Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

I have question about the ganache videos. I’m a beginner at this but it seems like that when you use the pastry brush and hot water to smooth the sides that as you brush them it will mess the top edges up? How do you keep from messing up the nice edges? Also when you chill the cake before beginning the ganache do you freeze the cake or just chill it and for how long?

Thanks
Beulah

Hi Beulah

The edge is quite thick so a little hot brushing doesn’t really distort it too much if you brush it gently without pressing hard. If you find the edge has rounded off, it can still be sharpened up once the icing is on. Paul shows how to achieve sharp edges in the free/beginners tutorial on how to ice cakes.

Before ganaching the cake leave it to chill in the fridge for an hour or so covered in clingfilm or in it’s box.. It just need to be cold enough to prevent the crumbs coming off while ganaching. It can also be done from part frozen if you wish and iced once the cake has defrosted completely. Allow the dew/sweat to disperse from the surface of the ganache before icing. This can take anything from half an hour to a few hours depending on how frozen the cake is at the start. You’ll know when it’s ready, the surface of the ganached cake will feel tacky not wet.