Cakes with multiple Layers

[Zyni]

I keep seeing all these beautiful cakes with a multitude of layers. I'm wondering if I could pull it off without making a huge mess. Some of them have so many layers, I don't know how they stand up. I think it would be very time consuming to make one and end up with it looking right, but it might be worth it, since they are so pretty.

I've been playing around with the idea of making a colorful cake with a colorful surprise center, but a whole bunch of brightly colored layers might work too.

Have any of you tried making multiple layer cakes? Any tips?

 

[connie]

I have to confess to not making brightly coloured cakes because I hate the artificial colourings that are used to make them. I prefer to use chocolate and other natural colourings to colour cakes.

As for multiple layers, thick & medium thick butter icing easily glues the layers together so that they don't slip and slide around the same way they do if you use cream and jam. Making the layers for the multiple layer cakes is more interesting because there is a lot of wastage because you have to top and tail (cut bottom and top off) each layer. You sort of get 2 choices from my experience (limited to 4 layers). The first is to make very thin cake rounds and cut the top and bottom off to make 1 single layer. This is the least risky option. The other is to make a thicker cake round, top and tail it as with the thin one, but then to cut it in half to make 2 layers... Of course this means you now have 2 layers the same colour which is why I prefer marble cakes for layers... make 2 sponge batters up and mix them up in the tin... I use white chocolate and milk or dark chocolate for my colourings, which allows for a nice chocolate marble cake using proper chocolate and no artificial colours.

 

[Trellum]

You mean like an Indonesian cake?

Hehehe, I so far have only eaten it, but have never made it For me a cake with 3 layers sounds crazy enough, let alone an Indonesian cake or something similar. If you ever decide to give it a try, please let us know! I think the most layers I could ever handle is 3...

 

[Zyni]

Wow, those layers.. so many and so thin. I think that might be beyond me.

Thanks for the tips, Connie.

I've heard you can make your own dyes from fruits and vegetables as well, so you might not need to use the color products that you are trying to avoid.

Hmmm. I may just go back to trying to find a surprise center. lol

 

[connie]

You mean like an Indonesian cake?

Hehehe, I so far have only eaten it, but have never made it For me a cake with 3 layers sounds crazy enough, let alone an Indonesian cake or something similar. If you ever decide to give it a try, please let us know! I think the most layers I could ever handle is 3...

No, just as in later more than 3.
Similar to your own post in this thread
https://www.baking-forums.com/threads/do-you-use-edible-flowers-to-decorate-cakes.2515/#post-20398

As for the above type cake, they are fairly easy. I do have a link somewhere for one, but not on this tablet, on the laptop. But basically you make them by making the batter up, putting a few tablespoons of it into the cake tin, cooking it, adding a jam layer, cooking it, adding a few more tablespoons of batter, cooking it again for a few minutes, adding a little more jam....

 

[Trellum]

That sounds like a lot work, Connie, I admire those who decide to go for it, to be honest I would never try making one of those cakes with all those layers... too much work But thanks!!!! I really wondered how they did it!!! Those women must be very hard workers, no doubt about it!