Tips for Making Cut Out Cakes

My mom had a cut out cake book that we picked cakes out of each year for our birthdays and she graciously passed it down to me and my kids do the same. I made two cut out cakes for the Cub Scout Cake Auction this weekend and thought of some tips. (You can see pics in my post from yesterday.)

Tips:

1. Don't beat the cake for the full two minutes--this makes it lighter, but also MORE crumbly. I just beat the cake until it looks thoroughly mixed. You will have to ice the cut edges and a denser cake does not crumble as bad.
2. Use parchment paper in the pans. This helps the cake come out easier and the edges of the cake that touch the parchment paper are actually more smooth and less crumbly.
3. After the cake has cooled enough, take it out of the pan and freeze it for at least a couple of hours.
4. Cut the cake while frozen and gently brush off any crumbs.
5. Realize that you will need a lot of icing. About double what you would use for a 13x9 inch because you will have the sides to ice.
6.Take some (about a cup to cup and a half)of the icing and add about a teaspoon of milk so that it is thin enough that is spreads in thin layer, but does not drip or run off the cake. Spread this over the cake to seal in the crumbs. After you are done let is sit for about ten minutes to dry.
7. Spread the regular icing over the top. You can use a spatula or knife dipped in hot water to help smooth out the icing. You can put waxed paper just under the edge of the cake to keep the icing from getting all over your board. Then carefully remove it when you are done icing it.
8. If the cake icing still looks crumby and your family likes coconut, you can sprinkle coconut on top, you can tint it any color you want. Coconut covers a multitude of "sins". :o)
9. Remember that you are the only person that will think it is not perfect. Your kids will love it no matter what!!!!

What to put the cake on...
1. You can use card board.
2. I used one of the foam boards that you can use for a display board from Wal-mart. I covered it with poster board because the boys wanted the background to look like sky or outer space. I then covered it with plastic wrap.

For more great kitchen tips, visit Tammy's recipes at: http://www.tammysrecipes.com/node/3148