Layer Cake Construction & Filling Strategies
About This Course
Master the art of building perfectly leveled layer cakes and choosing the right fillings to achieve balanced flavor, texture, and stability. This course covers everything from baking even cake layers, leveling and stacking, to selecting and applying complementary fillings—crèmes, curds, ganaches, and buttercreams. Through practical demonstrations and hands-on tips, you’ll learn techniques for support, leak prevention, and flavor harmony, ensuring each slice is as beautiful as it is delicious.
Learning Objectives
Baking for Uniform Layers: How to prep pans (lining, spray), adjust batter distribution, and use baking strips or temperature hacks for flat, even cake tops.
Leveling & Stacking: Knife vs. cake leveler methods; applying a thin “crumb coat” of frosting; inserting dowels or straws for multi-tier support; stacking layers without slippage.
Filling Varieties & Textures: Selecting between custards, curds, fruit compotes, ganaches, buttercreams, and mousse fillings—considering sweetness, moisture control, and pairings (e.g., raspberry curd with chocolate cake).
Preventing Leaks & Weeping: Techniques for sealing cake layers (buttercream dam, chocolate collar), ensuring fillings stay contained; chilling strategies to set fillings before final coating.
Flavor Harmony & Balance: Matching cake flavor (vanilla, chocolate, spice) with filling profiles (tart, sweet, creamy) to avoid one element overpowering another; adjusting sweetness levels.
Finishing & Presentation Prep: Applying a smooth final coat of frosting or ganache; creating optional decorative borders or piped accents; slicing tips for clean, even servings.
Material Includes
- Recipe & Technique Guide: Exact formulas for sponge cakes (buttermilk, chocolate, genoise), plus buttercream, ganache, and curd filling recipes with precise ratios and temperature guidelines.
- Step-by-Step Photo Sequence: Visuals demonstrating pan preparation, leveling, dam piping, filling application, and final crumb coat.
- Troubleshooting Flowchart: Quick-reference for common issues—slanted layers, over-soft fillings, frosting tears—with corrective actions.
- Equipment Checklist: Pan sizes, levelers, offset spatulas, turntable, piping tips, and support dowels.
Requirements
- Requirements:
- For Cake Layers (vanilla or chocolate sponge):
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 300 g granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs (room temperature)
- 240 ml whole milk (room temperature)
- 120 ml vegetable oil or melted unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 12 g baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- (If chocolate layers: replace 40 g flour with 40 g cocoa powder)
- For Filling Options:
- 250 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 500 g powdered sugar, sifted
- 120 ml heavy cream or milk (cold)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 200 g fruit preserves or curd (e.g., raspberry, lemon)
Target Audience
- Home bakers aiming to elevate their cake presentations for special occasions.
- Pastry students and professionals who want refined assembly techniques.
- Bakery owners and cake decorators seeking consistency in multi-layer constructions.
- Culinary hobbyists interested in understanding structure and flavor pairing in cakes.
Curriculum
3 Lessons58m
Foundations of Baking & Leveling
Leveling Layers & Applying a Crumb Coat
Filling Selection & Stacking Strategies
Your Instructors
uniquedevservice993@gmail.com
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€16.13
Material Includes
- Recipe & Technique Guide: Exact formulas for sponge cakes (buttermilk, chocolate, genoise), plus buttercream, ganache, and curd filling recipes with precise ratios and temperature guidelines.
- Step-by-Step Photo Sequence: Visuals demonstrating pan preparation, leveling, dam piping, filling application, and final crumb coat.
- Troubleshooting Flowchart: Quick-reference for common issues—slanted layers, over-soft fillings, frosting tears—with corrective actions.
- Equipment Checklist: Pan sizes, levelers, offset spatulas, turntable, piping tips, and support dowels.
