How to make Number Cakes

📝 Do: Print your number templates

(https://www.sugarologie.com/number-
cake-templates#print-templates)

Number cakes are layer cakes that are shaped like a number. This
tutorial here shows you how to make a two layer number cake that
you can decorate with flowers, cookies, and candies. One cake will
serve about 6-9 people; two about 12-18.

As a home baker, I didn't find any purpose in buying a special number

pan that I'd probably only use once. My number cakes can be made
using printable paper templates (located at the bottom of this post).

All you have to do is print out the number you need, cut them out, and
then place them directly on sheets of cake. Use a small paring knife to
trace around the number. Your cakes are now ready to fill, stack, and
decorate.

If you want to watch how I put a number cake together, here's a video
tutorial on a lemon blueberry "2" cake.

How to make a number cake

To make this cake, you're going to need a cake baked in a half sheet
pan. The tutorial above shows you how to do exactly that and you can
bake most cake recipes this way. (I say "most" because it's hard to do
angel food cakes and probably European style cakes such as genoise,
so try to stick with butter/oil cakes leavened with baking
powder/baking soda. Or you can just use any cake in my Cakeculator,
here (http://cakeculator.sugarologie.com/).)

For one cake, you will need a platter, cake drum

(https://amzn.to/2WWOWsf), or cake board (https://amzn.to/2Zt2vRU)
that is at least 10" by 14". Here are some amazon links to common
cake boards that I use for this project:
What about two numbers on one board?

If you would like to place two numbers on one cake board, you will
need a platter that is at least 19" by 13", this cake drum
(https://amzn.to/3d1KQ7H), or this cake board
(https://amzn.to/3egjVFk).

How to decorate a number cake

You can use almost any frosting to fill and top this cake. It will largely
depend on your preferences and how you plan to store the cake. The
buttercreams listed in my Cakeculator (Swiss meringue, condensed
milk, etc.) will be the most stable. That means they'll easily hold up the
cake and heavy toppings if you like.

If you prefer lighter frostings such as whipped creams, you'll have to

chill the cake, which will also help with stability. You'll probably want to
stabilize the whipped cream in some sort of way and I have a whole
video on different methods. Any of them should work fine to stabilize
the whipped cream enough to hold up the second layer as well as
decorations. (see video on whipped cream stabilizers here
(https://youtu.be/gk6K9Q3Q3Nc).)
As for the decorations - I've seen cookies (macarons are popular), fruit,
flowers, and all types of candy. If there's a theme or flavor that you're
aiming for, this is the area where you can be really creative.

How many servings is in a number cake?

It will depend on the number that you choose. For instance a number
"1" is going to have less servings than an "8". If you look at the number
"2" I did in the lemon blueberry cake video above, that cake should give
around 8-10 servings of cake. Generally speaking though, I think
serving 6-9 adults with one number is a safe bet.

If you have extra ingredients on top, like cookies or more fruit, you may
be able to serve more people with smaller (but more substantial)
slices.

Do number cakes dry out?

Number cakes are what I would classify as a naked cake. By that I

mean that the sides are completely exposed. Naked cakes have a
special consideration in that because the cake is continually exposed
to air, you run the risk of a drying out the cake.

So dry cakes are typically caused by a couple things - starch

retrogradation (which I will get into the science of in another post) and
moisture loss, which is what I'll address right now.

Theres a couple things I do to prevent moisture loss. The easiest thing
is that I usually make these cakes the day that I'm going to serve them.
Even if I bake the sheet cakes the day before, they are wrapped in
plastic and saved on my counter top. Then the day I need it, I cut, fill,
stack, and decorate.

I know that's not always possible, so you can try using a simple syrup.
Heat equal parts sugar and water until it comes to a boil and all the
sugar has dissolved. You can add extracts or other flavorings, but
that's a general way to make a syrup. Then, during assembly, you can
brush the syrup onto your cakes.
Number cake video tutorial

How to make a Number Cake with Flowers | FREE PRINTABLE NUMBERS

How to print your numbers

No need to buy special paper or tape pieces together.

These templates are in .pdf format, and when you click on the link a
new window will popup with the template.

When the print prompt comes up make sure that you select "actual
size" and not "fit". This means that the size of the letter will print the
size that I designed it, which takes up an entire 8.5x11" sheet of paper.

You will notice that some of the lines along the edges do not print. This
is normal because not all printers are able to print so closely to the
edge. I've designed the letters to get the maximum size for one sheet
of paper, so just consider that missing line the "edge".

You can print directly from your browser or download and save to print
for later. You'll need a pdf reader for that. Some popular ones include
Preview on Mac, or you can download Adobe Acrobat Reader DC for
free (https://acrobat.adobe.com/us/en/acrobat/pdf-reader.html) on
most devices.

Choose your Number Template

HI! I'M ADRIANA.

I built this site for the curious home baker. I'm a huge science + tech
nerd; you'll feel right at home if you like exploring and experimenting in
the kitchen too.

Here you can build cakes with my Cakeculator

(http://%22https//cakeculator.sugarologie.com/%22) and find recipes
to accompany the videos from YouTube,
(https://www.youtube.com/c/Sugarologie)Tiktok,
(https://www.tiktok.com/@sugarologie101?) and Instagram
(http://www.instagram.com/sugarologie101).

I have lots of things to share... I hope you have fun around here!