Hi!
i have to make a bucket full of fall leaves for tomorrow.
I already made all the gumpase leaves and two 8 inch cakes (4 inches tall each).
The two cakes are frosted and each have a cardboard underneath. my question is: how do i stack them so they don't collapse?. Do I put straws in the bottom one, set the other one on top and THEN cover it all with fondant? once I stack them it'll be 8 inch round and 8 or 9 inches tall.

Also, do i cover it all with fondant and on top of that put the wooden slats? would the weight of the slats peel the fondant base off??

Thanks!!

yes, you need to put a board and dowels between the layers half way up.

a cake that tall will be very hard to cover with fondant the regualr way, so i would do it with a wrap method, making a seem in back. the seem can be covered with one of your wooden slats.

if you dont want to cover the base with fondant; you can ice it in bc and then attach your slats to that.

ok so i stack them one on top of each other, then ice the seam and cover with fondant wrapping it arround it? wouldn;t that start to slide off once I start adding the slats??

use a very thin layer of fondnat for your wrap, since most of it will be coverd with your slats right?

you can roll a little of your wrap top edge to top of cake and glue down to help secure it. if your slats are predried and firm, it will prob help keep the fondnat wrap in place, not pull it off.

or u gac ice the cake in BC and then apply your slats if you are worried about the fondnat sagging

I covered mine in fondant, and then glued the slats on with RI.

The slats were fondant with a tiny bit of Tylose to help them harden a bit more. I figured out the circumference of the cake, and cut a certain number a certain width so that they would fit perfectly around the cake. (Example: cake has circumference of 45 inches, each slat was 3 inches wide, and I had to make 15 of them) I laid out the slats and then used a sharp knife to cut grooves. I painted a bit of dark brown, and black mostly into the grooves to give it a wooden look. The slats were dried overnight, and then stuck to the cake with a bit of RI. Any spaces that were between the slats got a dab of chocolate icing.

HTH

Thanks everybody for the advice!
about the tylose...do i knead it in the fondant like powdered sugar?
i won't have time to make them and let them dry overnight...do you suggest that i make them early in the morning and assemble the cake in the afternoon?

Thank you all!