Chapter 17
Classic and Modern Cake Assembly
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Introduction
• Bread elaborated into sweetened confections
and evolved to cakes
• Symbols of public and private celebrations
• Culmination of techniques to produce cake,
syrup, icing, decorations, etc
• Endless combination of textures and flavors
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17
Composition and Balance: Classic
and Contemporary Cakes
• Classic layer cakes: cake bases, filling, icing
and decoration
• Product composition considerations
– Flavor
– Texture
– Color
– Assembly style
– Decoration and garnish
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17
Composition and Balance: Classic
and Contemporary Cakes
• Flavor of Cake, Fillings and Icings
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– The flavors from each component must harmonize
– The balance can only be learned by tasting
• Texture of Cake, Fillings and Icings
– Determines the mouth feel and also its shelf life and
stability
– Soft, crisp, firm, crunchy, brittle, creamy light, dense,
airy, wet, dry, etc.
– Opposing qualities complement each other
© 2009 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Composition and Balance: Classic
and Contemporary Cakes
• Color Schemes of Cake, Fillings, Icing and
Decoration
– The color should relate to the flavor
– As a guideline, pastel tones are better for icing
• Assembly Style
– Round, square, specialty shapes
– Various fillings
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Composition and Balance: Classic
and Contemporary Cakes
• Decoration and Garnish
– First impression of the cake
– Tells what is in the cake
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Classic Cake Assembly
• Classic Cake Mise en Place
– Proper mise en place is required before cake
assembly.
– The selection of each components vary greatly
– Cake Bases
– Filling and Icing
– Decoration and Garnish
– Hand Tools, Equipment and Cake Boards
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17
Classic Cake Assembly
CHAPTER
• Classic Cake Mise en Place
– Cake Bases
• Must be baked and cooled completely
• Can be kept frozen well-wrapped
– Fillings and Icings
• Should be flavored and ready to use
• Maintain efficient assembly so that enough filling and icing
are prepared
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17
Classic Cake Assembly
• Classic Cake Mise en Place
– Decoration and Garnish
• Can be purchased or prepared
• Compliment the flavor and style of the cake
– Hand Tools, Equipment and Hand Tools
• Knives, palette knives, piping bags, tips, etc
• Mixers, sheeters, turntables
• Cake boards
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Classic Cake Assembly
• Splitting, Filling and Masking Cakes
– Splitting
• Cutting the cake base into layers
• A good-quality serrated knife
• Cut at a constant rate without changing the angle of the
blade
• Crumbs should be cleared before assembly
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Classic Cake Assembly
• Splitting, Filling and Masking Cakes
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– Filling
• Applying the filling between cake layers
• Determine which layer should be in which position
• Secure the bottom layer on a cake round
• Spread filling from center to outward
• The cake can be moistened with cake syrup or a thin layer
of jam
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Classic Cake Assembly
• Splitting, Filling and Masking Cakes
– Masking
• Crumb coat
– Secure all of the crumbs to the cake
– Intermediate stage to establish the final form of the cake
• The cake should remain in the refrigerator for at least 10
minutes up to one day
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Classic Cake Assembly
• Icing and Glazing Cakes
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– The final step of cake assembly
– The cakes can be frozen after being iced or glazed
– the freezing durability should be tested
– Icing
• The concept is the same as for masking, although the icing
is thicker
• Start from the top surface, then the sides
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Classic Cake Assembly
• Icing and Glazing Cakes
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– Glazing
• Create an even surface by masking, before glazing
• Temperature of the glaze
• Cake is placed on a pouring screen, and prepared glaze is
applied around the perimeter then the center
• Work quickly to ensure the seamless surface
• Once glazed, the cake should be chilled or frozen to set the
glaze
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Classic Cake Assembly
• Decoration of Classic Layer Cakes
– Must be related to the style and flavor of the cake
– Icing, fruits, nuts, chocolate decors, etc
– Basic Piping Techniques
• Rosettes, shells, reversed shells, dots, ropes
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Specialty Cake Assembly
• Assembly and presentation differs from the
classic layer cake
• Various shapes, textures and flavors
• Features mousse and various creams,
specialty cake bases
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Specialty Cake Assembly
• Specialty Cake Mise en Place
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– Cake Components
• The basic components can be prepared and reserved in
freezer for easier production
• Complete all prep work and organize the workstation before
starting
• Required temperatures of the components
– Hand Tools
• Chef’s knife, serrated knife, palette knives, pastry cutter,
ladles, etc
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Specialty Cake Assembly
• Specialty Cake Mise en Place
– Acetate Strips and Sheets
• Line ring molds for mousse cakes, decorative chocolate
works
• Acquired in many widths and sizes
• Can be cleaned and reused for cakes
– Cake Molds
• Metal or plastic
• Efficient and consistent
• Typically no bottom base
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Specialty Cake Assembly
• Specialty Cake Mise en Place
– Silicon Molds
• Popular for individual-size desserts
• Add different shapes and texture
• The mousse can be unmolded after frozen
– Cake Frames
• Metal frames available in a sheet pan or half-sheet pan
size
• Large rectangular cake molds
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Specialty Cake Assembly
• Assembling Mousse Cakes
– Upside-down technique and Bottom-up technique
– Depends on what type of mold is being used
– Consider preparation of the cake base and special
handling consideration of the mousse
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Specialty Cake Assembly
• Assembling Mousse Cakes
– Preparing Cake Bases for Molded Cakes
• Cut out cake circles slightly smaller than the base
diameter of the molds
• Place it the center of ring mold or reserve for later use if
using flexipan.
– Special Considerations for Portioning Mousse
• Should be done quickly and efficiently
• Use of ladle / pitcher / piping tip and volume loss
• The cakes should be frozen for at least 6 hours once the
molds are filled
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Specialty Cake Assembly
• Assembling Mousse Cakes
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– Bottom Up Assembly
• In ring molds, cake frames or any molds with no bottom
• Prepare the molds with an acetate liner and a cake base,
and optionally cake wall
• Additional ingredients such as frozen inserts or biscuit can
be placed when the cake is partially filled
• Place the cake in freezer once it is filled with appropriate
components
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Specialty Cake Assembly
• Assembling Mousse Cakes
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– Upside-down Assembly
• For silicon molds and specialty molds (half dome or pyramid
molds)
• The mousse is deposited first, then inserts and cake bases
are placed on top of the mousse
• Once frozen, the dessert is inverted so that the cake base is
on the bottom
• Use of Silicone Mold for Upside Down Assembly
– Unmold the desserts once they are frozen, and they should
remain frozen until ready for finishing
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Specialty Cake Assembly
• Finishing & Presentation for Mousse Cakes
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– Glaze and gelée prevents the oxidation and rancidity
of the mousse
– If glazing the whole cake, they should be place
directly on a pouring screen
– Keep the acetate or cake ring on if only glazing the
top surface
– To remove the cake ring, heat it lightly with a hot
towel or torch
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Specialty Cake Assembly
• Finishing & Presentation for Mousse Cakes
– Decoration and Presentation Techniques
• Refined and aesthetically pleasing
• Highlighting local and seasonal flavors
• Ease of transportation and cost effectiveness
• Fruit and chocolate glazes, clear or cold process glazes
• Chocolate spray
• Fresh fruits
• Chocolate and sugar works
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Specialty Cake Assembly
• Production and Shelf Life of Mousse Cakes
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– The cakes can be made in larger quantities and pull
out from the freezer as needed for a retail shops
– For wholesale delivery, they should be packed in
boxes in freezer until just before the delivery
– Once unfrozen, the shelf life is 48 hours under
refrigeration
– Store away from odors
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Specialty Cake Assembly
• Composition, Design and Evolution
– Understand the ingredient functions, formula
processes and assembly techniques
– Endless possibility of flavor and texture
combination, ad presentation
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CHAPTER
17
Wedding Cake
• Evolution of Wedding Cake
– A growing section of the pastry industry
– Shows the pastry chef’s skill, talent and creativity
– Communication with the customer
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17
Wedding Cake
• Evolution of Wedding Cake
– History of Wedding Cake
• Dates back to Roman Empire, 400 BCE
• A piece of dense fruit cake or sweet bread
• Invention of sugar icing in the 17th century
• Great Britain – A major sugar importer, led the creation of
royal icing, pastillage and rolled fondant
• In the 19th century – Queen Victoria’s era
• The decoration grew artistic by the end of 19th century
• Tiered cakes became common by the early 20th century
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Wedding Cake
• Evolution of Wedding Cake
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– Wedding Cakes from Different Cultures
• Great Britain
– Similar to the cakes of the 19th century
– Fruitcake soaked in liqueur and covered marzipan or rolled
fondant – long shelf life
– Royal icing and pastillage decoration
• France
– Croque en Bouche
– Profiteroles filled with pastry cream or crème Chiboust, dipped
in caramel and stacked
– Opt for layer cakes in current years
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Wedding Cake
• Evolution of Wedding Cake
– Wedding Cakes from Different Cultures
• Australia and New Zealand
– Strong British influence
– Rolled fondant, royal icing décor and gum paste works
such as ribbons and flowers
• South Africa
– Resemblance to Great Britain
– Royal icing “wings”
– Piped on waxed paper, released when dry, and attached
to rolled fondant
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Wedding Cake
• Evolution of Wedding Cake
– Wedding Cakes from Different Cultures
• United States
– Multiple stacked or tiered cakes, with different colors and
shapes
– Classic style: buttercream icing, roses and pipings, plastic
cake toppers, pearls and decorations
– Modern style: reflects the couple’s personalities –
artistically designed
– Fresh fruits, chocolate, sugar, gum paste and pastillage
décor
– Groom’s cake
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CHAPTER
17
Wedding Cake
• Coordinating Wedding Cake Production
– Build a good relationship with clients
– Close communication with the clients
– Design
• The possibility of wedding cake designs is endless
• Designing of the structural support
• Materials for the decorations
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Wedding Cake
• Coordinating Wedding Cake Production
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– Designing
• Structure
– A cake stand and cake columns
– Cake stands are available for renting
– Multiple horizontal platforms for each cake
– Ease of assembly and suits for fragile cake
– Columns are long dowels that supports the cake above
– Stacked or Tiered wedding cake
– Stacked cake does not have visible support
– Tiered cake has visible support columns between each cake
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Wedding Cake
CHAPTER
17
• Coordinating Wedding Cake Production
– Designing
• Materials
– Considerations for each components that are commonly used in
wedding cake production
– Buttercream
» Commonly used to ice and fill
» Can be colored as desired
» Can be spread, or piped
– Rolled Fondant
» Cover cakes over a very thin layer of buttercream
» Provides a clean and elegant appearance
» Can be draped, colored, airbrushed, textured or embossed.
© 2009 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Wedding Cake
• Coordinating Wedding Cake Production
– Designing
• Materials
– Pastillage
» Very hard when dry
» Must be removed before serving
» Pure white, suitable for painting and airbrushing
– Gum paste
» Used to make flowers and leaves
» Very sturdy when dried
» Labor intensive
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CHAPTER
17
Wedding Cake
CHAPTER
• Coordinating Wedding Cake Production
– Designing
• Materials
– Marzipan
» Used to cover cakes or to create small figures, such as
flowers, fruits and animals
» Easily colored, and easy to handle
– Pulled sugar and Blown sugar
» Requires skill, experience and special equipments
» Very sensitive to humidity – store with humectants,
place on the cake at the last minute
» Used to create colorful ribbons, flowers and figures
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17
Wedding Cake
CHAPTER
• Coordinating Wedding Cake Production
17
– Designing
• Materials
– Royal icing
» Intricate piped decorations
– Modeling chocolate
» A combination of couverture chocolate and inverted sugar
» Dark, milk and white couverture chocolate can be used
» Can be textured, or shaped
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Wedding Cake
• Coordinating Wedding Cake Production
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17
– Planning
• Describe clients the philosophy and difference from the
competitors
• Collect as much information about the wedding as possible
• Provide basic information about pricing
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Wedding Cake
• Coordinating Wedding Cake Production
– Planning
• Date, Time and Venue
– Refrigeration
– Air conditioning
– Inside or outside
– Day or night
– Server for the cake
• Size
– Determined by the number of guests
– Top tier
– Richer cakes yield more than lighter cake
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Wedding Cake
• Coordinating Wedding Cake Production
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– Planning
• Portfolio
– Visual aid helps to picture the actual cake
– Photographs from the works in the past or from magazines and books
• Selecting Style
– Ask for their preference
– Be prepared to make recommendations
– Possibility of multiple flavors
– Cake tasting
– Match the appearance with the theme of the wedding
– Up-sell the cake
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Wedding Cake
• Coordinating Wedding Cake Production
– Planning
• Contract and Deposit
– Include detailed information
– Determine the price of deposit
• Assembly and Transportation
– Transport unassembled with few exceptions
– Secure the cake boxes in the transporting vehicle
– Bring hand tools and icings to prepare for the case of
damage
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CHAPTER
17
Wedding Cake
• Coordinating Wedding Cake Production
– Pricing a Wedding Cake
• Labor costs
• Food costs
• Equipment costs
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Conclusion
• Proper mise en place and understanding of
all components and equipment functions is
required
• Practice and experience helps to execute
cake assembly
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