Maybe asking for suggestions will keep me from feeling like I want to crawl under a rock. I am making a 3 tiered wedding cake, I used the durable and 3d wedding cake recipe, and it is not going well. When I baked them, one 6" started to crumble as it was coming out of the pan, but the others appeared to be fine. I froze them, then thawed and when I tried to move them, they started to crumble apart. I am not sure if this is the problem but when I started making them, I realized that I had purchased low fat sour cream. Anyone know if that would cause them to fall apart?

So anyway, I tried to salvage them by using stiffened buttercream (that you would use as a dam) and used it like putty to fill in all the missing chunks. (ok, stop laughing) Is this a really bad idea? Is the whole thing going to collapse by doing this. I am also really worried about stacking them now as it has to travel just over 1 hour away, and I am not going with it, (my sister-in-law is picking it up and it is going to a backyard reception). Will the fondant be enough to keep them solid?

Ugh, my head is spinning right now, took 4 hours to get them filled and layered and I am not sure if they will still be standing when I go to ice them in the morning.

Any words of wisdom would be really appreciated. Thanks Lisa

How many chunks are we talking? If you have maybe 1 or 2 smaller chunks that are surrounded by something more sturdy...then I've managed that. But if you are talking a total puzzle assembly job....then you are correct....it's a disaster in the making.

I hope it turns out all right for you...

I have made this recipe many times. If you are having this kind of problem with this cake I would advise you to rebake. Especially since it's for a wedding cake! I would bet money that the "no fat" sour cream is the culprit. I don't use any oil in the WASC recipe that I use....the sour cream replaces the fat.....so....I'm thinking that using a "no fat" sour cream in a cake isn't a good idea. If this cake is at all crumbly I wouldn't even consider using it for a wedding cake because there is something wrong. This cake should be very dense and sturdy..I use this cake for my carved cakes. I would also worry about the texture and the flavor and since it's for a wedding cake I WOULD RE BAKE. Period.

Good luck with your cake. Just for the record....the original WASC recipe by kakeladi is an awesome white cake. It's my most requested cake too. I do like the 3D recipe but the "original" WASC has a finer crumb and is dense but lighter than the 3D.

Even if I had to deliver the cake myself (to allow for more time) I would rebake. You don't want any problems when it's someone's wedding cake for sure. Even if you manage to bind it together and decorate I would be afraid to use this cake. I cannot stress enough that if you're having these kinds of problems with THIS cake then something is WRONG.

I'm with the pp... you will probably be able to engineer it enough to get it in place.... but if it is falling apart now it is going to be crumbly, unattractive slices and who knows how it will taste. Rebake. Sorry

It's gonna be a long day....

Thanks so much for the advice

So sorry this happened to you...but you'll know that from now on to buy regular sour cream Oh the things I've learned by trial and error. I'm sure the "new" cakes will be awesome.

Be sure to post a pic of your cake when you're finished.

Well, ended up not being a disaster, phew! After I filled them and let them sit overnight, they seemed to be more solid (well, enough that I could work with them). My sister-in-law was getting the cake for her friend, and she was only paying for the ingredients, and had a budget that she wanted to stay within, so I didn't re-bake. But lesson learned, I will never use low fat sour cream again (of that was the culprit) So here it is.

Just for the record, I always use low fat sour cream and have never, ever had a problem. I don't know what it was, but I don't think it was the sour cream.

Lisa, this happened to me with the durable cake recipe. I used the Duncan Hines butter recipe mix, and it didn't work with this recipe. My sides crumbled and stuck, and it really pulled away from the sides of the pan. I had to use cake spackle to fix all of problems. Its true, you learn something new with each mistake. I used cake spackle and now I know that I can do that if I have a problem, it worked great. My cake is in my photos its the birds nest cake, you can't tell, all the problems I had.

nicolepa, hmm, you always use low fat?? Now you have me wondering, if that was not the problem, what was...

cathyscakes, they don't stick when they come out of the pan, they just crumble afterwards, I used the betty crocker french vanilla. I don't know, I am afraid to use this recipe again. ps, love the bird's nest cake, looks great despite the troubles