I'm guessing they are done ahead of time and dried?  I'm guessing dowels are put in first

then the ruffles then the next tier put on top and glued down?  This cake was done by Fancy Cakes by Lauren.

Any help is appreicated.

Wow. I don't know but its really pretty!

I think you may be spot on, Onceuponacake.  I would think they would need to be dried so they wouldn't droop downward. I'm wondering if they are rounds of fondant/gumpaste, a little larger then the layer below, that have been ruffled on the edges?? Pretty cake though.

A friend of mine told me they are made ahead of time.  I think the centers of them would need to be cut out because putting three ruffles would elevate the tier above it too much.  At least that's what I think lol.  

NO way to know unless someone who has done it replies or I do it lol.

i don't know how those were made--i made these and dried them advance--placed them in sections after the cakes were stacked--i covered the joins with the cur-li-qs--they do crack easy--joining three together could not have been a picnic for the author of your cake--

if i made the cake in your picture i would try to make the ruffley rings as i stacked the cake and have supports ready to be put in place to hold them up--and i'd use the fridge to stop the ruffles from moving--and i'd let it set up for a good while before delivering--and as onceuponacake said, i'd also use rings rather than full circles that cover from side to side--

but that is a thought--if you used full circles of fondant --and made the holes for sps in advance and squoshed the ruffles between cake pans--so they would be accurate--and let it dry up nice--that might really work good too--but it would have to be made very carefully--cakes just the right height--idk i would be so freakin' easy to crack them--

more than one way -- have to practice that well in advance huh

i'm gonna guess that's a petite cake but idk--

sorry the photo is not the best

Those are made with modeling chocolate. Lauren Kitchens just did a new class on Craftsy about using modeling chocolate and she showed how to do those in one of the cake designs.