slowly incorporate until it forms a ball around the whisk. Then I clean everything off and finish with a spatula. Here is where I know if I need more flour or not. If the dough is very sticky I add 1T at a time until I can form a bit of a ball and then drop it between two sheets of parchment, roll it out and chill. This saves me having to chill the ball in the fridge and then having to deal with dough that needs to be rolled out and is hard. It's already in the shape I want and I can just cut and bake. There is a balance between a usuable dough and too much flour. And I HATE, HATE, HATE these with too much flour in them so I'm cautious about how much I add and it's I why I roll out on parchment instead of a floured surface. If I simply get enough flour in the dough to begin with, they hold their shape well and the dough scraps can be rerolled without losing any of their original integrity. Now any other recipe I probably can't help you with unless it's something I bake all the time and have done the Cook's Illustrated make it 50 times routine I am wont to do as I'm refining a recipe!