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How to Build a 3D Tux Cake
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Step 1: Bake the cakes
This would have been easier if I had access to a real bakery, with real convection ovens and real storage space in the coolers. I had my home oven, refrigerator and freezer. In the couple of weeks preceeding this project, I slowly tried to make sure my ice box had only minimal amounts of food in it. A cake like this takes a lot of space, both before and after being built.
I recommend using parchment on the bottom of your cake pan, to keep the cake from sticking. In fact, I recommend this even if you're using a non-stick cake pan. Non-stick isn't always reliable, so it's best to take out a little insurance. To make the parchment fit, lay it down flat on a cutting board, and lay the cake pan on top of it. Use a non-toxic marker to trace around the side of the baking pan, and then cut along the line with a pair of scissors. Don't get all depressed if you don't get it perfectly round. It'll work just fine. Now spray the bottom and sides of the baking pan with cooking spray. The spray on the bottom is to make the parchment stick to the pan. The spray on the sides is to keep the cake from sticking to the pan.
When you bake any cake over 10 inches wide, it's a good idea to use a heating core. This is because the center of the cake doesn't get the same kind of heat as the edges, so you run the risk of having over-bakes sides and and under-baked center. Using a heating core is kind of like adding more sides, but to the center of the cake. Make sure the heating core is sprayed thoroughly with cooking spray, inside and out; you won't really be able to use parchment with this thing. Fill it halfway with cake batter, and then fill the rest of the cake pan around it.
Now, go ahead and bake your cakes according to the recipe (or box instructions, if you get lazy and bought a mix). Use your skewers to check for doneness. On the 12-inch cakes, stick the skewer in the cake between the heating core and the side of the pan. As far as doneness is concerned, that's the center of the cake now. You want the skewer to come out clean. A few crumbs are okay, but if there's any batter, stick it back in the oven. A soft cake means compromised structural integrity.
When the cake comes out of the oven, set the pan on a cooling rack for about 5 - 10 minutes. Do not remove it from the pan immediately! It still needs time for the structural matrix of wheat proteins to set up. If you de-pan now, your cake runs a pretty good risk of collapsing, even if only just a little. You can go ahead and remove the heating core now, though. Be sure to use a hot pad or gloves, and gently give it a little twist before pulling it out and setting it aside.
After about 10 minutes, put another cooling rack on top of the cake (upside-down) and carefully flip it over. Remove the cake pan, and then pull off the parchment. There's still a good bit of heat in that cake, so you're gonna see some steam. This is why you don't want to let the cake cool all the way in the pan: the steam trapped inside would make the bottom soggy, and in the words of Alton Brown, "no one likes a soggy bottom."
Now, you need to let the cake cool thoroughly before you do anything with it. Don't think you can cheat by putting it in the fridge to cool. Not only do you run the risk of elevating the temperature of the inside of the refrigerator to unsafe levels for the rest of the food, refrigeration temperatures actually promote staling in wheat-based baked goods. You want to avoid refrigeration temperatures as long as possible. You can, however, put the core into the cake. Just turn the heating core upside-down and give it a few taps. If you've lubed properly, then the cake should come right out. Cut about half an inch off the bottom and stick it into the hole in the middle of the cake.
