Hi all,

I'm taking my first Wilton cake decorating course and I'm having fun
learning new things. For the course we have to make this buttercream which
is mostly made up of vegetable shortening & icing sugar it's great for
piping flowers & doing th boarders & of course frosting the cake. But I
don't like the idea of all that shortening. Is there another icing that is
good for this? What's the name so I can find a recipe?

Also for the course I've been using boxed cake mixes for the cakes, but I
find that the cakes are to soft and crumbly when I have to slice them in
half to make layers for the filling. What are some tasty cake that are a
little more dence and not as crumbly.

Thanks in advance,
Giggles

> I'm taking my first Wilton cake decorating course and I'm having fun
> learning new things. For the course we have to make this buttercream
> which is mostly made up of vegetable shortening & icing sugar it's great
> for piping flowers & doing th boarders & of course frosting the cake. But
> I don't like the idea of all that shortening. Is there another icing that
> is good for this? What's the name so I can find a recipe?
>
> Also for the course I've been using boxed cake mixes for the cakes, but I
> find that the cakes are to soft and crumbly when I have to slice them in
> half to make layers for the filling. What are some tasty cake that are a
> little more dence and not as crumbly.


The Bible for this kind of thing is named _The Cake Bible_. It's by Rose
Levy Beranbaum. Buy it. Read it. Look at the illustrations and be wowed
and/or inspired.

Bob

Bob Terwilliger wrote:

>
>
>> I'm taking my first Wilton cake decorating course and I'm having fun
>> learning new things. For the course we have to make this buttercream
>> which is mostly made up of vegetable shortening & icing sugar it's
>> great for piping flowers & doing th boarders & of course frosting the
>> cake. But I don't like the idea of all that shortening. Is there
>> another icing that is good for this? What's the name so I can find a
>> recipe?
>>
>> Also for the course I've been using boxed cake mixes for the cakes,
>> but I find that the cakes are to soft and crumbly when I have to
>> slice them in half to make layers for the filling. What are some
>> tasty cake that are a little more dence and not as crumbly.


My favorite is Mom's lemon bundt cake. The closest I ever came to it
was:

http://cake.allrecipes.com/AZ/LemonadeCakeIII.asp


Andy

On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 04:52:27 -0400, "Giggles"
> wrote:

>Hi all,

Well, I'll answer the question on your subject line--I can't really
help with the one in the body of the post.

Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte


--
-denny-

"I don't like it when a whole state starts
acting like a marital aid."
"John R. Campbell" in a Usenet post.

On Thu 29 Sep 2005 01:17:02p, Denny Wheeler wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 04:52:27 -0400, "Giggles"
> > wrote:
>
>>Hi all,
>
> Well, I'll answer the question on your subject line--I can't really
> help with the one in the body of the post.
>
> Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte
>
>

DITTO!

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 04:52:27 -0400, "Giggles"
> connected the dots and wrote:

~Hi all,
~
~I'm taking my first Wilton cake decorating course and I'm having fun
~learning new things. For the course we have to make this buttercream
which
~is mostly made up of vegetable shortening & icing sugar it's great
for
~piping flowers & doing th boarders & of course frosting the cake. But
I
~don't like the idea of all that shortening. Is there another icing
that is
~good for this? What's the name so I can find a recipe?

Royal Icing.

~Also for the course I've been using boxed cake mixes for the cakes,
but I
~find that the cakes are to soft and crumbly when I have to slice them
in
~half to make layers for the filling. What are some tasty cake that
are a
~little more dence and not as crumbly.
~
~Thanks in advance,
~Giggles
~
No idea.

maxine in ri

On Fri, 30 Sep 2005 21:21:59 -0400, maxine in ri >
wrote:

>On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 04:52:27 -0400, "Giggles"
> connected the dots and wrote:
>
>~Hi all,
>~
>~I'm taking my first Wilton cake decorating course and I'm having fun
>~learning new things. For the course we have to make this buttercream
>which
>~is mostly made up of vegetable shortening & icing sugar it's great
>for
>~piping flowers & doing th boarders & of course frosting the cake. But
>I
>~don't like the idea of all that shortening. Is there another icing
>that is
>~good for this? What's the name so I can find a recipe?
>
>Royal Icing.

You cannot do the same decorating with royal icing, which is of a
different consistency and dries shiny and hard. Buttercream is smooth
and stays soft. There are butter flavored shortenings to use, but
using butter can be iffy, because it melts so easily
>
>~Also for the course I've been using boxed cake mixes for the cakes,
>but I
>~find that the cakes are to soft and crumbly when I have to slice them
>in
>~half to make layers for the filling. What are some tasty cake that
>are a
>~little more dence and not as crumbly.
>~
>~Thanks in advance,
>~Giggles
>~
>No idea.


Almost anything can be used for the course - it needn't even be a
cake, but only a cake-shaped object.

A dood genoise holds up better, but takes more work than a mix cake. I
bet if the mix cake were baked a in multiple pans and with thinner
layers, there would be no need to split layers - just pile them on

Again, this is all for practice.

Boron

On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 04:52:27 -0400, "Giggles"
> connected the dots and wrote:
>>
>>~Hi all,
<snip>
>>~Also for the course I've been using boxed cake mixes for the cakes,
>>but I
>>~find that the cakes are to soft and crumbly when I have to slice them
>>in
>>~half to make layers for the filling. What are some tasty cake that
>>are a
>>~little more dence and not as crumbly.

Use a "pudding in the mix" mix. They are just right for splitting.
Other cake mixes often have variations listed in a chart on the back
(eg. rich version with more eggs).

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

>
>> What's your favorite cake & icing?
>

My favorite cake is a pound cake my wife makes and it is best with no icing.

On other cakes, a buttercream icing is OK.

On Sat, 01 Oct 2005 23:45:19 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote:

>
>>
>>> What's your favorite cake & icing?
>>
>
>My favorite cake is a pound cake my wife makes and it is best with no icing.
>
>On other cakes, a buttercream icing is OK.
>
Pound cake and a tall glass of cold milk...... Good Choice !
and, poor-mans cake ( raisin-cinnamon )
and carrot cake w/cream-cheese icing

Of course, none of these has calories.
<rj>

> What's your favorite cake & icing?
>
>

Devil's food cake with either chocolate ganache glaze
or vanilla cream cheese icing. A good vanilla ice cream
alongside never hurt, either.

gloria p

On Sun, 02 Oct 2005 01:14:10 GMT, Dog3 > wrote:

>Puester > wrote in
:
>
>>
>>> What's your favorite cake & icing?
>>>
>>
>> Devil's food cake with either chocolate ganache glaze
>> or vanilla cream cheese icing. A good vanilla ice cream
>> alongside never hurt, either.
>>
>> gloria p
>>
>Some cakes are better than others but they're all good
>Michael

I believe the exact phrasing is;
"I've never had a bad piece of cake;
some were better than others, but all were "good". "

( I'm pretty sure the subject was "cake" ) ;o)






<rj>

What's your favorite cake & icing?
RESPONSE: Sanders Chocolate Bumpy Cake

> wrote

> I like frosting on cakes, all kinds, I just think people over do it. The
> prepared cakes at local bakeries, local store, megamart, and restaurants
> are way
> over board. I normally have this pile of excess frosting on my plate.

I know exactly what the problem is here ... some people don't understand
that the cake is there to hold up the frosting ... you eat the cake part
first
to get it out of the way and then you eat the frosting.

nancy

On Sun 02 Oct 2005 01:12:01p, Nancy Young wrote in rec.food.cooking:

>
> > wrote
>
>> I like frosting on cakes, all kinds, I just think people over do it. The
>> prepared cakes at local bakeries, local store, megamart, and restaurants
>> are way
>> over board. I normally have this pile of excess frosting on my plate.
>
> I know exactly what the problem is here ... some people don't understand
> that the cake is there to hold up the frosting ... you eat the cake part
> first
> to get it out of the way and then you eat the frosting.
>
> nancy

I am so glad you defined the problem, Nancy. I can see cakes clearly now,
and know exactly what to do with them. :-)

One could simplify and just eat the frosting out of the bowl!

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________

http://tinypic.com/dzijap.jpg

Popie-In-The-Bowl

Nancy Young wrote:
> > wrote
>
>
>>I like frosting on cakes, all kinds, I just think people over do it. The
>>prepared cakes at local bakeries, local store, megamart, and restaurants
>>are way
>>over board. I normally have this pile of excess frosting on my plate.
>
>
> I know exactly what the problem is here ... some people don't understand
> that the cake is there to hold up the frosting ... you eat the cake part
> first
> to get it out of the way and then you eat the frosting.
>
> nancy
>
>


Of course! And you always "reluctantly" take the corner piece
(with all the extra frosting) that no one else will claim, right?

gloria p

On Sun, 2 Oct 2005 16:12:01 -0400, "Nancy Young" > wrote:

>
> wrote
>
>> I like frosting on cakes, all kinds, I just think people over do it. The
>> prepared cakes at local bakeries, local store, megamart, and restaurants
>> are way
>> over board. I normally have this pile of excess frosting on my plate.
>
>I know exactly what the problem is here ... some people don't understand
>that the cake is there to hold up the frosting ... you eat the cake part
>first
>to get it out of the way and then you eat the frosting.
>
>nancy
>

EXCEPT
for those sheet-cakes they have at office celebrations.

An inch of nodescript cake,
covered with an inch of Crisco "icing"

( I could barely get the third piece down )


<rj>

"Nancy Young" > wrote in message
...
>
> > wrote
>
>> I like frosting on cakes, all kinds, I just think people over do it. The
>> prepared cakes at local bakeries, local store, megamart, and restaurants
>> are way
>> over board. I normally have this pile of excess frosting on my plate.
>
> I know exactly what the problem is here ... some people don't understand
> that the cake is there to hold up the frosting ... you eat the cake part
> first
> to get it out of the way and then you eat the frosting.

*giggle* surely not))))))))))))))))

"Puester" > wrote

> Nancy Young wrote:

>> I know exactly what the problem is here ... some people don't understand
>> that the cake is there to hold up the frosting ... you eat the cake part
>> first
>> to get it out of the way and then you eat the frosting.

> Of course! And you always "reluctantly" take the corner piece
> (with all the extra frosting) that no one else will claim, right?

(laugh!) A woman after my own heart, you found me out.

nancy

The best icing is plain coffee buttercream. If any of it was left after
licking the spoon, a Betty Crocker Black Midnight devils food cake would go
nicely underneath it.

Kathy

"Giggles" > wrote in message
...
> Hi all,
>
> I'm taking my first Wilton cake decorating course and I'm having fun
> learning new things. For the course we have to make this buttercream
> which
> is mostly made up of vegetable shortening & icing sugar it's great for
> piping flowers & doing th boarders & of course frosting the cake. But I
> don't like the idea of all that shortening. Is there another icing that
> is
> good for this? What's the name so I can find a recipe?
>
> Also for the course I've been using boxed cake mixes for the cakes, but I
> find that the cakes are to soft and crumbly when I have to slice them in
> half to make layers for the filling. What are some tasty cake that are a
> little more dence and not as crumbly.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Giggles
>
>
The absolute best cake on the planet is the chocolate cake on the back of
the Hershey's cocoa can. The best icing is the icing on the back of the
Hershey's cocoa can. It is, without doubt, the best cake I never make.
Mainly because I don't need all that sugar. But I sure do love it.

Jean
--
*****************
We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence therefore is not an act, but a habit. - Aristotle
*****************

Red Velvet Cake with buttercream frosting.

Black forest cake runs a close second.