Bake your cake in sheet pans and cut out cake layers with cake rings just like a professional baker. With this method you can bake faster (less measuring batter and fewer pans to wash), more consistently (no domed middles or dark edges), and have yummy cake scraps leftover for cake truffles, parfaits, or trifles. You can also space out your time so you aren’t baking, making fillings and frostings, and decorating on the same day! All the baking essentials used in this tutorial are linked here. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Bake your cake in a Sheet Pan, then Freeze the cake. Allow cake to fully cool after baking. (If you are in a time crunch, you can use a portable fan to speed up the cooling. I like to place my sheet pan on a cooling rack over two chairs with the fan blowing directly under the cooling rack/ pan. The cake cools twice as fast!) Brush with simply syrup (optional, see Note #2) then wrap and freeze the cake. To wrap the cake, place another sheet of parchment on top of the cake (this will prevent the plastic wrap from sticking to the cake), and wrap the whole pan with plastic wrap. (I pull the plastic wrap out and place the pan on top of it. Then I wrap 2-3 ways horizontally and one way vertically so that there are two layers of wrap on all sides of the pan including the bottom).
Cut Your Desired Cake Layers from Frozen. You can choose your cake size after you bake it! Using your preferred cake ring(s), cut cake rounds out of the frozen cake in the pan using a slight sawing motion. Use a knife and your cake ring as a guide to cut any half circles that you'll piece together later. (See Note # 1 for cake size options).
Layer the Cake from Frozen. The cake will be much easier to layer/stack when it is frozen. To remove the cake layers from the pan, use a spatula and the same cake ring you used to cut the cake. Piece the bottom cake layer together from two halves using the cake ring as a guide. If needed, fill in the middle of the bottom cake layer with more cake scraps. To build the most stable base, pack the cake in the cake ring tightly like Tetris. Then remove the cake ring and stack the remaining frozen layers with around ¼ inch of frosting or filling on the inside. (If using a soft filling like compote, pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge of each cake layer before filling the cake). Place the bottom cake layer "pan side down" (against the cake board) so it doesn't stick to the cake board when the slices are cut. Stack the remaining cake layers "pan side up" so that you are frosting on top of a flat surface. With the leftover cake scraps, you can sample your cake, or turn it into cake truffles, cake parfaits, or trifles.
Crumb-Coat the Cake. Using an offset spatula, apply a crumb coat (a very thin layer of buttercream that catches all the cake crumbs). Allow your crumbed cake to set up in the freezer for 10 or more minutes. The cake can also be placed in the freezer at any point during the layering and decorating process to produce crisper frosting and enhance stability.
Add the Final Coat of Frosting and Decorate the Cake to Your Liking. On top of the crumb coat, the second layer of buttercream will go on much crisper and smoother. You can achieve smooth frosting with a bench scraper, or make a horizontal, vertical, or homestyle texture with a small offset spatula. Amycakes Bakery's signature look was a drizzle of ganache (using a squeeze bottle) and rosette top border using a 1M star tip. Allow your cake to set up in the fridge, but serve at room temperature by removing it from the fridge at least 1-3 hours before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
1.) A ½ sheet pan can make:
One 3-layer 8" cake (two full cake layers, one pieced from two halves).
Two 3-layer 6" cakes (five full cake layers, one pieced from two halves).
One 6-layer extra-tall 6" cake (five full cake layers, one pieced from two halves).
Six or more two-layer Cakelets using a 4", 3" or 2" cake ring or cookie cutter. You can frost these Cakelets with a piping bag similar to a cupcake.
A ¼ sheet pan can make:
One 3-layer 6" cake (two full cake layers, one pieced from two halves).
Three or more two-layer Cakelets using a 4", 3" or 2" cake ring or cookie cutter. You can frost these Cakelets with a piping bag similar to a cupcake.
2). Simple Syrup is optional, but I use a light coat to seal in the moisture for cakes that will be refrigerated or frozen. While the cake cools, make a simple syrup by combining 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until the sugar is dissolved after whisking, about 20-30 seconds. You can also make a larger batch of this (1 part sugar to 1 part water) and keep it in the fridge if you’re doing a lot of cake baking. Always cut the cake with cake rings before brushing the cake brush simple syrup, to avoid the cake being too sticky when cut.