All-New Cake Mix Doctor - Anne Byrn [74]
8. Frost the cake: Dab 2 tablespoons of frosting onto each cardboard cake round and spread it over the top in a thin layer. Place the 12-inch cake layer on top of the 12-inch round, the 8-inch layer on top of the 8-inch round, and the 6-inch layer on top of the 6-inch round. The dab of icing will keep the layers from sliding. Frost the top and side of the cake layers with a long, thin metal icing spatula. Begin by spreading a thin coat all the way around the side to seal in the crumbs, then go back and apply a thicker coat, using the cake round as a guide for the spatula. Frost the 12-inch and 8-inch layers flat across the top. Frost the 6-inch layer more generously as it will be placed on the top of the cake. Set the three layers, uncovered, in the refrigerator to chill. You should have about 4 cups of frosting remaining. If you are transporting the cake, set aside about 1 cup of this in a plastic container in the refrigerator to use to repair spots in the frosting when you arrive. The remaining frosting will be used to pipe decorations onto the cake.
9. Make the piping frosting: Add the remaining 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar and the 2 tablespoons of meringue powder to the remaining frosting and beat with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until incorporated, 30 seconds. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting mixture stiffens, 30 seconds to 1 minute longer. Place it in the refrigerator to chill for 15 to 20 minutes.
A Piping Novice?
Frost the cake as directed but when it comes to the piped decorations, use prepared vanilla frosting in the pastry bag. It is easy to pipe and holds up well in warm weather.
10. Assemble the cake: Place a few pieces of double-sided tape or loops of masking tape in the center of a cake plate or base. The base needs to be 3 to 4 inches larger in diameter than the largest cake layer—15 to 16 inches in diameter. Place the 12-inch cake layer still on its cardboard base on the cake plate or base; the tape will hold it securely. Position the empty 8-inch baking pan upside down on top of the center of the 12-inch cake layer so that it leaves an indentation in the frosting. This marks where you’ll place the 8-inch layer. Insert a drinking straw vertically into the center of the 12-inch layer and mark where the top of the cake meets the straw. Remove the straw and cut it and 7 more straws into pieces of this length. To support the next layer, insert one straw back into the center of the cake layer and place the other 6 in an upright spoke pattern around it, halfway between the center and the outline of the 8-inch pan. Carefully place the 8-inch layer with its cardboard base on the 12-inch layer.
11. Place the 6-inch baking pan upside down on top of the 8-inch layer to mark it. Insert a straw into the center of the 8-inch layer, mark where the top of the cake meets the straw. Remove the straw and cut it and 5 more pieces of straw to this length. Insert one straw in the center of the 8-inch cake layer and insert the remaining 5 pieces of straw in spokes around it. Carefully place the 6-inch layer with its cardboard base on top of the 8-inch layer. Set the cake aside.
12. Remove the piping frosting from the refrigerator. Spoon a generous cup into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip (either #4 for a thin line or #10 for a thicker one). Pipe a line of frosting around the bottom of each cake layer to cover the cardboard rounds. If you need to go back and pipe another line of frosting, either above or below this line, do so. Press the edible pearls gently into each line of frosting, placing them about 1 inch apart. Using a small star tip, pipe a small star between each pearl (or place small candied violets