Need Some Advice For 73 Mini Two Tier Wedding Cakes!

Decorating By kelleyincolorado Updated 1 Oct 2010 , 11:48am by dinascakes

kelleyincolorado Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
kelleyincolorado Posted 29 Sep 2010 , 4:11am
post #1 of 9

Okay, so here's the deal--- 10/10 I've got 73 mini two tier cakes traveling to Vail, CO. They will all be sitting on cut pieces of aspen log and my intent is to dowel through the cakes and into the log and travel with them that way. It's a two hour drive up over two mountain passes and lots of twisty turny roads.
Half of these have gold icing with garnet colored damask patterns on them. Half are ivory with gumpaste aspen leaves. The cakes are 3 inch high layers-- bottom is 5 inches wide and top is 3 inches wide. Icing is buttercream.

Okay, so questions--- do I need any type of support under the little 3 inch tier or will the dowel through them do the job? Can I ice these ahead of time and freeze? If so, can I do the garnet colored damask, too? Will this have any issues when it warms to room temp? I am hoping to deliver these very cold as cold cake travels so much better. Not frozen... just cold. By the time I get there, set them up and they get around to eating them, they'll be room temp. I am concerned what the cold will do to the garnet color and to the aspen leaves. I intend on placing the leaves on there last thing.

I hope my rambling makes sense and thanks!

8 replies
leah_s Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
leah_s Posted 29 Sep 2010 , 10:45am
post #2 of 9

I'd definitely do a test run with the temperature changes and that color icing.

And umm . . . you've got lots of experience with mini-cakes, right?
And you charged enough on this one order to put your children thru college, right? Right???

bethasd Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
bethasd Posted 29 Sep 2010 , 11:30am
post #3 of 9

Holy cow, that's a lot of mini cake!

IMO - I don't think you need a support under the 3".

I don't have much experience with freezing so I would do a trial on that gold one. I'd be worried that the damask would either bleed while thawing or crack if it's royal icing.

Agree, hope you charged $$$$!

costumeczar Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
costumeczar Posted 29 Sep 2010 , 11:58am
post #4 of 9

This doesn't sound good for you, lots of work!!!

Are the cakes going to be one layer per tier, or will you have a split layer with a filling? Are you going to have the 3" on a board then drive the dowels through that? If you do that you'll need a support because when you start pounding dowels onto unsupported cake you'll squash the 5" flat.

I'd just not bother to dowel anything at all. Transport them then set them up when you get there. Adn I agree that I really hope you charged a lot for these, because you're going to regret it if you didn't!

CindiM Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
CindiM Posted 29 Sep 2010 , 12:46pm
post #5 of 9

I made 48 two-tiered table cakes in fondant, 4 & 6 inch rounds, each tier was 4 inches tall, so the cakes were 8 inches tall with fondant roses (plus a large wedding cake).
I have large commercial ovens, racks, freezers and refrigerators. So make sure you have the space to spread out.
My best advise is to plan double the time you think it will take.
Also, make extra cakes.
Have boxes made the size that will hold 10 or more of them for transport and make sure they will fit in your truck/car. We rented a large truck.
Do a trial run and make 6 complete iced cakes. Time yourself. That will answer your questions.

kelleyincolorado Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
kelleyincolorado Posted 1 Oct 2010 , 3:18am
post #6 of 9

Thanks you all! These are going to end up 7 inches high when iced and stuff. I do have to fill the bottom layers--- the top... not going to even try, since it's only 3 inches wide.
So today they brought me FINALLY all of the aspen pieces these cakes are supposed to sit on. About half of them are the right size (six inches or so across)... the rest are the size of dinner plates and look ridiculous! I have spent the last hour or so standing in my garage swearing under my breath. This totally biffs up my assembly ideas and the shelving we had planned to build in the van. Now I'm going to have to make holes in the shelving, put the cakes on that (dowels through the holes) put the stupid aspen pieces on top of the van in my camping gear carrier and then assemble all of the cakes on their aspen pieces up in Vail. God bless my husband for figuring out the wood needed and having the tools to do this.
I've got a practice cake in the freezer now... we'll see what the garnet icing does tomorrow! Praying there is no bleeding!

sweetcakes Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
sweetcakes Posted 1 Oct 2010 , 3:50am
post #7 of 9

i dont think your done swearing yet. icon_smile.gif i also dont think you need any support in the bottom tier, just a cake board under each one. when you do the damask stencil do it in buttercream as royal will run when the cake comes to room temp (thats my experience with RI). Dont even attempt to put the cakes on the logs until your at the site. Good luck with this, let us know how it goes.

bethasd Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
bethasd Posted 1 Oct 2010 , 11:20am
post #8 of 9

Take lots of pictures, even video. We all could learn from your experience. I'm envisioning a how-to video called, "Why NOT to do mini cakes." Transporting one cake with an intricate design on a 2-hr. drive would be stressful enough but 73 not to mention assembling them on-site. Oh, my kids would have to move out for the weekend with all the swearing I'd be doing!

dinascakes Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
dinascakes Posted 1 Oct 2010 , 11:48am
post #9 of 9

WOW!! Sounds like a HUGE job...Good luck! I hope it all turns out well for you! Please post some pics...would love to see how they turn out! The idea of the mini cakes on logs sounds really interesting.

Quote by @%username% on %date%

%body%