Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

I now have another issue! I’ve just cut my middle layer and the cake is full of tiny little hard lumps? I thought they were sultanas to start with!!! I can pull them out and rub between my fingers and they just crumble – can’t work out what they are?? Oh dear! Help!

Hi Tania

Sounds to me like little lumps of unmixed flour. It’s possible you may have had a little pocket of flour in the batter which wasn’t throughly mixed in. How many have you got? If it’s just a few and you can pull them out, the cake is still perfectly edible.

Oh thanks for coming back so quick – when I cut it in half there were loads sitting on the top of each layer and I’ve pulled them out – some are quite hard and don’t crumble unless I put my nail in it! Sounds revolting but they look like hard balls of each wax!!!! So me are bigger than others – I’ve pulled out what I can see but worried there may be some lower down in the cake? It’s strange because I thought when I made the batter it looked like there were little lumps but when I picked it up it just dissolved.

Would it be wiser to bake again?

Yes, definitely it will be wiser to bake again. I can’t say for definite what they are without looking. I’ve had similar lumps in cake which we’ve eaten because I knew what they were and the cake was for home consumption. Your cake is for some one else. It’s more work for you but best to do it again. Keep focused and don’t panic. xx

Thank you again – I’ve taken a deep breath! I should be able to get the cake in and baked by 4. Will I have to leave it overnight before filling and crumb coating?

I’m going to get it in the oven and the cover the bottom and top tier with sugarpaste and dowel and get the bottom tier on the iced board. So that bit is done at least!