I need some suggestions/advise, please....

I am making my parents a 40th anniversary cake in the form of a lighthouse. I have the 'house, side of the cliff and water' figured out; however, I'm waivering on how to do the lighthouse.

I would like for it to be about 8 inches tall plus the balcony and light. I thought about putting a tealight candle where the light is supposed to be, so I probably can't get away with putting anything that will melt on top of that.

Any suggestions on how to make the lighthouse symmetrical, top to bottom? Should I use rice krispies or can I go with cake (which is what I wanted originally)?

Thank you,
Meli

You can use cake. Here are my instructions for tapering cakes. For the lighthouse, you'll need several layers of cake, so I would advise tapering 2 or 3 layers at a time. And, of course, you won't flip the cake over. As for the light, you can get battery operated tea lights at Hobby Lobby or any craft store.

Start with two same-size cake layers, say, 10-inch round.

Place a 10-inch round cake circle on one end, and an 8-inch circle on the other end. Make sure the larger, same-size board is not larger than the cake. It can be tad smaller.

Working inside a large pan or baking sheet to confine the mess, elevate the cake a few inches on something narrower than the cake, like a 6 or 7 inch cake pan.

The 8-inch board side should be up. Put non-skid mat between the cake and it's elevator so it doesn't slip off.

Now, take a long, serrated knife and, using the cake boards as guides, carve away the sides of the cake. Flip the cake over, place on it's permanent board and away you go!

If you plan to fill the layers with something other than buttercream, place a couple of small cardboard cake circles between your layers before carving.

After carving, take the two layers apart, remove the cake circles, pipe your dam, add filling and replace the layers. Trim, if necessary.

If you're going to fill with buttercream, you can do that before carving.

Thank you Diane. I'll definitely try that!