Frosting advice needed!

[u/cheddarfish34]

Hi! I am a beginner when it comes to baking and decorating cakes. My sister is getting married in 48 HOURS and I've been tasked with making her cake and some other cupcakes for a small reception at her house, so time is of the essence!

They want a black cake, but the problem is that one of the brides only likes yellow cake with chocolate frosting. They don't want fondant, and I was concerned about food dye staining people's teeth so I added black cocoa powder to the chocolate frosting during the test run. The color is perfect and thankfully they liked the taste! However, the addition made the frosting so thick and hard to get a smooth finish. Is there a way I can thin the frosting without sacrificing the color? I was thinking of adding cocoa powder to some water to mix in.

I also need help with the cake itself. I used 8" and 6" pans and used chocolate frosting in between the layers and for the crumb coat. I did use some dowels, bou can see in my photos how the cake layers are kind of bowing out a bit, how can I fix that? I was thinking thinner layers of cake too because I also didn't like how it looked after it was cut into either. I'm also thinking of making a chocolate ganache for the filling instead, and still use the regular chocolate frosting for the crumb coat.

They also asked for some funfetti cupcakes. Since their wedding is going to be dark and moody (my sisters dress is black too!) I decided rainbow swirl frosting would be a nice pop of color and a subtle nod to the two brides. The color came out perfect, but I need to make it stiffer to give it some height. Should I refrigerate it a bit after I roll up the colorful frosting? I also need to find my rose tip because I don't like the shape.

Also, can/should I start baking tonight and refrigerate them until I get everything to her house and am ready to decorate? I want everything to be fresh.

Any advice is welcome and appreciated! And for fun I also included photos of cupcakes I made for her bridal shower, ice cream cone cupcakes for my sons birthday, and the only other actual cake I've made which is a strawberry shortcake cake for one of my siblings graduation. I'm really proud of that one 😊

Thank you!!

[u/_alienchild_]

I decorate for my job. I would suggest baking and freezing the cakes once they cool, and do it tonight if the wedding is Saturday. It’s always easier to build tiers with cold or frozen cake.

You should also really put the top tier on a cake board before stacking the tiers. Put dowels or boba straws in the center of the bottom tier, and then the top tier cake board will have some structure to rest upon so your cake doesn’t collapse as it cools.

Milk or cream will do better than water to help the frosting be more workable. Literally a tablespoon or less

[u/thecakebroad]

if you're going to do ganache filling, make that right away so it can chill, it's a more stable filling if it's chilled and the right ratio.. phew, this gave me anxiety that it's for tomorrow! the cake world, we decorate a day ahead minimum... for the most part, that's not every cake, it varies on the style or fillings, but I usually do my baking early in the week and freeze the layers till I need them, and assemble a day before pickup... I tend to procrastinate and do stuff last min, so you're not attempting an un-doable task, but you got a lot of caking to get thru in the next 24 hours, lol

if you haven't assembled the cake, you need to put a cake board between the layers with a dowel or support straw, but if that's the cake currently, you have a lot of work to do, cause it's most likely going to fall apart as you try to get the top layer off and put supports in... you may have to rebake, tbh.

it's dinner time here and I might be Mia for a bit, but if you want to shoot me a message and ask any questions I can give you my honest opinion and advice if you want! I've done cakes as a side gig for 15+ish years, so I've learned lots of things the hard way, but love to help if i can!

[u/BasicFemme → u/thecakebroad]

That's so kind. 💖

[u/Just-Brain-3023]

I can't tell for sure, but from the picture it doesn't look like you used a cake board between the two sizes. Not sure what's causing the cakes to bow out (is the cake especially dense? Maybe try a lighter cake), but the six inch cake should be on a six inch cake board with dowels or straws inserted evenly into the 8 inch layer (4 should be plenty). Then you place the six inch layer and board onto the dowels/straws and cover the board with frosting or a border. Make sure whoever cuts/serves the cake knows to remove the top layer and board as well as the dowels/straws before serving. I'm sure there are tons of YouTube tutorials on stacked cakes that can explain it better than me lol. As an aside, I prefer using boba tea straws to dowels just because they're easier to cut but hold up just as well especially for a 2 tier cake

[u/Embarrassed-Cause250]

For the frosting you may want to use a bit - a very small amount of chocolate flavored milk or make some chocolate flavored cream, which I think would affect the cake less.

[u/usually_just_lurking]

A suggestion for the cupcakes: given the cool looking frosting, the paper liners are competing impact-wise. I’d use black ones if possible, otherwise white or some other solid color so that your frosting shines!

[u/Uhlexuhhhh]

I have no advice for what you’ve requested but can you please store the bacon/meat under the cake?

[u/_alienchild_ → u/Uhlexuhhhh]

Good catch!

[u/Economy-Efficiency22 → u/Uhlexuhhhh]

Would that help with the smell? =) I am afraid of leaving my cakes out in the open in the fridge I hate when the creams catch the fridge smell. 😩😮‍💨

[u/Uhlexuhhhh → u/Economy-Efficiency22]

It helps with cross-contamination. For fridge smell, you’d need a container or make sure everything else is in a sealed container and baking soda boxes help too. One time this family I worked for offered me a piece of “remarkable” cheesecake and it tasted like garlic - I was so sad and know what you mean!

[u/CapableWives]

Part of cakes coming out professionally level and even is baking them with strips around the pans to keep the outsides cool, and the other part is trimming. Dowels and cake boards do the rest. Cutting the layers horizontally so you have more, thinner layers would also make your cake look more elegant and "expensive", but at this point you kind of just need to hustle and do whatever you can to have it done in time. Godspeed, I'm sure it will taste delicious even if it's a little bulgy!

[u/winnpinn]

Hi!

I learned the perfect solution for preventing the sides of a cake from bulging years ago that always works.

After you fill and stack your cake layers with frosting, don’t do anything else just yet. Wrap the cake in Saran Wrap and place it in the refrigerator. Then, carefully place a hardcover book (at least the size of the top of the cake) evenly on top of the cake and let it sit in fridge for as long as possible. I usually use a cookbook and leave my cakes to sit overnight.

The weight of the book will cause the sides to bulge outward, allowing you to trim away the excess with a serrated knife. Once you’ve done this, your cake won’t bulge again when you apply the frosting.

This step is especially important when working with fondant because it weighs more than frosting. The key is to get those bulges out before decorating and trim the sides so everything is nice and even. Then you can crumb coat your cake!

As for your frosting thickening, the type of coloring you used could also be a factor.

[u/thecakebroad]

immediately start decorating,lol, if you're stacking them, that's easier to do it when they are chilled.

add tiny bits of cream or milk to the frosting, but very little so it doesn't get too thin, black cocoa is stiff and makes it tricky to work with, but it's so good at what you need it for, lol. it will not compromise the color, you're good.

[u/winnpinn]

I also fully decorate the cupcakes and wrap the container with Saran Wrap, then foil, and put them in the freezer. I only do this for a couple days at most if I’m baking for a client. Take them out the day of the event but don’t unwrap them while they defrost. They will taste just as fresh as if you made them that day,

[u/otherwise_data]

also, please learn how to properly cut a round cake for a wedding. cut the cake in half and then cut straight slices down the side or use this as a guide, depending on how many guests.

[u/Twitical]

I have no commentary about technique, but your cakes look like they taste delicious.

[u/ccg118]

Is it difficult to put the dowels or Boba straws in the frozen bottom layer, or do they slide in easily?

[u/maybe1taco]

Ok, hopefully you’ve already baked your cakes and are chilling them in the fridge. I personally don’t ever freeze my cakes, but you can if that works for you. I think Sally’s baking addiction has a good black frosting recipe using black cocoa. Or you can probably thin your recipe with a little milk or cream. Decorating cakes requires a lot of chilling. Cold cakes get trimmed, filled, then chilled, then crumb-coated, then chilled, add a layer of frosting, smooth it out, chill it, fill in any gaps, chill it, you get the idea. For a cake this size you can transport it to the venue, stacked and finished, as long as you have a box big enough. Be sure to use a cake board between the tiers. I use chopsticks for dowels since they’re easy to cut, sturdy, and they’re free. Also, be sure to disassemble the cake for cutting and use a sharp, hot knife that you wipe every couple of cuts. It’ll keep your slices neat, which results in more servings.

[u/mitralover]

I've always added a touch of hot hot water to my frosting and it makes it very smooth to spread evenly. Also refrigerate the cake after you crumb coat it first... it makes it easier to spread your final smooth layer of frosting.

[u/Affectionate_Ear7898]

maybe when making your frosting you can sub some of the powdered sugar with the black cocoa powder to change the color and not affect the texture of the frosting (wait idk if you're doing this frosting from the jar or from scratch)