OMG,
I cannot believe how hard this is right now. I am doing my first all cake stacked 4 tier wedding cake. It has been planned for 8 months now, but wow when it rains it pours. I have a 2 and a 3 year old who are both sick, I'm sick with a head cold, I'm newly pregnant, and I feel like I don't know what I am doing.
The cake is tiramisu, yellow cakes drenched in coffee rum mixture, and then filled with marscapone cheese. I baked 3 cakes per tier ??? to meet the 4" standard. I am also taking a risk with straws I think. Please help, I need encouragement and reassurance, with the straws in particular. Also should I do cake marscapone filling, cake, buttercream, cake, or fill all layers with marscapone filling. Sorry about spelling. I am so done with cake for like years! Maybe when all my kids are in school.
Oh Grace...stop and take a breath. I'm probably not the one to help you with the tough questions, but I can give you a shoulder to lean on and a wall to throw cake at if you need to..(that's what I always treaten to do when I'm having a tough time) For starters, I think the straws will work, I hear good things about them although I've never used them. and if you're marcapone filling isn't too rich or if you can keep it somewhat light with maybe some whipped cream, I would fill all layers with it. That's just me, but I LOVE tiramisu! Hang in there lovely, it will be a beautiful cake I'm sure...sounds DELICIOUS! 
BTW where in CT? I'm in the southeast.
Marscapone is so expensive. How much did you charge? Put in on like mayonnaise or make a nice coffee/rum filling by flavoring the buttercream then you can do one marscapone and one coffee/rum filling. I would not do a marscapone and a buttercream.
And please reconsider 'drenching' the cake. Drenched is risky in a tier cake. Tier cake has to perform later by surviving delivery and a long standing/display time and then needs to serve up nice. You can add a splash of the rum/coffee stuff into the yellow cake but I don't think I'm alone in advising you to consider backing away from 'drenching' a 4-tier cake.
Do you have bubble tea straws or regular drinking straws? If you are using regular drinking straws--Do you have any bamboo skewers aka shish kabob sticks to reinforce the straws?? They cut off real easy and just slide them into the straws. (But don't do that for the fatter bubble tea straws)
You are planning on keeping this refrigerated right?
Thank you for responding. First off, I will try to make the marscapone light and fluffy so that it will go farther. I charged 4.50/slice for 150pl so $675 was total, but they actually shorted me $50 in the check. The cake cost over $100 to make let alone the time I am putting in. I am from Southington, Ct. Good to hear from someone else in Ct, maybe one day we could work together. I also made gumpaste gerbera daisies in fall colors for her, she wants brown ribbon around the tiers. I am considering not using them though (the daisies), because I feel like the don't look as beautiful as fresh ones would. So, now I might be adding even more cost from having to buy fresh flowers. wedding is tomorrow evening, I will fondant and refrigerate on low setting overnight. I think it will hold up to the cooling. Also should have said basted, not drenched. I will use like a bbq type brush to get some of the coffee rum on the cake.
GRACECAKES,
Hang in there!! I looked at your cakes, and you can do this!! Your cakes are beautiful and it sounds like you are just tired. You sound like you have planned well, but are just feeling a little overwhelmed at this point.
you can do it, you can do it (repeat after me)
I feel for you. That's one of my fears..big cake order and i'm sick or my family is sick. I dunno how it would get done. BIG HUGS.
As far as the straws..i use bubble tea straws i found in an oriental grocery store in the area. They are amazingly strong. I wouldn't worry about using them.
Hang in there! It can be intimidating, but it's also very rewarding when you pull it all off. I'm sure the gumpaste gerber daisies look fine-don't add extra cost if you don't have to. Good luck!!!
BTW-I am also in CT, the Groton area! I would love to meet up with some other cakers around here someday....
Hey GraceCakes!
I know it's hard! I have a 6 year old and a 2 year old. I run the books for my husband's compayny. I'm in school full time as well as trying to maintain about 4 cakes a week at a time right now. I know it's not much compared to most of you but right now in my, it's a lot to me. Especially considering that I do this from home. Not to mention I have had SHINGLES for the past 2 weeks....and I just want to crawl into a dark room and hide (not to mention sleep!)!!!
You can do it honey! We'll stick it out together!!!!
GOOD LUCK!!!!
if your newly pregnant, its hormones. not that long ago another person was going to quit cakes altogether, but she was further along and she was tired and i think her hormones were getting the best of her. so hormones, being sick, kids sick.... thats alot for any mom. you will be fine. just keep going and before you know it, it will be delivered and over with. best of luck and congratulations on the pregnancy!!! super happy time!!
K8memphis has you well under control in the technological aspects of your cake, and everyone else is right on target with their words of encourgament and praise. I know from your tag name and your scripture at the bottom that your strength comes from your Savior, our Lord, Jesus.
Philippians 4:13, sweetie, take a moment to read it and regroup.
awww, don't quit! there have been so many times i wanted to quit after a horrible experience, but remember the great cakes you have already made and the great ones to come! remember the kids' faces on their birthdays when you deliver their cake!
take it easy and take care of you and your family first.
if you need any help, let me know, i am in central ct too.
feel better soon!
Sometimes when I get like that I have to walk away from the cake for a while and then go back to it with a clear head. Whatever you do, make sure you tell them they shorted you $50, it could be an oversight but they also could be banking that you're not going to bring it up. You deserve your money! I am sure the cake will come out great, not to worry! 
Breath in...........breath out. Your cake will be awesome
Breath in...........breath out. Your cake will be awesome
Have two young girls myself and I know that it all can be a handful especially when your trying to get something done. Sometimes its easier to take a breather and then get back to it. That way you have time to calm down and recollect your thoughts.
Seems like a small world! Im originally from Gales Ferry and my husband works with people from Southington and Newington High School he's originally from Montville.
Marscapone is so expensive. How much did you charge? Put in on like mayonnaise or make a nice coffee/rum filling by flavoring the buttercream then you can do one marscapone and one coffee/rum filling. I would not do a marscapone and a buttercream.
And please reconsider 'drenching' the cake. Drenched is risky in a tier cake. Tier cake has to perform later by surviving delivery and a long standing/display time and then needs to serve up nice. You can add a splash of the rum/coffee stuff into the yellow cake but I don't think I'm alone in advising you to consider backing away from 'drenching' a 4-tier cake.
Do you have bubble tea straws or regular drinking straws? If you are using regular drinking straws--Do you have any bamboo skewers aka shish kabob sticks to reinforce the straws?? They cut off real easy and just slide them into the straws. (But don't do that for the fatter bubble tea straws)
You are planning on keeping this refrigerated right?
When I first read this,and I kid you not, I thought you were telling her to lay it on thick...then, I thought to myself...surely, she wouldn't be telling her how expensive it was and tell her to lay it on thick in the same sentence, would she? Surely not...it must just be me that loves mayonnaise....nothing better than a BLT on a waffle so that those pockets can accomodate just that much more of that stuff!
Grace, everything will be just fine...take the PPers suggestions from breathe deep to not drenching the layers instead adding the flavoring to either the mascarpone layer or the buttercream layer or combine the mascarpone to the b/c and flavor the whole thing.
I, like many others, still use straws or dowels to support stacked cakes. The majority of them are transported completely assembled without an issue...upwards of 4 tiers... I do take great care to make sure they're cut and spaced evenly and I run a sharpened 1/2" dowel through all tiers(separated by cardboard circles) into the base which is usually 5-6 cardboard circles thick until the tip of the dowel hits the counter.
If one of these days a cake ever collapses on me due to faulty set-up/construction, I may convert to sps...until then...straws and/or dowels.
Hey Grace! Take a deep breath. I have a 7 year old and a 26 month Old and did my last cake ( five tier jobber) the week before my midterms (this semester I returned to school, at 38 years old). I am done until school is out.
You can DO this!!
I use bubble tea straws (by the way, this cake sounds COMPLETELY DELISH!)...I actually fold my filling with buttercream for stability, but if you dam it with something thick enough, and I mean really thick, so you can pick it up with your fingers, you won't have any problems. Oh, and I use more straws than dowels, since I switched. THey are great!
Best of luck. Dowel the center!!
Wow guys, Talk about hormones! I think I almost cried for every response. Thank you so much. This is such an awesome place for encouragement. I tell you there is nothing like having people UNDERSTAND you. To all the CT people Chefrinny, and Salt box cakes, I hope to meet you in the future. WIN I was reciting that exact scripture as my 12 in was crumbling, but I made it through.
For the 11pm update. All cakes are ready for crumb coat and fondant. I don't have bubble tea straws, just reg drinking so I am going to use reg 1/4in dowels for bottom tier then the straws for the top. This way I will feel more secure while still building confidence in the straw method. I will def be ordering bubble tea though. You guys are the best. I will post pic asap and BTW I feel so much better already!
I agree w/your descission....even though I am a super big fan of straws. Thank you all here is the finished product, I am very happy with it.
OMG!!! that cake is stunning! you pulled if off like a pro.
I did not get a change to give you any advice before but I'm soooo happy for you
Trust me I know EXACTLY how you feel and how stressed you were.
Congratulations again! you rock!!!
Wow, well done, I just read the post, so no advice from me - lo0l You sure did an awesome job - be proud, be very proud!!
Big hugs
OMG,
I cannot believe how hard this is right now. I am doing my first all cake stacked 4 tier wedding cake. It has been planned for 8 months now, but wow when it rains it pours. I have a 2 and a 3 year old who are both sick, I'm sick with a head cold, I'm newly pregnant, and I feel like I don't know what I am doing.
The cake is tiramisu, yellow cakes drenched in coffee rum mixture, and then filled with marscapone cheese. I baked 3 cakes per tier ??? to meet the 4" standard. I am also taking a risk with straws I think. Please help, I need encouragement and reassurance, with the straws in particular. Also should I do cake marscapone filling, cake, buttercream, cake, or fill all layers with marscapone filling. Sorry about spelling. I am so done with cake for like years! Maybe when all my kids are in school.
Gracecakes, when you get time and can breath better would you mind sharing your coffee rum mixture with me and excatley how you add it to the cake oh are your cakes made from scratch??
Thanks hope everything goes well
Congratulations, you did a fabulous job....they must have been thrilled...
CC is probably pretty close to the best family/friends you will ever have!
Lots of love and support
WELL DONE!!!! we have all been there (well i have a least!!) now look at what you did next time something happens think back to this and draw strenght from knowing that you CAN do it, because you HAVE done it!!!
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