Several times I've attempted to produce the Louisiana special Doberge cake.
It has several - as in 6 or 7 very skinny layers with a thin filling and
then a frosting. Loaf size/shape. Yesterday's experiment was that I'd bake
the cake in two loaf pans and split them into 3 layers each.
That didn't work so well.
Husband thinks it's a great cake but he'd enjoy a brick with sufficient
fine chocolate frosting.
I wonder if there's anyone here who's conquered the technique of baking
thin and Edible cake layers? Polly

"Polly Esther" > wrote in message
...
> Several times I've attempted to produce the Louisiana special Doberge
> cake. It has several - as in 6 or 7 very skinny layers with a thin filling
> and then a frosting. Loaf size/shape. Yesterday's experiment was that
> I'd bake the cake in two loaf pans and split them into 3 layers each.
> That didn't work so well.
> Husband thinks it's a great cake but he'd enjoy a brick with sufficient
> fine chocolate frosting.
> I wonder if there's anyone here who's conquered the technique of baking
> thin and Edible cake layers? Polly

There's a new slicing tool. It works pretty well. It's a horizontal cake
cutter w/serrated stainless steel wires.

I pretty much hold it still in front of me and shimmy the cake through from
the side.

Measuring the height is a little tricky. Maybe practice on something first.
http://www.google.com/products/catal...=0CJEBEPMCMAE#


W. Pooh (AKA Winnie P.)

On Mar 20, 7:32*pm, "Polly Esther" > wrote:
> Several times I've attempted to produce the Louisiana special Doberge cake.
> It has several - as in 6 or 7 very skinny layers with a thin filling and
> then a frosting. *Loaf size/shape. *Yesterday's experiment was that I'd bake
> the cake in two loaf pans and split them into 3 layers each.
> * * That didn't work so well.
> * * Husband thinks it's a great cake but he'd enjoy a brick with sufficient
> fine chocolate frosting.
> * * I wonder if there's anyone here who's conquered the technique of baking
> thin and Edible cake layers? * Polly

It's more of cutting them after they are baked instead of trying to
bake thin cakes. I have not seen your recipe, but IMO,
Slightly freeze your layers. Are you able to split one in half w/ a
turntable? If not, have you tried the toothpick method for dividing a
cake? I can split a 2.5" high cake into 4 layers, maybe 5 depending on
the cake.

On Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:32:53 -0500, "Polly Esther"
> wrote:

> Several times I've attempted to produce the Louisiana special Doberge cake.
> It has several - as in 6 or 7 very skinny layers with a thin filling and
> then a frosting. Loaf size/shape. Yesterday's experiment was that I'd bake
> the cake in two loaf pans and split them into 3 layers each.
> That didn't work so well.
> Husband thinks it's a great cake but he'd enjoy a brick with sufficient
> fine chocolate frosting.
> I wonder if there's anyone here who's conquered the technique of baking
> thin and Edible cake layers? Polly

Talk to zz who posted about some gawd awful potluck dish concoction.
S/he might have some tips for you.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On 2012-03-21, Christopher M. > wrote:

> There's a new slicing tool. It works pretty well. It's a horizontal cake
> cutter w/serrated stainless steel wires.

Sounds like gimmicky overkill, to me. Jes wrap some dental floss
around each layer, so the floss sits dead center in the middle of the
sides of the layer. Pull tight!

nb


--
Fight internet CENSORSHIP - Fight SOPA-PIPA
Contact your congressman and/or representative, now!
http://projects.propublica.org/sopa/
vi --the heart of evil!

On 3/21/2012 8:15 AM, notbob wrote:
> On 2012-03-21, Christopher > wrote:
>
>> There's a new slicing tool. It works pretty well. It's a horizontal cake
>> cutter w/serrated stainless steel wires.
>
> Sounds like gimmicky overkill, to me. Jes wrap some dental floss
> around each layer, so the floss sits dead center in the middle of the
> sides of the layer. Pull tight!


The horizontal wire cake slicer is not new. I've had one for a few years
and it does work as long as you've got absolutely level and steady
surfaces to work on. I've tried the slicing with floss trick before with
little success--it works only if the cake holds still, the floss doesn't
shift out of position or drag, and it doesn't hit that particular spot
that exists in every cake that defies cutting/slicing/etc. without
crumbling or pulling apart. Better results have been achieved with
ordinary sewing thread, primarily because it's much finer and creates a
cutting edge with greater force.

On Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:40:06 -0600, Pennyaline
> wrote:

>On 3/21/2012 8:15 AM, notbob wrote:
>> On 2012-03-21, Christopher > wrote:
>>
>>> There's a new slicing tool. It works pretty well. It's a horizontal cake
>>> cutter w/serrated stainless steel wires.
>>
>> Sounds like gimmicky overkill, to me. Jes wrap some dental floss
>> around each layer, so the floss sits dead center in the middle of the
>> sides of the layer. Pull tight!
>
>
>The horizontal wire cake slicer is not new. I've had one for a few years
>and it does work as long as you've got absolutely level and steady
>surfaces to work on. I've tried the slicing with floss trick before with
>little success--it works only if the cake holds still, the floss doesn't
>shift out of position or drag, and it doesn't hit that particular spot
>that exists in every cake that defies cutting/slicing/etc. without
>crumbling or pulling apart. Better results have been achieved with
>ordinary sewing thread, primarily because it's much finer and creates a
>cutting edge with greater force.

This is all a lotta BS... professional bakers slice cake with a
scalloped bread knife blade... and for extra precision they rest the
blade accross a couple of wooden dowels as a guide. I've never seen
any baker use wire/dental floss for slicing, that's gotta be an
idiotic foodtv trick.

On 3/21/2012 7:55 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
> On Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:40:06 -0600, Pennyaline
> > wrote:
>
>> On 3/21/2012 8:15 AM, notbob wrote:
>>> On 2012-03-21, Christopher > wrote:
>>>
>>>> There's a new slicing tool. It works pretty well. It's a horizontal cake
>>>> cutter w/serrated stainless steel wires.
>>>
>>> Sounds like gimmicky overkill, to me. Jes wrap some dental floss
>>> around each layer, so the floss sits dead center in the middle of the
>>> sides of the layer. Pull tight!
>>
>>
>> The horizontal wire cake slicer is not new. I've had one for a few years
>> and it does work as long as you've got absolutely level and steady
>> surfaces to work on. I've tried the slicing with floss trick before with
>> little success--it works only if the cake holds still, the floss doesn't
>> shift out of position or drag, and it doesn't hit that particular spot
>> that exists in every cake that defies cutting/slicing/etc. without
>> crumbling or pulling apart. Better results have been achieved with
>> ordinary sewing thread, primarily because it's much finer and creates a
>> cutting edge with greater force.
>
> This is all a lotta BS... professional bakers slice cake with a
> scalloped bread knife blade... and for extra precision they rest the
> blade accross a couple of wooden dowels as a guide. I've never seen
> any baker use wire/dental floss for slicing, that's gotta be an
> idiotic foodtv trick.

I've done the serrated knife resting on blocks, too. Nice, as long as
nobody takes your blocks in between cakes! In my younger, steady-handed
days, I could halve a cake layer freehand--those days are long gone. The
wire cake slicer jobby does work, as does the thread trick. My wire
cutter is from Wilton and I don't think anybody here ever said that
professional bakers use it.

On Mar 21, 6:55*pm, Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:
> On Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:40:06 -0600, Pennyaline
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > wrote:
> >On 3/21/2012 8:15 AM, notbob wrote:
> >> On 2012-03-21, Christopher > *wrote:
>
> >>> There's a new slicing tool. It works pretty well. It's a horizontal cake
> >>> cutter w/serrated stainless steel wires.
>
> >> Sounds like gimmicky overkill, to me. *Jes wrap some dental floss
> >> around each layer, so the floss sits dead center in the middle of the
> >> sides of the layer. *Pull tight!
>
> >The horizontal wire cake slicer is not new. I've had one for a few years
> >and it does work as long as you've got absolutely level and steady
> >surfaces to work on. I've tried the slicing with floss trick before with
> >little success--it works only if the cake holds still, the floss doesn't
> >shift out of position or drag, and it doesn't hit that particular spot
> >that exists in every cake that defies cutting/slicing/etc. without
> >crumbling or pulling apart. Better results have been achieved with
> >ordinary sewing thread, primarily because it's much finer and creates a
> >cutting edge with greater force.
>
> This is all a lotta BS... professional bakers slice cake with a
> scalloped bread knife blade... and for extra precision they rest the
> blade accross a couple of wooden dowels as a guide. *I've never seen
> any baker use wire/dental floss for slicing, that's gotta be an
> idiotic foodtv trick.

You can see an Agbay (or similar horizontal cake slicer) in the
background of the picture on the SugarEd blog. Here's the Agbay
website:

http://www.agbayproducts.com/

It is an old tool. Bakers slice cake with a
scalloped bread knife blade. I have never seen any professional baker using wire.

On 3/20/2012 9:32 PM, Polly Esther wrote:
> Several times I've attempted to produce the Louisiana special Doberge
> cake. It has several - as in 6 or 7 very skinny layers with a thin
> filling and then a frosting. Loaf size/shape. Yesterday's experiment
> was that I'd bake the cake in two loaf pans and split them into 3
> layers each.
> That didn't work so well.
> Husband thinks it's a great cake but he'd enjoy a brick with
> sufficient fine chocolate frosting.
> I wonder if there's anyone here who's conquered the technique of
> baking thin and Edible cake layers? Polly

I make a sixteen-layer chocolate almond truffle torte, and I bake the
layers separately. I have four 9-inch cake pans with removable
bottoms. I use parchment circles, pour in the allotment of batter, and
bake four layers at a time. Remove from oven, remove bottoms, slide
parchment/cake layer onto rack. Repeat three more times. It sounds
like more work but it goes really fast. Plus, if I want to freeze the
layers, they're already on the parchment, so they can be safely
stacked within a cake pan and frozen until I'm ready to assemble it.

On Thu, 22 Mar 2012 10:54:44 -0500, Hell Toupee >
wrote:

> On 3/20/2012 9:32 PM, Polly Esther wrote:
> >
> > I wonder if there's anyone here who's conquered the technique of
> > baking thin and Edible cake layers? Polly
>
> I make a sixteen-layer chocolate almond truffle torte, and I bake the
> layers separately. I have four 9-inch cake pans with removable
> bottoms. I use parchment circles, pour in the allotment of batter, and
> bake four layers at a time. Remove from oven, remove bottoms, slide
> parchment/cake layer onto rack. Repeat three more times. It sounds
> like more work but it goes really fast. Plus, if I want to freeze the
> layers, they're already on the parchment, so they can be safely
> stacked within a cake pan and frozen until I'm ready to assemble it.

That's interesting: premade skinny layers. Do you use two pieces of
parchment or one between the layers and how do you deal with the
edges? Chocolate almond truffle tort sounded tasty, so I looked for a
recipe and came up with something the size of what I'd want to make
and it's gluten free too. http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/641357
Thanks for the idea!

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Thu, 22 Mar 2012 10:24:52 -0700, sf > wrote:

>On Thu, 22 Mar 2012 10:54:44 -0500, Hell Toupee >
>wrote:
>
>> On 3/20/2012 9:32 PM, Polly Esther wrote:
>> >
>> > I wonder if there's anyone here who's conquered the technique of
>> > baking thin and Edible cake layers? Polly
>>
>> I make a sixteen-layer chocolate almond truffle torte, and I bake the
>> layers separately. I have four 9-inch cake pans with removable
>> bottoms. I use parchment circles, pour in the allotment of batter, and
>> bake four layers at a time. Remove from oven, remove bottoms, slide
>> parchment/cake layer onto rack. Repeat three more times. It sounds
>> like more work but it goes really fast. Plus, if I want to freeze the
>> layers, they're already on the parchment, so they can be safely
>> stacked within a cake pan and frozen until I'm ready to assemble it.
>
>That's interesting: premade skinny layers. Do you use two pieces of
>parchment or one between the layers and how do you deal with the
>edges?

Professional bakers would use large jelly roll pans and cut out the
circles... the scraps are used as cake crumbs.

On Mar 22, 8:54*am, Hell Toupee > wrote:
> On 3/20/2012 9:32 PM, Polly Esther wrote:
>
> > Several times I've attempted to produce the Louisiana special Doberge
> > cake. It has several - as in 6 or 7 very skinny layers with a thin
> > filling and then a frosting. Loaf size/shape. Yesterday's experiment
> > was that I'd bake the cake in two loaf pans and split them into 3
> > layers each.
> > That didn't work so well.
> > Husband thinks it's a great cake but he'd enjoy a brick with
> > sufficient fine chocolate frosting.
> > I wonder if there's anyone here who's conquered the technique of
> > baking thin and Edible cake layers? Polly
>
> I make a sixteen-layer chocolate almond truffle torte, and I bake the
> layers separately. I have four 9-inch cake pans with removable
> bottoms. I use parchment circles, pour in the allotment of batter, and
> bake four layers at a time. Remove from oven, remove bottoms, slide
> parchment/cake layer onto rack. Repeat three more times. It sounds
> like more work but it goes really fast. Plus, if I want to freeze the
> layers, they're already on the parchment, so they can be safely
> stacked within a cake pan and frozen until I'm ready to assemble it.

You don't have to adjust for the multiple dome shapes? I thought
bakers baked full height layers, then leveled them by cutting.

On 3/22/2012 1:19 PM, spamtrap1888 wrote:
> On Mar 22, 8:54 am, Hell > wrote:
>> On 3/20/2012 9:32 PM, Polly Esther wrote:
>>
>>> Several times I've attempted to produce the Louisiana special Doberge
>>> cake. It has several - as in 6 or 7 very skinny layers with a thin
>>> filling and then a frosting. Loaf size/shape. Yesterday's experiment
>>> was that I'd bake the cake in two loaf pans and split them into 3
>>> layers each.
>>> That didn't work so well.
>>> Husband thinks it's a great cake but he'd enjoy a brick with
>>> sufficient fine chocolate frosting.
>>> I wonder if there's anyone here who's conquered the technique of
>>> baking thin and Edible cake layers? Polly
>>
>> I make a sixteen-layer chocolate almond truffle torte, and I bake the
>> layers separately. I have four 9-inch cake pans with removable
>> bottoms. I use parchment circles, pour in the allotment of batter, and
>> bake four layers at a time. Remove from oven, remove bottoms, slide
>> parchment/cake layer onto rack. Repeat three more times. It sounds
>> like more work but it goes really fast. Plus, if I want to freeze the
>> layers, they're already on the parchment, so they can be safely
>> stacked within a cake pan and frozen until I'm ready to assemble it.
>
> You don't have to adjust for the multiple dome shapes? I thought
> bakers baked full height layers, then leveled them by cutting.

It's a torte and the batter consists primarily of ground almonds,
dried breadcrumbs, melted chocolate - no leavening added, so no
doming. Also, since there's just 1 1/4 cups of batter per pan, each
layer bakes only about 3/8 inch thick. Because it is so thin, it bakes
very fast, which means there's no time for the edges to overcook.
After the layers have cooled and I'm ready to assemble the torte, I
carefully peel the parchment circle off the bottom of the layer. Set
it upside down inside a cake ring, brush with imbibing syrup, spread
filling. Repeat with next layer until all have been stacked. The cake
ring (you can use a springform pan ring if you don't have a cake ring)
keeps the layers straight and even. Chill to firm; remove cake ring;
spread with remaining ganache; decorate as desired. It's so speedy and
efficient, but people think because there are so many layers that it
is sheer murder to make. Nope, it goes together really fast.

By the way, those of us who have worked in commercial bakeries learned
another trick to flatten humped cake layers, which has the advantage
of not creating crumbs: whack them hard. Yes indeed, thump them with a
flat object to even them out. Most cake sponges are springy enough
that a few whacks will not destroy the texture. In fact, people
exclaim over the fine texture all the time, and I smile to myself,
knowing how appalled they'd be if they saw us smacking those layers down.

"Brooklyn1" <Gravesend1> wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 22 Mar 2012 10:24:52 -0700, sf > wrote:
>
>>On Thu, 22 Mar 2012 10:54:44 -0500, Hell Toupee >
>>wrote:
>>
>>> On 3/20/2012 9:32 PM, Polly Esther wrote:
>>> >
>>> > I wonder if there's anyone here who's conquered the technique of
>>> > baking thin and Edible cake layers? Polly
>>>
>>> I make a sixteen-layer chocolate almond truffle torte, and I bake the
>>> layers separately. I have four 9-inch cake pans with removable
>>> bottoms. I use parchment circles, pour in the allotment of batter, and
>>> bake four layers at a time. Remove from oven, remove bottoms, slide
>>> parchment/cake layer onto rack. Repeat three more times. It sounds
>>> like more work but it goes really fast. Plus, if I want to freeze the
>>> layers, they're already on the parchment, so they can be safely
>>> stacked within a cake pan and frozen until I'm ready to assemble it.
>>
>>That's interesting: premade skinny layers. Do you use two pieces of
>>parchment or one between the layers and how do you deal with the
>>edges?
>
> Professional bakers would use large jelly roll pans and cut out the
> circles... the scraps are used as cake crumbs.

You can also dip donuts in the cake crumbs.


W. Pooh (AKA Winnie P.)

Pennyaline wrote:

>>> There's a new slicing tool. It works pretty well. It's a horizontal cake
>>> cutter w/serrated stainless steel wires.
>>
>> Sounds like gimmicky overkill, to me. Jes wrap some dental floss
>> around each layer, so the floss sits dead center in the middle of the
>> sides of the layer. Pull tight!
>
>
> The horizontal wire cake slicer is not new. I've had one for a few years
> and it does work as long as you've got absolutely level and steady
> surfaces to work on. I've tried the slicing with floss trick before with
> little success--it works only if the cake holds still, the floss doesn't
> shift out of position or drag, and it doesn't hit that particular spot
> that exists in every cake that defies cutting/slicing/etc. without
> crumbling or pulling apart. Better results have been achieved with
> ordinary sewing thread, primarily because it's much finer and creates a
> cutting edge with greater force.

Three comments:

1. I have that cake slicer too, and it works great. As you note, every
cake has some stubborn spot, and the "cake saw" goes right through it.

2. If you choose to use floss or thread, you can get a bit of
"insurance" by sticking toothpicks into the cake along the equator where
you want to the floss to go.

3. As Pussy notes downthread, you can cut a cake using a serrated bread
knife, but I think that works best if you have the cake on a turntable,
so you can hold the knife steady and rotate the cake around the cutting
edge.

Bob