My client wants this picture. Exactly. Except maybe with 4 tiers, 2 cake tiers on top, 2 cake tiers on bottom with an all rose tier in the middle.

My question is....

Should the flowers come out to the same circumfrance of the tier beneath it? For example, if she wants a 6", 8", 10", 12" rounds, and the flowers go on top of the 10", should the flowers be 5" long? (since the stems are only going to the middle?

Do I have to cover the top of that 10" round cake with something to protect it from the roses?

How do I put the flowers in there? Just insert a row of flowers all the way around and then build it up? Insert them into a styrofoam block (also acting as support for the upper tier?

Thanks!

Flowers stems should be in flower pics. That many holes would make any cake fall apart. I think a styro layer for the roses would work best.

I wasn't thinking of putting the stems INTO the cake, more like they'd be laying on top of the cake it is sitting on.

If they are real flowers, I couldn't do styrofoam, right?

You will need to use a support system for stacking the tiers. The top two tiers will need to be seperated by columns. I would use a flower ring or floral oasis in which the flowers can be inserted. The floral arrangment would cover the columns.

I would use oasis too... you can get a cylinder of it and put it in a dish in the center of the tier. This way the flowers will be able to stay watered and fresh. You can get a base made of plastic like this http://sona.oasisfloral.com/products/plastic_containers/utility_containers/obowl_containers/obowl_containers so that no water or bits of oasis foam would get on teh cake below. I'd also put a piece of acetate or a carboard cake board under the base since it's not technically food safe.

........Should the flowers come out to the same circumfrance of the tier beneath it?......

I think this is going to be a personal choice. I think the pictured cake is *WAY!* over done w/the roses. They hide the cake

I'm w/the others that you should use styro - oasis is better - for the tier w/the flowers whether you use real or fake ones.
If they are sugar then real cake can be used (no stems/wire).

my personal preference for the sizing on the rose tier would be to make the finished tier the size a regular tier would be in the cake. Like if you plan on making the second 10" tier the rose tier then the finished measurement at the edges of the rose petals would be 10".

Make or buy the roses and measure the average height of the flowers, multiply by two (because they are going all the way around the cake) and subtract that from the tier size needed. Make the oasis or cake diameter that measurement and then insert the roses or glue on the sugar roses.

Roses 2" tall X 2 = 4"
Tier size 10"- 4" = 6" of oasis needed or 6" cake diameter needed to glue flowers on to make a 10" finished rose tier.