Cake Tier Heights And Upside Down Fondant Method For Sharpe Edges

Decorating By fathima_sl Updated 28 Jun 2016 , 5:11pm by fathima_sl

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fathima_sl Posted 22 Jun 2016 , 1:15pm
post #1 of 23

This site has been a great help over the past few years. This is my first post.[postimage id="4327" thumb="900"]

a friend of mine asked me to make a 3 tier cake for her. And sent me this picture. She needs only 70-80 servings. I have a few questions regarding this cake

- I chose 10, 8, 6 sizes for these tiers. Would it complement the design?

- how tall do you think each tier should be?

- I have done only 4 inch tall tiers, and I use the upside down fondant method to get sharp edges. Will that work for taller tiers?

22 replies
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kakeladi Posted 22 Jun 2016 , 1:41pm
post #2 of 23

The pictured cake has tiers that are 6 or maybe even 8" tall.  That's a lot of cake for just 80 servings.  

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fathima_sl Posted 22 Jun 2016 , 3:10pm
post #3 of 23

If I'm making 6 -7 inch tall tiers, do I have to treat them like double barrel cakes and insert boards and dowels inside each tier? 

I Havnt made very tall tiers before. How do I stack three 6 inch tall cakes with center boards?

thankyou @kakeladi ‍ for your help. But please do let me know how to stack them

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hippiecac Posted 22 Jun 2016 , 4:56pm
post #4 of 23

My standard tier height is 6" and I do not treat them like double barrel cakes. I stack them in the traditional manner. Bottom and middle tier are dowled. 


10" 8" 6" would work with the design - I believe the top tier in your inspiration pic is not as tall as the bottom tiers.

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fathima_sl Posted 22 Jun 2016 , 6:24pm
post #5 of 23

Omg!!!!!yes!! I never noticed the tier height decreasing from the bottom up!!! Your awesome!!! @hippiecac ‍ 

You think the tiers would stay without sinking in? Would it be safe to treat it like double barrel cakes? 

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kakeladi Posted 23 Jun 2016 , 3:03am
post #6 of 23

Of course you can always treat the tall tiers as a dbl barrel.  Tthe bottom and middle tier need dowels.  The top one will not need supports. Of course it goes without saying that each tier needs to be on a cake board.  

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fathima_sl Posted 23 Jun 2016 , 3:52am
post #7 of 23

Oh yeah... I was just panicking since I don't make taller tiers very often. THANKYOUUUUUU 

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julia1812 Posted 23 Jun 2016 , 6:29am
post #8 of 23

You could do an 8x8, 6x8 and 4x6. Same design but more closer to the number of servings you need (it would be around 80).

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Nana52 Posted 23 Jun 2016 , 10:22am
post #9 of 23

You could also do a foam bottom layer to get the same effect of size/height but not so many servings.


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fathima_sl Posted 23 Jun 2016 , 2:02pm
post #10 of 23

@julia1812 ‍  I suggested 8,6,4 diameter tiers. My friend thinks the cake would look too small. I think might have to go with a foam bottom. 

@Nana52 ‍ if I'm using a foam bottom, should I ice it with the cake, Like one whole cake? (cake board separating cake and foam bottom) ? And then apply fondant? 

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Nana52 Posted 24 Jun 2016 , 8:59am
post #11 of 23

I usually apply icing and fondant to each layer separately, then stack, then apply the decoration, or piping to hide the stacking seams.  This is a really pretty cake.  

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fathima_sl Posted 24 Jun 2016 , 7:12pm
post #12 of 23

I guess I didn't word it correctly :D , what I meant was

should I place the foam board beneath each tier ( Considering both cake layers AND foam board as one cake tier) and ice BOTH together?

or

should I ice ONLY the cake layers and keep each tier on foam board before applying fondant? 

Woukd it make any difference?? SORRY IM HAVING TOO MANY QUESTIONS!!! 

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Nana52 Posted 25 Jun 2016 , 10:04am
post #13 of 23

I would go with the first option, place the foam board beneath each tier ( Considering both cake layers AND foam board as one cake tier) and ice BOTH together.  


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fathima_sl Posted 25 Jun 2016 , 6:08pm
post #14 of 23

Thank you @Nana52 ‍ ^_^ 

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-K8memphis Posted 25 Jun 2016 , 8:11pm
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i read all this but I'm confused on how many servings you're gonna make -- 

ok first of all -- I call 'double barrell' cakes two tiers -- just happen to be the same size --

so if you do a 10x10x8x8x6 -- one of the bottom ten inchers is 4" foam the other 4" tall cake -- the two eight inchers are a little short of 8" tall so the slices would be a tad wider and the little six inch on top --

so if each of the cakes were 4"tall (which the middle tier is not -- right) you'd have 100 servings -- so with the shorter middle tier servings you'd be good with these dimensions -- and the six inch on top could be taller than 4" but still 12 servings give or take but only one tier --

two tiers on the bottom -- two tiers in the middle -- one tier on top

when a cake is ordered by its silhouette it's common to be more lenient/generous with the servings to get it all copacetic 

is that what you meant?

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fathima_sl Posted 25 Jun 2016 , 9:29pm
post #16 of 23

Yup that's what I meant ^_^ @-K8memphis ‍ but I do want to reduce the serving size to 80.

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-K8memphis Posted 25 Jun 2016 , 10:08pm
post #17 of 23

same general makeup -- one foam on the bottom --

10x10x7x7x4 is a tad under 80 at about 78

only difference is there'll be a1.5" ledge around each tier -- which is what it looks like in your picture on the bottom tier -- the middle tier actually looks like one inch ledge so if you did a 5" top tier you'd be at 80

it's ever so Not easy to get accurate/exact serving count when you are filling out a silhouette -- you lucked out on this one though blush.png

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-K8memphis Posted 25 Jun 2016 , 10:14pm
post #18 of 23

but for the record I usually try to add about 10-15% more servings than ordered  -- not always but probably 99% of the time -- but just a personal choice to allow for çutting around dowels and if a serving is dropped etc.

but you know your client's needs better than me of course --

but just kinda depends on how tall you make that middle tier -- each of those 7"cakes needs to be 4" tall








































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fathima_sl Posted 26 Jun 2016 , 9:42pm
post #19 of 23

By 10x10x7x7x4, do you mean 10 inch round 10 inch height, 7 inch round 7 inch height? 

And yes I think 10, 7, 5 would be best!!!  

Thankyou for helping me out @-K8memphis ‍ and one more question. I still have bulging in some of my cakes even after settling them over night. Does moisture content in the air directly affect the cake itself? 

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-K8memphis Posted 26 Jun 2016 , 10:58pm
post #20 of 23

no I mean two 10" tiers stacked up on top of each other to become a combined total of 8" tall -- a 'double barrell' is really a two tier cake -- it just looks like one tier -- so when you write it out --

it's 10x10x7x7x5 -- it's really a 5 tier cake --

yes air moisture affects cake texture and icing and everything but I don't think it has much to do with bulging specifically --

i think it's air inside the cake collecting and trying to escape if you mean the icing separating from the side of the cake like an air filled edema -- so I pin prick each layer through the icing and leave the hole open in an inconspicuous place -- so air can escape --

if you mean the filling pooching out between the layers try leaving a half inch of free space without filling all around the perimeter -- so when you stack up the layers it will all even out --

I'd love to see pictures -- best to you

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kakeladi Posted 26 Jun 2016 , 11:33pm
post #21 of 23

...........if you mean the filling pooching out between the layers try leaving a half inch of free space without filling all around..... 

Definitely you must use a dam around the edge.  Some people use a 'rope' of fondant others pipe a line of b'cream then the filling goes inside the ring.


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-K8memphis Posted 27 Jun 2016 , 5:22am
post #22 of 23

when I said filling in my previous post I meant buttercream filling-- if that's what's pooching out -- 

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fathima_sl Posted 28 Jun 2016 , 5:11pm
post #23 of 23

I moved to a new place and my cake layers are a bit sticky and too Moist now :( it's actually the cake layers sinking into each other.

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