I am doing a bass guitar and this is my first really carved cake. Do I torte the layers first and then carve out the shape? Or do I somehow stack the un-torted two sheet cakes on top of each other, carve the shape, take them apart, torte and re-stack?

Neither seems quite right to me. Torting first would leave the edges without the icing barrier, but it is always tricky moving around and re-stacking cake without tearing something!

I am filing the cake with cherry preserves and buttercream.

Thanks for suggestions and help!

Torte and fill, then carve.