How to make a Perfect Sphere Cake - Sphere Cake Tutorial
A perfect sphere cake can be tricky and yet achievable with the right technique and right method. This post will show you how to choose one of three methods I use that will help you make a perfect sphere cake every single time. No matter what size cake you make; it will be perfect every single time.
Who hates making sphere cakes? I use to! When I just started off I wondered how everybody else managed to get a perfect sphere except me..! No matter what I did ... eventually, it would end up ... not so perfect!
Well, for one practice helps but the right technique for the right cake will help even more. What do I mean by that? I'll explain as we go along this post. Now, this is going to be a long post. If you know me I will tell you everything I know until I have exhausted myself and you. I know!! Not everyone appreciates the long post but most do..so feel free to scroll past what's not for you.
A couple of very important things to make a perfect sphere cake.
- Recipe - yes, you want to make sure you have a recipe that is not too soft. Preferably a butter based cake that will firm up when you chill, making it easy for you to work. I have given you my recipes - Vanilla Sphere Cake and well as Chocolate Sphere cake in my post Sphere Cake Recipe
- Weather - if you live in a place with warm weather no matter how dense your cake, the possibility of the bottom cake and frosting getting soft is higher. What happens if the bottom cake becomes soft? It will not hold the weight of the top half. I think you know the rest.
- Dowel - one way to support your cake when weight is a concern would be to dowel the cake. While doweling is a great option - the base of the cake is pretty small so you usually end up making a three-quarter ball just so you can dowel it. Right?
- Cake Base - Another way to make your sphere cake more sturdy is, of course, to use a different base instead of cake. So the bottom one-third of your cake could be rice Krispy treats or foam. yes, form. Especially if you have a large cake foam makes a perfect bottom.
Support options to make a perfect sphere cake
- No Dowel
If I'm making a cake for my kids, this would usually be my go-to method. Quick, easy, less hassle. As long as the cake will not have to stay out for long.
BUT, if I'm making a cake for a customer, it usually needs to be stable for more time. I usually finish my cake a few hours before the customer comes to pick it up. In addition, the customer usually picks up the cake a few hours before the event itself. As a business person, you have to take these things into account to prevent any last-minute accident, and risk your good reputation. Hence, in such cases, I definitely use one of these options below. - With Dowels
Like I said above, the base is small so you have to cut a bit of the bottom cake and place a small cake board. This is a great way to make a quick ball cake. It works well in good weather but, it's not a whole ball. More like a three-quarter ball. Also, it works well if you want to make a teapot or a carriage, etc. - Rice Krispy Treats
This is a great option to use if you want a whole ball effect. Since the rice Krispy treats are firm the base tends to hold the weight of the cake much better. You may remember this Cinderella Carriage Cake Tutorial. I used a sphere cake to make the carriage. The bottom base for the sphere is Rice Krispy treats. You can see this detailed tutorial here - Cinderella Carriage Cake.
- Foam / Styrofoam
This is the best option if you have a big ball cake. which of course won't work with dowels or with Rice Krispy treats. This Barcelona ball has foam at the bottom 1/3. Because it's an 8" cake and it was made in the middle of summer. There is no way I would be able to do it any other way in our climate.
Do I need a ball pan?
Yes and NO!! A ball pan is not necessarily one that you buy for cake. Although they aren't really expensive and you can make not just a ball but many other cakes with it. Alternatively, I'm sure you have stainless steel bowls or Pyrex bowls that are the same shape as a half-sphere. Bake two of those and use them just as I have in this post.
Let's make a perfect sphere cake with just a cake board and some dowels first
- Bake your cake in two half ball pans.
- Cool cakes completely - then cut the domes off and torte the halves if you want.
- Prepare two small cake circles/boards using form core or similar. One about 2 inches for the bottom of the cake, and the other an inch smaller than the widest circumference of the ball. This will be in the middle for support. Here my ball pan is a 6" circle. So my form core circle is 5 inches.
- Using the same ball pan you used to bake the cake - line the pan with a plastic or cling wrap so the frosting won't freeze to the pan.
- Place the small circular board 2 inches from the bottom of the base.
- Now layer the cake in the ball pan alternating with cake and frosting.
- You should have two half spheres like below.
Chill for 10 mins then continue
- Using bubble tea straws, or similar, dowel to the bottom sphere. The one that has the small 2-inch base.
- The dowels have to be close to each other so they are within the 2-inch base.
- Next, add a little frosting over the dowels, and
- Place the second cake circle (the 5-inch one).
- As you can see in the image above - I have two half spheres - bottom one with dowels and centerboard and top sphere with only cake and frosting.
- Now fill frosting in any gaps of the two spheres and place the top sphere on the bottom sphere.
- The frosting should be the same height as the pan.. so no gap between the two spheres... remove any excess.
- The ball pan should have no gap between the top half and bottom half, making a perfect sphere. Any gap in between will result in an oval, instead of a sphere.
- Chill the cake in the pan for a couple of hours so it's all nice and firm.
- Once chilled, slowly pick up the pans and remove the plastic wrap.
- You should now have a perfect sphere cake - ready to be frosted with either buttercream or ganache, and then fondant.
Save this tutorial on Pinterest for later
Now let's make a perfect sphere cake using Rice Krispy treats as a base
As you can see Rice Krispy treats are easy to make with just melted marshmallows and Rice Krispy treats. I've given you the recipes and lots more info in my post - Rice Krispy treats in cake decorating So I'll skip the basics here.
- Melt marshmallows in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Add Rice Krispy treats and mix to combine.
- Mold the treats into the bottom of a ball pan so you have the shape of the ball pan.
- If you plan on adding a center dowel to your cake, make a hole in the center now - (making a hole later may cause cracks).
- Place the pan with the Rice Krispy treats in the fridge so it becomes firm and hard.
- When the Rice Krispy treats are firm, follow the same process as I shared above.
- Layer both the pans with cake and frosting until you have two halves.
- Then place the top sphere on the bottom sphere and chill as before.
- Remove when cold, unwrap and continue frosting the cake.
Let's make a perfect sphere cake using a foam base
To use foam as your base use a foam ball that is the same size as your cake. You can find these at any arts & craft shop near your home. These are not food safe but we will cover the base with foil before we use it.
- Cut the bottom part of the ball. Depending on how big your cake is I'd say use between 1/3 to 1/2 of the ball.
- I used 1/3 of the ball for an 8" ball - I'd use 1/2 if the cake was larger.
- Once you cut the foam base - make a cake circle the same size as your base.
- Glue the two together with hot glue. (see image above)
- Then wrap the whole thing in foil to make it food safe.
- A large ball cake needs a center dowel not just for stability but it also makes it easier to work.
- Place a center dowel thru the foam and
- Stack cake/frosting on the cake board (no pans for large ball cakes).
You remember the pumpkin cake?
In this pumpkin cake - I used a sphere cake too! But I made it simple with no dowel and no support. Because I made it in winter. You can see some of the process in this video on how to make the pumpkin cake video tutorial.
I must admit I have learned a lot the hard way. Since everybody shows you a perfect sphere but no one tells you the little details that are required to make that perfect sphere cake. Small things that you learn only by doing it yourself. I have in my short career as a cake artist learned so much about these cakes. I hope that this post will help you with your next sphere cake. Feel free to ask me any question via the comments below and I will be happy to answer them for you.
Don't forget to check out my Sphere Cake Recipes - Vanilla Sphere Cake Recipe as well as Chocolate Sphere Cake Recipe.
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Zoe
Hi Veera,
If I wanted to make a semi sphere cake with 8” diameter then can use the whole batter in your recipe ?
Thanks
Veena Azmanov
Yes, you can use the whole batter in one bowl or double the recipe for two bowls
Peter
Hi Veena! Just wondering if I can scale this recipe up for a larger hemisphere cake tin. What I have here is 10 inches in diameter and 5 inches in depth. Have you had any success with using a larger tin?
I have tried 2 chocolate cake recipes and both weren’t successful. Used a heating core (design similar to a flower nail) and still it collapsed in the middle and came out gooey. Baked both for 90 minutes at 160 degrees celsius and checked the middle using a wooden skewer which came out clean in both instances and yet they’re still raw in the middle.
Thanks very much!
Veena Azmanov
Hey Peter. I have used this recipe to make an 8-inch Barcelona ball cake. I don't see why it won't work for a 10-inch pan. Perhaps you can try wrapping the pans in wet paper towels ( using aluminum to hold it) That way the outside will not cook so quick leaving the middle more time to bake. I hope that makes sense.
Peter
Thanks for your reply Veena! For your chocolate or vanilla sphere cake recipe, do I increase the portions to 12 serves instead of 8 for the 10 inches sphere cake pan? Cheers!
Veena Azmanov
I think 12 would be more like it.
Jan
The batter did not fill the pans even half full........:(
Veena Azmanov
This is a standard 6-inch cake recipe for a 6-inch ball pan, Jan. It does not need to be too full. It will rise some and you also will layer it with frosting.
You want the cake to come up to the top once the frosting is added. Hope that makes sense
Sheri
Hi Veena I was just wondering if your chocolate cake recipe would be good for making Pokemon cake pops.? Thank You
Veena Azmanov
Hey Sheri, Yes, this recipe would be perfect for cake pops. Let me know how it was. Thanks
Cat
Hi there, this has been so helpful to me. I have created a half sphere of Rice Krispie treats and half of cake. Can I ask, is it essential to have a cake board between the two halves in this instance, or would frosting in between be ok without the board? Many thanks!
Veena Azmanov
Hey Cat. Yes, there is no need for a board in between the Rice Krispie treats and the cake. A little frosting should be able to hold it together. Happy this tutorial has been useful.
Caroline
Hi Veena - how much ganache would you recommend to cover an 8-inch sphere cake? I’m also going to use some ganache for my fillings - mostly as a dam between each layer to contain the softer fillings. I’m going to torte each half, so I’ll have a total of three fillings. Thank you!!!!
Veena Azmanov
Hey Caroline. I'd say about 800 grams to 1 kg ganache more or less depending on how much you fill and coat.
Caroline
Thank you for your guidance Veena! I made 900 grams and it was exactly enough :). Thanks!!
Anubha Khetawat
Superb explanation, but wanted to know about which eggless cake recipe can be used for sphere cake.. and should the cake be soaked in sugar syrup
Veena Azmanov
Hey, Anubha. You can use this recipe for a sphere cake. Also, I do have a recipe just for sphere cakes both vanilla and chocolate. I hope you find it useful. I always add about 2 tbsp simple syrup to each layer. I don't like soaking my cakes in simple syrup. I hope this helps.
Anubha Khetawat
Thank you
Anubha Khetawat
Hi veena the recipe has eggs in it can you recommend an eggless recipe
Veena Azmanov
Hey Anubha. Yes, this recipe has eggs. I do have two eggless chocolate cakes that can be used for a sphere cake. - Eggless Chocolate Fudge Cake and Mom's eggless cake without condensed milk or yogurt
mary
thanks so much for the tutorial. How did you make the marks for the basketball cake? I'm making one for my son.
Thanks
Veena Azmanov
That is just black fondant Mary. Cut into strips and attach with water.
mary
Sorry - no I meant the marks on the orange part of the ball to make it look like a basketball - not the black lines. Also, if using an 8 inch sphere, is it possible to not dowel it at all?
thanks so much. Will be starting today.
Veena Azmanov
Hey Mary. That is a fondant texture mat you can buy at any cake decorating store. I usually link in the post if I can find. For an 8 inch, it's best to dowel Mary. Or the bottom will buldge. Thanks
Marilyn Hartwick
Hi Veena, thanks for sharing your expertise. For clarification, you're saying that you bake the cake with plastic wrap lining the pan? Does it not melt?
Marilyn
Veena Azmanov
Noooo!! where do I say that? I use plastic wrap after the cake has been baked - only when frosting it. That way the frosting does not stick to the pan. I bake the cake as normal with parchment paper.
Marilyn Hartwick
Haha! OK, thanks for the clarification. I get it. I'm going to give it a try. I'll read your instructions once more.
Thanks!
Liliana Klass
Hi Veena. I made the ball cake to shape it into a soccer ball. I used your recipes for cake, icing, and fondant. All delicious. I put the two hemispheres together with the icing and the fondant and then the octagon and pentagon fondant cut outs on the fondant. The top hemisphere was great and all the cut outs fit. When I moved down the cut outs didn’t fit as well and I had gaps between the shapes. What was my problem? I thought I had a perfect ball. Is this the problem? If it is, do you have any ideas what I can do to make sure I have a perfect ball? Or any other ideas to fit the shapes without gaps? Thanks for your help. You are a life saver! Happy new year!
Veena Azmanov
Hey Liliana. It's not the ball. You probably had the perfect ball shape. But every ball size is different. Did you use standard octagon and pentagon fondant cutters?
Those are made for a particular circumference and using them means it may or may not fit in sync if you just frosted it without comparing measurements.
It has happened to me too in the past. So the cutters are great but not exact... sometimes you have to do a little trimming.
To make the pentagons and hexagons the perfect size for your soccer ball cake measure the circumference of your ball pan in inches.
Multiply that number by 2, then divide by 30.
This is the number of inches for each side of your pentagons and hexagons.
Make some templates out of plastic stencil sheets.
Then use those to cut out your fondant or compare with the ready-made cutters you have.
Makes sense?
Happy New Year to you too.
Liliana Klass
Veena, you are the best. Thank you SO much for your response and a solution to my problem. I never considered the size of the cutters to be a problem. What a relief! I’ll follow your suggestion and cut my own shapes according to the circumference of my cake ball. ?
Veena Azmanov
You are welcome. Glad I could be of help. Have fun. That's going to be a long night for you. I'm sure your kids will appreciate it.
Violette
Thank you Veena, Made your recipe and this sphere cake for the first time. Turned out perfect. I was so afraid that I'd screw up. Thanks
Veena Azmanov
THank you, Violette. So happy you found this tutorial and recipe both useful.
Indira
Thank you so much for this tutorial. I made my first perfect sphere cake this week for a ball cake. Mine never turned out round despite using a ball pan. This time it was perfect. Thanks
Veena Azmanov
Thank you so much Indira. Happy to hear you had success with this recipe/tutorial. Thank you for coming back to write this feedback. Always happy to her from those who has tried my recipes or tutorials. If you share it on Instagram please do tag me @veenaazmanov so I can see your finished work. Thanks
Shikha Singh
hw to make cream for spreading....?
Anonymous
Hi Veena,
I'm planning to make soccer cake shortly. Could you pls clarify the following.
1. Can strawberry mousse be made today and refrigerated to use it after 3 days?
2. How to incorporate black color on the fondant as I don't get black food color or gel color nor do I get gumpaste. Any other idea?
Thanks.
Lee
Anonymous
Simple elegant cakes..The lady must have been definitely for a big surprise 🙂