How to Tort and Fill a Wedding or Birthday Cake like a Pro

Filling a wedding or birthday cake can be easy if you know a few professional tips. It is easiest to start with a small round or square cake. Once you get comfortable filling a small cake you can try larger cakes.

The first thing you will need to do is level your cake. When your cake bakes it will get a slight dome on the top from the way it raises while baking. Once your cake is completely cool use a long serrated knife to carefully slice off the top so that the cake is flat. This is best done by keeping your knife level with your counter and working slowly.

Then you will need to tort your cake. This means to cut it in half horizontally. You will need a ruler, toothpicks and a long serrated knife again. Measure the depth of your cake (or how tall it is) and divide that in half. Using the ruler stick toothpicks in horizontally all around your cake's side edge parallel to the counter half way through. This will be your cutting guide. Cut right across the top of the toothpicks with your knife. Then carefully pick up the top half of your cake and set it aside. Remove all of the toothpicks except one at the 12 o'clock position and insert one in the same place on the top half. You will do this to mark the position that the layers will need to go back together. It is important to do this because no matter how evenly you may have made your cut it is usually sloped a little bit and this will keep your cake level if you put the top layer back onto the cake to match the bottom layer.

If you are using a fruit filling you may want to spread the top of the bottom layer with a thin layer of icing to keep the filling from soaking in to the cake excessively. The next thing you will need to do is create a well around the edge of cake with frosting. This will keep your filling from squeezing out the sides of your frosted cake. The top layer of the cake will be supported by the icing piped onto the edges. Fill a frosting bag with your icing and use a large round or star tip and pipe an even line around the edge of the bottom of the cake.

Now it is time to add your filling. Spoon filling onto the cake and spread evenly onto the bottom layer. There are many different filling options. You can try fruit preserves, lemon curd, cheesecake filling, ganache, butter cream frosting and even jam or jelly. The thicker your filling the thicker the layer you can spread onto the cake. Don't fill over the line of frosting piped around the edge.

Once you have filled the cake, lift the top layer and set it onto the bottom layer with the toothpicks aligned. Remove the toothpicks. With the palm of your hand press the cake down lightly to make sure it's sealed. If you skip this step your cake make settle after you have finished decorating it and the frosting on the sides may buckle.

Your cake is now filled and ready to frost and decorate. Have fun trying different cake and filling flavor combinations for weddings and birthdays.