Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&amp;A

Thank you.

Hi SkyCakes

Technically you should be able to use the sponge as the base because the tier above, which is on it’s own cake board/card, doesn’t actual sit on the cake, it sits on the dowel which support it. Paul uses nine dowels which covers all bases in the event of one dowel failing and causing a collapse. Some sponge recipe will not support stacking so best to err on the safe side by using a sturdy recipe.

9,933

Thank you. I am not sure whether I should use sugar syrup on the sponge cake because I will bake it one day and fill it the next day; therefore the cake will be moist enough or not?
Also if you add white chocolate ganache to swiss buttercream will this make it sweeter or by not adding this is the white chocolate ganache and swiss buttercream already sweet individually?

There’s no need to use the syrup if you prefer not to. However, wrap the cake up in several layers of cling film to prevent it drying out. Meringue type buttercreams are less sweet than butter icing. Adding white chocolate ganache will sweeten it according to the amount added. White chocolate contains a lot of sugar and this should be taken into consideration. Adding a small percentage of ganache will enhance the stability of Swiss meringue BC. Take a peek at my buttercream chart blog which gives a guide for the amount of ganache which can be used. The chart is a guide for making amounts of buttercream icing, not meringue but the ganache principle will be the same. See the information here:

How much buttercream do you need to cover a cake?

Hope this helps. 🙂

9,933

Thank you. I read in a recent wedding cake book that use 50% swiss bc and 50% white chocolate ganache when stacking a sponge cake? They also said create a dam for each layer with white chocolate. Jam will also be used in the layers.

I couldn’t comment on someone elses recipe or suggestion as it may be their personal preference. I think the best thing to do is, make a small batch up 50-50 and see whether you like the taste. Personally, that would be too sweet fo me and for the people that I would cater for.
I agree , if using jam or similar fillings it’s a good idea to make a firm dam to prevent any seepage from the sides. I let the dam set up a little before filling the centre then top it with the next layer. Normally I let the cakes settle down before masking and icing. Everyone has their own little tweeks to prevent the dreaded bulge. Trial and error is how I’ve learned what works for me. 🙂

9,933

Sorry about this but just one last question. If I decided to fill the base sponge cake with:
1. White chocolate ganache (wcg) 30% & Swiss buttercream 70%
2. Have a wcg dam
3. Jam on top
4. Crumb coat with wcg
5. Then dowel this cake and place the mud cake on top, will the be ok?

I always worry about jam making the layers slip and slide so never recommend overfilling with it. I usually spread the jam first and then top with any other filling. Don’t make the dam too close to the edge of each layer, the gap will be filled in with the ganache crumbcoat containing the filling more securely. It should be fine then to place the next tier on the dowelled base. That’s just how I do it, hope it helps.

9,933

Thank you for this. I have just purchased some plastics dowels and have realised that both the end are rounded. Would this be ok to use as they are our would I need to trim the bottoms of to make them flat?

I use the same type of dowels as Paul does. He doesn’t trim the ends, just pops them straight in and levels off flat with the cake. If your dowels are the same as the ones used in the tutorials you won’t need to trim the ends.