I made cakes for my family and kids, anything hugely ambitious has been a cake for my kids, so I was able to construct it in it's place or not have to move it more than a few feet.

So I was asked to make a Beatles Yellow Submarine carved cake for 60ish people. She said it was fine if it was stacked on a base cake or just all carved cake or whatever, she's flexible.

So I was thinking I would do a 14" either round or square double layer cake covered in fondant then carve the sub out of cake, cover in fondant and stack it on the layer below....

This is what I am hoping the top layer will look like http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/8836/yellowsubmarine.jpg

SHE IS GOING TO PICK IT UP FROM ME THOUGH -- This is a friend of a acquaintance of mine. I want to make sure it's stable and as easy to transport as possible.

So I know I need to put dowels in the base cake, and a separator (carboard covered in foil) then the sub cake. How would one suggest getting the sub to stay put and not possibly shift on the drive home and during transport???? Is just putting one sharpened dowel the height of the cake enough? Or maybe 2?

My husband drafts bridges and support structures for a living and he suggested doing a RKT core and also using that for the tip top of the sub or PVC covered in RKT and building the cake around it. I just think that could turn into a mess really fast when it comes to covering everything in fondant and when they cut the cake....

Anyway does anyone have any suggestions????

Amy

I din look at your picture but I often place a slab of foam under my 3-d cake boards--I make my own boards--so then I can set a few dowel all they way through everything and hit pay dirt down there--I like to use bamboo skewers for this 'cause they already have a pointy tip and they are real thin--and secure it all the way through to the foam under bottom board--if you use hot glue to attach the foam to the board be sure to keep the area where the dowel will travel through glue free--it does not penetrate hot glue tracks.

Because a dowel all the way through is a nice idea.
A dowel all the way through and being held in place planted into the foam is secure. I'd use three at least to keep it from rollling off in transit.

I also would chill it for delivery.

Looked at the picutre--I'd also carve a piece of foam to mimic that little bottom slice so it has rounded sides on the bottom there so it looks most submariney.

How thick of a foam base do you use? What do you cover your foam in? That sounds like a FAB idea! Thank you!

I keep telling myself to make a video of making boards & stuff--just any minute...

But so you got a 14" round cake there? Nothing less than an inch thick and 3x10 inches long. It won't really show out from underneath the 16/18" board you place the cake on. I use florist foil or the Wilton food safe stuff for the bottom board but the foam won't really show.

Then you have an added cost to factor too. To minimize this for a cake like this submarine design, use that narrow strip of foam 1x3x10 carefully planted where the dowel will be inserted.

Then you just need to be sure the foam on the bottom will hold the cake up without tottering right? So all you need is two other short foam pieces the same heighth to adhere to either side of the strip. These are just 'feet' under the cake board.

This is cost saving because you do not need to place a full sheet of foam under there. You could but you can just build a stand.

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That ^^ would be the view of your foam under the cake board from the bottom--those three foam pieces all carefully hot glued to the bottom of the big board the 14" sits on. See what I mean? Think of any footed cake stand--the foot is much smaller than the plate and is very stablel--see what I mean?