Verticallayercake
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The second time making the cake I was surprised by how quickly everything went. Its amazing how much smoother life is with a plan.

Huh. I gotta remember that.

Anywho… I made two cakes. One red velvet and one white cake. I made them in 8in pans and used these methods for creating a level cake.

Here is an important step… immediately out of the oven, within five minutes at most, I removed the cakes from their pans and cut the top dome of both 8-inch cakes.

I then placed the cut parts together. (It should look like a two layer cake here, except without frosting) Then put it in the freezer for no less than five hours.

The reason I do this is:

1. I want the height of a two layer cake. (four or five inches)

2. I do not want a frosting seam.

3. This helps to meld the layers together so they appear one complete layer.

(If you have a 5-inch deep cake pan you can use that.)

Now! Once the cakes have firmed up nicely (after a good five hours) you can remove them from the freezer.

We will begin to cut out our layers!

I simply used a cardboard cake round as my guide. I traced out three evenly spaced concentric circles.

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I am now going to cut off the outside circle.

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Place the template back on the cake. Now I need to carve around that circle! It’s important to try and get your knife at a 90-degree angle… you want a very straight up and down cut.

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Follow the template as close as you can. A sharp knife here is a great idea!!

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You are going to do this with BOTH cakes.

Now I cut off another circle and started the process again.

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Do this to both cakes.

Then cut off another circle so you are left with the center portion. (FYI, if you want to do another circle, therefore making your center smaller, you certainly can!)

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You are now left with two cakes that have concentric circles cut in each.

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The next step might go against everything you know about cake… but just do it anyway.

Wow that was bossy.

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Take a nice big sharp knife and cut from the OUTSIDE of the center circle through the cake.

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You are going to gently separate the layers into individual sections. This is why it is SO important to have a very chilled if not frozen cake!

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Choose which center you want to start with. (I choose the white cake)

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Take the next larger layer of the other cake and place it around the center.

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Keep doing this… alternating the layers… until you have a complete cake assembled again!

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And there you go! Easy right?

Now… were you worried about the layers not staying together? I fixed that with three easy steps.

1. Pour a simple syrup over the re-assembled cakes. (not too much!!)

2. Place a wax paper “belt” around the cake and bind it together with a cord or towel scrap.

3. Place it back in the freezer for a bit!

A couple hours before you are ready to decorate, place the cakes in the fridge so they can “thaw” without sweating.

(I wouldnt recommend decorating a frozen cake.)

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Now… please forgive me but I didn’t decorate the outside with the roses.

I just did a smooth layer of frosting then wrote out a romantic quote I found.

It’s nothing fancy, but it was easy.

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“When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.”

And there are the vertical layers!

If you make this cake please let me know, I would love to see! And of course, love to know if you came up with an easier way. 🙂

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Meet Amanda Rettke

Amanda Rettke is the creator of I Am Baker, and the bestselling author of Surprise Inside Cakes: Amazing Cakes for Every Occasion – With a Little Something Extra Inside.Over the course of her 15+ year blogging adventure, she has been featured in and collaborated with the Food Network, New York Times, LA Times, Country Living Magazine, People Magazine, Epicurious, Brides, Romantic Homes, life:beautiful, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Mail, Star Tribune, The Globe and Mail, DailyCandy, YumSugar, The Knot, The Kitchn, and Parade, to name a few.

Reader Comments

  1. Awesome! Thank you for sharing! One question how much is too much of the simple syrup?..I don’t have a sense about how much to use.
    Thank you

  2. Can you help with any hints on how to do the writing on the side? I feel like if I tried this, it would run down the side and look horrible!!!! HELP!! LOL

  3. When I first saw your vertical cake I thought immediately of the checkerboard method but without swapping the different coloured layers. I have the checkerboard step by step on my blog, I use large cookie cutters to make rings (no separate set of pans required) http://cakesandbakesni.wordpress.com/2010/08/03/step-by-step-checkerboard-cake/
    It would be pretty simple to just keep the same colours on top of each other and avoid having to make a template or cut into the rings.
    I definitely want to give this a go as it’s such a beautiful effect and I’m in awe of your rose piping so might try that too, although my piping skills are very lacking!
    Thanks for sharing your tricks.

  4. I will certainly tried to do this vertical layer cake, cause I loved it.
    When I do I’ll tell.
    Kissses
    Hélia

  5. My friend and I are LOVING the rose covered stripey cake. But your birthday cake was pink and chocolate–what, pray tell, did you make for your birthday version?

  6. First I want to say that you are very creative. I love how clean the lines look. I also thought of the checkerboard cake when I saw this for the first time. Another suggestion could be instead of making a template or using large cookie cutters (like one of the comments mentioned) you could just use the rings that come in the checkerboard cake pan package as your cutters. Keep up the great work. Happy baking!

  7. I “wondered” if that is how you did this cake!!! I was particularly stumped on how you did this without frosting between each layer. GREAT idea!
    Thank you SO much for sharing.
    Patti

  8. That is just amazing! I’m gonna have to try that! Fascinating how the two layers of cake melded together like they were one cake that had been baked in a 5 inch pan.
    How cool would that be for candy cane themed Christmas cake?!
    Thank you, Amanda.

  9. I have just picked myself up from the floor, still stunned by this cake. Have been wondering since you posted the first one how on earth you did it and now I know. Baking will never be the same. LOL Thank you for this!

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